railways vision paper

7/25/2019 Railways Vision Paper

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RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

*****

No hike in Railway Passenger Fares

Plan Outlay proposed Rs. 1,00,011 crore, increased by 52%

Allocation for passenger amenities up by 67%

Railways to become prime mover of Indian Economy, Five years action plan

proposed

Rail Budget seeks resource mobilization for higher investment

Thrust on measurable and sustainable improvement in passenger experienceand to make Rail a safer means of travel

Hot buttons, coin vending machines for railway tickets within 5 minutes, e-

catering to select meals from an array of choices

200 more stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme; Wi - Fi to be

provided at B category stations

24X7 helplines for attending passenger problems and security related

complaints

For the safety of women passengers surveillance cameras in suburban coaches

More General class coaches will be added in identified trains.

The speed of nine railway corridors will be increased to 160 and 200 kmph


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Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance System to

be installed on select routes

77 new projects covering 9,400 km of doubling/tripling/quadrupling works

proposed

A new department for keeping stations and trains clean under Swachh Rail

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

New Delhi, February 26, 2015

Phalguna 7 ,1936

Railway Budget presented today in Parliament proposed measures to make IndianRailways prime mover of Indian Economy once again. It seeks resource mobilization for higher

investment, decongestion of heavy haul routes and speeding of trains and project delivery, better

passenger amenities and safety, and to make railways a preferred mode of transport for masses.Presenting the Budget in Parliament, Railway Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that

all critical initiatives proposed will be pursued in mission mode.

The Budget proposals have set four goals to transform Indian Railways over next fiveyears which are- a sustainable and measurable improvement in customer experience, make rail a

safer means of travel, expansion of capacity substantially , modernization of infrastructure and

finally to make railways financially self-sustainable. To achieve these goals the budget proposes

five drivers which include adopting a medium-term perspective plan consisting ofWhite Paper, aVision-2030 document and a five year action plan. Building Partnerships with key stakeholders

for long term financing and overseas technology, improving last mile connectivity, expanding

fleet of rolling stock and modernization of station infrastructure are included in these drivers.

Railways will also leverage additional resources; envisages investment of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore innext five years.

Revamping management practices, systems, processes, and re-tooling of human resources

will be taken up by the Railways to achieve targeted operating ratio for 2015-16 at 88.5%. Fast

decision making, tight accountability, improved management information systems and bettertraining and development of human resource will also be part of the action plan to achieve the

goals.

In order to make travel on Indian Railways a happy experience, the Budget has giventhrust on Cleanliness and proposes a new department for keeping stations and trains clean under

Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. New toilets will be built at 650 additional stations; onlinebooking of disposable bed rolls will be made available. 24X7 helpline number 138;toll-freenumber 182 for security related complaints have also been proposed in the budget.

In order to make ticketing more passenger friendly the Budget proposes operation fiveminutes for issuing unreserved tickets, hot buttons, coin vending machines, concessional e-

tickets for differently abled travelers, for booking tickets a multi-lingual e-portal will be

developed. Crediting of refunds through banks and unreserved tickets on Smart phones will be

available. Proliferation of automatic ticket vending machines with smart cards and currencyoptions, integrated ticketing system on the lines of rail-cum-road tickets, Defence Travel System

developed for elimination of Warrants have also been proposed in the Budget.


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The Budget has proposed e-catering to select meals from an array of choices. Ordering

food through IRCTC website at the time of booking of tickets; integrating best food chains into

this project; setting up of Base Kitchens in specified divisions to be run by reputed agencies forserving quality food and expansion of water vending machines will be taken up.

Hand-held terminals to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) for verification ofpassengers will now be provided for verification of passengers, possibility of extending facility

of SMS on mobiles as a valid proof of travel for PRS tickets will be explored. A centrally

managed Railway Display Network in over 2000 stations in next two years will be includedbesides SMS Alert service to inform passengers in advance of the updated arrival/departure

time of trains at starting or destination stations.

For the safety of women passengers surveillance cameras will be provided on a pilotbasis in selected mainline coaches and ladies compartments of suburban coaches.

The Railways will also take up a project for introducing on-board entertainment on selectShatabdi trains; Mobile phone charging facilities will be provided in general class coaches & will

be increased in sleeper class coaches.

Now, 200 more stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme; Wi - Fi to be provided atB category stations; facility of self-operated lockers will be available at stations. Passenger

capacity in identified trains will be augmented; more General class coaches will be added inidentified trains. The Railways has also approached NID to design user friendly ladders for

climbing upper berths. It has also proposed more quota of lower berths for senior citizens. TTEs

will now be instructed to help senior citizens, pregnant women and differently-abled persons inobtaining lower berths; middle bay of coaches to be reserved for women and senior citizen.

Provision of Rs. 120 crore has been made for Lifts and escalator; newly manufactured coacheswill now be Braille enabled; building wider entrances for the ease of differently-abled

passengers; allocation for passenger amenities up by 67%.

The Railways has proposed to revamp its station development policy completely andsimplifies process for faster development by inviting open bids. It has proposed to develop 10

Satellite Railway terminals in major cities with twin purpose of decongesting the city and

providing services to suburban passengers.

Seventy seven projects covering 9,400 km of doubling/tripling/quadrupling works alongwith electrification, covering almost all States, at a cost of Rs. 96,182 crore will be taken up.

Traffic facility works a top priority with outlay of Rs. 2374 crore have been proposed. In order to

accelerate the pace of Railway electrification, 6,608 route kilometres will be sanctioned for

2015-16, an increase of 1330% over the previous year.

