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Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda presents the NDA government’s maiden Rail Budget.

13:12 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm.

13:10 pm: Sadananda Gowda ends Railway Budget with quote in Kannada. Says he has an open mind to any correction in the Rail Budget.

13:09 pm: Ruckus in parliament over non-allocation of more new trains.

13:07 pm: Mumbai to get more EMUs

New Trains: 5 Jansadharan, 5 Premium & 6 AC, 27 Express Trains, 8 Passenger, 5 DEMU & 2 MEMU services; 11 train extensions

Jansadharan Trains

i) Ahmedabad–Darbhanga Jansadharan Express via Surat

Ii Jaynagar–Mumbai Jansadharan Express

ii) Mumbai–Gorakhpur Jansadharan Express

iv) Saharasa–Anand Vihar Jansadharan Express via Motihari

v) Saharasa–Amritsar Jansadharan Express

Premium Trains

i) Mumbai Central–New Delhi Premium AC Express

ii) Shalimar–Chennai Premium AC Express

iii) Secunderabad- Hazrat Nizamuddin Premium AC Express 6

iv) Jaipur–Madurai Premium Express

v) Kamakhya–Bengaluru Premium Express

13:05 pm: Shalimar-Chennai premium AC express, Kamakhya-Chennai premium express, Mumabi-Jaipur Preium Experss to be launched.

13:04 pm: Jan Sadharan group of trains, Premium group of trains to be expanded.

13:03 pm: In twin states of AP and Telangana, committee already set up of railways and state govt.

13:02 pm: Holistic approach to urban transport is required. Passenger-centric focus will be given for urban transport.

13:01 pm: 18 new line surveys, 10 surveys for doubling 3rd & 4th lines and gauge conversion.

13:00 pm: Experimental stoppages to continue till September 2014. It will be reviewed.

12:59 pm: Dedicated freight corridors to be closely monitored.

12:58 pm: e-ticketing to support 7200 users per minute.

12:57 pm: 23 projects underway in north-east. Rs. 5,100 crore for northeast projects.

12:56 pm: Strategic procurement policy to make procurements transparent.

12:55 pm: Five percent of fuel usage to come from bio-diesel.

12:54 pm: Special milk tanker trains to be introduced.

12:53 pm: Temperature control storages for fruits and vegetables at 10 locations.

12:52 pm: Parcel traffic has huge potential. Parcel trains to be launched.

12:51 pm: Automatic rebate for customers offering return freight traffic.

12:50 pm: Proposes to modernise logistics operations.

12:49 pm: Resource mobilisation through leveraging PSU resources, Foreign Direct Investment and Public Private Participation. Status of on-going projects to be made available online.

12:48 pm: Wifi in A1 and A category stations & in select trains

12:47 pm: Summer internship for engineering students in Railways.

12:46 pm: Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Kanpur, Nagpur-Bilaspur, Mysore-Bangalore-Chennai, Goa-Mumbai, Chennai-Hyderabad and Nagpur-Secunderabad, Mumbai-Ahmedabad identified for HSR.

12:45 pm: Diamond Quadrilateral network to connect major metros through High Speed Rails. Rs. 100 crore for high speed project.

12:44 pm: Railway Minister announces Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.

12:43 pm: Are you all pleased by my Budget, asks Mr. Gowda.

12:42 pm: AC in loco-cabins.

12:41 pm: Ticket booking through post offices, mobile phones to be expanded. Platform and unreserved tickets also can be bought through internet.

12:40 pm: Special train on Swami Vivekananda.

12:39 pm: Eco-tourism in north-east. Sikh-circuit, Christian-circuits have been identified.

12: 38 pm: 70,000 RPF constables recruited to ensure security in stations. 4,000 women RPF constables to escort women-only coaches.

12:37 pm: Ultra-sonic rail breakage detection system to be launched as a pilot project.

12:36 pm: Power of sanctioning to be de-centralised.

12:35 pm: RO drinking water units in trains and stations.

