Railway Budget for 2012-13 is being announced today by Rail Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The Rail Minister demands a Budgetary Support of Rs2.5 lakh from the Government for the fiscal year 2012-13.
The following are the highlights of Railway Budget:
The following are the highlights of Railway Budget:
- Time to think of national policy for Railways.
- Like Ganga and Himalayas, cannot imagine India without Railways
- Glad to state I have tried to meet aspirations of people across the county
- To applause, Railways Minister recites poetry to make his point!
- We want to go for generational change focused on safety
- Railways needs Rs14 trillion over the next 10 years
- My budget focues on safety , consolidation, decongetstion and capacity augmentation, and modernisation.
- Need to bring down operating ratio from 95% to 84.9% by 2012-13
- Railways should provide 2-2.5 % to GDP instead of current 1%
- Choice before me was to keep system dragging, or create a new passenger and freight system
- Total of 487 projects can't be completed until supported by government
- Pradhan Mantril Rail Vikas Yojana is under formulation, needs additional fund required of Rs5 triliion
- Geopolitical ramifications require matching response
- 12th Plan for Railway Rs7.3 lakh crore investment suggested
- Also propose Railway R&D Authority
- Propose indepndent Railway Safety Authority with statutory powers
- High Speed Railway Safety Committee has recommended far-reaching changes
- Our target should be zero deaths; 60% deaths happen at unmanned level crossings
- High speed trains to be introduced for both passengers and freight
- 19,000 km of 1 lakh km sees 80 per cent of traffic, signalling to be upgraded on this stretch first.
- Five focus areas: track, bridges, signaling and communications, station, and freight terminals.
- Annual outlay target at Rs 60,100 crore.
- Have set up separate Indian Railways Station Development Corp, to maintain stations on pattern of airports.
- 100 such station in 5 years through PPP, cost neutral for railways
- Employment potential of 50,000 at these stations
- Rs4410 crore towards capacity augmentation
- Propose to set up logistics corporation and logistics park
- 725 km of new lines in current year, almost same as last year
- Need to hasten new lines for tribal, underdeveloped areas
- Propose to undertake 114 new line surveys in 2012-2013.
- Rs3,393 crore for doubling of lines, 23 new line doubling projects next year
- We will be able to convert most lines in 12th Five-Year plan period
- Target of 800 km gauge conversion for next year with fund allocation of Rs 1,950 crore
- Slippages in gauge conversion target due to funding issues
- Allocation Rs6,872 crore under new line plan
- Propose to undertake 114 new line surveys in 2012-2013.
- Elevated car project from Churchgate to virar through PPP route to be studied.
- Conversion of DC to AC fully achieved on Western Railway, Central Railway to be complete in 2012-2013.
- Udhampur Srinagar-Baramula line to be electrified.
- Poised to have 4500 km of route electrification this fiscal, and propose 6500 km in 12th plan period.
- 125 MT of originating traffic seen in fiscal 2013, 55 MT more than revised estimate for current year.
- Operating ratio seen at over 95% against target of 91%
- Railways are passing through difficult phase in the current year
- Financial performance section preceded by another couplet!
- 75 new Mumbai suburban trains
- Guru Parikram special trains Amritsar, Patna and Nanded routes.
- 75 new express , 21 new passenger trains in 2013
- Railways to have two new board members for PPP and Marketing, and for Safety
- New hires will fill up all vacancies in SC/ST and physically challenged categories, says Trivedi
- Hired 80,000 employees in 2011-12, says Minister
- Railways to hire one lakh employees in 2012-2013
- Wellness programmes at workplace for Railways employees
- 2,500 coaches to be equipped with green toilets in pilot projects.
- High speed passenger corridor: study on six corridors underway. Study on Mumbai-Pune corridor complete.
- Propose to set up housekeeping committee for train and station hygiene
- Plan to set up three disaster management training centres at Bengaluru, Kharagpur and Lucknow
- Introduction of alternate train accommodation system for wait-listed passengers on other trains
- 321 escalators to be installed at important stations
- Propose to raise passenger amenities allocation from Rs762 crore to Rs1012 crore.