Railway Budget 2015-16, Latest News from India
Live News Updates Union Minister Suresh Prabhu has taken charge of the Railway Ministry, he has made it clear that he is more concerned with the turnaround in Indian Railways than taking the populist path. With the aim of clearing the financial and administrative mess in the Railways, Prabhu is all set to present his maiden Railway Budget 2015-16. Expectations are high from the Railway Minister amidst the latter’s firmness to bring in fundamental changes in the Railways. Here are the Live Updates: The following are the highlights of the Railway Budget for 2015-16 presented by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the Lok Sabha on Thursday:
No hike in passenger fares
Speed of trains running at 110-130 kmph to be increased to 160-200 kmph
Over 17,00 toilets on trains already replaced, another 17,000 to be replaced
Toilets at stations need improvement; 650 additional toilets to be created in addition to 120 last year. Latest News India, Daily News
New department to keep stations clean
Railways to Work on ‘Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat’
Defence travel system developed to eliminate system warrants
SMS alerts to be introduced
Paperless ticketing system to be developed Wi-Fi facility to be extended to category B stations
Suburban network in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to be augmented
Announcement on new trains/frequencies to be made during current parliament session
10 cities identified for creating fully-functional satellite terminals to reduce congestion
All newly-manufactured coaches to be braille-enabled Suresh Prabhu Outlines 4 Goals For Indian Railways
Online booking for wheel chairs to be enabled
Over 20,000 suggestions received on improving facilities
Railways proposes to install Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance System on select routes at the earliest
During 2015-16, 970 ROBs/RUBs and other safety-related works to eliminate 3,438 level crossings at an expense of Rs.6,581 crore sanctioned. Daily News, Latest International News
Size of the plan budget has gone up by 52 percent from Rs.65,798 crore in 2014-15 to Rs.1,00,011 crore in 2015-16.
Investment of Rs.8.5 lakh crore in next five years Railways to increase daily passenger arrying capacity from 21 million to 30 million, increase track length by 20 percent from 1,14,000 km to 1,38,000 km, grow annual freight carrying capacity from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tonnes.
Seventy-seven new projects worth Rs.96,182 crore sanctioned
Four goals: Deliver sustained improvement in customer facilities, Make railways safer means of travel, expand substantially, make Indian Railways self-sustainable Suresh Prabhu Outlines 4 Goals For Indian Railways
Nine thrust areas: Railways to once again become prime mover of economy; resource mobilization for higher investments; decongestion of heavy haul routes and speeding up of trains; emphasis on gauge conversion, doubling, tripling and electrification; project delivery; passenger amenities, safety; transparency and system improvement; railways to continue to be the preferred mode of transport for the masses; sustainability
Foreign rail technology co-operation scheme proposed to be launched
New governance structure required; more decentralization and deregulation; accounting system to be revamped
Resources to be generated through public-private-partnerships
Assets to be monetized rather than sold; land records being digitized
Products made by self-help groups to be encouraged
Railways cannot function in business-as-usual mode, have to keep up with changing times
Green technology locomotives to be introduced
Two dedicated freight corridors gathering steam
Innovation Council and Technology Portal to be set up to invite suggestions on improvements MPs urged to use part of their funds for improving rail facilities
Open bids to be invited from private parties to develop railway stations Latest News From India, International News
Operational ratio of 88.5 percent targeted
Waste-to-energy conversion plants to be created
Budget part of trilogy: White paper already tabled, this budget, vision document soon
Railways backbone of national connectivity
Will partner with private sector to improve last mile connectivity Suresh Prabhu Outlines 4 Goals For Indian Railways
Railways unique integrator of modern India
Facilities not improved substantially over past few decades
Vicious cycle of under-investment must end
1,219 sections on network – most of them overworked.
Latest News From India, Daily News The Rail Budget to be presented on February 26 will also propose world class manufacturing facilities in the country. Use of latest technology and automation to reduce manpower and better quality control at railway factories and workshops are likely to be announced