Interim Railway Budget 2009 highlights

--Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani becomes four days a week

--2 pc cut in all train fares

--feasability study on 7 bullet trains

--New Delhi-Ahmedabad Rajdhani becomes daily from 6 days a week
12:57 PM

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-43 new trains from 2010

--Mumbai-Bikaner superfast bi-weekly

--Nizamuddin-Bangalore Rajdhani tri-weekly

--freight rates remain unchanged

--2pc cut in AC and mail train fares

--feasability study in bullets train
12:47 PM

--feasability study on Delhi-Patna bullet train line soon

--Ludhiana-Kolkata freight line in Feb

--to spend 37,900 crore in FY10

--started work on Mumbai-Delhi freight corridor

--railway passengers growth is up by 14 pv
12:42 PM

--passenger trains to have 22 pc more capacity

--Goods trains to have 78 pc more capacity

--1100 kms of new rail line held

--Kashmir to be connected to railway network

--railways to invest Rs 2.3 lakh cr over next 5 years

--electrification of 1000 Km of rail lines completed in '08-'09

--wagon production to be hiked from 6600 to 15000 per year
12:36 PM

--5 lakh people use railway internet facility

--rail accidents fall from 395 to 194 in last five years

--70,000 cr invested out of cash surplus
12:30 PM

--8 pc freight growth in last five years

--railway has raised $100 mn at 4 pc

--4 railway enquiry call centres set up

--railway accidents declined considerably

--railway earned profit of 90,000 cr

--"Recorded profit without hurting aam admi"

--Lalu presents interim railway budget.
12:26 PM

New Delhi, Feb 13: Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav presented the interim railway budget 2009 on Friday, Feb 13.

Since 2004, Lalu has presented budgets for the UPA government and he is popularly known for presenting 'aam admi' budgets. He is also known for generating income, by keeping low fairs for the railway.

The interim budget is expected to be in favour of comman man.Reports suggest that Lalu has promised to increase the total number of 'garib raths' (air-conditioned trains for poor) in the new budget.
12:00 PM

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)