Lalu cuts mail, express, AC fares by 2%

NEW DELHI: Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who managed to keep passengers fares in check for the last five years, on Friday presented interim
Railway Budget. ( Watch )

Departing from normal practice, Lalu Prasad announced an across-the-board 2% cut in fares of ordinary and AC class.

The interim budget makes no changes in relation to freight rates.

Normally, the interim budgets do not carry any financial proposals in view of the fact that it is a vote-on-account ahead of the general elections.

Recalling that he had decided to reduce the second class fares of all mail, express and ordinary trains by 5% for tickets above Rs 50 last year, Prasad said respecting the aspirations of the long distance passengers he has decided to reduce the second class and sleeper class fares of all mail and express and ordinary passenger trains by two per cent for the ticket costing more than Rs 50.

He said during the last four years, he had reduced the fares of AC First class by 28% and AC II tier by 20%.
Even as air travel is reportedly reflecting reduction in number of passengers due to economic slowdown, there has been a significant increase in the number of passengers of these classes on the Railways.

"Therefore, I have decided to reduce the fares of AC First Class, AC II tier and AC III tier and AC Chair Car by 2%," he said amidst thumping of desks by members of ruling benches in Lok Sabha.

The Minister said since the fare for rail travel for 10 km and below has already been reduced from Rs 4 to Rs 1, this reduction will not be applicable for second class rail journey upto 10 km.

Highlights

-All AC and Mail Express fares cut by 2%

- Freight rates kept unchanged

-Freight has grown at the rate of 8% in the past five years. Freight loading in the current year has come down due to economic downturn, because of which revenue has fallen. Otherwise it would have touched Rs one lakh crore.

- 43 new trains to start in 2009-10, extension of 14 trains envisaged and frequency of 14 trains to be increased.

- Kolkata Metro will be expanded

-Railways cash reserves touched Rs 90, 000 crore

-Railways have raised $100 million at 4% interest

- Railways expected to show a surplus of Rs 18,847 crore in the next fiscal.

-Feasibility study underway for bullet trains between Delhi-Amritsar, Ahmedabad-Pune, Hyderabad-Vijaywada- Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore, Delhi-Patna, Kolkata-Haldia and Ernakulam-Howrah.

-Dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Kolkata to be inaugurated later this month

- Railway line between Anantnag and Rajwansher in Kashmir valley will be extended to Qazigund in four months

-4 call centres set up for railway enquiry

-Invested Rs 70, 000 crore out of surplus in last four years

-To invest Rs 2, 30,000 crore in the 11th Plan

-Decrease in the number of accidents in Railways since 2003

-Passenger volume likely to grow by around 7% over previous year

- Estimated freight earnings for next fiscal pegged at Rs 59,059 crore

Lalu cuts mail, express, AC fares by 2%-India-The Times of India

what are your views on this interim rail budget? almost everyone is happy with this budget but a few questions have been raised like ...

1) why no reduction in freight charges inspite of reduced diesel prices?
2) regional imbalances in the relaxations provided.
3) no significant improvement in the cleanliness in railways

YAY!
He has promised to run bullet trains in INDIA.

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

YAY!
He has promised to run bullet trains in INDIA.

in the entire budget you only found bullet trains commentable :lol: ...

just before the budget (1.2.2009) the Railways has effected changes in applicable freight class of various commodities that resulted in 8-10% freight increase.
Now the passenger fare has been reduced 2%.

The inplications and intentions are fairly easy to understand.

Originally Posted by panchabhut

just before the budget (1.2.2009) the Railways has effected changes in applicable freight class of various commodities that resulted in 8-10% freight increase.
Now the passenger fare has been reduced 2%.

The inplications and intentions are fairly easy to understand.

and the reduction is only for fares above rs.50 ... who cares for a 2% fare cut for long journeys ....

Maybe Lalu should be sent to take care of Indian Airlines....you never know he might give Mr Mallya a run for his money AND run Indian Airlines on profit

Originally Posted by pumbaa_g

Maybe Lalu should be sent to take care of Indian Airlines....you never know he might give Mr Mallya a run for his money AND run Indian Airlines on profit

i am sure he will manage that too ... maybe at the cost of clumsiness and untidyness in the planes ... but he sure will make it more profitable than it is now