12:34 pm: Mechanised laundry to be introduced.

12:33 pm: Outsourced cleaning activities in 50 stations. Upto 40 per cent hike in allocation for cleanliness.

12:32 pm: Feedback on food will be collected from passengers through IVRS.

12:31 pm: Ready-to-eat meals of reputed brands to be served in trains.

12:30 pm: Workstations at select trains on pilot basis for a payment.

12:29 pm: Battery-operated cars for differently-abled at all major stations.

12:28 pm: Total earnings at Rs. 1.64 Lakh Crore in 2014-15.

12:27 pm: FinMin has granted additional capital of Rs. 1100 core and Rs. 273 crore as Railway share.

12:26 pm: Passenger fares will be periodically raised as per new tariff policy linked to fuel price.

12:25 pm: Small growth in passenger and freight traffic expected in the coming year.

12:25 pm: Indian Railways spent Rs 41,000 crore on laying of 3,700 km of new lines in last 10 years.

12:24 pm: Last year’s surplus was over Rs. 3000 crore.

12:24 pm: Gross traffic receipts in 2013—14 was Rs 12,35,558 crore; operating ratio was 94 per cent

12:23 pm: Social obligation of Railways in 2013—14 was Rs 20,000 crore

12:21 pm: FDI to be open up in Railways. Cabinet approval sought.

12:20 pm: Leveraging Railway PSU resources.

12:19 pm: We need immediate course correction. Fare revision was one: Gowda. Fare revision will bring Rs 8,000 crores.

12:18 pm: Railways Ministry flooded with requests for new trains.

12:17 pm: Doubing, tripling is Railways’ first priority. Construction of new lines is the second.

12:16 pm: Of those projects sanctioned in 10 years, only one project was completed.

12:15 pm: Railways had been increasing freight fare to compensate the loss from passenger fare, As a result freight load decreased.

12:14 pm: Railways is operating at a ratio of 94 per cent.

12:13 pm: Mr. Gowda proposes Rs. 11, 790 crore market borrowing.

12:12 pm: Railways carries only 31 per cent of freight carried by all modes.

12:11 pm: Railways targetting to be the largest freight carrier in the world, says Sadananda Gowda.

12:10 pm: 23 million passengers travel in 12,500 trains daily.

12:09 pm: Sadananda Gowda quotes Kautilya.

12:07 pm: Grateful to PM Narendra Modi for reposing faith in me to lead Indian Railways, Mr. Gowda.

12:02 pm: Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda in the Lok Sabha.

12:01 pm: Editorial: Biting the bullet

12:00 noon: Question Hour is over, declares Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Coming up next is Railway Budget.

11:59 am: Stocks of companies related to railways sector fell as much as 8 per cent in morning trade today due to profit-booking ahead of the Railway Budget to be presented shortly.

11:57 am: MPs resume to their seats as Home Minister responds.

11:52 am: Ruckus in Lok Sabha during Question Hour as an MP raises the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

11:51 am: Railway Budget is expected to begin in five minutes.

11:47 am: In the interim budget, Mallikarjuna Kharge, the then railway minister, had set a revenue target of Rs.1.65 lakh crore.

11:38 am: The new government has already increased railway passenger fares by 14.2 per cent and the freight carriage charges by 6.5 per cent. Full story...

11:36 am: The Railway Ministry is saddled with a huge cash crunch of Rs.26,000 crore amid a decline in the growth in passenger earnings.

11:33 am: Even though Indian Railways carried the largest number of passengers and freight, it stood much behind in efficiency, punctuality, cleanliness and services, says the Railway Minister before presenting the Rail Budget. Full story...

11:26 am: Railway Budget is expected to be presented in the parliament at 12 noon.

11:24 am: While the Narendra Modi government has hinted more foreign direct investment in various sectors, including Railways, Home Ministry has showed the red flag to a Commerce Ministry note on allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the railways.

11:12 am: Railway Ministry has made arrangements for people to hear the Railway Budget updates. Call 022-4501 5555 for live budget updates.

