Snapshot of Interim Railway Budget 2014-15

[dropcap]NOTE[/dropcap] CLICK HERE For the latest Railway Budget presented by RM Sri DV Sadananda Gowda of the new BJP govt on July 8 2014. This post is about the Interim rail budget presented by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge of the UPA 2 govt.

Hon. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge presented his interim Railway budget for the financial year 2014-15. It of course wouldn’t have been a full budget since it is election year and hence not much was expected from the budget. However, some important announcements were made but he could not even complete his speech thanks to the uproar in the House over the Telengana issue with the house adjourning as usual over the fracas. Here are the major announcements made in this interim rail budget 2014-15.

• Launching of enhanced connectivity to the Northeastern states.

• Introduction of 17 dynamically priced Premium Express trains.

• No hike whatsoever in both passenger and freight charges/rates.

• Rail Tariff Authority being set up to regulate train fare hikes.

New Trains Announced in the Interim Rail Budget 2014-15 Statewise:

Lowdown: No new Rajdhanis, Shatabdis, Durontos, Jan-Shatabdis, Garib Raths or any such trains, but two new AC Double Deckers for Andhra Pradesh. A new class of “Premium” trains with dynamically priced fares (like the airlines) have been introduced. Those trains are given in red. Read more about these “Premium” trains here.

Jammu Kashmir (Northern Railway)

• Katra J&K – Kolkata Howrah HWH Weekly Premium Express via Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Saharanpur

Punjab/Haryana (Northern Railway)

• Amritsar ASR – Gorakhpur GKP Weekly Express via Saharanpur, Moradabad, Sitapur Cantt. (UP)
• Rewari – Rohtak Daily DEMU

Delhi (Northern Railway)

• Delhi Nizamuddin NZM – Goa Madgaon MAO Bi-Weekly Premium AC Express via Kota, Vasai Road
• Delhi – Rohtak MEMU (Daily Twice) (Haryana)

Orissa (South East Central Railway, East Coastal Railway)

• Gunupur – Visakhapatnam Daily Passenger (AP)
• Sambalpur – Bhawanipatna Daily Passenger (Orissa)

Madhya Pradesh (Central Railway, South East Central Railway, North Central Railway)

• Bina – Katni Daily Passenger (MP)
• Anuppur – Ambikapur 6 days a week MEMU (Chhattisgarh)
• Ratlam – Fatehabad Chandrawati Ganj Daily DEMU (After gauge conversion)

Bihar/Jharkhand (East Central Railway, Eastern Railway)

• Patna PNBE – Bangalore Weekly Express via Mughalsarai, Chheoki, Manikpur, Nagpur (Karnataka)
• Ranchi – New Jalpaiguri NJP Weekly Express via Jhajha, Katihar (West Bengal)
• Tatanagar – Chakulia Daily Passenger (Jharkhand)

Assam (North East Frontier Railway)

• Guwahati Kamakhya KYQ – New Delhi NDLS Weekly Premium AC Express via Chhapra, Varanasi (Delhi)
• Guwahati Kamakhya KYQ – Chennai Central MAS Weekly Premium AC Express (Weekly) via Malda, Howrah
• Dekargaon – Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh) Daily Passenger (After Line is constructed)

Kerala (Southern Railway)

• Thiruvananthpuram – Bangalore Yeshwantpur Bi-Weekly Premium Express (Karnataka)
• Thiruvananathapuram – Delhi Nizamuddin Bi-Weekly Express (Delhi)
• Punalur – Kanniyakumari Daily Passenger (TN)

Karnataka (South Western Railway)

• Bangalore Yesvantpur YPR – Jaipur JP Weekly Premium AC Express (Rajasthan)
• Bangalore Yeshwantpur  – Katra Weekly Premium Express via Hyderabad, New Delhi (J&K)
• Hubli UBL – Mumbai Weekly Express via Bijapur, Sholapur
• Hubli UBL – Belgaum BGM Fast Passenger (Karnataka)

Rajasthan (North Western Railway)

• Jaipur – Chandigarh Daily Intercity Express via Jhajjar (Punjab)
• Kota – Jammu Tawi JAT Weekly Express via New Delhi, Ambala (J&K)
• Srigangnagar – Jammu Tawi JAT Weekly Express via Abohar, Bathinda, Dhuri (J&K)
• Jaipur – Phulera Daily Passenger (Rajasthan)

Tamil Nadu (Southern Railway)

• Mannargudi – Jodhpur Weekly Express via Jaipur (Rajasthan)
• Nagercoil – Hyderabad Kacheguda Weekly Express via Karur, Namakkal, Salem (AP)
• Mannargudi – Mayiladuthurai Daily Passenger (TN)
• Tiruchendur – Tirunelveli Daily Passenger (TN)

[dropcap]NOTE[/dropcap] CLICK HERE For the latest Railway Budget presented by RM Sri DV Sadananda Gowda of the new BJP govt on July 8 2014. This post is about the Interim rail budget presented by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge of the UPA 2 govt.

