Railway budget 2013-14: Highlights

February 26, 2013







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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