11:09 am: D.V. Sadananda Gowda arrives at the parliament along with his junior minister Manoj Sinha.

11:04 am: Railway Budget will be presented after the Question Hour.

11:03 am: Question Hour begins in Lok Sabha.

11:02 am: Congress Floor Leader Mallikarjuna Kharge seeks debate on price rise. Speaker rejects it. Assures him that price rise will be disscussed in the afternoon.

11:00 am: Lok Sabha session begins. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is in the Chair.

10:46 am: Northern Kerala pins its hopes on Kaniyooru rail line

10:44 am: Notwithstanding the popular demand for additional services, the Railway Board has taken a pragmatic view of ground realities before sanctioning a project. Full story...

10:34 am: Mr. Gowda gets support from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “Since Mr. Gowda is from Karnataka, he knows what the people here need. I am optimistic of getting a good budget,” he said on Monday.

10:28 am: “Train is the symbol of reliable service as it operates day and night throughout the year. I want to be like this,” Mr. Gowda had said after he was sworn-in as the Railway Minister. Full story: Sadananda to present report card on his performance after five years

10:26 am: The long-standing demand for laying the Kanhangad-Kaniyoor rail line that would provide easy access from north Kerala to Bangalore is expected to get a major boost in this Railway Budget.

10:25 am: Against the backdrop of the Gorakdham train mishap, which claimed 25 lives, Mr. Gowda had said safety was an “important” issue for railways, which has to be taken care of.

10:21 am: Did you know Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda began his career as a lawyer? Sadananda Gowda: A steady rise through party ranks

10:20 am: We asked the twitterati what they expect from the Railway Budget. This is what they want. Full story...

10:19 am: Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Member Nalin Kumar Kateel hopes the Railway Budget 2014-15 to be presented on July 8 would create an environment to facilitate creation of a separate Railway Division for Mangalore. Full story...

10:17 am: Railway Ministry is likely to propose installation of X-ray systems along the tracks to detect faulty parts in trains in the Railway Budget among a series of steps to enhance safety measures for passengers. Full story...

10:15 am: A peninsular railway zone with headquarters in Kerala figures as the top priority item in the critical railway projects taken up by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. Full Story...

10:13 am: Gowda’s railway budget to focus on speed, safety

09:58 am: As part of Narendra Modi government’s initiative to reach out to people via social media, the Railway Ministry created Twitter, Facebook and YouTube handles. Full story...

09:56 am: Tweet to @the_hindu using the hashtag #THRailBudget with your expectations of this Railway Budget. Get featured here.

09:54 am: Sensex hits new high of 26,190.44 ahead of Railway Budget.

09:36 am: Topping the agenda will be high speed trains.The new Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda’s speech will indicate how funds will be raised for this highly capital intensive endeavour and was the main factor for the previous Government’s low key approach to the issue.

09:34 am: With the rail fares already hiked, the stage is now set for the Rail Budget on Tuesday to unveil through a mix of symbolism and policy announcements, the Modi Government’s trajectory for the future of the railways.

09:32 am: Welcome to The Hindu’s live coverage on the railway budget for the year 2014-15.

Gowda proposes FDI in Railways to attract investments

Sparing passengers of any further fare hike, Railway Budget for 2014-15 proposes to attract private domestic and FDI in infrastructure projects and pursuing private-public partnership to boost the finances of the cash-strapped railways.

Having hiked fares to the tune of 14.2 per cent recently, Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda who presented the new government’s first budget in Lok Sabha said he plans to leverage railway PSU resources by bringing in their investible funds in infrastructure projects.

He announced plans to introduce a bullet train in Mumbai- Ahmedabad sector and setting up of a Diamond Quadrilateral network of high speed rail connecting major metros and growth centres. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been provided for initiating the project.

Increasing the speed of trains to 160 to 200 km per hour on nine select sectors was another highlight of the budget, which proposes to allow all experimental stoppages to lapse after September this year.

