Railway Budget 2008-09: Highlights

Last year, Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on 26 February 2008, here are the major highlights of the Union Railway Budget 2008-09:

• Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Indian Railways to collaborate on Mother-Child Health Express
• Railway examinations would be taken in Urdu in states with high percentage of Urdu speakers
• The railway tickets would be more easily accessible now
• Railway hospitals to be improved
• Multipurpose railway cards would be provided in Mumbai
• CFL lights to be used
• Display Boards would be provided for the express trains and the long distance mails
• Railway production center to be set up in Kerala
• Railway call centers by the year 2009
• Easier acquisition of land for developmental purposes
• The Rajdhani and Satabdi express trains would be maintained by private companies
• 53 trains to be introduced in the next year
• 30 major stations would have multilevel parking facilities
• Routes of a number of trains to be increased
• 50 major stations would have escalators and lifts
• Special Commonwealth games trains to be run from Delhi to Pune
• The low level platforms would be brought up to the standards of the medium level and high level platforms
• Tickets to have possible arrival times printed on them
• Specific line for purposes of transporting coal
• Private companies would be allowed to make terminals
• The Automatic Signalling System would be expanded
• Fares in second class compartments to go down by 5%
• More tickets on the Internet
• Fares in 3A compartments to go down by 3%
• Terminals to have better amenities and twenty four hour freight handling facilities
• Fares in 1A compartments to go down by 7%
• 40 new contained depots by the coming year
• Fares in 2A compartments to go down by 4%
• Specific freight corridors
• Freights of diesel and petrol to go down by 5%
• New and improved coaches in Satabdi and Rajdhani
• 6% reduction in freight charges in the Northeastern parts of India
• Coal, cement, steel and container freight would go up in the next year
• No lines for tickets by the next two years
• Better information system for travelers
• Rs 4000 crores allocated for installing green toilets in trains
• The stations at Delhi, Mumbai and Patna stations to be helped for attaining global standards
• 10 new trains for Bihar
• Safety measures would be increased to prevent accidents
• Students and women to get concessions
• Number of unmanned level-crossings to go down
• An increased number of trains would function on electricity in the Northern part of India
• Senior citizens to enjoy 30% concessions