Rail Budget 2016: Suresh Prabhu to speed up trains, rail network expansion on

Fares untouched as state polls loom; big freight push

Breaking free from years of status quo, railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday piloted Rail Budget 2016-17 on the course of change with promises of a financial turnaround, raising the speed of trains, a qualitative improvement in passenger amenities and reforms in the Railway Board’s functioning. Not falling to the lure of increasing passenger fares and freight rates in a year when four states are heading for Assembly elections, Mr Prabhu promised a massive expansion of the rail network along with steps to move towards international standards in the running of trains.

Besides the National Rail Plan (2030) for an integrated multi-modal transport system in India, Mr Prabhu listed seven missions to win back freight share lost to the road sector, ensuring zero accidents, doubling the speed of goods trains and adding 25 kmph more to the speed of mail and express trains over the next five years.

Mr Prabhu also said he would soon ask Parliament to set up a Rail Development and Tariff Authority, which among other things will propose passenger fares and freig-ht rates. Partially accepting the Bibek Debroy Committee’s report, Mr Prabhu proposed the long-awaited restructuring of the Railway Board, with its chairman suitably empowered to function on corporate lines and the setting up of cross-functional directorates.

Showing a cash surplus of Rs 8,720 crores in the current fiscal, Mr Prabhu pegged the operating ratio (expenditure against earnings) at 92 per cent. He proposed a plan outlay of Rs 1.21 lakh crores against the revised budget estimate of Rs 1 lakh crores last year. He also set a target to mop up revenue of Rs 1,84,820 crores (2016-17). Laced with many Hindi terms, which appeared to show the stamp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Prabhu gave the slogan of “Chalo milkar kuch naya karen” (Let’s do something new together), which essentially captured the new theme of partnering with state governments, private players and PSU firms for taking up new projects. “Three pillars of the strategy for us is Nav Arjan (new revenues), Nav Maanak (new norms) and Nav Sanrachna (new structures),” said Mr Prabhu in his 75-minute speech that was delivered at his characteristic “bullet” speed.

Seeking an image makeover to endear the Narendra Modi government to the poor, Mr Prabhu proposed a new train, Antyodaya Express, meant for unreserved passengers, to run at superfast speed. Also, he unveiled DeenDayalu unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of mobile charging points. Besides, there will be new trains Humsafar (totally 3rd AC), with optional meal facilities, Uday, which will be overnight double-decker service, and Utkrisht, which too will be a double-decker AC Yatri Express for the busiest routes.

The minister laid an ambitious target to provide assured berths on demand by 2020, while saying two dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) [Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and Ludhiyana to Dankuni] would be completed by 2019, to throw open additional tracks to run more passenger trains. Mr Prabhu also proposed three more DFCs on the New Delhi-Chennai, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam routes to win back the lost freight traffic.

The Railway Budget was further sweetened with a strong dose of passenger amenities, including e-cancellation of tickets, SMS-based demand for cleaning of coaches and toilets, Sarathi Seva in the Konkan Railway to help the old and disabled, installation of 30,000 bio-toilets, providing portable structures with bio-toilets at all platforms of key stations for senior citizens, provision for baby food, milk, and over-the-counter medicines at stations, travel insurance on demand and hourly booking of retiring rooms. In addition, Mr Prabhu proposed unveiling smart coaches, ranking of A1 and A2 stations, Radio FM in most trains and infotainment services in select trains.