As per the Budget proposal, the speed of 9 railway corridors will be increased fromexisting 110 and 130 kmph to 160 and 200 kmph respectively so that inter-metro journeys like

Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Mumbai can be completed overnight. Average speed of freight trains in

empty and loaded conditions, will be enhanced to 100 kmph for empty freight trains and 75kmph for loaded trains.

Declaring safety of paramount importance for Railways, an action plan has beenproposed for accident prone areas. The Budget also proposes 970 ROB/RUBs and other safety-


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related works to eliminate 3438 level crossings at a total expense of Rs. 6,581 crore, 2600%

higher than the previous year. Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance

System will be installed on select routes at the earliest.

The Budget proposes constituting an innovation council called Kayakalp for business

re-engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in Railways besides setting up ofTechnology portal to invite innovative technological solutions. Four Railway Research Centers

in select universities for fundamental research have also been proposed besides Malaviya Chair

for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU), Varanasi.

PPP cell of Railways will be revamped to make it result oriented, Foreign Rail

Technology Cooperation scheme will be launched. Joint ventures will be set up with States for

focused project development, resource mobilization, land acquisition, project implementationand monitoring of critical rail projects. In order to meet the requirements of new lines JVs will

also be set up with major public sector customers.

Rail Budget has also proposed Coastal Connectivity Program in partnership with ports for

Nargol, Chharra, Dighi, Rewas and Tuna. Besides this, projects worth Rs 2500 crore will be

taken up through BOT/ Annuity route. These include Wardha- Nagpur 3rd

line, Kazipet-Vijaywada 3rd line, Bhadrak Nargundi 3rd line and Bhuj- Nalia Gauge Conversion.

In order to make Indian Railways more environment friendly, 100 DEMUs will be

enabled for dual fuel CNG and diesel. Locomotives running on LNG are also currently under

development. Noise levels of locos to be at par with international norms; concerns related towildlife to be addressed.

As a part of its social initiatives, now Rail stations and training centers will be made

available for skill development. Incredible Rail for Incredible India will be launched and training

of auto-rickshaw and taxi-operators as tourist-guides on the model of Konkan Railway will be

taken up for tourism promotion. IRCTC will work on promoting the Gandhi circuit to attracttourists to mark the occasion of 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South

Africa. Kisan Yatra, a special travel scheme for farmers for farming & marketing technique

centres has also been proposed.

According to Budget Estimates, Plan Outlay for 2015-16 has been proposed to Rs1,00,011 crore, an increase of 52% over RE 2014-15 plan size. Out of this 41.6% resources will

come from Central Government support while 17.8 % will be generated from internal resources.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAY MINISTER OUTLINES FOUR GOALS FOR TRANSFORMING

INDIAN RAILWAYS OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has outlined four goals

for Indian Railways to transform it over the next five years. These goals are:

a) To deliver a sustained and measurable improvement in customer experience, the

Indian Railways is launching initiatives that will systematically address customerconcerns about cleanliness, comfort, accessibility, service quality and speed of

trains.

b) To make Rail a safer means of travel.

c) To expand Bhartiya Rails capacity substantially and to modernise

infrastructure. Given the importance of rail travel for the citizens, Indian Railways

will increase daily passenger carrying capacity from 21million to 30 million. It

will also increase track length by 20% from 1,14,000 km to 1,38,000 km, and will

grow its annual freight carrying capacity from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tonnes. And

d) To make Bhartiya Rail financially self-sustainable, the Indian Railways will

generate large surpluses from its operations not only to service the debt needed to

fund capacity expansion, but also to invest on an on-going basis to replace its

depreciating assets. This will require material improvement in operating

efficiency, tighter control over costs, greater discipline over project selection and

execution, and a significant boost to Railways revenue generating capacity.


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Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today the Minister said,

these goals will also ensure that Railways is an integral part of all the flagship

programmes that our Prime Minister has launched for improving the quality of life of the

downtrodden, from Swachh Bharat to Make in India, and from Digital India to Skill

India.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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NINE MAJOR THRUST AREAS IN THE RAILWAY BUDGET 2015-16


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu while presenting the

Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today has said that there are nine thrust areas in

this Budget which are as follows:

1. Indian Railways to become prime mover of economy once again2. Resource Mobilization for higher Investments3. Decongestion of heavy haul routes and speeding up of trains: emphasis on gauge

conversion, doubling, tripling and electrification

4. Project delivery5. Passenger Amenities.6. Safety7. Transparency & System Improvement.8. Railways to continue to be the preferred mode of transport for the masses.9. Sustainability.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAY MINISTER SPELLS OUT FIVE POINT EXECUTION STRATEGY

FOR TRANSFORMING INDIAN RAILWAYS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu while presenting the

Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today has said that the goals of transforming

Indian Railways will be achieved with a five point execution strategy. These are:

a) Adopting a medium-term perspective:

Budget proposals to mark beginning of a Five Year Action Plan to transform theRailways.

