Safety, speed, infra development to be focus of Rail Budget

NEW DELHI: Running trains at 200 kmph on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes, allocation of Rs 20,000 crore for safety upgrade and customised trains for agri products are likely to be in focus as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presents the first Rail Budget subsumed in the General Budget tomorrow. Besides, the budget will also give thrust on infrastructure development including laying new lines, electrification, modernisation and station redevelopment with private participation. Making all stations disabled-friendly ones andconnectivity for religious places are likely to find mentionin the Budget 2017-18.Going ahead with the government's reform agenda, Jaitleywill discard the 92-year-long tradition of presentation of aseparate Rail Budget and instead make it part of the GeneralBudget earmarking a few paragraphs on the public transporter'sfinance, projects and the road map for the next fiscal.An ambitious project of increasing train speed up to 200km per hour on major trunk routes will be announced which willinvolve fencing off the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routesat an estimated cost of Rs 21,000 crore.The project is likely to be funded through extra budgetary resources such as banks, LIC or World Bank, according to sources. Reeling under a series of derailments, the Budget islikely to announce creation of a separate safety fund of aboutRs 1 lakh crore over the next five years out of which Rs20,000 crore will be earmarked for 2017-18, sources added.Promoting cashless transaction, Railways will opt for installing about 1000 POS at several stations The plan outlay is likely to go up from Rs 1.21 lakh croreto about Rs 1.36 lakh crore in the next fiscal.Railways, which is losing both passenger and freightvolumes, witnessed its traffic receipts in April-December 2016down to Rs 1.19 lakh as against Rs 1.34 lakh crore target, anegative growth of more than 11 per cent.Railways is likely to miss the operating ratio target of92 per cent and is likely to settle at about 94-95 per cent.The Budget will also give a fillip to non-fare revenueexercise and monetising assets like vacant land, estimated tobe about 48,000 hectares including redevelopment of stationswith private participation. ARUZMN