Railway Budget 2000-01

• A brief overview of where Indian Railways stand at dawn of new century.
• Railways, ‘lifeline of the nation’, at turning point in their history; opportunity to reach new heights of performance as well as chance of dangerous decline.

• The nation’s transport infrastructure allowed to stagnate; Capital support from General Exchequer declines from peak of 75% in Fifth Plan to low level of 18% in last two years of Eighth Plan.
• Railways driven to market borrowings and interest and repayment obligations now likely to equal annual borrowing itself
• Because of under-investment over long period of time, Railways’ share in freight movement drops from 89% in 1950-51 to about 40% now.

• Vision for new millennium - Railways to carry not only passengers and goods as done traditionally, but also to carry information on shoulders of new technology across country and beyond.
• New vision envisages innovative models of funding developmental plans.

• 1998-99 an extremely difficult year for Railways
• Financial setback due to increased staff and pension expenditure after V CPC and shortfall in freight loading by 29 million tonnes as result of recessionary trends in economy
• Gross Traffic Receipts of Rs. 30,416 cr in Revised Estimates reduced to Rs. 29,619 cr in actuals
• Total Working Expenses budgeted at Rs 28,411 cr in Revised Estimates contained at Rs 27,835 cr in actuals.
• Pensionary liabilities at Rs 4,144 cr exceeds Revised Estimate of Rs 3,830 cr.
• Year ends with drawdown of Rs 2313 cr from Fund balances.
• In view of shortfall in internal resources, plan expenditure restricted to Rs 8,857 cr from Budgeted level of Rs 9,500 cr.
• Market borrowings increased from Rs 2,900 cr in Budget Estimates to Rs 3217 cr.

• Current financial year more favourable with economy looking up.
• Railways set to achieve freight loading target of 450 million tonnes.
• Freight earnings, however, likely to fall short of target by Rs 250 cr due to drop in lead and change in commodity-mix.
• Passenger, Other Coaching and Sundry other earnings quite encouraging.
• Position of outstanding dues from State Electricity Boards/Power Houses continues to be unsatisfactory, having risen to Rs. 1,491 cr by end of November 1999; target of clearance reduced from Rs 200 cr to Rs 75 cr.
• Gross Traffic Receipts scaled down from Rs 33,311 cr in Budget Estimates to Rs 33,096 cr in Revised Estimates.

• Additional financial burden of around Rs. 900 cr mainly on account of post-budgetary developments of increase in diesel prices, retrospective revision of tariff by State Electricity Boards, damage to Railway property caused by Orissa cyclones etc.
• A stringent action plan for reduction in expenditure through economy and other austerity measures put in place, resulting in saving of Rs. 850 cr in other areas and only small increase of Rs 50 cr provided in Ordinary Working Expenses in Revised Estimates, and placed at Rs. 25,790 cr.
• Pensionary liabilities assessed to go up to Rs. 4,094 cr against Budget Estimates of Rs. 3,300 cr.
• Internal resource generation reduces and accordingly Plan expenditure re-assessed at Rs 8,965 cr against budgeted outlay of Rs 9,700 cr.

• Earnings not growing commensurately with expenditure, Railways explore other non-traditional sources of revenue as done by Railways world over.
• Task Force, consisting of representatives of Railways and Industry, set up for the purpose, recently submitted its report. Areas identified include :

• Commercial utilisation of land and air space.
• Commercial publicity on both passenger trains and stations.
• Commercial publicity on freight wagons.
• Hoardings and billboards on level crossing gates.
• Commercial publicity on miscellaneous items like tickets and consumable items supplied on trains.
• Hoardings for rural marketing alongside tracks.

• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) signed covering several areas of assistance, including commercial utilisation of surplus railway lands in certain specified corridors.

• Railways set to participate in IT revolution
• A nation-wide broad-band telecom and multimedia network by laying optic fibre cable (OFC) to be built up using ‘Right of Way’ (ROW).
• Unique advantage of Railways - their sixty two thousand kilometer network with more than seven thousand stations, connecting distant corners of country and rural areas.
• This not only to help in speedily modernising Railways’ own telecom infrastructure, but also to provide much-needed parallel nation-wide telecom infrastructure to various telecom operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
• Railways taking steps towards developing attractive business plan to be implemented in collaboration with suitable joint venture partners through medium of professionally managed special purpose vehicle (SPV).

