Indian Rail Budget 2012 Announced

Indian Rail Budget 2012 - 2013

Union Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi on 14th Wednesday, March 2012 presented the Rail Budget for the next fiscal in the Lok Sabha, with marginal hike in passenger fares ranging from 2 paisa per kilometre to 30 paisa per kilometre in various categories of trains.

 

Mister announced new 75 express trains, 21 passenger trains and extension of 39 trains besides increase in the frequency of 23 trains.Platform tickets have also been raised from Rs 3 to Rs 5. In his first Railway Budget, Trivedi announced increase in passenger fares by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class, 3 paise per km for mail/express second class and 5 per paise per km for sleeper class, 10 paise per km for AC chair car, AC-3 tier and first class. AC-2 Tier will cost more by 15 paise per km while AC-1 will be dearer by 30 paise per km.

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS 2012: 

• Double-decker container trains to be introduced. 
• Route of 39 trains to be extended and frequency of 23 trains to be increased. 
• 75 new Express trains to be introduced, along with 21 new passenger services, nine DEMU services and 8 MEMU services trains.
• Railways to hire more than one lakh employees in 2012-13; 80,000 persons hired last year.
• Indian Railways Stations Development Corp to be set up to re-develop stations and maintain them like airports.
• To set up an independent Railway Safety Authority as a statutory body.
• The open discharge toilets on trains to be replaced with green (bio) toilets.
• A wagon factory at Sitapali, Odisha, rail coach factory at Palakkad, two additional new coach manufacturing units in Kutch (Gujarat) and Kolar (Karnataka); component factory at Shyamnagar (West Bengal); new coaching terminal at Naihati, the birth place of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
• All unmanned level crossings to be abolished in next five years; To target zero deaths due to rail accidents.
• To provide rail connectivity to neighbouring countries, a new line from Agartala to Akura in Bangladesh to be set up.
• On board passenger displays indicating next halt station and expected arrival time to be introduced.
• Introduction of regional cuisine; Book-a-meal scheme to provide meals through SMS or email.
• Steps to improve cleanliness and hygiene on trains and stations within six months. A special house keeping body to be set up to take care of both stations and trains.
• New passenger services include escalators at major stations, alternative train accommodation for wait-listed passengers, laundry services, AC lounges, coin/currency operated ticket vending machines.
• Two new members, one for marketing, and other for safety, to be inducted into Railway Board.
• Specially designed coaches for differently-abled persons to be provided in each Mail/Express trains.
• Passenger earnings to increase to Rs 36,200 crore.
• Gross rail traffic targeted to increase by Rs 28,635 crore to Rs 1,32,552 crore in 2012—13.
• National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up ,  Pre-feasibility studies on six high speed corridors completed; study on Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur to be taken up in 2012-13.
• Passenger fares to be hiked by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class travel; 3 paise per km for mail/ express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC chair car/AC 3-tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier and 30 paise per km for AC 1-tier.
• Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.
• Wellness programme for railway staff at work places.