HIGHLIGHTS OF RAILWAY BUDGET 2011-12
PERTAINING TO NORTHERN RAILWAY
The Minister for Railways Mamata Bajerjee has announced that the pre-feasibility study for the western leg (Delhi-Mumbai) of the Golden Rail Corridorwould start next year.The study is being undertaken with the help from Japan, with the object of raising speed of passenger trains to 160-200 Kmph.Similar studies will be initiated for Delhi-Jaipur.
Adarsh Railway Stations
Out of 584 stations taken up for upgradation since last two years, upgradation ofAcharya Narendra Dev Nagar,Bahraich, Bala Mau, Kathua, Khalilabad, Kunda Harnam Ganj, Kurukshetra, Meerut City, Rudauli, Sakoti Tanda, Sohawal, Sukna, Sultanpur, Sitapur Cantt. stationsas “Adarsh Stations” will be completed.
Railways npropose to set up more MFCs with budget hotels at Amethi, Ramnagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Rae Bareli, Varanasi,Srinagar, Panipat, Rohtak.
Introduction of a pan-India, multi-purpose “Go-India” smart card on a pilot basis. This will be one single window package for the passenger to seamlessly pay for tickets for long distance, suburban, metro etc. journeys. The card can be used in booking counters, vending machines, internet etc.
Concession
At present physically handicapped persons are not entitled for
concessions on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. It is proposed to extend the
concession facility to them in these trains also.
Press correspondents are now entitled to avail 50% concession with family once in a year. It is proposed to increase this facility to twice aear.
It is proposed to extend the facility to the Kirti and Shaurya Chakra
awardees of travelling in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.
In case of unmarried posthumous Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra gallantry award winners of armed forces, it is proposed toExtend the facility of card passes to the parents.
At present the concession for senior citizens is extended to both men and
women at 60 years of age. I propose to reduce this in case of women to
years. I also do not want to annoy the men, and therefore, propose to increase their concession from 30% to 40%.
Extension of Rail Yatri Sevaks with modern trolleys at New Delhi.
Provision of internet access on Howrah-Rajdhani Express as a pilot project;
Extension of Train Management System to New Delhi, Bangalore,
Secunderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow stations to provide information
on running of trains,
Introduction of advance booking of retiring rooms.
Proposal to introduce a new Super AC class of travel. The new class will provide improved comfort and features and more exclusivity.
STAFF WELFARE
Expand the scope of Liberalized Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment for safety category staff by enhancing the existing criteria of grade pay from `1,800/- to `1,900/-.
Considering the Indian family structure and values, extending medical facilities to both dependent father and mother of railway employees.
Increasing the scholarship for the girl child of gangmen and group ‘D’ employees to `1,200 per month for higher education.
Setting up of a Railway Vidyalaya Prabandhan Board (RVPB) to
improve quality of education to children studying in 269 railway
schools. The Board will draw up a plan for improving the physical and
educational infrastructure of these schools to be implemented in a time
frame of three years.
In order to provide easy access to medical facilities in remote and
inaccessible areas for our employees, it is proposed to provide 20
Medical Road Medical Vans at different locations to begin with.
20 hostels for children of railway employees have been commissioned and another 20 would be set up next year.
Undertaking restructuring of all the cadres in the railways to afford adequate promotional opportunities to the officers and staff
The new recruitment policy announced last year, recruitment process has already been set in motion for filling the vacancies of about 1.75 lakh in Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ posts. Steps have also been taken to fill up about 13,000 posts in Railway Protection Force. These mega recruitment drives will cover the backlog of SC/ST/physically handicapped quota.
For the first time, railways are inducting 16,000 ex-servicemen by end of March 2011.
20 Car-MEMU trains to be introduced
For the first time, 20-car MEMU trains have been introduced on Northern Railway during 2010-11 to reduce overcrowding.
The news coach factory at Rae Bareli is progressing rapidly and the first coach is expected to be turned out from the new plant within the next three months.
Railways will set up a bridge factory in J&K which will also help in developing ancillary industries leading to employment generation in the area. Institute for tunnel and bridge engineering will also be set up in Jammu.
More mechanized laundries for improving the quality of linen in trains at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Varanasi are being set up.
