Friday, February 24, 2006
Minutes of Railway Budget 2006-2007
Following are the highlights of the Railway Budget 2006-07 presented by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday:
Year 2006 declared as the Year of Passenger Service with a Smile
* Strategy to shrink queues at booking counters
* Charges leviable on issue of e-tickets reduced.
* i-ticket and e-ticket can also be bought through Rail Travel Service Agents.
* 800 more UTS centres to be opened.
* 200 automatic ticket vending machines in Mumbai suburban area to be installed.
*'Jansadharan Ticket Booking Scheme" formulated to make available pre-paid UTS counters to unemployed youth.
* Under the 'Gramin Ticket Booking Service', agency being given at roadside stations to unemployed rural youth for issuing tickets.
Improvement in passenger amenities
* All 'A' & 'B' category stations to be made model stations.
* Help of architects to be taken in all divisions to make station buildings more beautiful, comfortable and with modern look.
* Modern facilities such as ATM, cyber cafes, etc. to be provided at all major stations.
* A pilot project for giving the publicity rights for an entire division to a single agency, through open tender.
* Pilot project started to upgrade retiring rooms, waiting rooms, station buildings, lavatories, etc. under public-private partnership schemes at a few stations, to be expanded further.
Modern facilities in passenger trains
* New technology LHB design passenger coaches to be used in Patna, Sealdah Rajdhanis also.
* Four popular trains to be provided with world-class passenger amenities and interiors.
* IRCTC to award license through open bidding to provide all on board services.
* These services will also be made available on such mail and express trains without a pantry car.
Improvement in medical facilities
* New super-specialty cardiology and nephrology hospital to be constructed at Patna.
* Three new divisional hospitals at Agra, Raipur and Nanded.
* ICF/Perambur – Phase I of new hospital building sanctioned.
Concessions
* 50% concession in Second Class fares to farmers and milk producers for travel to institutes of national level in other parts of the country for the purpose of training/learning better agricultural practices and dairy farming announced earlier extended to Sleeper Class.
* 50% concession in Second Class & Sleeper Class fares to persons who have lost their limbs in accidents or due to any other causes, for travel to institutes of national level, for transplantation of artificial limbs along with one attendant.
Passenger services
* The Thar Express between India and Pakistan inaugurated.
* 150 kmph speed trains started in Delhi - Agra Section. Will start on Delhi-Kanpur-Lucknow route too.
New trains, Extension of trains and increase in frequency
* New Trains: 55 pairs
* Extension of services: 37 pairs
* Increase in frequency: 12 pairs
* Re-routing of trains: 2 pairs
Projects
* Targets for 2006-07 include over 550 kms of New Lines, over 1100 kms of Gauge Conversion and 435 kms of Doubling.
* Surveys to be taken up: 23 New Line, 1 Gauge Conversion and 8 Doubling.
Budget Estimates 2006-07
* Freight loading target at 726 million tonnes and freight output at 479 btkms
* Revenues in freight, passenger, other coaching and sundry other earning segments to be Rs. 40,320 cr, Rs. 16,800 cr, Rs. 1400 cr and Rs. 1308 cr, respectively.
* Gross Traffic Receipts (GTR) to be Rs. 59,978 cr
* Ordinary Working Expenses to be Rs. 38,300 cr.
* Appropriation to Pension Fund and DRF to be Rs. 7790 cr and Rs. 4307 cr respectively
* Internal generation before dividend to be Rs. 14,293 cr
* Operating ratio expected to be 84.3% in 2006-07
*
Proposals relating to Freight Rates and Passenger Fares
Freight services
* No across the board increase in freight rates.
* Rationalization of goods tariff to continue further.
* Number of commodity Groups to be reduced from 80 to 28.
* Highest class lowered to 220, freight rates of diesel and petrol less by 8%.
* Over the next three years, the highest class to be lowered below 200 and rates for the highest classification to be made less than double that of the lowest classification (except rates of some light commodities).
* Existing classes 90 W1, 90 W2 and 90 W3 for charging of lighter commodities to be replaced with new classes, namely, LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4 and LR5, equivalent to 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% and 50% of Class 100.
Schemes announced
* Dynamic Pricing Policy for freight introduced during the current year to be also extended to passenger for peak and non-peak seasons, premium and non-premium services, and for busy and non-busy routes.
* Non-peak season incremental freight discount scheme launched.
* Discounts upto 30% during non peak season and 20% in the peak season with certain conditions on incremental freight in the empty flow direction.
* Loyality Discount Scheme to encourage the transportation of cement and iron & steel by rail.
* Long-term freight discount scheme to attract new customers and new freight traffic.
* Mini Rake and 2-point rake scheme to be made available both in peak and non-peak season.
* New Freight Forwarder Scheme for freight of over over 700 kms.
Passenger services
* No increase in passenger fares
* Passenger tariff structure rationalized so that the fares of AC First and AC Second Class will be 11.5 times and 6.5 times the Second Class fare, respectively. Reduction in AC-I fare by 18% and AC-II fare by 10%.
* Fully air-conditioned Garib Rath to be run on a pilot project basis initially with four pairs of services, fares about 25% lower than present AC-III tier fares.
* Renewal period of Monthly Season Tickets increased from 3 days to 10 days and the superfast charges applicable on MSTs and QSTs reduced to one-fourth of the current levels.
