Rail Budget 2016 highlights

Highlights:

• Suresh Prabhu concludes his rail budget speech.
• The companies owned by Railways to come under a holding company.
• Two dedicated freight corridors by 2019.
• I’m setting aside Rs. 50 crore for providing innovation grants to start-ups.
• Drones to be used for remote monitoring of ongoing projects.

• 33%sub-quota for women under all reserved categories.

• We’ll increase the advertising revenue by more than four times this year.

• We intend to give special focus to exploring advertising potentials at big stations.

• In-principal nod for MUTP projects received.

• India’s first rail auto hub to come up in Chennai.

• Special purpose vehicle for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speech corridor registered this month.

• A full-fledged market study on freight basket underway for revival of freight share.

•  We will partner with the Govt. of TN for developing suburban network in Chennai through innovative financing methods.

• We will work with Karnataka State Government for suburban rails.

• Ring Railway to be redeveloped in partnership with the Delhi government.

• I propose to invite FM radio stations to provide train borne entertainment via PA systems:

• We intend to publish Rail Bandhu magazine in all regional languages.

• Elevated rail corridors from Churchgate to Virar and CST to Panvel on the cards.

• We’ll install GPS-based digital display in coaches for showing upcoming stations.

• We intend taking up on priority passenger amenities and beautification of stations.

• We have also revamped our internal audit system with view to bringing in efficiency in working practices.

• Coolies will be called ‘Sahayaks‘.

• Children’s menu, baby foods, baby boards to be made available for travelling mothers.

• We’re skilling of front-end staff employed through service providers.

• We’re planning to re-imagine design of coaches.

• IRCTC will make available local cuisine of choice, hygienic food.
• All new Railway stations to be built as per Accessible India guidelines.
• We’re working with insurance companies for optional insurance to passengers.
• We’ve introduced Sarthi Seva in Konkan Railways for help to senior citizens; will expand this service.
• The cleaning of toilets by requests through SMS.
• New policy of multi-purpose stalls at station to provide multiple services like milk and medicines.
• Local cuisine of choice will be made available to passengers.
• We are extending e-catering to all rail stations.
• IRCTC will begin to manage catering service in phased manner.
• We’ll include e-ticket facility for foreign debit and credit card holders.
• We’ll open cancellation facility through 139 helpline number.
• Journalists to get facility of e-booking of tickets on concessional passes.
• We are planning to introduce bar-coded tickets on pilot basis to tackle menace of ticketless travel.
• Overnight double-decker trains to be introduced on business travel routes.
• We have opened long awaited Broad Gauge Lumding-Silchar section in Assam, connecting Barak Valley with rest of country.
• Long distance superfast train Antyodaya Express for unreserved passengers.
• Fully unreserved superfast trains to be introduced on dense traffic routes.
• We’ll introduce Deen Dayal coaches for long distance trains for unreserved passengers.
• A full-fledged Railway University soon.
• A single accident or loss of a single life causes me great sorrow and anguish.
• Safety record has become better. 20% less accidents this year than last year but a lot needs to be done.
• CCTV network has been provided at 311 railway stations.
• Walls of many stations have been converted to murals, also contributing to social awareness.
• Railways to increase the quota of lower berths for women and senior citizens. 
• We will formulate a framework where net saving from electrification will be able to finance capital expenditure.
• It is proposed to undertake bidding for redevelopment of few large and medium stations.
• Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2000 tickets/min to 7,200/min.
• Wi-Fi at 100 railway stations this year and 400 next year.
• There is an increase in seat quota this year; 50% up for senior citizens.
• We introduced 1,780 ticket-vending machines.
• Swacch Bharat: 17,000 bio-toilets and additional toilets to be provided by end of this Fiscal Year.
• 1,600 km of electrification this year and 2,000 km proposed for the next year.
• More than 1 lakh telephone calls are made everyday to seek inputs from passengers.
• The common people have always been the focus of all our initiatives.
• We have received in-principle approval from 17 States to form joint ventures. Cabinet decision to allow JVs with States for rail projects opens new vistas for ownership in railway sector.
• North-East India, especially Mizoram and Manipur, to be connected through broad gauge soon.
• We will commission 2,800 km of new tracks in next year.
• Social Media has been used to bring in transparency.
• We have started recruitment process online for Railways to bring 100% transparency.
• We have finalised bids for setting up 2 locomotive factories. New factories to be set up with an order book of Rs. 40,000 crore.
• Indian Railways to surpass ambitious target of commissioning 2500 kms of broad gauge lines, almost 30% higher than last year.
• Every Rupee in investment in Railways has the capacity to increase economy wide output of Rs. 5.
• New freight corridors announced: Delhi-Chennai, Kharagpur-Mumbai, Kharagpur-Vijayawada.
• LIC has agreed invest Rs. 1.5 lakh crore over 5 years on extremely favourable terms.
• We are poised to commission broad gauge lines at the rate of 7 km per day against 4.5 km over last five years.
• We will generate 9 crore man-days employment by 2017-18 and 14 crore man-days by 2018-19.
• By 2020, we’ll have time-tabled freight trains.
• New way of funding projects introduced using institutional financing.
• Happy to announce action has been initiated on 139 Budget announcements last year.
• Elimination of unmanned level crossings a priority. By 2020, eliminate all unmanned level crossing.
• We hope to generate revenues of order of Rs.1,84,820 cr next year, 10.1% higher than revised target of current year.
• In 2016-17, the capital plan will be Rs. 1,21,000 crore.
• A saving of Rs. 8,720 crore for Budget estimates of last year will be affected this year.