Proposal for laundries at Lucknow, Jammu, Delhi and Amethi are under examination.
All India security help line on a single number has been set up to facilitate railway passengers security.
The looks and approaches of the selected Railway Station will be improved under a partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.
The work on prestigious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project is progressing and work on India’s longest tunnels between Banihar-Quazigund would be completed this year.
A Polytechnic will be set-up at Varanasi under MOU with Ministry of Human Resource Development.
NEW LINES
1Tarn Taran-Goindwal
2Jhajjar-Rohtak
3Abohar-Fazilka
4.Morinda-Khamnano
Gauge Conversion
Aunrihar – Jaunpur
DOUBLING
Chakki Block Hut-Chakki Bank
Palwal – Bhuteshwar third line
Budhi – Kathua
Palwal-Balabhgarh
Harsauli –Rewari
Jakhal-Mansa
Chauri Chaura -Betalpur
Tughlakabad – Faridabad
In the last two budgets, I had announced 251 updating surveys/new
surveys for new lines/gauge conversion/doubling. Of these, the following 190
surveys have been completed or will be completed by the end of this financial
year. These lines will also be taken up in the 12th Plan:-
1.Patiala –Kurukshetra
2.Panipat-Meerut
3.Bahadurgarh-Jhajjhar
4.Una-Jaijon Doaba
5.Joginder Nagar-Mandi
6.Parwano-Darlaghat
7.Baramulla-Kupwara
8.Jammu-Poonch via Akhnoor Rajouri
9.Kathua-Basauli-Bhadarwah-Kishtwar
10.Yamuna Nagar-Patiala
11.Una-Hoshiarpur
12.Jagadhari-Ponta Sahib-Rajban
13.Beas-Kapurthala
14.Qadian-Beas
15.Amethi-Shahganj via Sultanpur
16.Yamunanagar-Chandigarh via Sadhaura, Naraingarh
17.Sambhal-Gajraula
18.Daurala-Bijnaur via Hastinapur
19.Chandigarh-Dehradun via Jagadhari
20.Rishikesh-Doiwala
21.Roorkee –Haridwar
22.Dehradun-Kalsi
23.Kaithal-Karnal
24.Udhampur/Katra-Bhairawah
25.Doda – Kishtwar
26.Patiala-Jhakhal/Nirwana via Samana
27.Sitapur-Bahraich
28.Haridwar-Kotdwar-Ramnagar
29.Hastinapur-Meerut
30.Bacharwan-lalganj
31.Piran Kaliyar Sharif-Haridwar
32.Sirhind-Nangal Dam
33.Shahganj-Unchahar via Sultanpur, Amethi, Salon
34.Ramnagar-Chaukhutiya
Rail Tourism
Railways have planned for rail business with Ministry of Tourism. If
successful this year, we will expand the partnership. To improve look of twenty
railway stations and its approaches, the cost will be shared on 50:50 basis. The stations are Rae Bareli, Varanasi, Haridwar, Amritsar,
NEW SERVICES
In Delhi area, it is proposed to run 2 additional services on Delhi –
Ghaziabad section.
Duronto trains
i. Mumbai Central- New Delhi AC Duronto (Bi-weekly)
ii. Nizamuddin-Ajmer non-AC Duronto(Bi-weekly)
Double Decker AC
i. Jaipur- Delhi
Shatabdi Express
i.Ludhiana – Delhi
Increase in frequency of Duronto services
Sealdah–New Delhi Duronto Express from 2 days to 5 days (12259/12260)
Vivek Express
113. To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda which will be
celebrated in 2013, I propose to introduce new trains called “Vivek Express”.
Bandra (T)- Jammu Tawi Express (Weekly) via Marwar-Degana- Ratangarh-Jakhal- Ludhiana
Kavi Guru Express
We are celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Kavi Guru Rabindranath
Tagore this year. As our homage to the great poet, I propose to run the
following Kavi Guru Express trains:
Guwahati- Jaipur Express (weekly) via Kasganj – Faizabad – Gorakhpur -
Kokrajhar
Several state capitals will now have direct trains “Rajya Rani Express” connecting them to important cities/towns in those states.
