Railway Budget A/C, mail, express fares down 2%

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Railway Minister Lalu Prasad presented the interim Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Friday, saying the Railways have scaled new heights.

Highlights of Lalu's speech in Parliament:

A/C, mail, express fares down 2%

Freight rates unchanged

Feasibility on for bullet trains between Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Amritsar, Chennai-Bangalore

Railways expected to show a surplus of Rs 18,847 crore in the next fiscal.

FY09 Operating ratio seen at 88%; FY10 Operating ratio seen at 89%

FY10 freight revenue expected at Rs 59,060 crore

To spend Rs 37,900 cr in FY10

Started work on Dehi-Mumbai freight corridor

25 survey planned for 8 doubling projects

Dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Kolkata to be inaugurated later this month by Sonia Gandhi.

Feasibility studies are on for running bullet trains between Delhi-Amritsar, Ahmedabad-Pune, Hyderbada-Vijaywada- Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore, Delhi-Patna, Kolkata-Haldia and Ernakulam-Howrah.

Railway raised $100mn loan at 4% in Nov 2008.

The makeover of Railways has been better than that of private sector companies.

Winning customers hearts is key

Freight revenues up 14%

Revenues up 12% till December, more than expected

Wagon output to be increased from 6000 to 15,000 a year

6th Pay comm to benefit 1.4 mn rail employees

Rs 37,905 crore to be invested in FY10

Expects 19,320 cr cash revenue in FY09

Ticket booking beyond Internet, petrol pumps,

Average freight revenue rate up 3-8% in five years

Accidents reduced from 325 in FY04 to 194 in FY08

Planned investment of Rs 2.3 lakh crore in 11th 5-yr plan; Rs 70,000 crore in the past four years

Goods train to have 78% more capacity

Passenger trains to have 22% more capacity

1,100 km of new rail lines installed in last five years

There has not been any burden on the common man in the past five years.

Railways had a surplus of Rs 90,000 crore (Rs 900 billion).

SOURCE: REDIFF.COM