Rail Budget 2013-14 Highlights

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has announced the Union Railway Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament. Here are the highlights –
 

 ● No increase in passenger fares 

 ● Railways will absorb Rs. 850 crore on account of no hike in passenger fare

 ● Marginal increase in reservation charges, cancellation charges

 ● Supplementary charges for superfast trains and tatkal booking

 ● 26 new passenger trains to be launched

 ● 67 express trains to be launched 

 ● 9 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains to be introduced

 ● 500-km new lines to be completed in 2013-14

 ● Concessional fare for sportspersons

 ● 5 per cent average increase in freight 

 ● Diesel price hike added Rs. 3,300 crore to fuel bill of Railways

 ● Railways hopes to end 2013-14 with a balance of Rs. 12,506 crore

 ● 5.2 per cent growth in passenger traffic expected in 2013-14

 ● Railways' freight loading traffic scaled down by 100 million tonnes from 1025 million tonnes because of economic slowdown

 ● Railways to set up a Debt Service Fund

 ● Rs. 3,000 crore loan from Finance Ministry re-paid with interest by Railways this financial year

 ● New coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities to be set up in various places including Rae Bareli, Bhilwara, Sonepat, Kalahandi, Kolar, Palakkad and Pratapgarh

 ● Five fellowships to be announced to motivate students

 ● Centralised training institute to be set up in Secunderabad

 ● Will provide better living conditions for Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel

 ● Seek to fill 1.52 lakh vacancies in railways this year. 47,000 vacancies for weaker sections and physically challenged to be filled up soon

 ● Target of Rs. 4,000 crore for railway production units in 2014 

 ● Trying to connect Manipur through railways

 ● Investment of Rs. 3800 crore for port connectivity projects

 ● Target of Rs. 1000 crore each for Indian Railways Land Development Authority and Indian Railways Station Development authority

 ● Toll free 1800111321 number to address grievance. Introduced from February 2013

 ● Labs to test food provided in trains. ISO certification for all rail kitchens

 ● Advance fraud control will be used for ticket sale

 ● Induction of e-ticketing through mobile phones, SMS alerts to passengers 

 ● Next-generation e-ticketing system to improve end user experience. The system will support 7200 users per minute 

 ● Wheelchairs and escalators to be made to make stations and trains friendlier for the differently-abled.

 ● Rs. 100 crore to be spent to augment facilities at Delhi, New Delhi and Nizamuddin railway stations

 ● Special attention to stations in NCR.

 ● Free wi-fi facilities in select trains. 60 more 'adarsh' stations 

 ● Safety measures including new coaches with anti-climb features to be brought in

 ● More ladies specials in metros and a helpline number to be implemented

 ● Railways meets need of consumers while adhering to sound economic principles. Need to expand at a much faster growth rate

 ● I am committed to improving passenger amenities

 ● Resource crunch cannot be a reason for substandard services 

 ● Elimination of over 10,000 level crossings 

 ● 17 bridges sanctioned for rehabilitation

 ● Enhancement of the track capacity and the Train Protection Warning System (TPWS)

 ● Indigenously developed collision avoidance system to be put to trial

 ● Induction of self-propelled accident relief trains along with fast and reliable disaster management system

 ● Railway passengers deserve safe and comfortable travel. Safety is a mandate in running trains. There has been a significant reduction in accidents - .41 per million kms in 2003-04 to .13 in 2011- 12. We will strive to work towards a zero accident situation.

 ● Our targets need to be higher

 ● Mounting scarcity of resources, thin spread of funds continue to be a problem 

 ● The number of passenger trains has increased from 8000 in 2001 to over 12000 in 2012 - yet losses continue to mount. It is estimated to be Rs. 24,000 cr in 2012-13 

 ● Indian railways must remain financially viable

 ● Indian Railways plays an unparalleled growth in integrating the nation

Railway Budget 2013-14: New 67 Express, 26 Passenger Trains introduced

Union Rail Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on 26 Feb., 2013 announced 106 new trains in Railway Budget 2013-14. Of the new trains 67 are Express, 26 passenger trains, 5 MEMUs and 8 DEMUs.

