No hike in fares, freight charges in Rail Budget

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) India's Railway Budget for
2010-11 Wednesday proposed no increase in passenger fares and
freight rates while reducing the tariff by Rs 100 per wagon in
transportation of foodgrains, kerosene and fertilisers to
tackle the price rise.
The budget, presented by Indian Railway Minister Mamata
Banerjee in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament),
also proposed to reduce the maximum limit of service charge on
e-booking of tickets to Rs 10 for sleeper class and Rs 20 for
AC class. The present maximum charge is Rs 15 and Rs 40
respectively.
This is the seventh year in a row that passenger fares
have not been raised.
Announcing a slew of concessions for passengers, Banerjee
proposed free travel for cancer patients going for treatment
in three-tier AC and sleeper class and continuance of
concessions for students of madrassas and journalists.
The minister said 101 new suburban services will be
introduced in Mumbai and more services will be launched in
Kolkata and Chennai.
A special train 'Sanskriti Express' to mark the 150th
birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore will run across the
country and also to Bangladesh.
Special tourist trains called 'Bharat Teerth' will be
started on 16 routes while six long-distance non-stop Duronto
Express and four short-distance Duronto day trains will be
introduced, the Railway Minister said.
The budget estimates for 2010-11 pegs the freight loading
target at 944 million tonnes, an increase of 54 million tonnes
over current year's revised estimates. The passenger traffic
is likely to grow by 5.3 per cent. MORE PTI