Highlights of interim railway budget

NEW DELHI - Following are the highlights of the interim rail budget for next fiscal presented by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in Lok Sabha Friday:

* Two percent reduction in fares for virtually all classes

* Feasibility studies progressing well to start ‘bullet trains’ in India

* Railways will create record surplus of Rs.900 billion (Rs.90,000 crore) this fiscal

* In past five years, no burden imposed on train passengers

* Railways saw 14 percent rise in passenger income

* Railways managed 8 percent growth in freight loading in five years

* But freight down in current year due to economic downturn

* Drop in train accidents, railway safety enhanced

* Rs.700 billion (Rs.70,000 crore) surplus ploughed back to improve efficiency

* Rs.367.73 billion (Rs.36,773 crore) spent this fiscal toward productivity, passenger facilities

* Railways to introduce wagons with higher capacity

* Railways to spend Rs.230 billion (Rs.23,000 crore) in 2009-10

* Work has started on Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor

* Dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Kolkata to be inaugurated later this month

* Kolkata Metro will be expanded

* Frequencies of a host of trains enhanced

* Frequencies of several trains across the country increased to daily service

* Steps to have railway connectivity to Kashmir initiated

* Railways have set up four call centres