Express Trains

1. Ahmedabad – Jodhpur Express (Weekly) Via Samdari, Bhildi 

2. Ajni (Nagpur) – Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express (Weekly) Via Hingoli 

3. Amritsar – Lalkuan Express (Weekly) Via Chandigarh 

4. Bandra Terminus – Ramnagar Express (Weekly) Via Nagda, Mathura, Kanpur, Lucknow, Rampur

5. Bandra Terminus – Jaisalmer Express (Weekly) Via Marwar, Jodhpur 

6. Bandra Terminus – Hisar Express (Weekly) Via Ahmedabad, Palanpur, Marwar, Jodhpur, Degana 

7. Bandra Terminus – Haridwar Express (Weekly) Via Valsad 

8. Bangalore – Mangalore Express (Weekly) 

9. Bathinda – Jammu Tawi Express (Weekly) Via Patiala, Rajpura 

10. Bhubaneswar – Hazrat Nizamuddin Express (Weekly) Via Sambalpur 

11. Bikaner – Chennai AC Express (Weekly) Via Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Nagda, Bhopal, Nagpur 

12. Chandigarh –Amritsar Intercity Express (Daily) Via Sahibzada Ajitsingh Nagar (Mohali), Ludhiana 

13. Chennai – Karaikudi Express (Weekly) 

14. Chennai – Palani Express (Daily) Via Jolarpettai, Salem, Karur, Namakkal 

15. Chennai Egmore – Thanjavur Express (Daily) Via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai 

16. Chennai – Nagarsol (For Sai Nagar Shirdi) Express (Weekly) Via Renigunta, Dhone, Kacheguda 

17. Chennai – Velankanni Link Express (Daily) Via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur 

18. Coimbatore – Mannargudi Express (Daily) Via Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Nidamangalam 

19. Coimbatore – Rameswaram Express (Weekly) 

20. Delhi – Firozpur Intercity Express (Daily) Via Bathinda 

21. Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Sikar Express (Bi-weekly) after gauge conversion 

