Digitization and GIS Mapping of Land Assets of Indian Railways to be done
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that Indian Railways
hold vast land assets which need to be digitized and GIS mapped for better
management and usage. Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today
Minister said the resources mobilization using land assets will be explored
through private participation in setting up railway related business in railway
lands as well as for commercial development. This would hold Railways in
protecting the lands as well as leveraging it for raising resources.
Water, Shelter and other
Passenger Amenities to be Improved
The Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda
Gowda has said that in the passenger amenities, Indian Railways envisage to
provide foot-over bridges, escalators and lifts at all major stations including
through PPP route. Presenting the Railway Budget 2014 - 15 in Parliament today
he said, Indian Railways would make earnest attempt this year to provide
sufficient water supply, platform shelters and toilets at the Railway Stations.
He said, Indian Railways propose to extend service of Battery-operated Carts to facilitate differently - abled and senior citizens to reach any platform comfortably at all major stations.
He said, Railways proposes to involve individuals, NGOs, Trusts, Charitable Institutions, Corporates, etc. to provide passenger amenities at stations.
He said, Indian Railways propose to extend service of Battery-operated Carts to facilitate differently - abled and senior citizens to reach any platform comfortably at all major stations.
He said, Railways proposes to involve individuals, NGOs, Trusts, Charitable Institutions, Corporates, etc. to provide passenger amenities at stations.
Innovations
Incubation Centers to be set up to make best use of Ideas and Experience of
Staff
Railways
proposes to set up an Innovations Incubation Center to harness the ideas
generated from the staff of Indian Railways and convert them into practical
solutions to increase efficiency of the system.
Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said innovations which result in cost saving as well as revenue generation will be suitably rewarded in the form of incentive.
As part of this exercise, it is also proposed to set up summer internships for the undergraduates of engineering and management studies. Students can intern at any of the various units of Railways i.e. Division, PSUs and Production Units.
Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said innovations which result in cost saving as well as revenue generation will be suitably rewarded in the form of incentive.
As part of this exercise, it is also proposed to set up summer internships for the undergraduates of engineering and management studies. Students can intern at any of the various units of Railways i.e. Division, PSUs and Production Units.
Steps to be
taken to Attract more Investment Under PPP Model
Railways
will interact with Industry and take further steps to attract investment under
Public Private Partnership (PPP) through BOT and Annuity route and 8 to 10
capacity augmentation projects on congested routes will be identified for this
purpose. Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today the Minister of
Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said Zonal Railways will be suitably
empowered to finalize and execute such projects.
The Minister said with a large backlog of sanctioned projects, funding continues to be the biggest challenge for Railways. He said while private investment and customer funding for some port connectivity projects and few other Power Sector Projects has started, much more needs to happen if infrastructure creation has to keep pace with the requirement.
Shri Gowda said that Indian Railways has taken up port connectivity on priority through PPP mode of funding in tandem with Sagar Mala Project of Port Development. Railways will facilitate connectivity to the new and upcoming ports through private participation. He said, so far in principle approval has been granted for building rail connectivity to the Ports of Jaigarh, Dighi, Rewas, Hazira, Tuna, Dholera and Astranga under Participative Model Policy of Indian Railways, amounting to a total of over Rs. 4,000 crore.
The Minister said with a large backlog of sanctioned projects, funding continues to be the biggest challenge for Railways. He said while private investment and customer funding for some port connectivity projects and few other Power Sector Projects has started, much more needs to happen if infrastructure creation has to keep pace with the requirement.
Shri Gowda said that Indian Railways has taken up port connectivity on priority through PPP mode of funding in tandem with Sagar Mala Project of Port Development. Railways will facilitate connectivity to the new and upcoming ports through private participation. He said, so far in principle approval has been granted for building rail connectivity to the Ports of Jaigarh, Dighi, Rewas, Hazira, Tuna, Dholera and Astranga under Participative Model Policy of Indian Railways, amounting to a total of over Rs. 4,000 crore.
54 Percent Jump
in Allocation to Provide Connectivity to Hilly States & Northeast Regions
Railways
have allocated an outlay of Rs.5,116 crore for projects in the North-East. This
is 54% jump over allocations in the previous year.
Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said that there are 23 projects underway in the Northeast, of which 11 are National Projects.
The Minister expressed the hope that Dudhnoi-Mendipathar New Line; Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge Conversion; Harmuti-Murkongselek and Balipara- Bhalukpong sections will soon get commissioned.
Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said that there are 23 projects underway in the Northeast, of which 11 are National Projects.
The Minister expressed the hope that Dudhnoi-Mendipathar New Line; Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge Conversion; Harmuti-Murkongselek and Balipara- Bhalukpong sections will soon get commissioned.
Pilot Project
for ‘Office on Wheels’ for Business Travelers: Major it Initiatives Include Paperless
Offices, new Mobile-Based Services
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that in order to add
best value to business travelers, the Indian Railways proposes to provide
workstations in select trains on payment basis. Presenting the Railway Budget
2014-15 in Parliament today he said, a pilot project will be launched by this
year.
He said, Indian Railways is also going for a computer assisted Enterprise Resource Planning Solution, so that synergy is brought in. To begin with, following initiatives will be taken up:
i) Moving towards paperless offices in Indian Railways in 5 years;
ii) Next Generation Ticket Reservation System;
iii) Wi-fi Services in all A1 and A category stations and in select trains;
iv) Real-time tracking of trains and rolling stock;
v) Mobile based Wakeup Call System for passengers;
vi) Mobile based Destination Arrival Alert;
vii) Station Navigation Information System;
viii) Extension of Dual Display Fare Repeaters at all the Ticket Counters through PPP;
ix) Digital reservation charts at Stations (Bengaluru model);
x) Extension of Computerized Parcel Management System;
xi) Extension of logistics support to various e-commerce Companies by providing designated pick-up centres at identified Stations;
xii) Providing education to children of Railway staff at remote locations through Railtel OFC (optical fibre cable) network.
