HIGHLIGHTS OF RAILWAY BUDGET, 1998-99
Part -I
Introduction
Some issues and problems confronting the Railways and their possible solutions Need for massive investments in Railways
Economy and Austerity Measures
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Austerity in areas of hospitality, publicity, advertisements, inaugurations, ceremonies etc  Renewed emphasis on prevention of wastages and leakage of resources  Monitoring procedures to be put to fullest use and improved wherever required Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs)  Administrative set up and procedure for recruitment by the RRBs thoroughly revamped
Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB)
Administrative set up in Railway Board RRCB to control all RRBs and issue policy instructions relating to recruitment
Performance in 1997-98
Railways lift 429.30 million tonnes as against the target of 430 million tonnes Higher by 20 million tonnes than 1996-97
Over 64 million tonnes of incremental loading achieved in the past three years 5 per cent growth recorded in passenger traffic Revised estimate target of 'Excess' of Rs 1,470 cr likely to be achieved, with marginal variation
Plan expenditure expected to be at Revised estimate level of Rs 8,403 cr
Passenger Services
New trains to be introduced in 1998-99
i. Bhopal-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express
ii. Varanasi-Kurla Express
iii. Bhagalpur-Patna Intercity Express
iv. Madurai-Coimbatore Express(MG)
v. Guntur-Secunderabad Express
vi. Mangalore-Kurla Express (via Konkan Railway)
vii. Tiruchchirappalli-Howrah Express (tri-weekly)
viii. New Delhi-Muzaffarpur Swatantrata Senani Express via Ballia and Ghazipur (bi-weekly)
ix. Sealdah-New Coochbehar Uttar Banga Express (bi- weekly)
x. Bangalore-Visakhapatnam Express via Guntakal (weekly)
xi. Kurla-Howrah Super Deluxe AC Express (weekly)
xii. Kurla-Nagpur Super Deluxe AC Express (weekly)
Increase in frequency of trains :-
i. 7029/7030 Hyderabad-Cochin Express from 3 days a week to daily
ii. 4863/4864 Marudhar Express from 4 days a week to daily - on additional three days train to be routed via Faizabad
iii. 5209/5210 Amritsar-Barauni Janseva Express from 3 days to 5 days a week
iv. 2715/2716 Nanded-Amritsar Express from 3 days to 5 days a week
v. 8603/8604 - 8605/8606 Ranchi-Delhi Swarna Jayanti Express from 2 days to 4 days a week
vi. 6339/6340 Mumbai-Nagercoil Express from 3 days to 4 days a week
vii. 8403/8404 Puri-Ahmedabad Express from 3 days to 4 days a week
viii. 5219/5220 Kurla-Darbhanga Express from 2 days to 3 days a week
ix. 9047/9048 Surat-Patna Express from 1 day to 2 days a week
x. 1031/1032 Pune-Varanasi Express from 1 day to 2 days a week
xi. 1029/1030 Pune-Howrah Express from 1 day to 2 days a week
Extension of run of trains :-
i. 6683/6684 Mangalore-Palghat Express to Tiruchchirappalli
ii. 9759/9760 Delhi-Jaipur Intercity Express to Jodhpur
iii. 3447/3448 Dadar-Bhagalpur Express (four days a week) to Guwahati once a week

Improved BG services to be introduced after completion of gauge conversion :-
i. Bandra-Bikaner Express
ii. Jorhat-Guwahati Express
iii. Jodhpur-Ahmedabad intercity Express
iv. Tiruchchirappalli-Chennai Pallavan Express
v. Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Rockfort Express
vi. Bijapur-Hotgi Passenger (3 pairs of Push-pull services)
vii. Express train between Secunderabad-Hubli
viii. Villupuram-Tiruchchirappalli Passengers (3 pairs)
ix. Tiruchchirappalli-Lalgudi Passenger
x. Extension of 523/524 Kacheguda-Mahbubnagar Passenger to Dronachelam
xi. Extension of 535/536 Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar Passenger to Kurnool Town
xii. Extension of 7607 / 7608 Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar Tungabhadra Express to Kurnool Town
xiii. Extension of Purna-Mudkhed Passenger to Adilabad
Services to be introduced after completion of New Lines :-
i. Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Express via Sambalpur
ii. Talcher-Sambalpur Passenger
Main line EMU services :-
i. Kanpur-Shikohabad
ii. Durg-Bilaspur
iii. Asansol-Jhajha
iv. Purulia-Barddhaman
DMU services :-
i. Daund-Pune
ii. Tiruchchirappalli-Karur
iii. Buxar-Danapur-Patna
