Railway Budget - Highlights

Railway profit in 2007-08 at Rs 25,000 crore.

· 50% concession for AIDS patient

· Foot over bridges at all high-level platforms.

· Northern railway main hospital in Delhi will be fully air-conditioned. Divisional railway hospitals in Jaipur and Hubli will be upgraded.

· A new rail coach unit to be set up in Kerala

· A 1,000 megawatt captive power plant to be set up in Nabinagar in Bihar

· Ten new Garib Raths and 53 new trains to be introduced.

· Railway tickets to show 'expected time of arrival'

Thirty per cent discount to senior citizens for rail travel and 50 per cent discount for women in all classes
Mother Child Health Express to be started.
Clearance given for western freight corridor from Delhi to JNPT, Nhava Sheva, adjoining Mumbai.
Close circuit TV and bomb detecting equipment to be installed at major stations.
Doubling of lines to be given priority.
Railways planning smart card-based ticketing system.
CCTvs at all important stations
Modular toilets to be introduced in trains.
· 'Go Mumbai' card to be sold at bus depots.

· Freight loading estimated to increase from 650 mt to 1100 mt by 2011

· New policy for wagon leasing.

· New line for Ennore Power Station.

· By 2010, all coaches will be made of steel.

Professional agencies being involved on a pilot basis to ensure cleanliness in running trains.
Work on automatic signaling to start in new sections.
Railways to bring in led displays in stations on train arrivals/ departures.
· Stainless steel coaches for mail and express trains.

· Cleanliness drive on rajdhani and shatabdi trains.

· Railways show a surplus of Rs 68,778 cr in last four years.

· Railways to provide escalators at 50 per cent of the stations in the country.

· Railway Minister Lalu Yadav announced that Indian Railways will introduce 15,000 ticketing counters in the next 2 years. The Railways plans to offer tickets through mobile phones.

· By 2009 call centre based inquiry services to be unveiled.

· Issuance of wait-listed e-tickets will also allowed

· Operating ratio of the Railways was at 76%.

· Rs 49,250 crore invested into new railway projects.

· Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last four years.

· Productivity of Railway assets has been constantly increasing.

· Railways attained 790 tonne payload target in the year 2007-08.

· E-ticket booking is likely to rise to 300,000 from 100,000 in a year.

· Freight traffic target of 785 million tonnes crossed to touch 790 million tones

· Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last four years.

· 560 railway station platforms to be lengthened to take long trains.

· Middle-level and low-level platforms to be upgraded to high-level platforms in several stations to help commuters.

· More facilities for women and old passengers.