22. Delhi – Hoshiarpur Express (Weekly) 

23. Durg – Jaipur Express (Weekly) 

24. Gandhidham – Visakhapatnam Express (Weekly) Via Ahmedabad, Wardha, Ballarshah, Vijaywada 

25. Hazrat Nizamuddin – Mumbai AC Express (Weekly) via Bhopal, Khandwa, Bhusawal 

26. Howrah – Chennai AC Express (Bi-weekly) Via Bhadrak, Duvvada, Gudur 

27. Howrah – New Jalpaiguri AC Express (Weekly) Via Malda Town 

28. Hubli – Mumbai Express (Weekly) Via Miraj, Pune 

29. Indore – Chandigarh Express (Weekly) Via Dewas, Ujjain, Guna, Gwalior, Hazrat Nizamuddin 

30. Jabalpur – Yesvantpur Express (Weekly) Via Nagpur, Dharmavaram 

31. Jaipur – Lucknow Express (Tri-weekly) Via Bandikui, Mathura, Kanpur 

32. Jaipur-Alwar Express (Daily) 

33. Jodhpur –Jaipur Express (Daily) Via Phulera 

34. Jodhpur – Kamakhya (Guwahati) Express (Weekly) Via Degana, Ratangarh 

35. Kakinada – Mumbai Express (Bi-weekly) 

36. Kalka – Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Bi-weekly) Via Hazrat Nizamuddin , Bhopal, Itarsi 

37. Kamakhya (Guwahati) – Anand VIhar Express (Weekly) Via Katihar, Sitapur Cantt, Moradabad 

38. Kamakhya (Guwahati) – Bangalore AC Express (Weekly) 

39. Kanpur – Anand Vihar Express (Weekly) Via Farrukhabad 

40. Katihar – Howrah Express (Weekly) Via Malda Town 

41. Katra – Kalka Express (Bi-weekly) Via Morinda 

42. Kolkata – Agra Express (Weekly) Via Amethi, Rae Bareli, Mathura 

43. Kolkata – Sitamarhi Express (Weekly) Via Jhajha, Barauni, Darbhanga 

44. Kota – Jammu Tawi Express (Weekly) Via Mathura, Palwal 

45. Kurnool Town – Secunderabad Express (Daily) 

46. Lokmanya Tilak (T) – Kochuveli Express (Weekly) 

47. Lucknow – Varanasi Express Via Rae-Bareli (6 Days a week) 

48. Madgaon – Mangalore Intercity Express (Daily) Via Udupi, Karwar 

49. Mangalore – Kacheguda Express (Weekly) Via Dhone, Gooty, Renigunta, Coimbatore 

50. Mau – Anand Vihar Express (Bi-weekly) 

51. Mumbai – Solapur Express (6 Days a week) Via Pune 

52. Nagercoil – Bangalore Express (Daily) Via Madurai, Tiruchchirappalli 

53. New Delhi – Katra AC Express (6 Days a week) 

54. Nizamabad – Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express (Weekly) 

55. Patna – Sasaram Intercity Express (Daily) Via Ara 

56. Patliputra (Patna) – Bangalore Express (Weekly) Via Chheoki 

57. Puducherry – Kanniyakumari Express (Weekly) Via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchchirappalli 

58. Puri – Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) Via Sambalpur, Titlagarh, Raipur, Nagpur, Bhusawal 

59. Puri –Ajmer Express (Weekly) Via Abu-Road 

60. Radhikapur – Anand Vihar Link Express (Daily) 

61. Rajendra Nagar Terminus (Patna)– New Tinsukia Express (Weekly) Via Katihar, Guwahati 

62. Tirupati – Puducherry Express (Weekly) 

63. Tirupati – Bhubaneswar Express (Weekly) Via Visakhapatnam 

64. Una / Nangaldam– Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express (Weekly) 

Via Anandpur Saheb, Morinda, Chandigarh, Ambala 

65. Visakhapatnam – Jodhpur Express (Weekly) Via Titlagarh, Raipur 

66. Visakhapatnam – Kollam Express (Weekly) 

67. Yesvantpur – Lucknow Express (Weekly) via Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh 

Passenger Trains

1. Bathinda – Dhuri Passenger (Daily) 

2. Bikaner-Ratangarh Passenger (Daily) 

3. Bhavnagar – Palitana Passenger (Daily) 

4. Bhavnagar – Surendranagar Passenger (Daily) 

5. Bareilly – Lalkuan Passenger (Daily) 

6. Chhapra –Thawe Passenger (Daily) 

7. Loharu – Sikar Passenger (Daily) after gauge conversion 

8. Madgaon – Ratnagiri Passenger (Daily) 

9. Marikuppam – Bangalore Passenger (Daily) 

10. Muzaffarpur – Sitamarhi Passenger (Daily) via Runnisaidpur 

11. Nadiad – Modasa Passenger (6 days a week) 

