Highlights of Rail Budget 2012-13

[RAJESH DESAI]

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

Highlights of Rail Budget 2012-13

Increase in passenger fares across all classes, more than 100 new trains, improved frequency or routes for many others, and plans to hire more than one lakh employees .

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi made following key proposals:

·         Passenger fares to be hiked by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class travel; 3 paise per km for mail/ express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC chair car/AC 3-tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier and 30 paise per km for AC 1-tier.

·         Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.

·         75 mew Express trains to be introduced, along with 21 new passenger services, nine DEMU services and 8 MEMU services trains.

·         Route of 39 trains to be extended and frequency of 23 trains to be increased.

·         Indian Railways Stations Development Corp to be set up to re-develop stations and maintain them like airports.

·         To set up an independent Railway Safety Authority as a statutory body.

·         All unmanned level crossings to be abolished in next five years; To target zero deaths due to rail accidents.

·         To provide rail connectivity to neighbouring countries, a new line from Agartala to Akura in Bangladesh to be set up.

·         Double-decker container trains to be introduced.

·         Steps to improve cleanliness and hygiene on trains and stations within six months. A special housekeeping body to be set up to take care of both stations and trains.

·         New passenger services include escalators at major stations, alternative train accommodation for wait-listed passengers, laundry services, AC lounges, coin/currency operated ticket vending machines.

·         Two new members, one for marketing, and other for safety, to be inducted into Railway Board.

·         On board passenger displays indicating next halt station and expected arrival time to be introduced.

·         Introduction of regional cooking; Book-a-meal scheme to provide meals through SMS or email.

·         Specially designed coaches for differently-abled persons to be provided in each Mail/Express trains.

·         National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up; Pre-feasibility studies on six high speed corridors completed; study on Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur to be taken up in 2012-13.

·         Wellness programme for railway staff at work places.

·         Institution of ‘Rail Khel Ratna’ Award for 10 rail sportspersons every year.

·         A wagon factory at Sitapali, Odisha, rail coach factory at Palakkad, two additional new coach manufacturing units in Kutch (Gujarat) and Kolar (Karnataka); component factory at Shyamnagar (West Bengal); new coaching terminal at Naihati, the birth place of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

·         Freight loading of 1,025 MT targeted; 55 MT more than 2011—12; Passenger growth targeted at 5.4 per cent.

·         Passenger earnings to increase to Rs 36,200 crore.

·         Gross rail traffic targeted to increase by Rs 28,635 crore to Rs 1,32,552 crore in 2012—13.

 

 

Regards,

 

Team Microsec Research

 

 

 

Microsec Capital Limited

Tel: 91 33 30512100

Fax: 91 33 30512020

 

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CA. Rajesh Desai