He said, Indian Railways is also going for a computer assisted Enterprise Resource Planning Solution, so that synergy is brought in. To begin with, following initiatives will be taken up:
i) Moving towards paperless offices in Indian Railways in 5 years;
ii) Next Generation Ticket Reservation System;
iii) Wi-fi Services in all A1 and A category stations and in select trains;
iv) Real-time tracking of trains and rolling stock;
v) Mobile based Wakeup Call System for passengers;
vi) Mobile based Destination Arrival Alert;
vii) Station Navigation Information System;
viii) Extension of Dual Display Fare Repeaters at all the Ticket Counters through PPP;
ix) Digital reservation charts at Stations (Bengaluru model);
x) Extension of Computerized Parcel Management System;
xi) Extension of logistics support to various e-commerce Companies by providing designated pick-up centres at identified Stations;
xii) Providing education to children of Railway staff at remote locations through Railtel OFC (optical fibre cable) network.
Project
Management Group to be set up to Overcome Delays in Project Execution
Railways
will set up Project Management Group at the level of Railway Board to overcome
delays in project execution. Presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament today
the Minister of Rai lways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda said similarly to expedite
the projects at the ground level, a project Monitoring & Coordination Group
consisting of officials of State Government, Railways and professionals will
also be set up.
Railways have been suffering heavily because of time and cost overrun due to poor project management.
Giving details of the poor state of project completion, the Minister said that in the last 30 years as many as 676 projects were sanctioned worth Rs.1,57,883 crore. Of these, only 317 projects could be completed and 359 projects remain to be completed.
Railways have been suffering heavily because of time and cost overrun due to poor project management.
Giving details of the poor state of project completion, the Minister said that in the last 30 years as many as 676 projects were sanctioned worth Rs.1,57,883 crore. Of these, only 317 projects could be completed and 359 projects remain to be completed.
Budget
Allocation for Cleanliness in Trains and Stations Increased Substantially
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has announced substantial
increase in budget allocation for cleanliness in the current year, which is a
40% increase over the previous year.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today, he said, the Indian Railways proposes to outsource cleaning activities at 50 major stations to professional agencies and to set up a separate Housekeeping Wing to have focused attention and exclusive responsibility of maintaining cleanliness and sanitation at stations. He said, a Corpus Fund for upkeep of stations will be set up.
The Minister said, use of CCTVs at stations will be extended to monitor cleanliness activities. All-India level complaint/helpline number will be printed on the back of all PRS tickets. System of periodic third-party inspections will be introduced. Further, Bio-toilets will be increased in sufficient numbers in trains in order to mitigate the problem of direct discharge of human waste on the tracks and platform aprons at stations.
The Minister said, On-board Housekeeping Services, currently operational in 400 trains, has received good feedback from passengers. This will be extended to all the important trains. He said, the Indian Railways also proposes to increase Mechanized Laundries in order to improve quality of the bedrolls provided in AC Coaches.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today, he said, the Indian Railways proposes to outsource cleaning activities at 50 major stations to professional agencies and to set up a separate Housekeeping Wing to have focused attention and exclusive responsibility of maintaining cleanliness and sanitation at stations. He said, a Corpus Fund for upkeep of stations will be set up.
The Minister said, use of CCTVs at stations will be extended to monitor cleanliness activities. All-India level complaint/helpline number will be printed on the back of all PRS tickets. System of periodic third-party inspections will be introduced. Further, Bio-toilets will be increased in sufficient numbers in trains in order to mitigate the problem of direct discharge of human waste on the tracks and platform aprons at stations.
The Minister said, On-board Housekeeping Services, currently operational in 400 trains, has received good feedback from passengers. This will be extended to all the important trains. He said, the Indian Railways also proposes to increase Mechanized Laundries in order to improve quality of the bedrolls provided in AC Coaches.
58 New Trains
to be Introduced 11 Existing Trains to be Extended
Railways
proposes to introduce 58 new trans which includes five Jansadharan
Trains, five Premium Trains, six AC Express Trains, 27 Express
Trains, eight Passenger Trains, two MEMU services and five
DEMU services this year. Announcing this in Parliament today while
presenting the rail budget, the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda
Gowda also proposed to extend the run of 11 existing trains.
Shri
Gowda said these services would be meeting the demand surges which
manifest themselves on special occasions. He said that special trains
would continue to run to meet the holiday and festival rush including services
for Melmaruvathur, Velankanni, Jhalawar etc.