12. Nandyal – Kurnool Town passenger (Daily) 

13. New Amravati – Narkher Passenger (Daily) 

14. Punalur – Kollam Passenger (Daily) 

15. Purna – Parli Vaijnath Passenger (Daily) 

16. Palani-Tiruchendur Passenger (Daily) 

17. Ratangarh - Sardarsahar Passenger (Daily) after gauge conversion 

18. Samastipur- Banmankhi Passenger via Saharsa, Madhepura (Daily) after gauge conversion 

19. Shoranur – Kozhikode Passenger (Daily) 

20. Surendranagar – Dharangdhara Passenger (Daily) 

21. Suratgarh – Anupgarh Passenger (Daily) 

22. Somnath – Rajkot Passenger (Daily) 

23. Sitamarhi – Raxaul Passenger (Daily) 35 

24. Sriganganagar – Hanumangarh-Sadulpur Passenger (Daily) after gauge conversion 

25. Talguppa – Shimoga Town Passenger (Daily) 

26. Thrisur-Guruvayur Passenger (Daily) 

MEMU Services

1. Barabanki – Kanpur 

2. Chennai – Tirupati 

3. Delhi- Rohtak (Replacement of conventional service by MEMU) 

4. Lucknow – Hardoi 

5. Sealdah – Berhampore Court 

DEMU Services 

1. Bhatkal – Thokur 

2. Delhi – Kurukshetra Via Kaithal 

3. Katwa – Jangipur 

4. Lucknow – Sultanpur 

5. Lucknow – Pratapgarh Via Gauriganj 

6. Madgaon – Karwar 

7. Rohtak – Rewari 

8. Taran Taran – Goindwal Saheb 

Extension of Trains 

1. 19601/19602 Ajmer-New Jalpaiguri Express to Udaipur 

2. 15715/15716 Ajmer-Kishanganj Express to New Jalpaiguri 

3. 12403/12404 Allahabad – Mathura Express to Jaipur 

4. 17307/17308 Bagalkot-Yesvantpur Express to Mysore 

5. 18437/18438 Bhubaneswar – Bhawanipatna Express to Junagarh 

6. 18191/18192 Chhapra – Kanpur Anwarganj Express to Farrukhabad 

7. 16127/16128 Chennai-Madurai portion of Chennai-Guruvayur Express to Tuticorin 

8. 12231/12232 Chandigarh-Lucknow Express to Patna (2 days) 

9. 12605/12606 Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express to Karaikudi 

10. 14007/14008 Delhi-Muzaffarpur Express to Raxaul after gauge conversion 

11. 14017/14018 Delhi-Muzaffarpur Express to Raxaul after gauge conversion 

12. 12577/12578 Darbhanga-Bangalore Express to Mysore 

13. 14731/14732 Delhi – Bathinda Express to Fazilka 

14. 14705/14706 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Sadulpur Express to Sujangarh (Salasar Express) 

15. 15159/15160 Durg- Chhapra Express to Muzaffarpur and Gondia 

16. 12507/12508 Guwahati-Ernakulam Express to Thiruvananthapuram 

17. 17005/17006 Hyderabad-Darbhanga Express to Raxaul after gauge conversion 

18. 17011/17012 Hyderabad- Belampalli Express to Sirpur Kaghaznagar 

19. 16591/16592 Hubli-Bangalore Express to Mysore 

20. 12181/12182 Jabalpur-Jaipur Express to Ajmer 

21. 15097/15098 Jammu Tawi-Barauni Express to Bhagalpur 

22. 13117/13118 Kolkata – Berhampore Court Express to Lalgola 

23. 22981/22982 Kota-Hanumangarh Express to Shri Ganga Nagar 

24. 15609/15610 Lalgarh- Guwahati Express to New Tinsukia 

25. 12145/12146 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Bhubaneswar Express to Puri 

26. 12545/12546 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Darbhanga Express to Raxaul after gauge conversion 

27. 12449/12450 Madgaon-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express to Chandigarh 

28. 12653/12654 Mangalore – Tiruchchirappalli Express to Puducherry 

29. 29019/29020 Meerut-Nimach Link Express to Mandasor 30. 22107/22108 Mumbai CST-Latur Express to Hazoor Saheb Nanded 

31. 14003/14004 New Delhi -New Farakka Express to Malda Town 

32. 15723/15724 New Jalpaiguri-Darbhanga Express to Sitamarhi 

33. 18419/18420 Puri-Darbhanga Express to Jaynagar 

34. 19327/19328 Ratlam-Chittaurgarh Express to Udaipur 

35. 13133/13134 Sealdah – Varanasi Express (2 Days) to Delhi via Lucknow, Moradabad 

