Highlights of the 2010-11 Railway Budget

The main highlights of the 2010-11 railway budget include:

: No increase in passenger fares

: Rs.100 reduction in freight per wagon for fertilisers and kerosene

: Free travel for cancer patients in 3rd AC classes

: Cost-sharing in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode in some gauge-conversion projects

: Further extension of Kolkata Metro on priority basis; stations to be named after Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tagore family

: Karmabhoomi trains to be introduced for migrant labour

: New Janmabhoomi train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur

: Special "Bharat Teertha" train to be run around India to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary

: Railway line to be extended from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir

: Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur

: Sikkim capital Gangtok to be connected by rail from Rangpo

: 2011 being 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, special train to be run from West Bengal to Bangladesh

: Gross earnings in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.88,281 crore

: Working expenditure in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.83,440 crore

: Expenses during 2010-11 estimated at Rs.87,100 crore

: Thrust on expansion in 2010-11 with allocation of Rs.4,411 crore

: Kashmir rail link to be extended to Sopore in the north of the valley

: Net profit of Rs.1,328 crore in 2009-10

: 10 automobile ancillary hubs to be created

: Twenty-two million energy saving CFLs for lighting distributed already

: Policy decision to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for railway projects

: North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created

: Construction of high-speed passenger rail corridors envisaged

: More multi-functional hospitals to be set up

: Educational facilities to be set up for children of 80,000 women families

: Special facilities to be established for gangmen

: Insurance facilities for licensed porters as part of railway's corporate social responsibility

: Centre for railway research to be established with Indian Institutes of Technology and Defence Research and Development Organisation

: Will involve unions in policy making

: Integral Coach Factory Chennai to be further modernised

: New wagon repair shop in Mumbai

: Design, development and testing centre for railway wheels at Bangalore

: Within five years, all unmanned level crossings to be manned

: Construction of more underpasses, besides road overbridges

: Greater coordination with state governments to protect railway property

: Security of women passengers to be improved

: Ex-servicemen to be employed in Railway Protection Force

: Five sports academies to be set up

: Astroturf to be provided for development of hockey

: Employment opportunities for sports persons

: Railways to be lead partner for Commonwealth Games

: Special drive to increase passenger amenities

: Upgrade of 94 stations

: Six new drinking water bottling plants in PPP mode

: Modern toilets at railway stations

: More ticketing centres to help the public

: Acquisition of cutting edge safety technology

: 1,000 route km to be created

: Special task force for clearing investment proposals in 100 days

: New business model to be created

: No privatisation of railways

: But greater participation of private sector

: 117 of 120 new trains for current fiscal to be flagged off