NEW TRAINS
Jansadharan
Trains
i)
Ahmedabad–Darbhanga Jansadharan Express via Surat
Ii
Jaynagar–Mumbai Jansadharan Express
ii)
Mumbai–Gorakhpur Jansadharan Express
iv)
Saharasa–Anand Vihar Jansadharan Express via Motihari
v)
Saharasa–Amritsar Jansadharan Express
Premium
Trains
i)
Mumbai Central–New Delhi Premium AC Express
ii)
Shalimar–Chennai Premium AC Express
iii)
Secunderabad- Hazrat Nizamuddin Premium AC Express
iv)
Jaipur–Madurai Premium Express
v)
Kamakhya–Bengaluru Premium Express
AC
ExpressTrains
i)
VijayawadaNewDelhiAPExpress(Daily)
ii)
LokmanyaTilak(T)–Lucknow(Weekly)
iii)
Nagpur–Pune(Weekly)
iv)
Nagpur–Amritsar(Weekly)
v)
Naharlagun–NewDelhi(Weekly)
vi)
Nizamuddin–Pune(Weekly)
ExpressTrains
i)
Ahmedabad–Patna Express(Weekly)via Varanasi
ii)
Ahmedabad Chennai Express(Biweekly)via Vasai Road
iii)
Bengaluru –Mangalore Express(Daily)
iv)
Bengaluru –Shimoga Express(Biweekly)
v)
Bandra(T)–Jaipur Express(Weekly)Via Nagda,Kota
vi)
Bidar–Mumbai Express(Weekly)
vii)
Chhapra–Lucknow Express (Tri weekly)viaBallia,Ghazipur,Varanasi
viii)
Ferozpur–Chandigarh Express(6 days a week)
ix)
Guwahati–Naharlagun Intercity Express(Daily)
x)
Guwahati–Murkongselek Intercity Express(Daily)
xi)
Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Express(Weekly)
xii)
Hapa–Bilaspur Express(Weekly)via Nagpur
xiii)
Hazur Saheb Nanded–Bikaner Express(Weekly)
xiv)
Indore–Jammu Tawi Express(Weekly)
xv)
Kamakhya–Katra Express(Weekly)via Darbhanga
xvi)
Kanpur–Jammu Tawi Express(Biweekly)
xvii)
Lokmanya Tilak(T)–Azamgarh Express(Weekly)
xviii)
Mumbai_Kazipeth Express(Weekly)via Balharshah
xix)
Mumbai–Palitana Express(Weekly)
xx)
New Delhi Bhatinda Shatabdi Express(Biweekly)
xxi)
New Delhi–Varanasi Express(Daily)
xxii)
Paradeep–Howrah Express(Weekly)
xxiii)
Paradeep–Visakhapatnam Express(Weekly)
xxiv)
Rajkot–Rewa Express(Weekly)
xxv)
Ramnagar–Agra Express(Weekly)
xxvi)
Tatanagar Baiyyappanahali (Bengaluru) Express(Weekly)
xxvii)
Visakhapatnam–Chennai Express(Weekly)
Passenger
Trains
i)
Bikaner–Rewari Passenger(Daily)
ii)
Dharwad–Dandeli Passenger(Daily)via Alnavar
iii)
Gorakhpur–Nautanwa Passenger(Daily)
iv)
Guwahati–Mendipathar Passenger(Daily)
v)
Hatia–Rourkela Passenger
vi)
Byndoor–Kasaragod Passenger(Daily)
vii)
Rangapara North–Rangiya Passenger(Daily)
viii)
Yesvantpur–Tumkur Passenger(Daily)
MEMU
services
i)
Bengaluru –Ramanagaram 6 days a week(3Pairs)
ii)
Palwal–Delhi–Aligarh
DEMU
services
i)
Bengaluru –Neelmangala (Daily)
ii)
Chhapra–Manduadih (6days a week)via Ballia
iii)
Baramula–Banihal (Daily)
iv)
Sambalpur–Rourkela (6 days a week)
v)
Yesvantpur Hosur (6 days a week)
EXTENSION OF
RUN OF EXISTING TRAINS
i)
22409/22410 Anand Vihar Sasaram Garib Rath Express to Gaya
ii)
12455/12456 Delhi Sarai Rohilla Sriganganagar Express to Bikaner
iii)
15231/15232 Gondia Muzaffarpur Express to Barauni
iv)
12001/12002 New Delhi Bhopal Shatabdi Express to Habibganj
v)
54602 Ludhiana–Hissar Passenger to Sadulpur
vi)
55007/55008 Sonpur–Kaptanganj Passenger to Gorakhpur
vii)
55072/55073 Gorakhpur–Thawe Passenger toSiwan
viii)
63237/63238Buxar–Mughalsarai MEMU toVaranasi
ix)
63208/63211Jhajha–PatnaMEMUtoJasidih
x)
64221/64222LucknowHardoi MEMU to Shahjahan pur
xi)
68002/68007Howrah–Belda MEMU to Jaleswar
Railways
Committed to Meet Social Service Obligations Despite Rising Costs
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while presenting the Railway
Budget for 2014-15 in Parliament today, said that the Social service obligation
of Railways rose from 9.4% of Gross Traffic Receipts in 2000-01 to 16.6% in
2010-11. In 2012-13, such obligations stood over Rs. 20,000 crore. The total
investment, which is the Plan Outlay under budgetary sources, in the same year,
was Rs. 35,241 crore. As an amount, the burden of social service obligation is
more than half of the size of our Plan Outlay under budgetary sources.
An organization spending an amount equivalent to more than half of its Plan Outlay under budgetary sources on social obligations, can hardly have adequate resources for its development works. However, Indian Railways would continue to fulfill its social obligations, the Minister said.
An organization spending an amount equivalent to more than half of its Plan Outlay under budgetary sources on social obligations, can hardly have adequate resources for its development works. However, Indian Railways would continue to fulfill its social obligations, the Minister said.
Catering
Services to be Improved; Food Courts to be Set up at Major Stations
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that in order to
improve the quality, hygiene of on-board catering services and to provide
variety, the Indian Railways proposes to introduce Pre-cooked (Ready-to-eat)
Meals of reputed brands in a phased manner. Presenting the Railway Budget
2014-15 in Parliament today he said, to bring perceptible improvement in the
catering services, he proposes to introduce Quality Assurance Mechanism through
Third Party Audit by NABCB certified agencies.
He said, in addition to the third party audit, a system of collecting feedback through IVRS mechanism, from the travelling passengers on the quality of food served, will be launched shortly. The Minister said, if the service is not to the standards set, especially in hygiene and the taste, severe action would be initiated against the vendors including cancellation of the contract.