PROPOSED INVESTMENT PLAN (2015-2019)

Item Amount (Rs in crore)

Network Decongestion (including DFC, Electrification,

Doubling including electrification and traffic facilities)

199320

Network Expansion (including electrification) 193000

National Projects (North Eastern & Kashmir connectivity

projects)

39000

Safety (Track renewal, bridge works, ROB, RUB and

Signalling & Telecom)

127000

Information Technology / Research 5000

Rolling Stock (Locomotives, coaches, wagons production &

maintenance)

102000

Passenger Amenities 12500

High Speed Rail & Elevated corridor 65000

Station redevelopment and logistic parks 100000

Others 13200

TOTAL 8,56,020

b) Building Partnerships:

This will require partnering with key stakeholders: States, PSUs, partner with

multilateral and bi-lateral organizations & other governments to gain access to long term

financing and technology from overseas, the private sector to improve last mile

connectivity, expand fleet of rolling stock and modernize our station infrastructure.


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c) Leveraging additional resources:

Indian Railways envisages investment of Rs. 8.5 lakh crore in next five years to be

mobilized from multiple sources to cater to funding i.e multilateral development banks,

pension funds.

d) Revamping management practices, systems, processes, and re-tooling of human

resources:

Targeted operating ratio for 2015-16 at 88.5% against 91.8%in 2014-15: best in

the last 9 years. Indian Railways to speed up decision making, tighten accountability, improve

management information systems: training and development of human

resource.

e) To set standards for Governance and Transparency

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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NO INCREASE IN PASSENGER FARES

OPERATION FIVE MINUTES TO ENSURE SPEEDY PURCHASE OF

TICKETS FOR UNRESERVED CLASS PASSENGERS

CONCESSIONAL E-TICKETS AFTER ONE-TIME REGISTRATION FOR THE

DIFFERENTLY-ABLED TRAVELLERS

ELIMINATION OF WARRANTS TO MAKE DEFENCE TRAVEL SYSTEM

EASIER


Phalguna 7, 1936The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that he has not

increased the passenger fares in the Railway Budget 2015-16. Presenting the Railway

Budget in Parliament today he said, Government is directing its efforts to make travel on

Indian Railways a happy experience. The Minister said, one of the biggest problems

faced by the common man intending to travel in unreserved class is purchasing a ticket.

He said, the Railways is introducing Operation Five Minutes to ensure that a passenger

travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within five minutes. Provision of modified

hot-buttons, coin vending machines and single destination teller windows will

drastically reduce the transaction time.

For the differently-abled travellers, a special initiative is being launched whereby

they can purchase concessional e-tickets after one-time registration. The Minister said, it

is also proposed to work towards developing a multi-lingual e-ticketing portal. He said,

the Railways will move towards crediting all refunds through the banking system.

Shri Prabhu said, in Central Railway, Western Railway and Southern Railway

suburban sections, a pilot project of issuing unreserved tickets on smart phones has

already started. The Minister expressed hope that this facility will be extended

progressively to all stations. Automatic ticket vending machines with smart cards and

currency options have also been installed at many stations. It is proposed to proliferate

this further and also to introduce debit card operated machines. Introduction of integratedticketing system on the lines of rail-cum-road tickets on Jammu Srinagar route will be

expanded.

The Minister said, for the benefit of all our brave soldiers, a Defence Travel

System has been developed for elimination of Warrants to make travel easier. This

facility has been commissioned in 600 locations out of about 2,000 locations. This

facility will be further expanded.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAYS TO WORK ON SWACHH RAIL - SWACHH BHARAT


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that ensuring

higher standards of cleanliness is of utmost priority for Indian Railways. He said, his

Ministry wants to make Swachh Rail the driving force behind the Governments flagship

programme Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16in

Parliament today Shri Prabhu said, the Railways now works on Swachh Rail Swachh

Bharat. Outlining the proposals on cleanliness he said, the Railways proposes to create a

new department for keeping stations and trains clean. Integrated cleaning will be taken upas a specialized activity, which will include engaging professional agencies and also

training staff in the latest cleaning practices. He said, Railways plans to set up waste to

energy conversion plants near major coaching terminals to dispose waste in an

environment-friendly manner. One pilot plant will be set up, to begin with, followed by

more plants in a phased manner.

The Railway Minister said, the condition of toilet facilities in stations and trains

needs major improvement. The Railways will build new toilets covering 650 additional

stations compared to 120 stations last year. Bio-toilets are being fitted in coaches. He

said, so far the Railways has replaced the existing toilets with 17,388 bio toilets. This

year it intends to replace another 17,000 toilets. Research, Design and Standards

Organisation (RDSO) has also been tasked with making available within a period of six

months a design for vacuum toilets.

Shri Prabhu said, Even as the quality of Indian Railways On-board Housekeeping

Service (OBHS), presently available in 500 pairs of trains, is being re-looked to make it

more effective, the Railways will take simple steps immediately to address customer

concerns. The feasibility of a disposable bag along with bedroll for the purpose of

collecting their garbage is being considered. The coverage of built in dustbins will be

extended to non-AC coaches as well.

The Minister appealed all citizens to keep Indian Railways clean as it is their

travelling home.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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DESIGN, QUALITY AND CLEANLINESS OF BED LINEN TO BE IMPROVED


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that the Railways

will launch a programme to improve design, quality and cleanliness of bed linen within

the next six months. He said, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi has

been approached for designing bed linen. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in

Parliament today Shri Prabhu said, additionally, the facility of online booking of

disposable bedrolls at select stations is being extended to all passengers through the

IRCTC portal on payment basis. The Railways will also increase the number ofmechanized laundries, the Minister added.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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24X7 HELPLINE NUMBER 138 TO REDRESS PROBLEMS OF PASSENGERS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that an all - India

helpline number, 138, will become functional to attend to the problems of passengers on

a real time basis. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri

Prabhu said, passengers will be able to call up for complaints while on trains. A mobile

application to redress Railway-related complaints is also being developed. He said, the

