Zee Media Bureau


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New Delhi: Presenting his second Rail Budget in Parliament, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday desisted from raising fares and freight rates but promised to cut cost and exploit new sources of revenue beyond tariff as he announced three new super-fast trains and completion of three freight corridors by 2019.


Here are the key highlights of Railway Budget 2016-17:


* No hike in passenger fares, freight rates
* Rs 8.5 lakh crore to be spent in 5 years for modernisation Of rail infrastructure
* To invest Rs 1.21 lakh crore in 2016-17.
* 3 new super-fast trains -- Humsafar Express, Tejas, Uday
* Aastha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres
* Super-fast unreserved train Antyodaya Express
* Deen Dayalu unreserved coaches with water, mobile charging Points
* 50% more lower berth quota for senior citizens
* By 2020 reserved accommodation on trains on demand
* 400 stations to have wifi, 100 in next fiscal
* Eticketing capacity raised to 7,200/min, from 2,000/min
* CCTV surveillance for all major stations
* 30,000 bio-toilets in trains by next year
* Cleaning of coach on demand soon
* E-booking tickets on concessional passes for journalists
* Bar-coded tickets, scanners on pilot basis
* E-ticketing facility on foreign debit/credit cards
* Sale of tickets through hand held terminals soon
* Beautification stations at pilgrimage centres, including Ajmer, Puri, Varanasi, Nagapattinam
* FM Radio stations to provide train borne entertainment
* Rail Mitra Seva for old and disabled passengers
* Optional travel insurance for rail passengers
* Janani Sewa for providing food for children
* Smart coaches with automatic doors, bio vacuum toilets, Improved aesthetics
* Mobile app to deal with ticketing issues, complaints
* Information boards in trains, GPS based digital display Inside coaches
* SPV with Japan for Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet train
* Rs 30,000 crore spent on passenger fares.