• Railways’ biggest challenge to restore intrinsic health of network; provide safe transit to passengers and freight traffic; also ensure safe working conditions to employees.
• Railway Safety Review Committee headed by Justice H.R.Khanna assesses requirement of Rs 15,000 cr for rehabilitation of overaged assets and to provide adequate technology back-up to operational staff connected with train running.
• Enhanced investment for safety.
• Special steps taken to strengthen safety include track circuiting to prevent accidents due to human failure, improved communication between driver, guard and nearest station through mobile train radio system and walkie-talkie sets, block-proving by axle counters, replacing existing mechanical signaling systems with modern signaling systems such as Colour Light Signaling, Panel Interlocking, Solid State Interlocking and Route Relay Interlocking.
• An intensive training and human resource development programme specifically targeted towards enhancing safety consciousness amongst front-line operational staff launched.
• A new anti-collision safety device developed by Konkan Railway Corporation. A pilot project being undertaken on Northeast Frontier Railway.
• For manning large number of unmanned level crossings and constructing road over-bridges/under-bridges, requiring enormous resources, Railways proposes setting up separate Safety Fund to be financed through contribution from Central Road Fund.
• Railways to spend Rs 300 cr, its share from Central Road Fund for manning of unmanned level crossings and construction of Road Overbridges and Underbridges.
• Safety-related track renewal and signal & telecom planheads get 38% and 26% higher outlays.

• Security concerns of rail users attracting most serious attention. Security environment on railways reflection of law and order situation in general.
• Dangerous new dimension in recent past due to violent acts of militant groups. Crowded railway stations and other sensitive installations like bridges, tracks etc. become soft targets for militant groups.
• Railways determined to combat this menace and fully protect passengers and installations.
• High level Joint Task Force of Railways and State Government officials set up to suggest ways and means to improve effectiveness of GRP and RPF in preventing crimes on trains and railway premises.
• To provide substantially improved safety and security cover to passengers and Railway properties, ‘Passenger Safety Network’ (PSN) to be set up.

• A multi-pronged new Freight Policy aimed at raising market share has following elements:-

• Recovering into Railways’ fold, non-bulk high-value traffic through appropriate marketing efforts.
• Providing incentives like ‘volume discount scheme’
• Facilitating speedy and reliable transit of non-bulk goods by offering leasing route to Freight Forwarders in Luggage Vans (SLRs) on popular mail and express trains.
• Facilitating warehousing at existing railway terminals as also at privately operated freight terminals as marketing tool to attract traffic.
• Extending new concept of Roll-on Roll-Off (RO-RO), freight movement in trucks rolled-on flat wagons to provide door to door collection and delivery.
• Running of fixed schedule freight trains and terminal operations
• Launching ‘Freight Operations Information System’ (FOIS) to provide real-time information to customers in regard to booking, movement and delivery of freight consignments through Customer Service Cells to be set up on all Zonal Railways.
• Using shadow-path created behind fast moving mail / express trains for speedy movement of freight traffic. High speed goods trains slated to follow superfast express trains with adequate safety precautions to ensure expeditious transit of select high value and perishable goods.

1. Lucknow-Bhopal Express (Bi-weekly)
2. Bangalore-Shimoga overnight Express (daily)
3. Tirupati-Nagercoil Express (Bi-weekly)
4. Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (Bi-weekly)
5. Jodhpur-Bangalore Express via Hubli, Ahmedabad (weekly)
6. Howrah-Purulia Express (daily)
7. Ajmer-Bangalore Express via Hubli, Ahmedabad (weekly)
8. Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri Express (Tri-weekly)
9. Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express (Tri-weekly)
10. Okha-Dehradun Uttaranchal Express (weekly)

(To serve Dwarka, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Haridwar)

