Highlights of Railway Budget 2014-15
12 Feb 2014
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A major highlight of the Railway Budget for the 2014-15 financial year introduced in Parliament today, minister of railways Mallikarjun Kharge spared passengers a hike in fares.
Similarly, he cheered industry by announcing no hike in freight rates either.
The highlights of the Railway budget are:
- No increase in passenger fares and freight rates
- Outlay of Rs64,305 crore proposed for Rail Budget with a budgetary support of Rs30,223 crore
- 17 new premium trains, 38 express trains and 10 passenger trains proposed
- Surveys for 19 new lines and doubling of 5 tracks to be taken Up
- Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh to be brought on railway map
- No unmanned level crossing left with the elimination of 5,400 unmanned crossings
- Portable fire-extinguishers in coaches and induction-based cooking in pantry cars
- Plan for high speed trains in Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and semi high speed trains in select routes
- More bio-toilets in trains and green curtains along the track close to major stations
- Independent Rail Tariff Authority set up to advice on fares and freight
- Freight target raised to 1,052 million tonne with revised earnings target of Rs94,000 crore
