Railway Budget 2009-10 Highlights - Indian Rail Budget

Mamata Banerjee presents Railway Budget 2009-2010

• Focus on passenger safety: Integrated security scheme drawn up for 130 vulnerable stations
• 12 non-stop intercity air-conditioned trains to be introduced
• 50 stations to be class-1 stations with world class facilities on public-private partnership model
• Non-stop trains to be initiated
• 67 new trains to be introduced
• Rules for student concession relaxed
• Doctors on long-distance trains
• Auto-vending machines to be installed in large & medium stations
• Focus on cleaner trains, passsenger amenities- food, toilet, water priority
• Environment-friendly toilets on trains
• Multi-function complexes in 50 stations with shopping malls, food stalls, medicines & variety stores
• Rail tickets can be bought from 5000 post offices
• More 'Ladies-Special' trains to be introduced in suburban trains during peak hours
• Tatkal booking time will be reduced from 5 to 2 days
• 309 out of 375 stations to be modernized with better facilities
• SMS updates for waitlisted tickets
• Infotainment services in major long-distance trains
• New train information system in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi
• Yuva trains for youth to be introduced
• 3,000 new terminals across country
• Special concessions for media- concession raised from 30% to 50%
• High-capacity air-conditioned double-decker trains to be introduced on select inter-city routes
• More female commandos to be deployed
• More incentive schemes for rail employees
• Unreserved ticketing terminals to be expanded from 5000 to 8000
• Cold storages for farmers to store vegetables and fruits
• 18,000 wagons to be acquired during current year
• Better representation to be given to minorities, women & economically backward in railway recruitment
• Special recruitment drive to be launched to fill vacancies in physically-handicapped category
• 7 nursing colleges to be set up on railway land in places like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai
• New coach factory with state-of-the-art facilities, exclusively for manufacturing 500 coaches per annum to be set up at Kanchrapara in Bengal
• Work on coach factory in Rae Bareli to be speeded up
• Superfast parcel express trains to be started on pilot basis between Delhi and Chennai and Delhi and Mumbai
• New policy to be launched for construction and operation of private freight terminals
• Railways to set up a 1000 MW power plant
• ATMs on 200 mid and small sized stations
• Committee under Sam Pitroda to commercialise railways' optic fibre network
• Izzat scheme launched for unorganized sector workers- Rs 25 pass up to 100km journey
• Railways to receive additional budgetary support of Rs 5000cr in current year
• Qazigund-Anantnag rail section in Kashmir to be completed by Aug
• Senior officials to monitor implementation of national rail projects to ensure timely completion