This is what Lalu has to say in his speach,

Shukriya se main shuroo karta hoon apni bat aaj,
Sath lekar main chala hoon desh, duniya aur samaj,
Main chukata he rahoonga desh ki mitti ka karj,
Rashtra sewa reet meri aur yahi mera rivaj.
Karigari ka aisa tareeka bata diya,
Ghate ka joh hi daur tha beeta bana diya,
Bharat ki rail vishwa me is tarah ki buland,
Hathi ko chust kar diya cheeta bana diya.
Har shikhar ko paar karte nit nayee manjil ki or,
Pragati ka kafla badhne laga hai charon or,
Rah ka har shakhs ko lekar chale hain sath hum,
Ek naye andaj se phir ek nayee manjil ki or.
Is tarah seva ka ye farj nibhaya humne,
Desh majboot kiya aur munafa bhi kamaya humne,
Aam janata ki suvidha ka rakha pura khyal,
Har ek budget mein yatri kiraya ghataya humne.
Koshish ka meri aapne mujhko diya sila,
Ye martaba buland mujhe aapse mila,
Wada hai mera tum se ai mere humsafer,
Jari rahega kal bhi tarakki ka silsila.

(excerpts from his budget speach)

Originally Posted by panchabhut

This is what Lalu has to say in his speach,

Shukriya se main shuroo karta hoon apni bat aaj,
Sath lekar main chala hoon desh, duniya aur samaj,
Main chukata he rahoonga desh ki mitti ka karj,
Rashtra sewa reet meri aur yahi mera rivaj.
Karigari ka aisa tareeka bata diya,
Ghate ka joh hi daur tha beeta bana diya,
Bharat ki rail vishwa me is tarah ki buland,
Hathi ko chust kar diya cheeta bana diya.
Har shikhar ko paar karte nit nayee manjil ki or,
Pragati ka kafla badhne laga hai charon or,
Rah ka har shakhs ko lekar chale hain sath hum,
Ek naye andaj se phir ek nayee manjil ki or.
Is tarah seva ka ye farj nibhaya humne,
Desh majboot kiya aur munafa bhi kamaya humne,
Aam janata ki suvidha ka rakha pura khyal,
Har ek budget mein yatri kiraya ghataya humne.
Koshish ka meri aapne mujhko diya sila,
Ye martaba buland mujhe aapse mila,
Wada hai mera tum se ai mere humsafer,
Jari rahega kal bhi tarakki ka silsila.

(excerpts from his budget speach)

:clap: i missed this part on tv today ... IMO lalu is a "Like me or hate me - but you cant ignore me" kind of character ...

BHUBANESWAR: Within hours of railway minister Lalu Prasad gloating over his safety record during his budget speech in Parliament, one of the
country's flagship expresses derailed from its tracks on Friday, leaving at least 15 passengers dead and about 60 injured, many of them critically.

link

Originally Posted by newprouser

link

shocking ... i just tuned into zee news ... they are covering this ...

very sad news ... a train accident after a long time in india ....

oops... seems like a very serious accident according to the news ... ... may god be with all the injured people ... the train was going from howrah to chennai ... COROMANDEL EXPRESS

^^^ not exactly after a long time.. but this's one's a disaster... 18 coaches man.. terrible

yaar ... most victims must have been from my city ...

Its really sad.

And, there is absolutely nothing for Kerala, mentioned in this budget.
Everyone (atleast some who new the thing) here are now angry and....

Originally Posted by saurav_kataruka

in the entire budget you only found bullet trains commentable :lol: ...

So apart from that is there any major annoucement ? NO
Just a couple of new trains annouced which is done by every railway minister


Railways is not concentrating on making Travel Faster,Safer and conveint.
The steps that should have been taken:

* Installations of GPS in all Trains, so that we get correct train information
* Improve over all Tracks intrasture and signalling. the tech they use is more 200yrs old. try going into room of station master, you would find controlling train traffic with baba-adam ke zamanne ki machines. Most things are left on to the GOD
* Electronic Display board in every compartment, which displays what station is coming next and what the ETA
*Doubling of Tracks where there is heavy traffic
*Dedicated Fright corridors between major ports, so that goods traffic does interface with passenger load. this will ensure speedy delivery of freight.
* Improve Sanitation, though some has been done to improve cleanses at stations. but its not enough


There are a few very basic demands this country is making from Govt from past decade. but no one listens

Rather than starting the bullet train service,it would be better if they improve on the current condition of the Indian railways.

Originally Posted by Rameshjeee

Rather than starting the bullet train service,it would be better if they improve on the current condition of the Indian railways.

As I have said there was nothing good for us (Kerala) in this Railway Budget.

P.S : This is what Lalu calls People's Budget.

thats why i mentioned the point "regional imbalances" in the first post itself ...

It has been more than five years since railways had started levying safety surcharge. but there seems no end to the number of accidents.
the budget should have focussed on utilisation of the safety fund for proper upgradation.