PASSENGERS: 2 per cent reduction in AC and sleeper-class fares; introduction of 43 trains.
With an eye on the imminent general elections, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday announced a slew of measures for travellers, including a 2 per cent reduction in AC and sleeper-class fares, introduction of 43 trains, including four new Garib Raths, extension of 14 trains and increase in frequency of some of the other.
While presenting the Interim Railway Budget for 2009-10, the minister announced a 2 per cent cut in the fares of AC first class, two-tier and chair car classes, as well as second class and sleeper classes. In the Railway Budget for 2008-09, he had announced a 5 per cent reduction in the fare for all sleeper classes apart from a 2-7 per cent cut for all AC classes.
The total reduction in the AC first class fare in the last four years has been 28 per cent and that of AC 2-tier 20 per cent.
Prasad also announced a reduction of Re 1 for fares costing up to Rs 50 for non-suburban mail/express and ordinary passenger trains. This is the fourth consecutive decrease in these fares which have been reduced by Rs 4 in the last two years.
Significantly, the announcement of a 5 per cent reduction in AC fares did not translate into a considerable increase in passenger earnings as due to an overall slowdown in travel across the country, the revised estimates for passenger earnings in 2008-09 only bettered the Budget estimates by 3 per cent. The actual growth in passenger earnings in 2008-09 was 12.52 per cent. Prasad estimated passenger earnings for 2009-10 at Rs 25,000 crore (Budget estimates), 12 per cent more than the earnings for 2008-09, which stand at Rs 22,330 crore (revised estimates).
The railways will also extend 14 trains, including the Mumbai Garib Rath to Allahabad and Jaipur Garib Rath to Delhi. The ministry has also decided to increase the frequency of services of the Nizamuddin-Bapudham Motihari Garib Rath from weekly to bi-weekly and the Secunderabad-Vishakhapatnam Garib Rath from four days a week to daily.
The ministry also announced to significantly increase the capacity of the local MEMU (mainline electric multiple units) servicing sectors like Patna. While, only 6 out of the 18 services currently have 16 coaches and the rest have 12, it was announced that the number of coaches for all services would be increased to 16.
