Railway budget 2013-14: Highlights

February 26, 2013 11:18 am | Updated December 04, 2021 11:40 pm IST

Union Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presenting the Railway Budget  in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: PTI/TV grab

Union Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presenting the Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: PTI/TV grab

Railway Minister concludes his budget speech

67 new express trains to be introduced; 27 passenger trains, 8 DEMUs

Opposition disrupts Rail Budget speech over new train announcements

Operating ratio of 88.8 percent achieved

Dividend reduced from 5 to 4 percent

Electrification of 1,200 km to be completed this year

72 additional suburban services in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata

An independent Rail Tariff Authority has been formalised

Dynamic fuel adjustment component to be introduced on freight rates from April one, that will result in less than five per cent increase in rates

Diesel price hike added Rs 3,300 crore to fuel bill of Railways

Railway revenues to show a balance of Rs 12,506 crore in 2013-14

Planned investment of Rs 63,363 crore for 2013-14, including Rs 600 crore from PPP route

Operating ratio expected to improve to 87.8 per cent in 2013-14 from 88.8 per cent in the current fiscal

5.2 per cent growth in passenger traffic expected in 2013-14

Railway hopes to end 2013-14 with a balance of Rs 12,506 crore

Rs.100 crore for improving stations in New Delhi

Railways to set up a Debt Service Fund

Freight earning to grow by 9 per cent to Rs 93,554 crore.

Freight target fixed at 1,047 MT for 2013-14, 40 MT over the current year

Marginal increase in cancellation, reservation charges

No fresh hike in passenger fares

Modest 5-6% hike in passenger fares will add to corpus, and translate into better amenities

Rs 3,000 crore loan from Finance Ministry re-paid with interest by Railways this financial year.

Indian Railway Institute for Financial Management to be set up at Secunderabad to train rail officers on a regular basis

Railway Energy Management Company to be set up to harness solar and wind energy

47,000 vacancies for weaker sections and physically challenged to be filled up soon

New coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities to be set up in various places including Rae Bareli, Bhilwara, Sonepat, Kalahandi, Kolar, Palakkad and Pratapgarh

Rs 9000 crore investments expected including Rs 3,800 crore in port connectivity and Rs 800 crore in iron ore mines connectivity

Allocation of Rs 1,000 crore each made for railway land development authority and railway station development authority.

Railways set to enter 1 billion ton freight club of China, Russia and US

Common rail-bus ticket to be introduced for Katra-Vaishnodevi pilgrims

New train Azadi Express to places linked with the freedom struggle to be introduced, fares to be concessional

Internet booking to be provided from 0030 hours to 2330 hours

Internet booking to be strengthened with next-generation e-ticketing system to eliminate delays

Special A/C coaches ‘Anubhuti’, to be introduced in select Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains to give excellent ambience with commensurate fare

Railways will use Aadhar data base for bookings and validation of passengers

SMS alert service being rolled out shortly to intimate passengers about reservation status

Free wi-fi facility to be provided in select trains

Plan to allow e-ticketing via mobile phones

Railway committed to bring marked change in passenger amenities

Seventeen bridges identified for repair

Smoke and fire detection system envisaged

Fire extinguishers to be kept in guard vans

Aim to eliminate 31,846 level crossings

Identification of 104 stations for upgradation in places with more than one million population and of religious significance

Railways to set up six more Rail Neer bottling plants

10% reservation for women in RPF

Presence of women in RPF to go up

Plan for elephant corridor safety

Corporate safety plan proposed

Railway safety fund inadequate

Fall in accidents — per million accidents down from .41 to .13

There has been significant drop in train accidents

Rs. 95,000 crore shortfall, meeting this shortfall will mean a paradigm shift

Rs 1 lakh crore to be raised from public-private partnership, Rs 1.05 lakh crore through internal resources in the 12th Plan

12th Plan railway size to be Rs 5.19 lakh crore, with gross budgetary support of Rs 1.94 lakh crore

Steep increase in input costs have been met with hike in Freight rates: Bansal

Railways powerful vehicle driving the growth of the country: Bansal

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presents his maiden budget in Parliament

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal arrives in Parliament to present his maiden budget.

A day before presenting the budget, Mr. Bansal said that there was a demand for more trains. But he did not disclose whether he would concede it, as his predecessors did.

"The government is for the people. You will have to see the budget from that point of view...," he said at an informal chat with reporters, when asked whether the budget would be people-friendly.

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