The Minister said, Indian Railways also proposes to set up Food Courts at major stations to provide the option of ordering regional cuisine while onboard, through emails, SMS and Smart Phones, etc. A pilot project will be started shortly between New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu Tawi sections.
He said, in addition to the third party audit, a system of collecting feedback through IVRS mechanism, from the travelling passengers on the quality of food served, will be launched shortly. The Minister said, if the service is not to the standards set, especially in hygiene and the taste, severe action would be initiated against the vendors including cancellation of the contract.
The Minister said, Indian Railways also proposes to set up Food Courts at major stations to provide the option of ordering regional cuisine while onboard, through emails, SMS and Smart Phones, etc. A pilot project will be started shortly between New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu Tawi sections.
Measures for
Improvement in Safety and Security of Passengers - 4000 Women RPF Constables to
be recruited
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that safety of
passengers is of paramount importance for Indian Railways. Presenting the
Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, it is estimated that over
Rs. 40,000 crore would be needed to be invested in track renewals, elimination
of unmanned level crossing and construction of Road-under-bridges and
Road-over-bridges.
The Minister said, he is making provision of Rs. 1,785 crore for Road-under-bridges and Road-over-bridges in the Budget and requested concerned State Governments to expedite their proposals and pass on their share of the cost.
The Minister said, Indian Railways have 30348 Level Crossings, out of which 11563 are unmanned. Each unmanned level crossing is being examined in detail and depending on the site condition, action will be taken to eliminate it by suitable modality.
He said, Indian Railways proposes to use modern Vehicle Borne Ultrasonic Flaw Detection System to detect rail and weld fractures. In addition Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System (UBRD) will also be tried at two locations as a Pilot Project.
The Minister said, in order to improve the safety of travelling passengers, he proposes to bring in technology for automatic closing of doors before start of train, both in main line and in sub-urban coaches. A pilot project for limited number of trains will be taken up.
He said, in order to strengthen security in trains and at Stations, 17000 RPF constables have been recruited and shall be shortly available for deployment. He said, the Indian Railways also proposes to recruit 4000 women RPF constables. He said, in order to ensure security of ladies travelling alone, special instructions are being issued for their safety in each class of travel. With the induction of women RPF constables, coaches for ladies will be escorted. Additional care will be taken for ladies travelling alone in all classes.
The Minister said, RPF escorting teams in trains will be provided mobile phones so that passengers can contact them when in distress. Security helpline will be augmented.
He also said that the Railways will explore the possibility of building of boundary walls around stations through PPP route.
The Minister said, he is making provision of Rs. 1,785 crore for Road-under-bridges and Road-over-bridges in the Budget and requested concerned State Governments to expedite their proposals and pass on their share of the cost.
The Minister said, Indian Railways have 30348 Level Crossings, out of which 11563 are unmanned. Each unmanned level crossing is being examined in detail and depending on the site condition, action will be taken to eliminate it by suitable modality.
He said, Indian Railways proposes to use modern Vehicle Borne Ultrasonic Flaw Detection System to detect rail and weld fractures. In addition Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System (UBRD) will also be tried at two locations as a Pilot Project.
The Minister said, in order to improve the safety of travelling passengers, he proposes to bring in technology for automatic closing of doors before start of train, both in main line and in sub-urban coaches. A pilot project for limited number of trains will be taken up.
He said, in order to strengthen security in trains and at Stations, 17000 RPF constables have been recruited and shall be shortly available for deployment. He said, the Indian Railways also proposes to recruit 4000 women RPF constables. He said, in order to ensure security of ladies travelling alone, special instructions are being issued for their safety in each class of travel. With the induction of women RPF constables, coaches for ladies will be escorted. Additional care will be taken for ladies travelling alone in all classes.
The Minister said, RPF escorting teams in trains will be provided mobile phones so that passengers can contact them when in distress. Security helpline will be augmented.
He also said that the Railways will explore the possibility of building of boundary walls around stations through PPP route.
Resource
Mobilisation for Railways
The Minister
of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while presenting the Railway Budget for
2014-15 in Parliament today, outlined the Resource Mobilization for Railways as
under :-
Leveraging
Railway PSU Resources:- Railway PSUs
have done very well and are financially sound. It is proposed to launch a
scheme to bring in investible surplus funds of Railway PSUs in infrastructure
projects of Railways, which can generate attractive returns for PSUs.
Private
investment in Rail Infrastructure through Domestic and Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI); -Growth of Railway Sector depends heavily on availability
of funds for investment in rail infrastructure. Internal revenue sources and
government funding are insufficient to meet the requirement. Hence, Ministry of
Railways is seeking Cabinet approval to allow FDI in Rail Sector.
Public
Private Partnership:-There has been a lot of talk about public private
partnership for raising resources. Railways being a capital intensive sector
have not been successful so far in raising substantial resource through PPP
route. Bulk of our future projects will be financed through PPP mode, including
the high-speed rail which requires huge investments. Apart from mobilizing
resources, there is also a need to strategically manage other aspects of
railway planning and administration.
Rail Budget
Identifies Areas Needing Stratigic Management
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while introducing the Railway
Budget for 2014-15 in Parliament today, said that there is a need to
strategically manage various aspects of railway planning and administration. To
meet this end, the following initiatives have been proposed:-
a. Near Plan Holiday approach;
b. Prioritizing and setting timelines for completion of the ongoing projects;
c. Devising a mechanism for raising funds for Rail infrastructure;
d. Decision Support System for project implementation;
e. Strategic partnerships and transparency in procurements;
f. Aggressive indigenization of imported products;
g. Adopting safety standards matching international practices and setting up of Simulation Center to study causes of accidents.
h. Encouraging development of Locomotives, Coaches and Wagon Leasing Market.
a. Near Plan Holiday approach;
b. Prioritizing and setting timelines for completion of the ongoing projects;
c. Devising a mechanism for raising funds for Rail infrastructure;
d. Decision Support System for project implementation;
e. Strategic partnerships and transparency in procurements;
f. Aggressive indigenization of imported products;
g. Adopting safety standards matching international practices and setting up of Simulation Center to study causes of accidents.
h. Encouraging development of Locomotives, Coaches and Wagon Leasing Market.
