Railway Budget 2015 Highlights

Here are some highlights from Railway budget 2015. Interestingly no new trains are introduced in this budget and also no hike in passenger fares.

PM Narendra modi’s response:

#RailBudget2015 stands out for its focus on the common man, putting speed, scale, service & safety, all on one track.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2015

Highlights from Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s Speech:

No increase in passenger fares
SMS alert to be introduced for train timings
To introduce air-conditioned coaches for suburban trains
Wi-fi to be available at 400 railway stations
To revamp station redevelopment policy completely
To have bidding system for redevelopment of stations
To develop 10 satellite railway stations this year
On-board entertainment facility could be extended on Shatabdi trains
Mobile charging stations will be introduced general class coaches
Wagon-making scheme to be reviewed to make it easier for private investment
To improve cleanliness & design of bed linen
All India 24×7 grievances helpline 138 to start soon
7,000 more toilets to be replaced by Bio-Toilets, New toilets at 650 stations, more vacuum toilets
Passenger travelling unreserved can procure a ticket within 5 minutes
Mobile application to address complaints of people is also being developed
Hand-held devices for ticket checkers for moving towards paperless ticketing
Centrally managed railway display network in over 2000 stations in next 2 years
We are committed to provide rail connectivity to North Eastern states
CCTVs to be introduced in select trains and suburban trains for women safety
Train Protection Warning System, Train Collision Avoidance System
Tickets can be booked 120 days in advance instead of 60 days
Plan expenditure to go up to a record Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16 from Rs 66,000 crore in the previous year
Railways plans to spend over Rs 8 lakh crore over five years
We will introduce train sets saving 20% of journey time, similar to bullet trains in design, and that can run on existing tracks
Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad expected by mid-2015
The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km
Railways to go through transformation in five years; to increase track capacity by 10 per cent to 1.38 lakh km
To monetise assets rather than sell them
To set up full-fledged Railway University in FY16
Rs.2000 crore for Coastal Connectivity Program; Rs.2500 crore through BOT/Annuity route
6608 kms of track to be electrified
Projects worth Rs 96,182 crore to expand capacity of 9,420 km rail lines
Drawing up comprehensive policy to tap latent advertising potential