11. Shalimar-Bankura Express
12. Kakinada-Visakhapatnam-Nagarsol Link Express (Bi-weekly)
13. Ahmedabad-Nagpur Express (weekly)
14. Sealdah-Amritsar Superfast Express via Patna Sahib (weekly)
15. Bandra Terminus-Gandhidham Express (by merging 2963 / 64 Bandra-Vadodara Sayajinagari Express and 9103 / 04 Vadodara-Gandhidham Inter-city Express)
16. Lucknow-Ballia-Chhapra Express
17. Varanasi-Baidyanath Dham Express (Bi-weekly)
18. Bikaner-Suratgarh Service
19. Bangalore-Puttaparthi Service

• To commemorate three important places prominently associated with freedom struggle, namely Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, additional connectivity to be provided by introducing Jodhpur-Bangalore Express, Ajmer-Bangalore Express, Howrah-Digha Express and Lucknow-Ballia-Chhapra Express.
• A new express train from Nizamuddin to Coimbatore (weekly).

INCREASE IN FREQUENCY

1. 8563 / 8564 Vishakapatnam – Bangalore Express: from 4 days to daily
2. 2951 / 2952 Mumbai Rajdhani Express : from 6 days to daily
3. 2953 / 2954 August Kranti Rajdhani Express : from 6 days to daily
4. 1029 / 1030 Pune Howrah Azad Hind Express : from 2 days to 3 days a week
5. 9263 / 9264 Porbandar – Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express : from weekly to Bi-weekly.

1. 6635 / 6636 Kurla-Ernakulam Netravati Express To Trivandrum

(Also augmentation to 22 coaches thereby increasing 280 berth capacity daily)

2. 5011 / 5012 Gorakhpur-Cochin Raptisagar Express to Trivandrum.
3. 7057 / 7058 Bilaspur-Cochin Express to Trivandrum.
4. 7081 / 7082 Indore-Cochin Express to Trivandrum.
5. 6731 / 6732 Bangalore-Madurai Express to Tuticorin.
6. 3287A/88A Patna-Rourkela Link Express to Bilaspur.
7. 6333/6334 Trivandrum-Rajkot Express to Hapa.
8. 6803 / 04 Howrah-Trichy Express to Kanniyakumari (on one day in a week).
9. 1095 / 96 Pune-Ahmedabad Ahimsa Express to Gandhidham (on one day in a week).
10. 2475 / 2476 Jammu Tawi-Rajkot Express to Hapa.
11. 1269 / 1270 Rajkot-Bhopal Express to Jabalpur (on two days in a week)

• Extension of 5207/5208 Amritsar-Barauni Express upto Katihar and 3163/3164 Sealdah-Katihar Express upto Barauni.

• Additional travel facility between Howrah and Puri to be provided by connecting 2821 / 2822 Dhauli Express at Bhubaneshwar with 201 / 202 Howrah Puri passenger by modifying timings.

• 8621/8622 Patliputra Express to be augmented from Dhanbad by seven coaches to provide additional travel capacity between Jasidih and Patna.

1. Extension of 9031 / 32 Mumbai Central – Gandhidham Kutch Express to Bhuj
2. One pair of passenger service between Gandhidham and Bhuj
3. Extension of Rail bus services between Nadiad and Kapadvanj to Modasa
4. One pair of passenger services on Peddapalli-Karimnagar section

M.E.M.U. SERVICES

1. Patna-Mokama section.
2. Shalimar-Bankura section.
3. Chennai-Arakkonam-Renigunta section.
4. Lucknow-Kanpur section.
5. Srikakulam-Vishakhapatnam section.
6. Katpadi-Jolarpettai section.

1. Amritsar-Pathankot section
2. Raichur-Gulbarga section
3. Erode-Trichy section

• Efforts to be intensified to improve passenger amenities.
• Allocation to Passenger Amenities Works enhanced to Rs 200 cr, constituting an increase of 52 %.
• All 150 ‘A’ class stations to be covered under concept of ‘model station’ next year. In second phase of five year phased programme, all junction stations also to be covered.
• Mechanised cleaning contemplated at important Junction stations and trains; possibilities of private sector participation with technical know-how and capital also to be explored.
• Major initiatives to be taken to deploy information technology for improvements in customer interface area, which include:-