Rail Tourism to
be Promoted to Tap the Potential of Domestic Tourism
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that Indian Railways
plans to take up Eco-Tourism and Education Tourism in North Eastern States.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, Special
Pilgrim Circuits like Devi Circuit, Jyotirling Circuit, Jain Circuit, Christian
Circuit, Muslim / Sufi Circuit, Sikh Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Famous Temple
Circuit have been identified. The Minister said, he proposes to introduce
specially packaged trains for these circuits. He said, private participation in
this area will also be encouraged and some trains for Pilgrims and Tourists are
intended to be introduced in short run also.
The Minister said, one Tourist Train will run from Gadag to Pandarpur via Bagalkot, Bijapur and Solapur covering the pilgrim and tourist places of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Another such train will start from Rameshwaram covering pilgrim and tourist places like Bengaluru, Chennai, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Haridwar. He said, he also plans to run a special train featuring life and work of Swami Vivekananda to inculcate good moral values and propagate the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
The Minister said, one Tourist Train will run from Gadag to Pandarpur via Bagalkot, Bijapur and Solapur covering the pilgrim and tourist places of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Another such train will start from Rameshwaram covering pilgrim and tourist places like Bengaluru, Chennai, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Haridwar. He said, he also plans to run a special train featuring life and work of Swami Vivekananda to inculcate good moral values and propagate the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
Financial
Performance of Railways in 2013-14
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while presenting the Railway
Budget for 2014-15 in Parliament today, said that the financial position of
Railways has undergone a change since presentation of Interim Budget and
passing of the ‘Vote on Account’ in February last. He gave the details as under
:-
1. Since presentation of Interim Budget and passing of the ’Vote on Account‘ in February last, financial position has undergone a change. Railways carried 1050.18 million tonnes. Goods Earnings were short only by Rs. 94 crore. Originating passengers, also, were less by 46 million over Revised target and Passenger earnings were short by Rs. 968 crore over Revised target.
2. Over all, though the Gross Traffic Receipts grew by 12.8% to reach Rs. 1,39,558 crore, it was short of Revised target by Rs. 942 crore. On the other hand, Ordinary Working Expenses stood at Rs. 97,571 crore, which was in excess by Rs. 511 crore.
3. Appropriation to Pension Fund had to be stepped up to match the actual outgo.
4. As a result, instead of ending the year with a surplus of Rs. 7,943 crore, the surplus was actually Rs. 3,783 crore i.e., a shortfall of Rs. 4,160 crore. This is after fulfilling the dividend commitment of Rs. 8,010 crore.
5. The internal resource generation for Plan, in 2013-14, was Rs. 11,710 crore, as against Revised target of Rs. 14,496 crore. This is short by Rs. 2,786 crore.
6 In 2013-14, there was a decline in traffic growth as compared to Revised projections. Expenditure however, shot up and was more than what was estimated. The Operating Ratio deteriorated by 2.7% over Revised target to touch 93.5% by end of 2013-14 fiscal.
7. As far the Plan Expenditure for 2013-14 is concerned, it fell short of Revised target of Rs. 59,359 crore mainly due to non-materialization of PPP targets.
1. Since presentation of Interim Budget and passing of the ’Vote on Account‘ in February last, financial position has undergone a change. Railways carried 1050.18 million tonnes. Goods Earnings were short only by Rs. 94 crore. Originating passengers, also, were less by 46 million over Revised target and Passenger earnings were short by Rs. 968 crore over Revised target.
2. Over all, though the Gross Traffic Receipts grew by 12.8% to reach Rs. 1,39,558 crore, it was short of Revised target by Rs. 942 crore. On the other hand, Ordinary Working Expenses stood at Rs. 97,571 crore, which was in excess by Rs. 511 crore.
3. Appropriation to Pension Fund had to be stepped up to match the actual outgo.
4. As a result, instead of ending the year with a surplus of Rs. 7,943 crore, the surplus was actually Rs. 3,783 crore i.e., a shortfall of Rs. 4,160 crore. This is after fulfilling the dividend commitment of Rs. 8,010 crore.
5. The internal resource generation for Plan, in 2013-14, was Rs. 11,710 crore, as against Revised target of Rs. 14,496 crore. This is short by Rs. 2,786 crore.
6 In 2013-14, there was a decline in traffic growth as compared to Revised projections. Expenditure however, shot up and was more than what was estimated. The Operating Ratio deteriorated by 2.7% over Revised target to touch 93.5% by end of 2013-14 fiscal.
7. As far the Plan Expenditure for 2013-14 is concerned, it fell short of Revised target of Rs. 59,359 crore mainly due to non-materialization of PPP targets.
Railways to
Earn Rs. 1.64 lakh Crore in 2014-15 on Improved Operating Ratio
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while presenting the Railway
Budget for 2014-15 in Parliament today, gave details of the Budget estimates of
Railways for the year 2014-15 as under:-
Anticipating a healthier growth of economy, it is hoped to achieve total receipts of Rs. 1,64,374 crore and would peg total expenditure at Rs. 1,49,176 crore.
