Highlights of Railway Budget 2015

Highlights from Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu's Speech:

●No increase in passenger fares

●SMS alert to be introduced for train timings

●To introduce air-conditioned coaches for suburban trains

●Wi-fi to be available at 400 railway stations

●To revamp station redevelopment policy completely

●To have bidding system for redevelopment of stations

●To develop 10 satellite railway stations this year

●On-board entertainment facility could be extended on Shatabdi trains

●Mobile charging stations will be introduced general class coaches

●Wagon-making scheme to be reviewed to make it easier for private investment

●To improve cleanliness & design of bed linen

●All India 24x7 grievances helpline 138 to start soon

●17,000 more toilets to be replaced by Bio-Toilets, New toilets at 650 stations, more vacuum toilets

●Passenger travelling unreserved can procure a ticket within 5 minutes

●Mobile application to address complaints of people is also being developed

●Hand-held devices for ticket checkers for moving towards paperless ticketing

●Centrally managed railway display network in over 2000 stations in next 2 years

●We are committed to provide rail connectivity to North Eastern states

●CCTVs to be introduced in select trains and suburban trains for women safety

●Train Protection Warning System, Train Collision Avoidance System

●Tickets can be booked 120 days in advance instead of 60 days

●Plan expenditure to go up to a record Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16 from Rs 66,000 crore in the previous year

●Railways plans to spend over Rs 8 lakh crore over five years

●We will introduce train sets saving 20% of journey time, similar to bullet trains in design, and that can run on existing tracks

●Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad expected by mid-2015

●The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km

●Railways to go through transformation in five years; to increase track capacity by 10 per cent to 1.38 lakh km

●To monetise assets rather than sell them

●To set up full-fledged Railway University in FY16

●Rs.2000 crore for Coastal Connectivity Program; Rs.2500 crore through BOT/Annuity route

●6608 kms of track to be electrified

●Projects worth Rs 96,182 crore to expand capacity of 9,420 km rail lines

●Drawing up comprehensive policy to tap latent advertising potential

Watch The Railway Budget 2015-16 Video

Here we have listed 10 must read points from Suresh Prabhu's Budget speech: 

1. Operation 5 mins: Passengers travellling unreserved can purchase a ticket in 5 minutes

2. Surveillance cameras on select mainline and ladies compartments

3. Wi Fi facilities in 400 stations

4. E-catering to be introduced in 108 trains

5. Facility of online booking of wheelchair for senior citizens

6. Satellite railway terminals in 10 major cities

7. Integrated ticketing: Defence travel system to make travel easier

8. To increase number of general coaches in identified trains for benefit of common man

9. SMS alert service to inform passengers about arrival & departure of the trains

10. To introduce Train sets saving 20 per cent of journey time, similar to bullet trains in design, can run on existing tracks