Railways intends to start this facility on a pilot project basis on Northern Railway from

1

st

March 2015. Based on the experienced gained and the feedback received frompassengers, this will be extended to all Railways soon thereafter. Further, keeping in

mind the criticality of security related issues, the Railways has dedicated a toll-free

number 182 for receiving security related complaints.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAYS TO UTILISE RESOURCES FROM NIRBHAYA FUND FOR

AUGMENTING SECURITY OF WOMEN PASSENGERS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that Indian

Railways would utilise resources from the Nirbhaya Fund for augmenting security of

women passengers. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri

Prabhu said, for the safety of women passengers, surveillance cameras will be provided

on a pilot basis in selected mainline coaches and ladies compartments of suburban

coaches without compromising on privacy.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAYS TO INTEGRATE BEST FOOD CHAINS FOR E-CATERING


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that to provide

freedom to passengers to select their meals from an array of choices including local

cuisine, e-catering has been introduced in 108 trains on an experimental basis from

January this year. Food can be ordered through the IRCTC website at the time of booking

of tickets. He said, the Railways is working to integrate the best food chains of the

country into this project. Depending on the response from the customers, the facility will

be extended to cover more trains. It is also intended to set up Base Kitchens in specifiedDivisions to be run by highly credible agencies for serving quality food.

Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri Prabhu said, at

the moment water vending machines are sparse. The facility will expand to cover most

Railway stations. This will ensure availability of clean drinking water at very low cost to

the people apart from being an environment friendly measure.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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PROVISION OF HAND-HELD TERMINALS FOR TTEs


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that hand-held

terminals will be provided to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs), which can be used for

verification of passengers and downloading charts. This system will help the Railways to

move towards paperless ticketing and charting and expedite finalization of refund claims

apart from saving of paper.

Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri Prabhu said,Railways is also exploring the idea of extending the facility of SMS on mobiles as a valid

proof of travel for PRS tickets as well.

He said, an integrated customer portal is being put in place, which will be a single

interface for the customers to access different services. Seamless navigation would be

possible across different websites of Railways.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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SMS ALERT SERVICE FOR ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE TIME OF TRAINS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that it is

proposed to introduce an SMS Alert service to inform passengers in advance the

updated arrival/departure time of trains at starting or destination stations. Similarly SMS

alert would be sent 15/30 minutes in advance of arrival of the train at the destination.

Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri Prabhu said, a

centrally managed Railway Display Network is expected to be introduced in over 2,000stations over the next two years which will aid in providing information on train

arrival/departure, reservations, general and emergency messages and also any other

information of interest to citizens. This facility will promote Digital India Campaign

and also unlock huge advertising revenue potential.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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MOBILE PHONE CHARGING FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED IN GENERALCLASS COACHES

ON-BOARD ENTERTAINMENT ON SELECT SHATABDI TRAINS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that Indian

Railways Delhi Division is taking up a project for introducing on-board entertainment on

select Shatabdi trains on license fee basis. He said,depending on the response, the facilitywill be extended on all Shatabdi trains.

Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Shri Prabhu said,

Mobile phone charging facilities would be provided in general class coaches and the

number of charging facilities would be increased in sleeper class coaches.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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PASSENGER AND FREIGHT CARRYING CAPACITY TO BE EXPANDED


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that given the

importance of rail travel for Indian citizens, Railways will increase its daily passenger

carrying capacity from 21million to 30 million. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16

in Parliament today he said, Railways will also increase track length by 20% from

1,14,000 km to 1,38,000 km, and grow its annual freight carrying capacity from 1 billion

to 1.5 billion tonnes.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RAILWAYS TO ENSURE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF OPERATIONAL AND

BUSINESS EFFICIENCY

OPERATING RATIO FOR 2015-16 PROPOSED AT 88.5%, BEST IN LAST NINE

YEARS


Phalguna 7, 1936

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that he proposes

the operating ratio for 2015-16 at 88.5% as against a targeted operating ratio of 91.8%in

2014-15 and 93.6% in 2013-14. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliamenttoday he said, not only will this be the best operating ratio in the last 9 years but the best

after the Sixth Pay Commission. The Minister said, to get the most out of the additional

resources that will be invested, the Railways will need to ensure the highest standards of

operational and business efficiency. He said, there is an improvement on Railways

financial performances in the year 2014-15 relative to what it had anticipated earlier.

The Railways will not be able to deliver sustained improvement in operating

efficiency unless changes are made to speed up decision making, tighten accountability,

and improve management information systems. He said, for our transformation journey

to succeed it will be very important to harness the talent of railway employees through

training and development.

Shri Prabhu said, keeping in mind the highest standard of governance and

transparency, he as a Minister has delegated all his tender approving powers to the level

of General Managers of the Railways.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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FINANCE MINISTRY TO PROVIDE BUDGETARY SUPPORT OF RS 40,000 CRORE

FOR THE RAILWAYS ANNUAL PLAN


Phalguna 7,1936

The Railway Minister has said that the Ministry of Finance has communicated a Gross

Budgetary Support of Rs. 40,000 crore for the Railways annual Plan. Presenting the RailwayBudget 2015-16 in Parliament today Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said Rs.

