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The Union Railway Budget for 2013-14 was presented by Sh. Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of Railways on February 26, 2013.
Budget Highlights:
- Highest ever plan outlay of 63,363 cr (US$ 11.71 billion)
- 500 km new lines, 750 km doubling, 450 km gauge conversion targeted in 2013-14.
- Setting up of 75 MW capacity windmill plants and energizing 1000 level crossings with solar power
- Installation of 179 escalators and 400 lifts at A-1 and other major stations
- Upgrading another 60 stations as Adarsh Stations in addition to 980 already selected
- Extending availability of the facility of internet ticketing from 0030 hours to 2330 hours
- Next-Gen e-ticketing system to be rolled out capable of handling 7200 tickets per minute against 2000 now & 1.20 lakh users simultaneously against 40,000 now
- Introduction of executive lounge at 7 more stations, namely, Bilaspur, Visakhapatnam, Patna, Nagpur, Agra, Jaipur and Bengaluru
- Identification of 104 important stations for immediate attention to all aspects related to cleanliness
- Integration of RPF helpline with the All India Passenger Helpline
- Target of Rs 1000 crore (US$ 184.82 million) each fixed for Rail Land Development Authority and IR Station Development Corporation to be raised through PPP in 2013-14
- Associate voluntary organizations for providing first aid services at railway stations
- 67 new Express trains to be introduced
- 26 new passenger services, 8 DEMU services and 5 MEMU services to be introduced
- Run of 57 trains to be extended
- Frequency of 24 trains to be increased
Click here for the full speech of the Railway Budget 2013-14.
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