Railway Budget 2014-15 :- Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda presented the Rail Budget in Parliament on 8.7.2015.
Rail Budget 2014
Here are the highlights:
- Revamping railway reservation system into next generation e-ticketing, Wi-Fi services in major stations and in select trains, mobile based wakeup calls for passengers
- 58 new trains introduced; 11 existing trains extended
- Top priority to transparency, e-procurement to be made
- Foot over-bridges, escalators and lifts at major railway stations through PPP.
- Battery operated cars for differently-abled at all major stations.
- NGOs, corporates to help provide passenger amenities.
- Work stations in select trains.
- Pre-booked ready-to-eat meals of top brands.
- Food courts at major stations.
- Indian Railways to become the largest freight carrier in the world.
- Social obligation of Railways in 2013-14 was Rs 20,000 crore.
- Gross traffic receipts in 2013-14 was Rs 12,35,558 crore; operating ratio was 94 per cent, says Gowda presenting Rail Budget.
- Focus in past has been on sanctioning projects rather than completing them: Railway Minister.
- Indian Railways spent Rs 41,000 crore on laying of 3,700 km of new lines in last 10 years: Railway Minister.
- Populist projects and mismanagement have brought Railways to point of funds crunch.
- This state of affairs in railways needs immediate course correction
- Need to explore alternative sources of resource mobilisation and not depend on fare hike alone: Rail Minister
- FDI in railway projects, except in operations, to be attracted.
- Future projects to be financed on public-private partnership model
- railway train infrastructure
- Plans to attract investment from domestic and foreign players in infrastructure; focus to be on aggressive indigenisation.
- There was decline in traffic growth and deterioration in operating ratio in 2013-14
- Expenditure in 2014-15 pegged at Rs 149,176 crore: Railway Minister
- Surplus revenues declining, hardly any resources for development works. Rs five lakh crore required for ongoing projects only
- Loss per passenger per kilometre up from 10 paise (in 2000-01) to 23 paise (2012-13).
- Gross traffic receipts in 2014-15 estimated at Rs 1,64,374, expenditure Rs 1,49,176 crore. A 12.9 per cent growth expected in traffic receipt
- Railways to scale down market borrowings to Rs 11,790 crore
- Retiring room facility to be extended to all stations
- CCTVs to be used at stations for monitoring cleanliness at railway stations; third party inspections to be introduced
- Reservation system will be revamped and ticket-booking through mobile phones and post offices popularised
- 4,000 women constables to be inducted to enhance onboard safety
- Recent fare and tariff hike to mop additional revenue of about Rs 8,000 crore.
- Resource mobilisation through leveraging PSU resources, Foreign Direct Investment and Public Private Participation
- Outsourcing at 50 major stations; onboard housekeeping to be extended to more trains; Launching feedback service through IVRS on the quality of food; Food can be ordered by SMS and phone.
- Gowda announces decision to launch diamond quadrilateral of high speed trains
- Bullet train proposed on Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector
- Ladies’ coaches to be escorted by women RPF constables; additional care for ladies travelling alone
- Railways plans to increase speed of trains to 160 to 200 km per hour in nine select sectors
- Wi-Fi in A-1 and A category stations and in select trains
- Future e-Ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute and to allow 1.2 lakh simultaneous users
- Challenges of tomorrow cannot be met by tools of yesterday
- To ensure safety, provision of Rs 1,785 crore for road-over/under bridges, multi-pronged approach to eliminate unmanned level crossings
- Some stations to be developed to international standards through PPP model
- Parcel traffic to be segregated to separate terminals to make passenger traffic unhindered
- Railway Minister announces GIS Mapping and digitisation of Railway Land
- Govt to make e-procurement compulsory for procurements over Rs 25 lakh
- Hospital Management Information System to integrate all railway health units and hospital
- Rail Minister announces 18 new line surveys, 10 surveys for doubling 3rd and 4th lines and gauge conversion
- Rail Minister announces setting up of logistic parks, private freight terminals on PPP model
- Govt proposes Office-on-Wheels; internet and workstation facilities on select trains
- Govt to set up Railway University for technical and non-technical subjects; to tie-up with technical institutions
