Officials in the railway ministry are discussing a proposal by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to cut the premium on Tatkal (instant) tickets and reduce its booking period to give the railway budget an aam aadmi touch.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav announced that Indian Railways will introduce 15,000 ticketing counters in next 2 years. The Railways plans to offer tickets through mobile phones.
'The Railways must provide a rail system that they can be proud of.'
The Economic Survey 2007-08 has some interesting insights for infrastructure aficionados.
Speaker Meira Kumar said in her valedictory address that the Lok Sabha lost over 23 hours and 34 minutes due to interruptions and forced adjournments, but it sat late for 30 hours and 52 minutes to transact important financial and other business.
India's cargo trains run at 19-30 km an hour, they run at 120 km in China - and the difference is only growing.
BJP member Ananth Kumar was debating Mamata Banerjee's promise to upgrade 309 stations as 'model' ones, of which 137 were in West Bengal. Intervening, Lalu Prasad Yadav said, "World-class station banana to ek soch hai. Yeh banna to hai nahi. Aap pareshan kyon ho rahe hain? In this connection, he said during his tenure also he had proposed to upgrade Patna station which never happened.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday presented a populist interim Railway Budget in Parliament.
With an eye on the forthcoming general elections, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday presented a feel good, populist interim Railway Budget in Parliament, cutting mail and express train fares by 2 per cent and keeping freight rates unchanged.
"The 6th Pay Commission disbursement led to an increase in our working expenses," Chairman of the Railway Board S S Khurana said. He also said the Railways had saved Rs 655 crore. "Our cash surplus before the dividend was Rs 17,399 crore and operating ratio was 90.4 per cent," he said.
The NSE Nifty ended at 4,424, up 75 points. The market breadth was marginally positive -- out of 2,686 stocks traded, 1,341 advaned while 1,263 declined.
A new scheme -- 'Izzat' was unveiled on Friday by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for the workers in the unorganised sector who can now travel upto 100 kms with a monthly season ticket of Rs 25.
The General Budget will be presented on July 6 and the Railway Budget will be presented on July 3.
The Indian Railways will earn a profit of Rs 951 crore (Rs 9.51 billion) in 2009-10, down 93 per cent from the 2007-08 level.
Going by the number of changes Mr Jaitley's next Budget is likely to see, he will go down in the history of Budget-making as the finance minister who ushered in the largest number of changes in a single Budget, says A K Bhattacharya.
Determination of rates will no longer be an exercise behind veils where the Railways and the users could only peep covertly at what was happening on the other side.
It will run non-stop between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Bangalore.
If a prime minister could be chosen on the basis of announcing new trains, Lalu Prasad would be there already. An unprecedented number of new trains -- 43 in all -- with a majority of them touching one or more cities in Bihar, were announced by him as part of the 2009-10 Interim Railway Budget.
The NSE Nifty ended at 2,948, up 55 points. The market breadth was fairly positive - out of 2,528 stocks traded, 1,455 advanced and 970 declined on Friday.
The minister said that the objective of larger investment is to increase the transport capacity of the Railways and to reduce the unit cost of operations. Railways' investment outlays have been stepped up from Rs 13,394 crore (Rs 133.94 billion) in 2003-04 to Rs 36,773 crore (Rs 367.73 billion) in 2008-09.
Presenting the Interim Railway Budget 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha on Friday, he informed that the number of consequential accidents came down to 194 in 2007-08, as against 325 in 2003-04.
Railways Minister Sadananda Gowda will present his maiden Rail Budget on July 8 in Parliament.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said next year's railway budget would have surprise content and promised that there would not be any hike in passenger fares and additional surcharge.
The Railway Board issued a notification a few months ago under which divisional regional managers of certain zones were given financial powers to levy a surcharge from passengers who insist on seeking reservation for lower berths.
The Re 1 cut in diesel prices could lead Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to announce a reduction in passenger fares in the forthcoming Railway Budget.
Freight rates for grains, pulses and urea would increase by 10%.
Hitting out at the previous National Democratic Alliance government for poor performance of the railways and inability to pay even Rs 2,473 crore (Rs 24.73 billion) dividend, Prasad said when the United Progressive Alliance government completes its term next year the Railways would have a total surplus of about Rs 1,00,000 crore. It has already generated a surplus of Rs 69,000 crore (Rs 690 billion) in the past four years.
"In the proud history of independent India, it is for the first time that the returns on the capital investment in the Railways will reach 21 per cent," the railway minister announced as he presented his 5th Rail Budget.
Mumbai rail service may get a facelift as the Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav announces the Phase II of developmental plans this Budget.
Continuing the trend of the past few years, the Railway Budget for 2007-08 may leave the second class train fare unchanged, but upper class AC and freight fares may be 'rationalised,' a euphemism for an upward revision.
The Railway Budget is progressive and wil ensure growth.
Passenger tariff structure will be rationalised so that that the fares of AC first class and AC second class will be 11.5 times and 6.5 times the second-class fares, respectively.
Ram Narayan Sahu (Samajwadi Party) complained during a discussion on the Railway Budget that he did not get a glass for drinking water even in a first class coach.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday approved the Eastern and Western Freight Corridor proposals of the railway ministry.
While the second-class fares may not be hiked, AC travel will be more expensive.
Passengers were finding it difficult to reach counters to cancel the reserved tickets within the stipulated time and as a result they are losing money
Be it passengers or freight or even commercial utilisation of Railways' properties and premises, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday demonstrated his uncanny ways of making money.
On a scale of one to five, I can't pick a number above five! And if I had to rate it on a scale of one to ten, I wouldn't be able to pick a number above ten!
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