• An Internet-based inquiry system for information on train time-table and status of passenger reservation already operational.
• National Train Enquiry System (NTES) for disseminating real-time information regarding passenger train running to be implemented soon.
• Pilot project for introducing tele-booking successfully implemented at Delhi and proposed to be extended to Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
• Extension of booking facilities for reserved accommodation using PRS terminals/Internet to Rail Travel Agents to be implemented.
• Booking on Internet through Smart Card facility to be introduced shortly. Internet-based Reservation using credit cards also to be made available after passing of cyber laws by Parliament.
• Pilot project to replace card tickets and MSTs by computer-based SPTMs (Self Printing Ticketing Machines) to be undertaken by using Smart Card technology.

• Another eighty stations throughout country to be brought within ambit of computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS).
• For first time in history of Indian Railways, All India Summer Special Train TimeTable being released today.

• Upgrading of first aid facilities on all 162 pairs of long distance trains with broader range of emergency medicines etc.

• UNESCO recognizes Darjeeling Himalayan Railway as World Heritage Site, second Railway in world to be given this status.
• Services and facilities on this section to be upgraded; two colourful diesel locomotives to be provided.
• Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited incorporated and expected to become functional by 1^st April, 2000
• Inspection carriages, popularly called ‘saloons’ to be increasingly used for commercial purposes and tourism; wide publicity to be given to availability of such saloons to public on payment basis.
• New ‘Palace on Wheels’ type of train as joint effort between Railways and Government of Maharashtra to be introduced on route from Mumbai – Ratnagiri – Sindhudurg – Goa - Kolhapur - Pune - Ajanta Ellora -Nasik to Mumbai.

• Railways play major role in relief and restoration operations
• Rs. 6.58 cr contributed towards relief for Orissa cyclone victims and Rs. 21.78 cr to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Kargil Heroes.
• Railways to earmark one hundred employment opportunities exclusively for families of martyrs of Operation Vijay-1999 in Kargil.

• RDSO obtains ISO-9001 certificate for enhancing quality management and for improving and strengthening working methodologies.

• So as to foster closer interaction between RDSO and academic/research institutions and industries for developing new technologies, improving existing technologies; Railway Technology Cell at IIT/Kanpur in two specified areas proposed.

• Corporation able to generate revenues sufficient to meet only operating expenses; Railways to assist Corporation to increase revenue generation capacity so as to become self-reliant.

• Mumbai : Doubling of Belapur-Panvel line expected to be completed by March, 2000. Other projects like 5^th line between Santacruz & Borivali, Quadrupling of Borivali-Virar Section and construction of 5^th & 6^th lines between Kurla & Thane being executed on priority basis.
• Calcutta : extension of Calcutta Metro Railway from Tollygunge to Garia being given further fillip with increased allocation of funds to complete project at an early date; extension of Circular Railway from Princepghat to Majerhat already sanctioned; now proposed to provide connection to airport as well as electrify existing Circular Railway from Tala to Princepghat to facilitate running of EMU services on Circular Railway.
• Chennai : Phase II of Mass Rapid Transit System from Tirumailai to Velacheri progressing at rapid pace. Project to be commissioned by March 2002. Project of Gauge Conversion of Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpattu Suburban Section also receives necessary approvals and work started.
• Joint venture with participation of Railways, Andhra Pradesh Government and private sector to develop multi-modal transport services in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to be considered. Similar proposals from Governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

• During 1998-99, all production units achieve their targets.
• CLW, Chittaranjan builds an indigenous 3-phase state-of-art 6000 HP freight electric locomotive ‘Navyug’, becoming first amongst developing countries.

• Performance of all Public Sector Undertakings satisfactory during 1998-99. IRCON International Ltd. earns profit of Rs. 56 cr and pays dividend of Rs. 11 cr; Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) records profit of Rs 10 cr and pays dividend of Rs 2 cr; Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) earns profit of Rs. 141 cr and pays dividend of Rs. 29 cr; Indian Railway Finance Corporation earns profit of Rs. 326 cr and pays dividend of Rs 65 cr.

