Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal has got a raw deal while passenger safety was neglected in the rail budget presented in Parliament on Tuesday, alleged former Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee.

Describing the rail budget as 'visionless and election- oriented', Banerjee said "West Bengal got a raw deal as far as new trains are concerned. Three new trains have been given only once a week while no Garib Rath has been introduced in the state.

She told reporters that she did not mind if Bihar received facilities "but West Bengal and many other states have been neglected. There is no proposal for new lines and gauge conversion."

She said that the budget provided more benefits to the rich than the poor and sought to privatise railway operations which would not benefit the country in the long run.

Accusing Railway minister Lalu Prasad of neglecting passenger safety and amenities, Banerjee said that during her tenure as Railway Minister she had allocated Rs 10,000 crore for anti-collision devices.

Rail Budget 2008-09