It is a disappointing railway budget for all classes! Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has presented the Railway Budget 2012-13. The Railway budget has much focused on safety concerns, decongestion and modernization of the system. The railway minister Dinesh Trivedi has proposed the highest ever annual plan outlay for the department of railways at Rs. 60,100 crore. Out of this amount, about Rs. 50,000 crore would be from market borrowing. The minister proposed setting up an independent Railway safety authority. He also emphasised phasing out level crossings in five years. Following are highlights of Railway Budget of Union of India 2012-2013, including new trains, new railway lines and concessions.
1) Express train fare up by 5 paise per each km, 10 paise per km for AC chair car, 10 paise per km for AC 3-tier, 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier, 30 paise per km for AC First class.
2) There will be no steep increase in passenger fares. 2 paisa per km for suburban trains and 3 paisa per km for mail and express trains will be charged.
3) GRP / RPF personnel would be deployed on 3,500 trains for security and safety reasons.
4) Good news for Arjuna Awardees. Theyc an travel freely by Rajdhani express.
5) Targeting freight carriage of 1,025 million tonnes to bring in Rs.89,339 crore; passenger earnings estimated at Rs.36,073 crore; gross receipts estimated at Rs.1.32 lakh crore.
6) Specialized railway design wing at National Institute of Design with a cost of Rs.10 crore.
7) New passenger train services: 820 new items; 75 new express trains; 21 new passenger trains
8) Good news for Mumbai citizens: 75 new services in suburban system are introduced.
9) Guru Parikrama trains to be introduced to Amritsar, Patna and Nanded.
10) Passenger fare are increased for sub-urban trains. The hike is 2 paise per km for passenger trains and 3 paise per km for mail trains.
11) Platform ticket price has been increased to Rs. 5
12) 50 percent concession in fare to anaemia and sickle cell disease patients (in AC classes only).
13) Expansion of suburban rail networks including addition of more train services in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
14) 75 new express passenger trains to be introduced in the financial year.
15) Here is a good news for unemployed youth. Railways will recruit more than one lakh persons in 2012-13.
16) Garib Rath trains will have a special AC coach for differently abled persons.
18) Eighty five new railway line projects to be taken up during 2012-13.
19) It is estimated that the Railways require investment of Rs.5.60 lakh crore for modernization efforts.
Please improve the rail maintenance service to avoid accidents and try to improve the railway food quality as we all have to depend upon the food in long route and there are so many sick patients among us
Rightly pointed out. This should be the main focus along with security and safety concerns.
This rail budget is not satisfactory as fares in Long distance trains has been hiked too much for Ac 1,Ac 2.and Ac 3.passengers will feel pinched by this budget.
Again there no new s.f.exp.trains for Mumbai- Agra fort-Delhi route.
Duronto and sampark kranti must be cancelled as they serve only state passengers to capital. As a result other important stations residing passengers remain stranded.
These trains add rail traffic and serve no purpose.
indian railway budget is very poor to develop railway routs in ap.there is few new trains than other states.