Rail Budget

Railway Budget is realistic, says Pawan Kumar Bansal

Pawan Kumar Bansal promised to bring private investment to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore in the railways this year and said he aims at increasing the number of tatkal tickets as part of the Railway Budget 2013-14. Speaking to CNN-IBN, the Railway Minister defended his maiden budget terming it "realistic" and said he did whatever he can to satisfy the allies. ...  

'Freight hike to improve system, add Rs 4,683 cr to revenue'

An over five per cent increase in freight tariff due to imposition of fuel adjustment component (FAC) from April and a hike in supplementary charges on super fast trains will fetch the Railways an additional revenue of Rs 4,683 crores in the next fiscal. The FAC, which is being introduced on freight tariff from April one, would alone fetch an additional revenue of Rs 4,200 crore, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar...  

Rail budget 'pedestrian', 'discriminatory': Opposition

The Opposition on Tuesday slammed the Rail Budget for increasing the burden on the common man, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) terming it as "pedestrian" and "discriminatory" while Left said it does not give any hope on railways' future. Key outside UPA allies Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party too were unhappy saying it was anti-poor and ignored areas of Uttar Pradesh which need rail infrastructure for economic development....  

Railways to mobilise Rs 1.46 lakh crore in FY13-14

The Railways is targeting a record Rs 1.46 lakh crore in revenues during the next fiscal even as it is likely to miss the total resource mobilisation of Rs 1.35 lakh crore set for 2012-13. It is expected to fall short of targeted revenues by as much as Rs 7,491.66 crore mainly due to lower passenger and freight earnings. ...  

Rail freight hike on coal may raise power tariffs

The proposed increase in coal freight rate by 5.7 per cent in the Railway Budget 2013-14 will have no effect on the coal sector but may lead to a marginal increase in the electricity tariffs. Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal sought to increase the freight rate on coal from Rs 685.10 per tonne, to Rs 724.80 - a hike of 5.79 per cent. ...  

Some good beginnings have been made in the Railway Budget 2013: Siddharth Zarabi

CNBC TV18's Economic Policy Editor and Delhi Bureau Chief Siddharth Zarabi joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the Railway Budget 2013. ...  

Rs 63,363-cr annual plan for Railways in 2013-14

The Annual Plan for Railways in 2013-14 financial year is proposed at Rs 63,363 crore, Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said. "A plan investment of Rs 63,363 crore is proposed for 2013-14," Bansal said while presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament on Tuesday. ...  

Railways plan to ban plastic for catering purposes

Plastic cups in trains could soon be a thing of the past with the Railways planning to move over to agro-based and recycled material for catering purposes. ...  

Rail freight hike on diesel may lead to rise in retail prices

Railways on Tuesday hiked freight rates for moving diesel and cooking fuels by almost 8 per cent, a move that may result in marginal hike in retail fuel prices. ...  

Rail Budget 2013-2014 reformist, forward-looking: PM

Hailing the Railway Budget as "reformist and forward-looking", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has done a commendable job in meeting competing demands of improving services and controlling expenditure. Singh complimented Bansal for his "innovations" in critical areas of Railway infrastructure and paving the way for capacity expansion. ...  

Rail Budget: 67 express trains, 26 passenger trains introduced

As many as 67 express trains and 26 passenger trains are being introduced this year, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced on Tuesday. Presenting the 2013-14 Railway Budget, Bansal also said that five Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMUs) are being introduced this year besides eight DEMUs. ...  

Rail Budget practical, implementable: Chidambaram

Terming the Railway Budget for 2012-13 as "practical and implementable", Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that his cabinet colleague Pawan Kumar Bansal has presented the finances of the railways in a very candid manner. ...  

Budget focuses on intagibles like safety, cleanliness, food: Congress

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought to quell perception that the budget presented by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was almost a non-budget. ...

Rail Budget: No hike in passenger fares, but travel will be costlier

Even though Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal did not hike passenger fares but he announced a marginal increase in freight charges, supplementary charge, superfast charge, reservation charge, cancellation charge and Tatkal charge. The hike supplementary charge, superfast charge, reservation charge, cancellation charge and Tatkal charge means that even though basic fare has not increased but passengers would be paying more for the travel. ...  

Full text: Pawan Bansal's Railway Budget 2013-14 speech

Madam Speaker, I rise to present before this august House the Revised Estimates for 2012-13 and a statement of estimated receipts and expenditure for 2013-14. I do so with mixed feelings crossing my mind. While I have a feeling of a colossus today, it is only ephemeral and is instantaneously overtaken by a sense of humility. ...  

It's a Raebareli budget, NDA states ignored: BJP

While the government was all praises for the Rail Budget presented by Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday, the Opposition slammed it as an anti-BJP states Budget, with Gopinath Munde even going to the extent of calling it a "Raebareli budget". "There is nothing for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Bihar in the Budget," said the BJP. The four states have BJP-led governments. ...  

Highlights of Railway Budget 2013-2014

Rail Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday presented his maiden Rail Budget. There has been no hike in passenger fares, but marginal hike in freight charges, reservation fee, cancellation fee, tatkal charges and supplementary charges. ...  

Watch: Pawan Kumar Bansal turns poet in Parliament while presenting Rail Budget

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presented what is the first Railway Budget by a Congress minister in 17 years on Tuesday. Claiming that the losses of the Railways were mounting, Bansal said that the gigantic network must be financially sustainable for the benefit of the passengers. ...

Railway Budget: Free WiFi in several trains proposed

Presenting the Railway Budget for the year 2013-14, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal proposed free WiFi connectivity on several trains. ...  

No hike in passenger fares, marginal hike in other charges

Pawan Kumar Bansal diagnosed the problems correctly but failed to come up with solutions and stuck to a script which has been the hallmark of the last several railway budgets. While refusing to increase passenger fares which had been hiked in January 2013 for the first time after 10 years, Bansal announced a marginal increase in freight charges, supplementary charge, superfast charge, reservation charge, cancellation charge and Tatkal charge. ...