Maharashtra (Except Mumbai) (Central Railway, South Central Railway)

• Aurangabad AWB – Renigunta RU Weekly Express via Parbhani, Bidar, Vikarabad (AP)
• Nanded NDD – Aurangabad AWB Weekly Express via Purna, Parbhani (Maharashtra)
• Nagpur – Rewa Weekly Express via Satna
• Pune – Lucknow Weekly Express via Khandwa, Bhopal, Bina, Jhansi, Kanpur

Andhra Pradesh (South Central Railway)

• Guntur GNT – Hyderabad Kacheguda KCG Bi-Weekly Double Decker Express (AP)
• Hyderabad Kacheguda KCG – Tirupati TPTY Bi-Weekly Double Decker Express (AP)
• Hyderabad HYB – Gulbarga GR Daily Intercity Express (Karnataka)
• Secunderabad AC –  Visakhapatnam AC Express (Weekly) via Kazipet, Vijayawada (AP)

West Bengal (Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway, Northeast Frontier)

• Kolkata Howrah HWH – Pune Bi-Weekly Premium AC Express via Nagpur, Manmad (Maharashtra)
• Kolkata Sealdah SDAH – Jodhpur JD Bi-Weekly Premium AC Express via Mughalsarai (Rajasthan)
• Kolkata Howrah – Bangalore Yeswantpur YPR Weekly AC Express (Karnataka)
• Kolkata Santragachi – Delhi Anand Vihar Weekly Express (Delhi)
• Malda Town – Delhi Anand Vihar ANVT Weekly Express via Amethi, Rae Bareli (Delhi)
• Kolkata Santragachi – Jhargram 5 days a week MEMU

Uttar Pradesh (Northern, North-Eastern, North Central, East-Central Railways)

• Gorakhpur GKP – New Delhi NDLS Bi-Weekly Premium Express via Lucknow, Moradabad (Delhi)
• Lucknow – Kathgodam Tri-Weekly Express
• Varanasi BSB – Mysore MYS Express (Bi-weekly) via Wadi, Daund (Karnataka)
• Kanpur CNB – Mumbai Bandra (T) BDTS Weekly Express via Kasganj, Mathura, Kota (Mumbai)
• Gorakhpur GKP – Pune Weekly Express via Lucknow, Kanpur, Bina, Manmad (Maharashtra)
• Bareilly – Bhopal BPL Weekly Express via Chandausi, Aligarh, Tundla, Agra (Madhya Pradesh)
• Ramnagar – Chandigarh Weekly Express via Moradabad, Saharanpur (Punjab/Haryana)
• Manduadih – Jabalpur Weekly Express (Weekly) via Allahabad, Manikpur, Satna

Gujarat (Western Railway)

• Ahmedabad ADI – Delhi Sarai Rohilla DEE Tri-Weekly Premium Express via Ajmer (Delhi)
• Ahmedabad – Lucknow Jn LJN Weekly Express via Palanpur, Jaipur, Bandikui, Mathura, Kasganj (UP)
• Ahmedabad – Allahabad ALD Weekly Express via Jalgaon, Khandwa, Itarsi, Satna, Manikpur (UP)
• Ahmedabad ADI – Katra Weekly Express via Palanpur, Jaipur, Rewari, Hisar, Bathinda, Amritsar (J&K)
• Bhavnagar – Mumbai Bandra Weekly Express via Ahmedabad (Mumbai)
• Bhavnagar – Delhi Sarai Rohilla Weekly Link Express (Delhi)
• Gandhidham – Puri Weekly Express (Orissa)
• Anand – Dakor MEMU (Daily Twice) (Gujarat)
• Morbi – Maliya Miyana Daily DEMU  (Gujarat)

Mumbai (Central Railway, Western Railway)