• Plan outlay for 2000-01 kept at Rs. 11,000 cr, an increase of 23% over revised plan outlay of Rs. 8965 cr for 1999-2000; Budgetary Support at Rs. 3,540 cr an unprecedented 40% higher than last year; market borrowings placed at Rs 3,668 cr. Balance Rs 3,792 cr to be met through combination of normal internal resources, non-traditional revenues and contribution from General Revenues for Railway Safety Works.
• Thrust of Annual Plan on safety, capacity augmentation and improving passenger amenities.
• Allocation for Doubling increased to Rs 655 cr from Rs 552 cr in Revised Estimates; Gauge Conversion plan head provided Rs 600 cr against Rs 529 cr in Revised Estimates.

• Investment in New Lines stepped up substantially to ensure completion of pending projects and to cover frontier areas of Jammu & Kashmir and northeast; Rs 825 cr provided against Rs 514 cr in Revised Estimates involving hike of 61%.

• New Lines Projects to be taken up next year :

1. Kotipalli-Narsapur
2. Jogighopa-Maynaguri
3. Ramganj Mandi-Bhopal
4. Tarakeshwar-Bishnupur via Arambag
5. Sultangang-Deogarh
6. Ajmer-Puskar
7. Gandhinagar-Adraj Moti-Kalol

• Ongoing new line sections to be completed before Marxh 2000 :

1. Bongaon-Petrapole
2. Goalpara-Kamakhaya
3. Peddpalli-Karimnagar

• New lines targeted to be completed in 2000-01:

1. Kapadvanj-Modasa
2. Kashinagar-Kakdweep
3. Eklakhi-Gajol
4. Puttaparthi-Penukonda
5. Bargachia-Munshirhat
6. Tamluk-Digha
7. Joruri-Banspani

• Following gauge conversion projects being included in budget:

1. Katpadi-Villupuram
2. Tiruchchirapalli-Manamadurai
3. Purna-Akola

• Gauge conversion of sections to be completed before March, 2000:

1. Pandharpur-Kuruduwadi
2. Kashipur-Lalkuan
3. Arakkonam-Chengalpattu
4. Yellahanka-Yeshwantpur
5. Morbi-Maliya-Miyana

• Railways plan to complete gauge conversion of following sections in 2000-01:

1. Nonera-Bhind of Guna-Etawah project
2. Raxaul-Birganj
3. Makum-Dangri
4. Amguri-Tuli
5. Laxmanthirtha bridge diversion on Mysore-Hassan line
6. Mudkhed-Adilabad (BOLT)
7. Wankaner-Morbi
8. Gandhidham-Bhuj
9. Darangdhara-Kuda

• In 1999-2000, 220 km of doubling to be completed. In next financial year target of 300 km kept. New doubling works included in budget :

1. Khurda Road-Puri, Phase I (Khurda Raod – Delang)
2. Jarwal Road-Burhwal (Patch Doubling)
3. Sonarpur to Canning, Phase I (Sonarpur - Ghutiari Sharif)
4. Panvel-Vasai-JNPT
5. Bariupur to Lakshmikantpur, Phase I (Baruipur – Dakshin Barasat)
6. Gooty-Renigunta section (Balapalle-Pullampet section)
7. Tarakeshwar to Sheoraphulli, Phase I (Sheoraphuli – Nalikul)
8. Zafrabad-Utretia Section, Phase - II (Zafrabad-SriKrishnnagar)
9. Panskura to Haldia, Phase-I ( Panskura – Rajgoda )
10. Surat-Kosamba as Phase I of 3rd line between Vadodara and Virar
11. Bolpur-Ahmedpur
12. Amroha-Kankather
13. Kalinarayanpur-Krishnanagar
14. Manikpur-Cheonki Phase I (Manikpur- Katayadandi)
15. Barasat – Hasanabad doubling with electrification, Phase I (Barasat-Sondalia)

• Works extended as part of some of on-going projects:

1. Conversion of Katihar-Radhikapur-Barsoi MG line to BG as an extension of Katihar-Jogbani project
2. Extension of Circular Railway network in Calcutta to Dum Dum Airport
3. Extension of Bankura-Damodar Railway to Mukutmonipur
4. Connection of converted BDR line from Shyam Sundernagar to Chechai

• Connectivity between Howrah and Sealdah stations to be established during 2000-01.