1,645.60 crore has also been provided as Railways share of diesel cess from the Central RoadFund. He said Market borrowing under EBR is projected at Rs. 17,655 crore, an increase of

about 46.5% (Rs 5,609 crore) over RE 2014-15. Balance Plan outlay includes Rs. 17,793 crorefrom Internal Resources and Rs.5781 crore from PPP. The Minister informed the Parliament that

large amounts have been allocated towards Doubling, Traffic Facilities, Electrification and

Passenger Amenities.

The Minister said Railways has proposed a Plan outlay of Rs. 1,00,011 crore, an increaseof 52% over RE 2014-15. Shri Prabhu said it is anticipated that the Plan size will get higher once

resources from institutional bodies are formalized during the course of the ensuing financial year.

He said given the huge shelf of project and ensuring proper funds flow for the same with

a view to completing them on target, a new financing approach to expand EBR has been

projected. This EBR, presently named EBR (Institutional Finance) would be based oninstitutional investments in railway projects through Railway/ PSUs. This element is projected atRs. 17,136 crore and is aimed at accelerating completion of capacity augmentation projects. This

new vista being tapped has promising potential.

Shri Prabhu said while the budgetary support has been increased progressively over the

years, it has not been adequate to realistically fund the large shelf of projects that are in thepipeline. He said many of the projects relate to decongestion in heavy traffic sections and are,

therefore, remunerative. Such projects can be taken to accelerate completion by tapping marketfunding from institutional finance agencies, multilateral lending, etc. In this background, more

than a hundred projects valuing more than one lakh crore have been identified through extra

budgetary resource subject to due process being followed, the Minister added.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA*****

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF RAILWAYS DURING 2014-15


Phalguna 7,1936

Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhkar Prabhu has said that the passenger earnings whichwere budgeted to increase by 22.2% have been scaled down to 17.7% keeping in view thepersistent negative growth trend, particularly in non suburban non-PRS segment of travel.

Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today, he said there is a net reduction in

Gross Traffic Receipts by Rs 917 crore in RE compared to the BE of Rs 1,60,165 crore.

The Railway Minister said Ordinary Working Expenses (OWE) in BE were provided for

at an increase of 15.5% over 2013-14 which has been scaled down to 11.7% in the RE. Takinginto account the likely savings accruing from drop in prices of HSD (High Speed Diesel) for

traction partly offset by higher requirements under certain heads for maintenance, safety andcleanliness activities, the budgeted OWE of Rs 1,12,649 crore have been decreased in the RE

2014-15 to Rs. 1,08,970 crore i.e. by Rs 3,679 crore.

He said BE provided for an appropriation of Rs 28,865 crore to Pension Fund. However,based on trend, the pension outgo has been assessed to be higher than the provision made in BE.

Accordingly, appropriation to the Pension Fund has been increased to Rs. 29,540 crore in RE.

Internal resource generation also improved and accordingly the appropriation to DRF has beenscaled up to Rs 7,975 crore in RE from the BE 2014-15 provision of Rs 7,050 crore.

Shri Prabhu said after taking into account the above, "Excess" of receipts overexpenditure stands at Rs 7,278 crore in RE 2014-15. With the above estimates, the targeted

Operating Ratio is 91.8% against 92.5% in BE, which is an improvement of 0.7% percentagepoint over BE and 1.8% over 2013-14. Plan size for 2014-15 has increased from Rs 65,445 crore

in the B.E to Rs 65,798 crore in the Revised Estimates i.e. by Rs 353 crore with higher

provisions under internal resource component and market borrowings for rolling stockrequirement.

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RAILWAY BUDGET TO CAPTURE INCREASED REVENUES AND ENSURE APPROPRIATE

INVESTMENTS TO DE-CONGEST THE SYSTEM AND ENHANCE LINE CAPACITY


Phalguna 7,1936

Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that the intention of Railway

Budget 2015-16 is to capture increased revenues and ensure appropriate investments which can

de-congest the system and enhance line capacity. Presenting the Budget in Parliament today hesaid that the passenger earnings growth has been pegged at 16.7% and earnings target has

accordingly been budgeted at Rs. 50,175 crore. The freight traffic is pegged at an all time highincremental traffic of 85 million tonnes, anticipating a healthier growth in the core sector of

economy, specially where rail co-efficient is high and by tapping full railway potential to catermaximum to demand-side. Goods earnings is accordingly proposed at Rs. 1,21,423 crore which

includes rationalisation of rates, commodity classification and distance slabs. Other coaching andsundries are projected at Rs. 4,612 crore and Rs. 7,318 crore.

The Minister said Gross Traffic Receipts are estimated at Rs 1,83,578 crore which is agrowth of 15.3%Ordinary Working Expenses (OWE) have been proposed to grow at a modest

9.6% over RE 2014-15. Traction fuel bill constituting 30% of ordinary working expenses in2013-14, decreased to 27.4% in RE 2014-15 and is anticipated to shrink further to 25% of OWE

in BE 2015-16. It is intended to improve on fuel efficiency parameters. Higher provisions have

been made for safety maintenance and cleanliness. Lease charges, interest component of the

current and previous market borrowings, have had to be provided with a growth of 21%. Withthe above estimates, the targeted Operating Ratio is 88.5% .

Shri Prabhu said Appropriation to Pension Fund is proposed at Rs 35,260 crore and

appropriation to DRF at Rs 8,100 crore to cater to the plan investment requirement of Rs 7,500crore from this source. An appropriation of Rs 7,616 crore is proposed to be made to Capital

Fund to meet Plan requirement of Rs 6,293 crore from this Fund for payment of principalcomponent of lease charges to IRFC and also to build up the reserves in the Fund for debt

obligation to be discharged in subsequent years.