The freight traffic growth of 4.9% amounting to 1,101.25 million tonne, an increment of 51.07 million tonne over 2013-14, based on trends in the first two months it anticipated. Also anticipated is a small growth in Passenger Traffic over 2013-14. Earnings from Freight Traffic are estimated at Rs. 1,05,770 crore and from Passenger Traffic Rs. 44,645 crore.
Periodic revision in passenger fare and freight rates, will be linked to revisions in fuel prices in order to insulate the Railway revenues from fuel cost escalation.
Out of total expenditure, the ordinary working expenses have been proposed at Rs. 1,12,649 crore, which is Rs. 15,078 crore higher than 2013-14. This has been necessitated by fuel price hike and increase in staff costs. Pension outgo in 2013-14 had grown by about 16%. Keeping the same trend, provision for pension is kept at Rs. 28,850 crore.
Operating ratio in 2014-15 is pegged at 92.5% which is 1 % better than that in 2013-14.
Anticipating a healthier growth of economy, it is hoped to achieve total receipts of Rs. 1,64,374 crore and would peg total expenditure at Rs. 1,49,176 crore.
The freight traffic growth of 4.9% amounting to 1,101.25 million tonne, an increment of 51.07 million tonne over 2013-14, based on trends in the first two months it anticipated. Also anticipated is a small growth in Passenger Traffic over 2013-14. Earnings from Freight Traffic are estimated at Rs. 1,05,770 crore and from Passenger Traffic Rs. 44,645 crore.
Periodic revision in passenger fare and freight rates, will be linked to revisions in fuel prices in order to insulate the Railway revenues from fuel cost escalation.
Out of total expenditure, the ordinary working expenses have been proposed at Rs. 1,12,649 crore, which is Rs. 15,078 crore higher than 2013-14. This has been necessitated by fuel price hike and increase in staff costs. Pension outgo in 2013-14 had grown by about 16%. Keeping the same trend, provision for pension is kept at Rs. 28,850 crore.
Operating ratio in 2014-15 is pegged at 92.5% which is 1 % better than that in 2013-14.
Railway
Reservation System to be Revamped
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that Railway
Reservation System will be revamped into Next Generation e-Ticketing System.
Ticket booking through mobile phones and through Post Offices will be
popularized.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, the Indian Railways will improve the system capabilities in e-ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute as against 2000 tickets per minute and allow 1,20,000 simultaneous users at any point in time.
The Minister said, facility of Coin Operated Automatic Ticket Vending Machines will be experimented.
He said, efforts will also be made to provide facility of buying Platform Tickets and unreserved tickets over internet. Parking-cum-Platform Combo Tickets will be launched to facilitate the passengers and to save their time.
He said that online booking facility of Railway Retiring Room will be extended to all the stations during the course of the year. Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, the Indian Railways is expanding the scope of online booking for people to book a Train, book a Coach, book a Berth and book a Seat in Chair Car.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, the Indian Railways will improve the system capabilities in e-ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute as against 2000 tickets per minute and allow 1,20,000 simultaneous users at any point in time.
The Minister said, facility of Coin Operated Automatic Ticket Vending Machines will be experimented.
He said, efforts will also be made to provide facility of buying Platform Tickets and unreserved tickets over internet. Parking-cum-Platform Combo Tickets will be launched to facilitate the passengers and to save their time.
He said that online booking facility of Railway Retiring Room will be extended to all the stations during the course of the year. Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today he said, the Indian Railways is expanding the scope of online booking for people to book a Train, book a Coach, book a Berth and book a Seat in Chair Car.
Budget Comes in
the Face of Huge Fund Requirement, Incomplete Projects Railways need to Balance
Commercial and Welfare Objectives
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, while presenting the Railway
Budget for 2014-15 in Parliament today, said that the Indian Railways
practically carries anything and everything and it never says no to ‘a thing’
if it fits in the wagons. Most importantly, it is the backbone of supply chain
of the defence establishment and plays a very crucial role in security of the
nation.
While it carries 23 million passengers a day, there are still large number of people who have not set a foot on a train yet. It carries over one-billion tonnes of freight a year, connecting ports and mines to industrial clusters, but still there are vast tracts of hinterland waiting for rail connectivity. Though freight business has grown steadily over the years, Indian Railways carry only 31% of the total freight carried in the country by all modes. These are the challenges we have to face.
An organization of this magnitude vested with varied responsibilities, is expected to earn like a commercial enterprise but serve like a welfare organization. These two objectives are like two rails of the railway track, which though travel together but never meet. So far, Indian Railways have managed to do tight-rope walking by balancing these twin conflicting objectives.
It implies that we spend 94 paise out of every rupee earned, leaving 6 paise only as surplus. This surplus, apart from being meager, is continuously on decline due to non-revision of fare. The surplus, after paying obligatory dividend and lease charges, was Rs.11,754 crore in 2007-08 and is estimated to be Rs. 602 crore in the current financial year. This meager surplus so generated is required to finance the Plan Outlay for safety, capacity expansion, infrastructure, improving passenger services and amenities.
Funds to the tune of about Rs. 5 lakh crore i.e. around Rs. 50,000 crore per year for next 10 years, are required for ongoing projects alone. This leaves a huge gap between what is available as surplus and what is needed.
While prudent efforts should have been made to address this gap, the tariff policy adopted lacked rational approach. Passenger fares were kept lower than costs, thus causing loss in the passenger train operations. This loss kept on increasing from 10 paise per passenger kilometer in 2000-01 to 23 paise in 2012-13, as the passenger fares were kept low always. There has been focus on sanctioning projects rather than completing them. In the last 30 years, as many as 676 projects were sanctioned worth Rs. 1,57,883 crore. Of these, only 317 projects could be completed and 359 projects remain to be completed which will now require as much as Rs. 1,82,000 crore.