iv. Mhow-Indore(MG)
v. Patna-Rajgir
Rail Bus services :-
i. Tumsar Road-Tirodi
ii. Silchar-Jiribam(MG)
iii. Junagarh-Dhari(MG)
Trains to be diverted via the Konkan Railway:-
i. 2617/2618 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Mangalore Mangala Express
ii. 6333/6334 Thiruvanthapuram-Rajkot Express (weekly)
iii. 6337/6338 Cochin-Rajkot Express (weekly)
iv. 6335/6336 Nagercoil-Gandhidham Express (weekly)
Load of existing popular trains to be increased to 24 coaches on selected routes  First class accommodation to be revived in limited manner Swarn Shatabdi Express to replace New Delhi-Amritsar-Shatabdi  Tatkal scheme to be extended to all super fast trains during 1998-99 Concession to senior citizens enhanced from 25% to 30%; now extended to all upper classes as well; available in all trains including Rajdhanis and Shatabdis Candidates attending interviews for Central Government jobs to get full concession in Second class Facility of advancement or postponement of date of journey extended to wait listed/RAC passengers To facilitate wait listed passengers, reservation charges to be collected along with fare Refund now possible at all Zonal Railway headquarters in addition to ticket issuing stations Licenced shoe-shine boys to get facility of outpatient treatment in Railway hospitals Two tourist trains planned in collaboration with private sector "Fairy Queen" tourist train finds its name in Guinness Book of Records Pantry car services to be provided on additional eight trains.
Computerisation of Passenger Services
Provided at 339 locations covering 95% of total reservations Networking of computer systems established between New Delhi-Secunderabad extended to Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai soon Provision of computerised reservation being extended to stations with 200 reservations per day, instead of 300 as at present.
Freight Traffic
Thrust to winning back non-bulk, less than trainload traffic MOUs signed to introduce innovative transportation packages in collaboration with private sector enterprises in the form of road- railers and roll-on-roll-off services
Konkan Railway Corporation
Konkan Railway line become fully operational
Annual Plan 1998-99
Plan size increased to Rs 9,500 cr from Rs 8,300 cr in the interim Budget; to be financed through internal resources : Rs 4,400 cr, Capital from General Exchequer : Rs 2,200 cr and market borrowings of Rs 2,900 cr Emphasis on New Lines, Doubling, Traffic Facilities, Track Renewals, Signal & Telecommunications, and Passenger Amenities
New Lines
Lines completed during 1997-98
i. Jogighopa- Goalpara - to provide vital rail link between the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra
ii. Nischintapur to Kasinagar
During 1998-99, Railways to complete
i. Angul-Maneswar portion of Talcher-Sambalpur new line
ii. Goalpara-Guwahati
iii. Panihar-Khajuri sector of Guna-Etawah line, thus connecting Guna and Gwalior.
New Line projects included in the Budget
i. Ranchi to Koderma via Hazaribagh and Barkakhana
ii. Deoghar to Dumka
iii. Raichur to Gadwal
iv. Rajgir to Tilaya via Hisua
v. Restoration of Fatuah - Islampur railway line
Gauge Conversion
Sections to be converted to BG in 1998-99 :-
i. Mudkhed-Adilabad (BOLT)
ii. Narkatiaganj-Gorakhpur
iii. Tambaram-Tiruchirappalli
iv. Tiruchirappalli-Dindigul
v. Bayyappanahalli-Yesvantpur
vi. Babupeth-Balharshah vii. Solapur-Hotgi
viii. Sheosagar-Moranhat
ix. Mariani-Jorhat
Gauge Conversion works included in the Budget
i. Gandhidham-Palanpur
ii. Thanjavur-Villupuram mainline
iii. Bankura-Damodar river railway line
Doubling
In 1997-98, 160 km of doubling projects completed. In 1998-99, 284 km to be doubled, including Diva-Panvel section. Doubling of Korba-Gevra Road, Lucknow-Sultanpur and 5th & 6th lines of New Delhi-Tilak Bridge included in Budget
Electrification
Total electrified route -13962 km 445 route km electrified during 1997-98 500 route km to be electrified during 1998-99 Ninth Plan target kept at 2300 km
Track Renewals
Rs 1,425 cr provided at during 1998-99. emphasis on track renewal on important routes carrying fast or heavy traffic. effort to eliminate overdue renewals in A, B and C routes on priority in IX Plan.