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RAILWAYS TO PROMOTE GANDHI CIRCUIT TO ATTRACT TOURISTS


Phalguna 7,1936

To promote tourism in the country, Indian Railways will join this effort through

Incredible Rail for Incredible India. Presenting the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today

the Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that successful experiment of training ofauto-rickshaw and taxi operators as tourist-guides on Konkan Railway will be replicated at major

tourist stations.

He said the possibility of offering some coaches in select trains connecting major touristdestinations to travel agencies on a revenue sharing model will also be explored. Railway

Minister said that to mark the 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to

India, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will promote the Gandhicircuit to attract tourists. He said IRCTC will work on Kisan Yatra, a special travel scheme to

help farmers to learn about new farming and marketing technique.

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RAILWAYS TO PROVIDE TRAINING CENTRES FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT


Phalguna 7,1936

Indian Railways, with its vast spread, will contribute by making available its

infrastructure like stations and training centres for skill development. Presenting the RailwayBudget 2015-16 in Parliament today the Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said

Indian Railways has a huge talent of skilled personnel and their services are also available for

this national cause.

He said Indian Railways will continue to honour its wider obligations to the nation. TheRailway Minister said keeping with our Governments high priority on skill development and to

encourage self-employment, we will promote products made by Self Help Groups, consistingmainly of women and youth. Konkan Railway (KR) has already launched this programme in

three states during the past three months. KR expects to generate employment for approximately

50,000 persons from this scheme in the next few years.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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SPEED OF NINE RAILWAY CORRIDORS TO BE INCREASED


Phalguna 7,1936

The speed of nine railway corridors will be increased from the existing 110 and 130kmph to 160 and 200 kmph respectively so that inter-metro journeys like Delhi-Kolkata andDelhi-Mumbai can be completed overnight. Announcing this while presenting the Railway

Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today the Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhkar Prabhu said this

will involve the upgradation of track including turnouts and rolling stock to higher standards aswell as the adoption of improved methods of track recording, monitoring and maintenance.

He said the average speed of freight trains, both in empty and loaded conditions, will alsobe enhanced. A policy of attaining speeds of 100 kmph for empty freight trains and 75 kmph for

loaded trains is being put in place. The Minister said that with the objective of maximizing

loading in every train, the loading density on all major freight bearing routes of Indian Railwayswill be upgraded to 22.82 tonne axle loads.

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SEVENTY SEVEN NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS

WORTH RS. 96,182 CRORE SANCTIONED


Phalguna 7,1936

While last mile connectivity projects continue to be accorded the highest priority, theRailways intend to fast track the sanctioned works on 7,000 kms of double/third/fourth lines and

commission 1200 km in 2015-16 at an investment of Rs. 8686 crore. Presenting the Railway

Budget 2015-16 in Parliament today Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said thisbudgetary allotment under Capital is 84% higher than 2014-15. He said, We also intend

commissioning 800 km of gauge conversion. Additionally, we have sanctioned 77 projectscovering 9,400 km of doubling/tripling/quadrupling works along with their electrification at a

total cost of Rs. 96,182 crore which is over 2700% higher in terms of amount sanctioned in2013-14, 2014-15 being a Plan holiday.

The Minister said the priority for undertaking projects has been determined by adesignated committee for capacity enhancement, revenue generation and decongestion. He said

negotiations are on with financial institutions for funding of these projects through extrabudgetary resources. These projects cover almost all States, the Minister added.

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FOREIGN RAIL TECHNOLOGY CO-OPERATION SCHEME PROPOSED

TO BE LAUNCHED


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announcedthe proposal to launch Foreign Rail Technology Cooperation Scheme in order

to achieve the higher quality service for our nation. Presenting the RailwayBudget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he said that Technology intensive and

complex projects like speed raising and station redevelopment require lot ofhandholding by a specialized agency in terms of preparatory work, exploringtechnology options and managing bid processes. Indian Railways have signed in

the past MOUs for technical cooperation with number of foreign railways or theirentities.

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PRESS INFORMATION BUREAUGOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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MUTP III FOR MUMBAI TO BE TAKEN UP


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announced

the proposal to take up MUTP III for Mumbai. Presenting the Railway Budgetfor 2015-16 in Parliament today he said that the suburban rail networks are the

lifeline for metro cities of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. To meet growing

demand there is an urgent need for integrated transport solutions. The Ministry ofRailways will work with all states towards this end.

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RAILWAYS PROPOSES TO SET UP JOINT VENTURES WITH STATES

AND MAJOR PUBLIC SECTOR COMPANIES


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announcedthe proposal to set up joint ventures with States for focused project development,

resource mobilization, land acquisition, project implementation and monitoring ofcritical rail projects. Introducing the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliamenttoday, he informed the members that most of them have conveyed their acceptance

to this proposal. The expansion of railway network to remote and backward areasserves as an engine for growth and brings overall socio economic development inthe region

The Railway Minister has also announced the proposal to set up JointVentures (JVs) with major public sector companies who are Railways customers

for meeting their requirements of new lines. Such focused execution of works willensure faster completion and ultimately provide the much needed path for them to

transport their produce and at the same time generate revenues for Railways.

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RAILWAYS FOR SETTING UP A FULL-FLEDGED RAILWAY UNIVERSITYDURING 2015-16.