In the last 10 years, 99 New Line projects worth Rs. 60,000 crore were sanctioned out of which only one project is complete till date. In fact, there are 4 projects that are as old as 30 years, but are still not complete for one reason or another. The more projects we add, the thinner we spread our resources and longer it takes to complete them. If this trend is allowed to continue, many more thousands of crore will get spent yielding hardly any returns, the Minister said.
While it carries 23 million passengers a day, there are still large number of people who have not set a foot on a train yet. It carries over one-billion tonnes of freight a year, connecting ports and mines to industrial clusters, but still there are vast tracts of hinterland waiting for rail connectivity. Though freight business has grown steadily over the years, Indian Railways carry only 31% of the total freight carried in the country by all modes. These are the challenges we have to face.
An organization of this magnitude vested with varied responsibilities, is expected to earn like a commercial enterprise but serve like a welfare organization. These two objectives are like two rails of the railway track, which though travel together but never meet. So far, Indian Railways have managed to do tight-rope walking by balancing these twin conflicting objectives.
It implies that we spend 94 paise out of every rupee earned, leaving 6 paise only as surplus. This surplus, apart from being meager, is continuously on decline due to non-revision of fare. The surplus, after paying obligatory dividend and lease charges, was Rs.11,754 crore in 2007-08 and is estimated to be Rs. 602 crore in the current financial year. This meager surplus so generated is required to finance the Plan Outlay for safety, capacity expansion, infrastructure, improving passenger services and amenities.
Funds to the tune of about Rs. 5 lakh crore i.e. around Rs. 50,000 crore per year for next 10 years, are required for ongoing projects alone. This leaves a huge gap between what is available as surplus and what is needed.
While prudent efforts should have been made to address this gap, the tariff policy adopted lacked rational approach. Passenger fares were kept lower than costs, thus causing loss in the passenger train operations. This loss kept on increasing from 10 paise per passenger kilometer in 2000-01 to 23 paise in 2012-13, as the passenger fares were kept low always. There has been focus on sanctioning projects rather than completing them. In the last 30 years, as many as 676 projects were sanctioned worth Rs. 1,57,883 crore. Of these, only 317 projects could be completed and 359 projects remain to be completed which will now require as much as Rs. 1,82,000 crore.
In the last 10 years, 99 New Line projects worth Rs. 60,000 crore were sanctioned out of which only one project is complete till date. In fact, there are 4 projects that are as old as 30 years, but are still not complete for one reason or another. The more projects we add, the thinner we spread our resources and longer it takes to complete them. If this trend is allowed to continue, many more thousands of crore will get spent yielding hardly any returns, the Minister said.
Bullet Trains
and Diamond Quadrilateral Network of High Speed Rail
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that Indian Railways
is on its way to fulfill the long cherished dream to run a Bullet Train.
Presenting the Railway Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today, he said, the
Railways proposes bullet trains by starting off with an already identified
Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector, where a number of studies have been done.
The Minster said, under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modiji, the Railways is embarking on an ambitious plan to have a Diamond Quadrilateral Network of High Speed Rail, connecting major Metros and growth centers of the country. A provision of Rs.100 crore has been made in the Budget for high Speed project to RVNL/HSRC (High Speed Rail Corridor) for taking further steps.
He said, while bullet trains would require completely new infrastructure, higher speed for existing trains will be achieved by upgrading the present network. The Minister said, hence, an effort will be made to increase the speed of trains to 160-200 kmph in select sectors so as to significantly reduce travel time between major cities. The Minister said, the identified sectors are:
i) Delhi-Agra
ii) Delhi-Chandigarh
iii) Delhi-Kanpur
iv) Nagpur-Bilaspur
v) Mysore-Bengaluru-Chennai
vi) Mumbai-Goa
vii) Mumbai-Ahmedabad
viii) Chennai-Hyderabad and
ix) Nagpur-Secunderabad.
The Minster said, under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modiji, the Railways is embarking on an ambitious plan to have a Diamond Quadrilateral Network of High Speed Rail, connecting major Metros and growth centers of the country. A provision of Rs.100 crore has been made in the Budget for high Speed project to RVNL/HSRC (High Speed Rail Corridor) for taking further steps.
He said, while bullet trains would require completely new infrastructure, higher speed for existing trains will be achieved by upgrading the present network. The Minister said, hence, an effort will be made to increase the speed of trains to 160-200 kmph in select sectors so as to significantly reduce travel time between major cities. The Minister said, the identified sectors are:
i) Delhi-Agra
ii) Delhi-Chandigarh
iii) Delhi-Kanpur
iv) Nagpur-Bilaspur
v) Mysore-Bengaluru-Chennai
vi) Mumbai-Goa
vii) Mumbai-Ahmedabad
viii) Chennai-Hyderabad and
ix) Nagpur-Secunderabad.
Staff Welfare
Fund Contribution to be Increased
Railway University to be set up for Railway Employees
Railway University to be set up for Railway Employees
The
Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has announced several measures
for welfare and skill development of railway staff. Presenting the Railway
Budget 2014-15 in Parliament today, the Minister said, these measures include:
i) Increase in contribution towards Staff Benefit Fund from Rs. 500 per capita to Rs.800 per capita.
ii) A special scheme for the meritorious wards of Railway persons for their outstanding performance in academics and sports for such children.
iii) The Hospital Management Information system will be used to integrate all health units, Divisional hospitals and Central Hospitals as well as our empanelled hospitals and
iv) To examine feasibility of providing air-conditioning in loco cabins;
He said, Railways is also contemplating on setting up of a Railway University for both technical and non-technical subjects.