• Mumbai CSTM – Howrah HWH Bi-Weekly Premium AC Express via Nagpur, Raipur (West Bengal)
• Mumbai CSTM – Patna PNBE Bi-Weekly Premium AC Express via Khandwa, Itarsi, Manikpur (Bihar)
• Mumbai Bandra T – Amritsar Weekly Premium Express via Kota, New Delhi, Ambala (Punjab)
• Mumbai Bandra T – Katra J&K Weekly Premium Express via Kota, New Delhi, Ambala (Jammu Kashmir)
• Mumbai – Goa Karmali Weekly AC Express via Roha (Goa)
• Mumbai – Gorakhpur Bi-Weekly Express via Khandwa, Jhansi, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
• Mumbai – Chennai Weekly Express via Pune, Gulbarga, Wadi (Tamil Nadu)
• Mumbai Bandra (T) – Lucknow Jn Weekly Express via Kota, Mathura, Kasganj (Uttar Pradesh)
• Mumbai – Gorakhpur Weekly Express (after gauge conversion) (UP)

Extension of Service Routes of Existing Trains

• 14705/14706 Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Sujangarh Express to Jodhpur
• 15281/15282 Patna – Saharsa Express to Murliganj
• 15013 / 15014 Kathgodam – Bhagat Ki Kothi Ranikhet Express to Jaisalmer

Increase in Frequency of service days (Karnataka Special)

• 16571/16572 Bidar – Yesvantpur Express 3 days to daily
• 17225/17226 Hubli – Vijayawada Express from 3 days to daily
• 17319/17320 Hubli – Secunderabad Express from 3 days to daily

[dropcap]NOTE[/dropcap] CLICK HERE For the latest Railway Budget presented by RM Sri DV Sadananda Gowda of the new BJP govt on July 8 2014. This post is about the Interim rail budget presented by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge of the UPA 2 govt.

Connecting the Northeast and Kashmir

Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh will soon be officially connected to the rest of the nation through the railway network by a 60 km spur that runs from Naharlagun near Itanagar to Harmuti on the Rangapara – Murkongselek line. The line is already completed and will be thrown open as soon as gauge conversion works from Meter Gauge to Broad Gauge on the 326 km long line in Assam from Rangapara Jn in central Assam to Murkongselek (Jonai) on the Northeastern corner of the Assam – Arunachal Pradesh is complete. The Rangapara – Murkongselek MG line was constructed in 1966 and was closed for GC work in 2011. This line follows the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river and straddles the Arunachal border though no part of it actually runs through the state. This line is strategically very important for India.

The state of Meghalaya will also get is railway line in a month’s time when a completely new line from Dudhnoi in lower Assam near the Meghalaya border to Mehendipathar just inside Meghalaya will be completed by March 2014.

The 24 km Udhampur – Katra section in Jammu and Kashmir will be opened soon for traffic and will connect more of Jammu to the nation. The section is a continuation of the line from Jammu Tawi which is now operational till Udhampur. By this, pilgrims to the Vishnodevi Shrine near Katra will be able to take a train to reach the shrine easily. The construction of the line will continue from Katra to Banihal via Budhal. At Banihal this line will connect with the Banihal – Srinagar – Baramulla Kashmir valley line thus connecting the Valley with the rest of India. This is a national project, in which the 11 km Qazigund – Banihal tunnel was recently completed.

Rail Tariff Authority

To improve the financial health of the railways, a “Rail Tariff Authority” is being set up that will advise the Government on periodically revising passenger and freight fares and charges for the railways in a transparent and rational manner to reduce cross-subsidies between different segments. This will also help in improving public awareness in fixing railway tariff.

Other Technological and Passenger Friendly Initiatives

• Mobile phone ticketing for Unreserved (general) passengers.
• Air Conditioned EMUs (Local Trains) in Mumbai will run by July 2014.
• SMS alerts for passengers when their Waitlisted PNR (ticket) gets fully confirmed.
• 2500 coaches already run with bio-toilets, all coaches will eventually have them.
• LCD/LED display screens inside coaches showing train running details (stops and expected times of arrival).
• Passenger Upgradation Scheme to be expanded to involve 2nd Sitting, AC Chair Car and Executive CC classes.
• Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) to be set up in more and more stations across the country.
• Specially designed coaches for battling adverse weather conditions for services in Kashmir.
• Study for a High-Speed Rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to be completed by April 2014.

Complete 2014-15 Interim Railway Budget Speech in English in Hindi (PDF)

[dropcap]NOTE[/dropcap] CLICK HERE For the latest Railway Budget presented by RM Sri DV Sadananda Gowda of the new BJP govt on July 8 2014. This post is about the Interim rail budget presented by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge of the UPA 2 govt.

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Information provided here is only indicative in nature and please always confirm all information with official sources before relying on them (Contact your nearest railway station or call 139 or visit the official website of Indian Railways). This website is not an official website of the Indian Railways but is run by a railway enthusiast. The official website of the railways is http://indianrailways.gov.in.