Highlights of the Railway Budget 2006-07

New Delhi, Feb 24: Following are the highlights of the Railway Budget for 2006-07 presented in the Lok Sabha by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today.

- No increase in passenger fares - Reduction in AC-I fares by 18 per cent and AC-II fares by 10 pc - Fully AC 'Garib Rath' with fares about 20 pc lower than present AC-III to be run on pilot basis - No across-the-board increase in freight charges - 55 new trains to start - Dedicated Freight Corridor to start in Western and Eastern routes at an investment of Rs 22,000 crore.

- High speed 150 km per hour trains also to start on Delhi-Kanpur-Lucknow route - Largest ever Plan outlay of Rs 23,475 crore - 50 per cent concessions in second class fares for farmers and milk producers for travelling for training - 50 per cent concessions in second class fares to disabled persons travelling for limb transplant - Over 200 mail express trains to be made superfast.

- Plotforms at 200 stations to increase in length - New technology passenger coaches to be introduced in Patna and Sealdah Rajdhanis - Public-Private-Partnership to get a major thrust - ATMs,cyber cafes to be provided at all major stations - e-ticket charges reduced . These can also be bought from travel agents.

- Four popular trains to be provided with world class passenger amenties.

- Journey times of Shatabadis,Rajdhanis and of certain mail express trains to reduce

- Railways to open atm, cyber cafes at all major stations

- Railway to convert 200 mail/express trains into superfast trains

- Mata vaishnodevi udhampur-katra rail link to be completed in 2006-07.

- 2006 declared as 'year of passenger services with a smile'

- Tariff for military traffic to be rationalised and simplified

- E-ticket and i-ticket made available for all mail/express trains.

- E-ticket charges reduced by rs 20 in higher class, rs 15 in sleeper class.

- Diesel and petrol freight rates cut by 8 per cent

- Railways profit projected at rs 14,293 crore in 2006-07

- Non-peak season incremental freight discount scheme launched

- 55 new trains to be introduced.

- Dedicated freight corridors on eastern and western routes to be constructed at a cost of rs 22,000 crore.

- Railway surplus income pegged at rs 11,000 crore

- Special drive launched to fill backlog of sc/st and other backward class vacancies in railways

- Railway budget 2006-07 presented in the Lok Sabha.

UNI

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