India rail budget 2007-8

New Delhi, Delhi, India, 26 February 2007

Unreserved compartments in new trains to be increased from four to six to help ordinary passengers.

Fifty per cent fare concession has been offered for UPSC and other official examinees.

To make compartments user-friendly, changes in the design of compartments are to be made to help the physically-disabled.

Separate coach for vendors, milkmen and petty traders in the passenger trains.

Ticket bookings and hotel bookings can be done through railway call centres to be set up.

Tickets to be sold at petrol pumps, ATM centres etc.

Six thousand automatic ticket vending machines to be set up in next two years.

Number of berths to be increased from 72 to 84 in sleeper coaches.

Freight revenues up 17 per cent, passenger revenues increase 14 per cent in April-December 2006.

Three-storey container trains planned, Lalu Prasad says.

Work on Dedicated Freight Corridor to begin in 2007/08.

New telephone number for railway inquiry to be 139 across India.

Railways to start 32 new trains, 8 Garib Raths this year

Railways to observe 2007-08 as Year of Cleanliness.

Mumbai Urban Transport Project to be speeded up to help suburban commuters. A sum of Rs 5,000 crore to be allocated during the next Five-Year Plan for the purpose.

Feasibility study to be conducted for ultra-high speed trains with speed up to 250-300 km per hour.

Railways to set up 300 new model stations, some stations to have CCTVs and all TTEs to be provided palm tops.

More lower berths to be earmarked for women and senior citizens.

Railways to introduce 800 new wagons; 20,000 km of high-density network to be laid; new trains for cement transportation.

Smart rail travel cards to be introduced.