RAILWAYS TO UNDERTAKE SYSTEMATIC HUMAN RESOURCE

AUDIT


Phalguna 7 ,1936


that a systematic Human Resource Audit would be undertaken to prepare theworkforce of Indian Railways for the future and for enhancing organizationalperformance . Presenting the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today heinformed the members that as part of the focused Human Resource strategy,measures would be adopted to raise employee productivity in line with globalstandards. It is also proposed to pursue creation a separate accounting head forHRD and develop ERP based Human Resource Management System.

Shri Prabhu informed the members that Railways is in the process ofsetting up a full-fledged Railway University during 2015-16.

The Railway Minister said that Railways frontline staff is the first point ofcontact with the public and Railways intend to start a special training module onsoft skills for them so that railways customers feel welcomed. Training in yogawill be imparted to Railways staff, especially from Railway Protection Force(RPF).

He informed that Railways will take up the work of repair of staff quartersand also of RPF barracks. It will also improve the delivery of health services toits employees. For the recreational pursuit of its staff Railways has decided toupgrade four Holiday Homes, to begin with.

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RAILWAYS INTENDS TO FURTHER DELEGATE, DECENTRALISE

AND DE- REGULATE POWERS TO GENERAL MANAGERS


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that forquick decision-making, Ministry of Railways has already delegated the power inrespect of stores and works tenders to General Managers of all Zonal Railways and

it intends to further delegate, de-centralise and de-regulate. Introducing theRailway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he said that rules and regulationsgoverning freight business will be simplified and made more customer friendly.

For example, Railways has abolished the system of obtaining Rail TransportClearance from the Ministry. It also intends simplifying the entire process ofconstruction of private sidings.

Shri Prabhu informed the members that Indian Railways will require newgovernance structures, new delivery mechanisms, extensive management reforms

and transparency across the board.

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IMPROVEMENT TO MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS INRAILWAYS


Phalguna 7 ,1936


the proposal to get a systems audit conducted for review of all processes and

procedures being followed in Zonal Railways. Introducing the Railway Budget for

2015-16 in Parliament today he said that the delegation and empowerment should

be accompanied with accountability and responsibility and also monitoring from

the apex to ensure that the organisations objectives are being met.

He informed the members that an exercise in identification of global benchmarksfor key operating and maintenance activities is being carried out.

The Minister also announced the proposal to introduce the EPC system of

contracting all over Indian Railways with a view to timely completion of projects.

Railways intend to improve upon the existing appraisal mechanism for the

selection of projects and introduce simulation tools for project planning and

decision-making.

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RAILWAYS INTENDS TO SET UP A WORKING GROUP TO MODIFY THE

PRESENT SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING

RAILWAYS TO DIGITALLY INTEGRATE VENDORS THROUGH VENDOR

INTERFACE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has informedthat the Railways intends to set up a working group to modify the present systemof accounting, to ensure tracking of expenditure to desired outcomes.

Introducing the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he said that

Railways have limited resources and thus must ensure that all publicexpenditure results in an optimal outcome. The data on costing would beavailable online including costs incurred on constructing, augmenting,maintaining and operating railway lines. This would also help in undertaking post

commissioning evaluation studies.

He informed the members that Railways proposes to have the trainoperations audited with a view to increasing productivity and bringing intransparency.

Railways is also proposing to expand paperless working in our materialmanagement system. In line with focus on ease of doing business, it will digitallyintegrate our vendors through Vendor Interface Management System to providesingle window interface to vendors.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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SIZE OF PLAN BUDGET OF RAILWAYS UP BY 52%

RAILWAYS TO SET UP FINANCIAL CELL TO SEEK ADVICE FROM EXPERTS


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announced thatthe size of the Plan Budget has gone up by 52% from Rs. 65,798 crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 1,00,011 crore in 2015-16. Support from the Central Governmentconstitutes 41.6% of the total Plan Budget and Internal generation 17.8 %.

Introducing the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he said that inview of the fact that it would be a challenging task to initiate the mobilization ofextra-budgetary resources, it is proposed to set up a Financing Cell in theRailway Board, which would seek the benefit of advice from experts in this field.

The Railways Minister informed the members that for financing remunerative

projects through market borrowings, it is intended to tap low cost long term fundsfrom insurance and pension funds, multi-lateral and bilateral agencies which canbe serviced through incremental revenues. Railways will create new vehicles tocrowd in investment from long-term institutional investors and other partners.These may include setting up an infrastructure fund, a holding company and aJoint Venture with an existing NBFC of a PSU with IRFC, for raising long termdebt from domestic as well as overseas sources, including multilateral andbilateral financial institutions that have expressed keen interest in working closelywith Railways in this endeavor. Railways will monetize its assets rather than sellthem, he added.

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RAILWAYS TO DIGITIZE MAPPING OF LAND RECORDS TO COUNTER

ENCROACHMENT OF RAILWAYS LAND

RAILWAYS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY TO TAP LATENT ADVERTISING

POTENTIAL


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that

encroachment on the Railway Land is a serious issue and to counter this, digitizedmapping of land records has been initiated and responsibility will be fixed onofficials for any encroachments. Presenting Railway Budget for 2015-16 inParliament today he dwelt upon the resource mobilization by Railways.

He informed the members that Railways is drawing up a comprehensivepolicy to tap the latent advertising potential. The new strategy would harness allavenues including offering stations and trains for corporate branding. It islaunching a Coastal Connectivity Program this year where Railways inpartnership with the concerned ports will deliver rail connectivity to Nargol,Chharra, Dighi, Rewas and Tuna. This programme is expected to mobilizeinvestments of approximately Rs 2000 crore. It proposes to launch projectsworth Rs 2500 crore through BOT/ Annuity route. These include Wardha-Nagpur 3rdline, Kazipet-Vijaywada 3rd line, Bhadrak Nargundi 3rdline and Bhuj-Nalia Gauge Conversion.

