Laloo Yadav presents 'dream' Railway Budget' 08

Union Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav presented his 'dream' Railway Budget for the year 2008-09 in Lok Sabha. The Railway Minister, who is credited for turning around the fortunes of Indian Railways, made an unprecedented fare cut in all AC and Sleeper Class tickets. Here are the highlights of Railway Budget 2008:

Vision, Profit and Target:

1) Indian Railways reached new heights in the past four years
2) Rs. 25,000 crore surplus profit in 2007-08
3) Rs, 68,778 cr cash surplus over last 4 years
4) 8.2 growth in freight loading till December 2007
5) 76.3 % operating ratio in 2007
6) Railway Vision 2025 will target the next 17 years
7) Rs 2,000 crore earning from 3,000 more boggies

8) Rs. 1 trillion to be generated from public sector-private sector collaboration

Services:

1) 53 new trains, 10 more Garib Trains introduced
2) 16 trains will be extended
3) Jansadharan Seva to be extended to all trains
4) Information Technology will be used at all ticket counters
5) Enquiry call centres accessible throughout the country
6) LCD display screens at all stations
7) Green toilets in 36,000 boggies at Rs. 4,000 crore
8) Public Address System in all trains
9) Multi-level parking in 30 big stations
10) Escalators and lifts in 50 big stations
11) Automatic Signalling System to be installed
12) East and West Corridor projects okayed
13) 20,000 wagons to be made by Dec' 09
14) 5000 wagons to be upgraded
15) Security in all trains to be enhanced
16) Multi-purpose card called 'Go-Mumbai' issued for Mumbaikars
17) Call centers to become accessible at local tariff
18) Bomb detection service in all stations
19) Anti-collision system in all trains
20) Automatic ticket counters to be increased to 6,000
21) Passengers can get e-ticket over Internet

22) Smart Card-based ticket system in all staions

23) All coaches of Shatabdi and Rajdhanis to be modernised

24) 560 railway platforms to be lengthened to accomodate long trains

Sops:

1) 7 % fare cut in 1st AC tickets
2) 4 % fare cut in 2nd AC tickets
3) 3 % fare cut in 3rd AC tickets
4) 5 % fare cut in Sleeper Class tickets (over Rs. 50)

5) Up to Rs. 50 cut in Second Class Passenger fare

6) Rs. 1 discount on tickets up to Rs. 50
7) Women students will get season tickets till graduation
8) Women senior citizens will get 50 percent concessions
9) 7-bogey mother-child health express trains with maternity care to be launched across the country
10) Male students to get fare concessions to home city till class 12
11) AIDS patients to get 50 percent concession
12) Ashok Chakra winners will travel free in Shatabdi, Rajdhani Express

13) 5 % cut in freight on Petrol, Diesel

14) 6 % concession on freight to North East

15) 14 % cut in all freight charges

16) All registered Coolies will get Class IV Employee status. They will be employed as Gangmen.