Railway Minister of India, Suresh Prabhu has presented the Railway Budget for the financial year 2015-16. This is his first railway budget and there are expectations on major reforms in Indian Railways. The most striking feature of the budget is that there is no hike in passenger fares of any class. The minister has outlined a budget of Rs. 8 lakh crores for the coming five years. Following are highlights of Railway Budget 2015-16:
Highlights of Railway Budget 2015:
1) There is no increase in fares for any passenger class.
2) SMS alerts will be introduced for train schedules / timings.
3) E-catering facility will be introduced in 108 trains. You can order through IRCTC website.
4) Mobile charging stations and on-board entertainment facilities will be extended.
5) Railways to increase track capacity by 10 per cent to 1.38 lakh km.
6) Owed to improve cleanliness and design of bed linen
7) Introduction of all India 24×7 grievances helpline 138 will be started soon.
8) Bio-Toilets to replace 7000 toilets.
9) Passenger without reservation and on-board can get a ticket within 5 minutes
10) Railways to become self-sustainable in over a period of time.