The Minister also informed that a Scrap disposal policy of the IndianRailways will be reviewed for speedier scrap disposal.

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RAILWAYS PROPOSES TO PROCURE POWER THROUGH BIDDING PROCESS

SOLAR MISSION OF RAILWAYS IN FULL SWING


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announcedthat Railways proposes to procure power through the bidding process ateconomical tariff from generating companies, power exchanges, and bilateral

arrangements. This initiative is likely to result in substantial savings of at leastRs. 3,000 crore in next few years.Presenting the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in

Parliament today he informed the members that although a bulk consumer,Railways pays extremely high charges for traction power.

The Railway Minister informed the members that to reduce dependence onfossil fuels, Railways is intended to expand sourcing of Solar Power as part ofthe Solar Mission of Railways. Work is in full swing at the solar power plant atKatra station and is slated for completion in March 2015. Further, 1000 MW solarplants will be set up by the developers on Railway/private land and on rooftop of

Railway buildings at their own cost with subsidy/viability gap funding support ofMinistry of Non- Renewable Energy in next five years.

He emphasized that investment is needed in Indian Railways also becauseit is necessary for its ecological sustenance. The annual consumption of fuel bythe Railways is just about 7% of the annual fuel consumption by the road sector.The energy consumption is about 75%- 90% less for freight traffic whencompared to road. The carbon dioxide emission is about 80% less than road.Investment in Indian Railways is an investment in our future. It is an investmentin our sustainability. It is an investment for posterity, the Minister said.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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RS. 6,581 CRORE SANCTIONED FOR ELIMINATION OF 3438 LEVEL

CROSSINGS IN NEXT FINANCIALYEAR


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announcedthat in the next financial year 970 number of ROB/RUBs and other safety-relatedworks to eliminate 3438 level crossings at a total Railway expense of Rs. 6,581

crore have been sanctioned. This is more than 2600% higher than thesanctioned number of ROBs/RUBs during the current year and the highest everin recent times. These projects cover almost all States of our Union. Presentingthe Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he informed the membersthat keeping in view the critical need to facilitate the construction of ROB/RUBs,a web based application has been commissioned with user-friendly measures foronline submission and approval of drawings within 60 days and an MOU has alsobeen signed with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in this regard.

The Railways Minister emphasized that the ultimate objective of the

Railways is to eliminate all unmanned level crossings by construction of Roadover Bridges (ROBs) and Road under Bridges (RUBs). In the short term, RDSOhas been asked to develop a suitable device with reliable power supply systembased on theft-proof panels/batteries in consultation with Indian Space ResearchOrganization, using geo-spatial technology for providing audio-visual warning toroad users at unmanned level crossings. Further, a radio based signal designproject has been taken up with IIT Kanpur for warnings at unmanned levelcrossing.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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TRAIN PROTECTION WARNING SYSTEM &TRAIN COLLISIONAVOIDANCE SYSTEM ON SELECT ROUTES

RAILWAYS ENHANCES ITS SAFETY MEASURES


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announcedthat Railways proposes to install Train Protection Warning System and Train

Collision Avoidance System on select routes at the earliest. Presenting theRailway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today, he informed the members that toprevent fire in coaches and also prevent coaches from climbing over each otherduring accidents, RDSO has been asked to develop new systems.

The Railway Minister informed the members that to curb derailments,modern track structure consisting of sleepers and heavier rails are being usedwhile carrying out primary track renewals. Better welding techniques would alsobe promoted. Further, analogue machines for testing of rails are being replacedwith digital type machines, which are more reliable.

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RAILWAYS INTENDS TO SET UP AN INNOVATION COUNCIL CALLEDKAYAKALP FOR PURPOSE OF BUSINESS RE-ENGINEERING

RAILWAYS PROPOSES TO SET UP MALAVIYA CHAIR FOR RAILWAY

TECHNOLOGY AT IIT (BHU), VARANASI


Phalguna 7 ,1936

The Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has announced the Railwaysintends to set up an innovation council called Kayakalp for the purpose of business re-

engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in Railways in accordance with the vision ofHonble Prime Minister for Innovation, Technology Development and Manufacturing.

Presenting the Railway Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament today he opined that every dynamic

and thriving organization needs to innovate and re-invent its practices.

The Railway Minister informed the members that Government of India has conferredBharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and to mark the centenary celebrations of

Banaras Hindu University, Railways proposes to set up Malaviya Chair for RailwayTechnology at IIT (BHU), Varanasi. This Chair will help in development of new materials to be

used in all assets of Railways.

Railways have decided to strengthen the RDSO into an organization of excellence for

applied research. RDSO would collaborate with institutions of repute. Railways will set up in2015-16 four Railway Research Centers in select universities for doing fundamental research.

The Railways Minister stressed on the need to invest in fundamental and applied research

for seeking solutions to rail-specific issues. Railways intends to set up a technology portal to

invite innovative technological solutions.

He informed the members that a consortium of Ministry of Railways, Ministry of HumanResource Development, Ministry of Science And Technology and Industries on an Investment

Sharing Model is being set up as part of Technology Mission for Indian Railways to take upidentified Railway projects for research.

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railways vision paper

Documents