He said, Indian Railways will tie up with technical institutions for introducing railway oriented subject for graduation and skill development. In the meantime, staff at the ground level will be sent for short duration courses of technical and non-technical nature, involving locally available technical institutions. The exposure for specialized areas like high-speed, heavy haul operations, etc. will be undertaken for all level of staff and officers at appropriate institutes in India and abroad.
i) Increase in contribution towards Staff Benefit Fund from Rs. 500 per capita to Rs.800 per capita.
ii) A special scheme for the meritorious wards of Railway persons for their outstanding performance in academics and sports for such children.
iii) The Hospital Management Information system will be used to integrate all health units, Divisional hospitals and Central Hospitals as well as our empanelled hospitals and
iv) To examine feasibility of providing air-conditioning in loco cabins;
He said, Railways is also contemplating on setting up of a Railway University for both technical and non-technical subjects.
He said, Indian Railways will tie up with technical institutions for introducing railway oriented subject for graduation and skill development. In the meantime, staff at the ground level will be sent for short duration courses of technical and non-technical nature, involving locally available technical institutions. The exposure for specialized areas like high-speed, heavy haul operations, etc. will be undertaken for all level of staff and officers at appropriate institutes in India and abroad.
|
Rail
Budget Seeks Course Correction, Avoids Populism
No Increase in Rail Fare Stress on Resource Mobilization Through PSU Surplus, FDI and PPP |
|
Bullet
Train on Ahmedabad-Mumbai Corridor Proposed, Speed of Trains to be Increased
in Nine Sectors
More
Thrust on Passenger Amenities, Cleanliness & Efficient Station Management
Multi
Pronged Approach for Improving Safety & Security, 4000 Women RPF
Constables to be Recruited
Revamping
Railway Reservation System into Next Generation e-Ticketing, WI-FI Services
in Major Stations & in Select Trains, Mobile based Wakeup Calls for Passengers
58 New
Trains Introduced; 11 Existing Trains Extended
Railway
University and Innovation Incubation Centre to be Set UP
Top
Priority to Transparency, e-procurement to be made
Compulsory
in Higher Purchase, Online Registration for Wagons in Next Two Months
Highest
Ever Plan Outlay of Rs. 65,445 Crore with Higher Allocation for Safety
Measures
Increased
passenger amenities, more safety measures, timely completion of projects and increased
financial discipline are the main highlights of the Railway Budget 2014-15
presented by the Minister of Railways Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda in Parliament
today.
|
The Budget
seeks course correction in the light of mismanagement, apathy, populism in
starting projects and severe fund crunch that have inflicted the railways over
the years, the Minister averred. For this, structural reforms will be
introduced and resources will be mobilized through PSU surplus, FDI and PPP.
The Budget
proposes multi-pronged approach to make Railway journey safe and secure and
comfortable for passengers. More thrust has been placed on passenger
amenities, cleanliness and efficient station management. Now all major
stations will have foot-over bridges, escalators, lifts etc.
On safety
and security, the Budget has proposed introduction of advance technology for
rail-flaw detection to check causes of accidents, a significant amount has been
kept for road-over and road-under bridges and a pilot project will be launched
on automatic door closing in mainline and sub-urban coaches. In order to
make women safer while travelling, the Railway will recruit 4000 women
constables. Coaches for ladies will be escorted.
IT
initiatives get a big boost in the Budget. Revamping Railway Reservation
System into Next Generation e-Ticketing will be taken up with provision of
platform tickets and unreserved tickets also over internet. The Railway
has proposed real-time tracking of trains and rolling stocks, mobile based Wakeup
Call System for passengers, mobile based destination arrival alert and Wi-fi
Services in A-1 and A category stations and in select trains. Indian
Railways has also planned paperless offices in 5 years.
In order to make Railway management more efficient, Budget has proposed setting
up of Railway University for training in both technical and non-technical
subjects besides establishing Innovations and Incubation Centre to harness the
ideas generated from staff.
In a bid to modernise Indian Railway network, Bullet train has been proposed on
Mumbai-Ahmadabad sector besides increasing speed of trains to 160-200 kmph in
select 9 sectors. The Railway has also planned setting up of Diamond
Quadrilateral Network of High Speed Rail connecting major metros and growth
centers of the country. Identified stations will be developed to
international standards with modern facilities on lines of newly developed
airports through PPP mode. Railway has also proposed harnessing solar
energy by utilizing roof top spaces of stations, railway buildings and land.
To augment resources of Railways, the Budget has proposed schemes to facilitate
procurement of parcel vans and rakes by private parties, special milk tanker
trains, increased movement of fruits and vegetables in partnership with
Warehousing Corporation and setting up Private Freight Terminals on PPP model.
The Railway has proposed to bring in more transparency in administration and
execution of projects. The status of ongoing projects will be available
online, E-procurement will be made compulsory for procurement of higher amount
and online registration of demands for wagons will be introduced within next
two months.
The Budget has passenger centric focus on suburban and metropolitan rail
services. 864 additional state-of-the-art EMUs will be introduced
in Mumbai in two years. Study to explore possibility of enhancing
existing railway network for better connectivity needs of Bangaluru will
be taken up.
The Railway
Budget 2014-15 has proposed 58 new trains besides extending 11 existing
trains. Provision has been made for 28 surveys for new lines and doubling
or gauge conversion of lines. Higher funds have been proposed for ongoing
projects in Northeast and remote areas. Special packaged trains on identified
pilgrim circuits, two tourist trains and a special train featuring life and
work of Swami Vivekananda has been proposed in the Budget.
According to
the Budget estimates, the Railways will earn ₹ 1,64,374 crore through various resources and will spend ₹ 1,49,176 crore during 2014-15. The operating ratio is expected to be 92.5% which
is 1% better than that in 2013-14.
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