New Delhi: Railway Minister Lalu Yadav will present his third consecutive Rail Budget (2006-07) on Friday, in which he is expected to announce new common man-friendly trains, slash freight rates and improved amenities, but leave passenger fares untouched.
On his big day in Parliament, Lalu Yadav, whose ministry is waddling in surplus revenue to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore, is also likely to announce steps to take on competition from low-cost airlines, which have been offering fares comparable to airconditioned class rail fares.
It has been a turnaround story for the Indian Railways, which has increased its revenue surplus from a mere Rs 359 crore in 2000-01 to Rs 7,800 crore in 2004-05, which is now projected to grow to Rs 11,000 crore this year due to several steps taken to improve efficiency and mobilise additional resources.
What can you expect:
> 2006-07 to be declared the 'year of passenger'
> Steps to take on competition from low-cost airlines
> Upgradation of about 400 Express/Mail trains as Superfast trains
> 'Jan Sadharan' express trains for a number of destinations
> Nook and cranny of India to be linked
> Improve passenger amenities
> Facilities like bed-rolls for sleeper class passengers
> Safety aspect to be a priority
> No hike likely in passenger fares.
> No of coaches to rise from 14 to 24 in at least 258 trains
> Dedicated Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah freight corridors
> Scheme to cost approximately Rs 21,140 crores
> At least 500 trains may be upgraded from sleeper-to-3AC-to-2AC-to-1AC
> Automatic upgradation scheme for all Rajdhani trains
> A Passenger-Profile Management Scheme under which a coach can be added or deleted from trains depending upon the demand
> Frequent Traveller Scheme: Bonus points for frequent passenger
Comments
0 comment