36. 14711/14712 Shri Ganga Nagar – Haridwar Express to Rishikesh 

37. 16535/16536 Solapur-Yesvantpur Express to Mysore 

38. 19251/19252 Somnath-Dwarka Express to Okha 

39. 12629/12630 Yesvantpur – Hazrat Nizamuddun Sampark 

Kranti Express 2 days to Chandigarh 

40. 59601/59602 Ajmer-Beawar Passenger to Marwar 

41. 56513/56514 Bangalore-Nagore Passenger to Karaikal 

42. 51183/51184 Bhusaval-Amravati Passenger to Narkher 

43. 57502/57503 Bodhan-Kamareddi Passenger to Mirzapalli 

44. 54632/54633 Dhuri-Hisar/ Hisar- Ludhiana Passenger to Sirsa 

45. 56700/56701Madurai-Kollam Passenger to Punalur 

46. 56709/56710 Madurai-Dindigul Passenger to Palani 

47. 56275/56276 Mysore-Shimoga Town Passenger to Talguppa 

48. 59297/59298 Porbander-Veraval Passenger to Somnath 

49. 66611/66612 Ernakulam-Thrisur MEMU to Palakkad 

50. 67277/67278 Falaknuma-Bhongir MEMU to Jangaon 

51. 66304/66305 Kollam-Nagarcoil MEMU to Kanniyakumari 

52. 63131/63132 Krishnanagar City-Berhampore Court MEMU to Ranaghat and to Cossimbazar 

53. 74021/74024 Delhi-Shamli DEMU to Saharanpur 

54. 76837/76838 Karaikudi-Manamadurai DEMU to Virudunagar after gauge conversion 

55. 79454/79445 Morbi-Wankaner DEMU to Rajkot 

56. 77676/77677 Miryalguda-Nadikudi DEMU to Piduguralla 

57. 79301/79302 Ratlam-Chittaurgarh DEMU to Bhilwara 38 

Increase in frequency 

The frequency of the following trains will be increased:

1. 12547/12548 Agra Fort –Ahmedabad Express 3 to 7 days 

2. 11453/11454 Ahmedabad-Nagpur Express 2 to 3 days 

3. 22615/22616 Coimbatore-Tirupati Express 3 to 4 days 

4. 14037/14038 Delhi-Pathankot Express 3 to 6 days 

5. 19409/19410 Gorakhpur – Ahmedabad Express 1 to 2 days 

6. 13465/13466 Howrah – Malda Town Express 6 to 7 days 

7. 12159/12160 Jabalpur – Amravati Express 3 to 7 days 

8. 11103/11104 Jhansi – Bandra (T) Express 1 to 2 days 

9. 19325/19326 Indore – Amritsar Express 1 to 2 days 

10. 12469/12470 Kanpur – Jammu Tawi Express 1 to 2 days 

11. 12217/12218 Kochuveli – Chandigarh Express 1 to 2 days 

12. 12687/12688 Madurai – Dehradun/Chandigarh Express 1 to 2 days 

13. 13409/13410 Malda Town – Jamalpur Express 6 to 7 days 

14. 17213/17214 Narsapur – Nagersol (Near Sainagar Shirdi) Express 2 to 7 days 

15. 12877/12878 Ranchi-New Delhi Garib Rath Express 2 to 3 days 

16. 18509/18510 Visakhapatnam – Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express 2 to 3 days 

17. 22819/22820 Visakhapatnam – Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express 2 to 7 days 

18. 18309/18310 Sambalpur-Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express 2 to 3 days 

19. 12751/12752 Secunderabad – Manuguru Express 3 to 7 days 

20. 12629/12630 Yesvantpur – Hazrat Nizamuddun Sampark Kranti Express 2 to 4 days 

21. 56221/56222/56525/56526 Bangalore – Tumkur Passenger 6 to 7 days 

22. 56321 Kanniyakumari-Tirunelveli Passenger 6 to 7 days 

23. 56325 Nagercoil – Kanniyakumari Passenger 6 to 7 days 

24. 56312 Tirunelveli - Nagercoil Passenger 6 to 7 days