* Tariff fixation mechanism for military traffic to be rationalised and simplified.
Year 2006 declared as the Year of Passenger Service with a Smile
* Strategy to shrink queues at booking counters
* Charges leviable on issue of e-tickets reduced.
* i-ticket and e-ticket can also be bought through Rail Travel Service Agents.
* 800 more UTS centres to be opened.
* 200 automatic ticket vending machines in Mumbai suburban area to be installed.
*'Jansadharan Ticket Booking Scheme" formulated to make available pre-paid UTS counters to unemployed youth.
* Under the 'Gramin Ticket Booking Service', agency being given at roadside stations to unemployed rural youth for issuing tickets.
Improvement in passenger amenities
* All 'A' & 'B' category stations to be made model stations.
* Help of architects to be taken in all divisions to make station buildings more beautiful, comfortable and with modern look.
* Modern facilities such as ATM, cyber cafes, etc. to be provided at all major stations.
* A pilot project for giving the publicity rights for an entire division to a single agency, through open tender.
* Pilot project started to upgrade retiring rooms, waiting rooms, station buildings, lavatories, etc. under public-private partnership schemes at a few stations, to be expanded further.
Modern facilities in passenger trains
* New technology LHB design passenger coaches to be used in Patna, Sealdah Rajdhanis also.
* Four popular trains to be provided with world-class passenger amenities and interiors.
* IRCTC to award license through open bidding to provide all on board services.
* These services will also be made available on such mail and express trains without a pantry car.
Improvement in medical facilities
* New super-specialty cardiology and nephrology hospital to be constructed at Patna.
* Three new divisional hospitals at Agra, Raipur and Nanded.
* ICF/Perambur – Phase I of new hospital building sanctioned.
Concessions
* 50% concession in Second Class fares to farmers and milk producers for travel to institutes of national level in other parts of the country for the purpose of training/learning better agricultural practices and dairy farming announced earlier extended to Sleeper Class.
* 50% concession in Second Class & Sleeper Class fares to persons who have lost their limbs in accidents or due to any other causes, for travel to institutes of national level, for transplantation of artificial limbs along with one attendant.
Passenger services
* The Thar Express between India and Pakistan inaugurated.
* 150 kmph speed trains started in Delhi - Agra Section. Will start on Delhi-Kanpur-Lucknow route too.
New trains, Extension of trains and increase in frequency
* New Trains: 55 pairs
* Extension of services: 37 pairs
* Increase in frequency: 12 pairs
* Re-routing of trains: 2 pairs
Projects
* Targets for 2006-07 include over 550 kms of New Lines, over 1100 kms of Gauge Conversion and 435 kms of Doubling.
* Surveys to be taken up: 23 New Line, 1 Gauge Conversion and 8 Doubling.
Budget Estimates 2006-07
* Freight loading target at 726 million tonnes and freight output at 479 btkms
* Revenues in freight, passenger, other coaching and sundry other earning segments to be Rs. 40,320 cr, Rs. 16,800 cr, Rs. 1400 cr and Rs. 1308 cr, respectively.
* Gross Traffic Receipts (GTR) to be Rs. 59,978 cr
* Ordinary Working Expenses to be Rs. 38,300 cr.
* Appropriation to Pension Fund and DRF to be Rs. 7790 cr and Rs. 4307 cr respectively
* Internal generation before dividend to be Rs. 14,293 cr
* Operating ratio expected to be 84.3% in 2006-07
*
Proposals relating to Freight Rates and Passenger Fares
Freight services
* No across the board increase in freight rates.
* Rationalization of goods tariff to continue further.
* Number of commodity Groups to be reduced from 80 to 28.
* Highest class lowered to 220, freight rates of diesel and petrol less by 8%.
* Over the next three years, the highest class to be lowered below 200 and rates for the highest classification to be made less than double that of the lowest classification (except rates of some light commodities).
* Existing classes 90 W1, 90 W2 and 90 W3 for charging of lighter commodities to be replaced with new classes, namely, LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4 and LR5, equivalent to 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% and 50% of Class 100.
Schemes announced
* Dynamic Pricing Policy for freight introduced during the current year to be also extended to passenger for peak and non-peak seasons, premium and non-premium services, and for busy and non-busy routes.
* Non-peak season incremental freight discount scheme launched.
* Discounts upto 30% during non peak season and 20% in the peak season with certain conditions on incremental freight in the empty flow direction.
* Loyality Discount Scheme to encourage the transportation of cement and iron & steel by rail.
* Long-term freight discount scheme to attract new customers and new freight traffic.
* Mini Rake and 2-point rake scheme to be made available both in peak and non-peak season.
* New Freight Forwarder Scheme for freight of over over 700 kms.
Passenger services
* No increase in passenger fares
* Passenger tariff structure rationalized so that the fares of AC First and AC Second Class will be 11.5 times and 6.5 times the Second Class fare, respectively. Reduction in AC-I fare by 18% and AC-II fare by 10%.
* Fully air-conditioned Garib Rath to be run on a pilot project basis initially with four pairs of services, fares about 25% lower than present AC-III tier fares.
* Renewal period of Monthly Season Tickets increased from 3 days to 10 days and the superfast charges applicable on MSTs and QSTs reduced to one-fourth of the current levels.
* Tariff fixation mechanism for military traffic to be rationalised and simplified.
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