Pawan Kumar Bansal was the first Congress Minister in the last 17 years who presented the Railway Budget, which was very much on the line of former Trinamool’s Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. While a direct hike of an average 5-6 per cent on freight rates was announced, passenger fares were indirectly raised by effecting increases in miscellaneous charges like — super fast trains, reservation fee, clerkage charge, cancellation charge and tatkal.
In his 75 minute speech, Railway Minister said that subsequent increase in rates of diesel in January has added Rs 3,300 crore to the fuel bill of railways, thus upward revision of freight tariff is inevitable. Bansal has proposed to implement the fuel adjustment component-linked revision in only freight tariff from April 1, 2013,Besides, electricity tariffs are also revised periodically, he said.
Highlights of the Railway Budget 2013-2014:
Free wi-fi on selected trains.
67 new express trains, 27 passenger trains, 5 EMUs.
Internet booking to be strengthened with next-gen e-ticketing system. Internet booking hours increased from 12.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. Soon e-booking will be allow through mobile phones.
Tatkal charges has been hiked from a minimum of Rs.75 now to Rs.90 for a sleeper class ticket and from Rs.200 to Rs.300 for an executive class ticket.
The Clerk charges have been hiked by between Rs.5 and Rs.10 and cancellation charges have been raised by between Rs.10 and Rs.50. The enhanced reservation fee has been scrapped.
The hike in freight works out to around an average of 5.8 percent.
Common rail-bus ticket to be introduced for Katra-Vaishnodevi pilgrims.
60 more ‘adarsh’ stations will be rolled out.
Need-based rail connectivity to East
Freight loading to be 38 million tonne more than 2011-12 at 1,007 million tonne.
Azadi Express connecting places associated with freedom movement.
Executive lounges in four more stations including Patna, Nagpur, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam.
Identification of 104 stations for upgradation in places with more than one million population and of religious significance.
Special A/C coaches Anubhuti with latest modern services to be introduced in select Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains with commensurate fare.
Railways will use Aadhaar database for bookings and validation of passengers.
Mechandised laundry and electronic display on board on trains.
Putting up of six additional Rail Neer bottling plants, including at Vijayawada, Nagpur.
Extensions of bio-toilets on train.
An independent Rail Tariff Authority.
Plans for 22 new lines.
Electrification of 1,200 km of tracks this year.
Freedom fighters’ passes renewal only after 3 years against every year now.
Arunachal Pradesh will also be brought into the rail network for the first time.
Mountain rails in India will be revamped on the lines of what has been done in Austria and the Swiss Alps. No specific deadlines, though.
New coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities to be set up in various places including Rae Bareli, Bhilwara, Sonepat, Kalahandi, Kolar, Palakkad and Pratapgarh.