Meerut- Lucknow Intercity Express (daily)
Janam Bhoomi Gaurav
116. Madam, to take forward our efforts of promoting rail tourism, I propose
to launch special tourist trains called “Janam Bhoomi Gaurav”. These special
trains connecting important historical and educational places, will run on the following route:
i. Howrah - Bolpur - Rajgir (Nalanda) – Pataliputra (Patna) - Varanasi
(Sarnath) - Gaya- Howrah
New Express trains
1.Raebareli-Jaunpur Express (daily)
2.Mumbai- Chandigarh Express(weekly) via Phulera-Ringus- Gurgaon-Kurukshetra
3.Bikaner- Delhi Superfast Intercity (daily) via Ratangarh
4.Gorakhpur- Yesvantpur Express (weekly) via Faizabad, Kanpur, Bhopal, Kacheguda
5.Lucknow- Bhopal Express (weekly)
6.Varanasi-Singrauli Intercity Express (daily)
7.Delhi – Puducherry Express (weekly)
8.Asansol – Gonda Express (weekly) via Chhapra, Mau, Shahganj, Ayodhya
9.Howrah-Jaisalmer Express(weekly) via Rae Bareli, Ratangarh, Lalgarh
10.Varanasi – Ahmedabad Express (weekly) via Ajmer
11.Hardwar – Ramnagar Link Express (tri-weekly)
Passenger services
The following new passenger services will be introduced:
1.Delhi- Garhi Harsaru-Farukhnagar Passenger (daily)
2.Abohar – Fazilka passenger (daily)
Extension of trains:
The run of the following trains will be extended:
1.Chhindwara-Gwalior Express to Delhi (11101/11102)
2. Jhansi-Chhindwara Express to Delhi (11103/11104)
3.Nizamuddin- Bapudham Motihari Express to Muzaffarpur `(12211/12212)
4.Jammu Tawi-Sonpur Express to Muzaffarpur (12491/12492)
5.Lucknow- Allahabad Express to Vindhyachal (14209/14210)
6. Chandigarh- Jaipur Garib Rath Express to Ajmer (12983/12984)
7.Lucknow- Saharanpur Express to Chandigarh (15011/15012)
8.Sultanpur – Ajmer Express to Ahmedabad (19603/19604)
9. Ajmer-Kishanganj Express to New Jalpaiguri (19601/19602)
10. Mumbai-Allahabad Express to Faizabad via Jaunpur, Shahganj (12563/12564)
11.Saharanpur- Delhi to Farukh Nagar (14546/14545)
12.Lucknow – Bhopal Express to Pratapgarh (12183/12184)
13.Delhi- Shahjahanpur Passenger to Sitapur Cantt. (54075/54076)
14.Moradabad- Chandausi Passenger to Bareilly (54311/54312)
15.Ambala – Una DEMU to Amb Andaura (74991/74992)
16.Ambala – Amritsar DEMU to Kurukshetra (74645/74646)
Increase in frequency of trains
The frequency of the following trains will be increased:
1. New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi Express from 6 days to daily (12015/12016)
2.Nizamuddin -Dehradun AC Express from 6 days to daily (12205/12206)
3.New Delhi- Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express from 6 days to daily (12423/12424)
4.Delhi Sarai Rohilla- Udaipur Chetak Express from 4 days to daily
(12981/12982)
New Lines
Railways to take up the following new line projects in 2011-12:-
1.Rae Bareli-Akbarganj
2.Sultanpur-Amethi
DOUBLLING
New doubling works are proposed to be taken up this year
1.Rae Bareli-Utratia
2.Doublling across bridge No. 16,18 & 19 between Kathua-Madhopur
3.Rewari-Manheru
NEW LINE SURVEYS
The following surveys are proposed to be taken up in 2011-12
1.Jakhal-Hissar
2.Farrukhabad-Shahjahanpur upto Mailani
3.Rajpura Jn-Chandigarh
4.Balrampur-Khalilabad
5.Barabanki-Fatehpur via Deva
6.Rohtak-Hansi via Meham
DOUBLLING SURVEYS
The following surveys are proposed to be taken up in 2011-12
1.Rohtak-Bhiwani
RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION
In 2011-12 the following sections are proposed to be electrified :-
Rosa-Sitapur-Burhwal