• Former Prime Minister, Late Rajiv Gandhi’s commitment in SAARC summit to reopen Changrabandha-Malbazar MG line in NF Railway to be fulfilled in coming year.

1. Titagarh to Sonarpur with junction arrangement to the circular railway at Ultadanga.
2. Behrampur to Kandi
3. Zaheerabad to Secunderabad
4. Bhavnagar to Tarapur
5. Jind to Sonepat
6. Kohima to Dimapur
7. Ponduru to Razam
8. Dankuni to Champadanga via Seakhala and Furfurah Sharif and connecting Seakhala to Bargachia.
9. Jaggayyapet to Miryalguda.
10. Pettancheru to Jogipet
11. Jhunjhunu to Pilani
12. Majerhat to Thakurpukur (Circular Rly; ).
13. Updating survey for Port Blair to Diglipur.
14. Raipur to Jharsuguda via Kharotapalan, Baloda Bazar and Bhatgaon, Sarangarh.
15. Pandurangpuram to Bhadrachalam.
16. Krishnanagar to Karimpur
17. Panki to Mandhana
18. Merta Road to Beawar
19. Katpadi to Chennai via Gindi, Punnamallee and Kanchipuram to Tindivanam
20. Jhalor to Phalna
21. Koderma to Talaiya
22. Banka-Nawadah-Jamui
23. Shirpur to Mhow
24. Sarna to Madhopur
25. Badowal to Sahnewal

• Survey for gauge conversion of Shantipur to Nabadweepghat being updated.

1. Udhana to Jalgaon
2. Jaipur to Merta Road
3. Rajpura to Bhatinda
4. 3^rd line from Thiruvalur to Arakkonam
5. Ramnagaram to Mysore

• Of Ninth Five Year Plan target of electrification of 2,300 route km, 1,062 km electrified in first two years; electrification of 435 route km to be completed in 1999-2000 and target of 500 route km kept for next year.

• Projects targeted to be completed before March 2000.

1. Erode-Ernakulam
2. Adra-Midnapur
3. Kanpur-Lucknow

• Electrification of Krishnanagar-Lalgola section of Eastern Railway to be taken up in next financial year.

• Tariff charged by Electricity Boards three to four times the cost; response from State Governments for reducing tariff not encouraging. Railways consider going in for exclusive power purchase agreements thorough joint ventures with public / private power companies.

• Permanent Negotiating Machinery (PNM), Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM), and Participation of Railway Employees in Management (PREM) working satisfactorily.
• 20% & 18% enhancement in outlays on Staff Quarters and Staff Amenities Planheads respectively.

• Railways considering proposal from HUDCO to fund house-building by railway employees so as to supplement house building advance from Government

• A website called "Pensioners’ Helpline’ on Internet launched by Western Railway allowing pensioners to communicate grievances to senior officers from anywhere without visiting office – step forward towards e-governance

• Railways contemplating setting up of engineering and medical colleges for the wards of railway employees

• All vacancies for SCs/STs/OBCs and physically handicapped to be filled in a time-bound manner

• Process and constitution of Boards under review so as to make them broad-based.

• Appointments on compassionate ground to be completed in time bound manner.

• 14 National titles won by Railways so far; Railway sportspersons participate in SAARC Asian Federation Games in Kathmandu; 15 of 16 women Hockey players representing country in 4^th Asian Women’s Hockey Cup, from Railways.

• Women sportspersons to be recruited against sports quota in football, wrestling and aquatics, hitherto not available to them; two new sports of archery and karate included in sports quota, both for men and women.

• Indian Railways to play pivotal role in development of Trans-Asian Railway to span across China, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey onwards to Europe; rail links with Bangladesh and Nepal to be restored for goods traffic in 2000-01.

• ‘Railway Expert Group’ with members from diverse fields set up to consider issues of reform and restructuring. Report to be submitted by April 2000.

• To ensure transparency in procurement procedures, procurement calendar for full year to be available on Internet from 2000-01 onwards. Modalities of handling public grievances to also undergo thorough review.

• Strong message to weed out corruption.