The Budget disclosed that traffic growth declined and expenditures went up in 2013-14 as compared to the revised estimates of previous financial year.

Gross traffic receipts stood at Rs 1,39,558 crore, short of revised estimates by Rs 942 crore over the previous year.

The ordinary working expenses and pension outgo were also higher.

The budget estimates for 2014-15 assumes a freight loading 1101 metric tonnes, 51 metric tonnes more than the previous year, growth in passenger traffic at 2 per cent and freight earnings at Rs 1,05,770 crore.

Passenger earnings will be Rs 44,645 crore after a revenue sacrifice of Rs 610 crore on account of monthly season ticket fares.

Total receipts for the current year have been pegged at Rs 1,64,374 crore and expenditure at Rs 1,49,176 crore.

Disclosing that he needs more than Rs nine lakh crore to completing the Golden Quadrilateral Network and Rs 60,000 crore for introducing one bullet train alone, Gowda told the House, “Can I depend only on hiking fare and freight rates and burden the public to realise these funds? This is unrealistic.

I need to explore the alternate means of resource mobilisation.”

He proposed to launch a scheme to bring in investible surplus funds of railway PSUs in infrastructure projects which can generate attractive returns.

Proposing private investment in railways through domestic and FDI, Gowda said growth depends heavily on availability of funds for investment in rail infrastructure.

Internal revenue sources and government funding are insufficient to meet the requirement, the Railway Minister said, adding the ministry is seeking Cabinet approval for allowing FDI in rail sector.

FDI, however, will be limited to infrastructure development and not allowed in operations, he said.

He said the concept of PPP has not been successful in raising substantial resources for railways. “It is my endeavour to pursue this in right earnest. It is our target that bulk of our future projects will be financed through PPP mode, including the high—speed rail, which requires huge investments.”

Apart from mobilising resources, Gowda said he needed to strategically manage other aspects of planning and administration by adopting a near—holiday approach, setting timelines for ongoing projects, strategic partnership and aggressive indigenisation of imported projects.

The annual plan for 2014—15 has been fixed at the highest ever outlay of Rs 65,445 crore with gross budgetary support at Rs 30,100 crore, Railway Safety Fund Rs 2,200 crore, internal resources Rs 15,350 crore, external market borrowing Rs 11,790 crore and EBR—PPP Rs 6,005 crore.

The budget provides higher funds for ongoing projects in North East, including 11 national projects. Rs 5,116 crore earmarked for projects in North East, which is 54 per cent higher than the previous year.

New trains

While Udhampur—Katra rail link in Jammu and Kashmir has been dedicated to the nation, the focus will now be on completion of the missing link between Banihal and Katra.

18 new line surveys have been announced, which include rail connectivity to ‘char dham’ — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and Shimoga—Sringeri—Mangalore.

Five Jansadharan trains are being introduced along with five premium trains, six AC express trains and 27 express trains and eight passenger trains.

The premium trains are between Mumbai Central and New Delhi, Shalimar—Chennai, Secundarabad—Hazrat Nizamuddin, Jaipur—Madurai and Kamakhya—Bangalore.

In order to strengthen security in trains and stations, the budget proposes to recruit 4,000 women RPF constables.

Already 17,000 RPF constables have been recruited and shall be available for deployment shortly.

Gowda said safety of passengers is of paramount importance and it is estimated that over Rs 40,000 crore would be needed to be invested in track renewals, elimination of unmanned railway crossings and road overbridges and underbridges.

A provision of Rs 1,785 crore has been earmarked for railway overbridges and underbridges.

Outlining IT initiatives, the minister said the railway reservation system is being revamped to move into next generation E—ticketing system, which will support 7,200 tickets per minutes to allow 1,20,000 simultaneous users.

Railways will move to paperless offices in five years, provide wi—fi services in A—1 and A category stations and in select trains, real—time tracking of trains and rolling stock, mobile—based wakeup call system for passengers and mobile— based destination arrival alert.