Suburban Transport System.
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu Governments to participate in development of suburban systems in Mumbai and Chennai respectively. Barasat-Hasnabad section to be electrified . MRTS from Chennai Beach to Luz fully operational . Quadrupling of Borivali-Virar section to be funded through budgetary resources. Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to be set up
Surveys.
Surveys in the Budget for 1998-99. For suburban section
a. Study of an Inter-modal transport system for Bangalore
b. Techno-Economic study for identifying inputs required for Commuter traffic in Delhi and National Capital Region .
New Line
a. Deoghar-Sultanganj
b. Ghuguli-Pharenda via Maharajganj
c. Agartala-Sabroom
d. Ujjain-Ramganj Mandi via Ghatia, Ghonsala, Agar and Susner
e. Madurai-Kottayam
f. Hyderabad-Raichur
g. Kaithal-Yamuna Nagar via Karnal
h. Rajanandgaon-Jabalpur
i. Extension of Etah-Baran line up to Shahjahanpur
j. Updating survey for linking Hastinapur
k. Urai-Mahoba/Harpalpur via Rath
l. Tohana-Abohar via Bhuna and Fatehabad
m. Hamirpur-Hamirpur Road
n. Daniawan-Shekhpura via Chandi, Biharsharif and Barbigha
o. Rail linking of Tonk
p. Merta Road-Ajmer
q. Rail linking of Pushkar .
Gauge Conversion
a. Kalol-Kadi-Kotasan
b. Chickaballapur-Kolar
c. Bodinayakkanur-Madurai
d. Madurai-Coimbatore.
Doubling
a. Gaya-Kiul
b. Delhi-Ahmedabad
c. Bandel-Katwa
d. Hasnabad-Barasat
Production Units .
All production units achieve production targets and almost all record best ever performance in 1997-98. "Golden Peacock Award" for quality won by WAP . 5 out of 6 Production Units secure ISO 9001 & 9002 certification
Welfare of Other Backward Classes.
Railways to facilitate formation of association for other backward classes at the Railway Board's level . OBCs Association at Divisional, Zonal and Railway Board's levels to get the same facility as all India SC/ST Railway Employees Associations
Sports
30 out of 37 national titles won during 1997-98, an all time high by any sport organisation in the country . Two sportspersons win Arjuna award . Railway Sports Control Board to be renamed as Railway Sports Promotion Board


HIGHLIGHTS OF RAILWAY BUDGET, 1998-99
PART II
Budget Estimates 1998-99
Freight loading of 450 million tonnes . Passenger traffic estimated to grow by 5% over 1997-98 .Gross Traffic Receipts, at current fare and freight rates, estimated at Rs 31,022 cr . Ordinary Working Expenses estimated at Rs 23,720 cr - up by Rs 350 cr from interim Budget level . Due to enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, appropriation to Pension Fund reduced from Rs 4,000 cr in interim Budget to Rs 2,218 cr. Appropriation to DRF increased to Rs 2,473 cr as against Rs 1,500 cr in interim Budget. Total Working Expenses estimated at Rs 28,411 cr. Net Traffic Receipts at Rs 2,611 cr. Net Miscellaneous Receipts at Rs 372 cr. Net Railway Revenue projected at Rs 2,983 cr. Dividend payable to General Revenue increased to Rs 1,777 cr from Rs 1,756 cr in interim Budget . 'Excess' works out to Rs 1,206 cr - falls short of plan requirement by Rs 450 cr.
Tariff Proposals to be effective from 20.6.1998 .
Fares of Second class (ordinary) increased by:-
- Re 1 for distances up to 50 km
- Rs 2 from 51 to 100 km
- Rs 3 from 101 to 300 km
- Rs 5 from 301 km onwards .
Fares for First Class (ordinary) and Sleeper class (ordinary) increased by
- Rs 5 for distances upto 750 km
- Rs 10 for distances from 751 km to 1500 km
- Rs 20 for beyond 1500 km.
Increase of Rs 5 to 15 in monthly season tickets . Second Class Mail/Express fares increased from Rs 5 to Rs 25. Sleeper class Mail/Express fares increased from Rs 10 to Rs 45 .
Fares of higher classes also increased
- Rs 20 to 60 in First class Mail/Express AC Chair Car
- Rs 42 to 120 in AC 3 tier - Rs 60 to 180 in AC 2 tier
- Rs 180 to 540 in AC First class
- 20% increase in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express
- Bed rolls to be supplied free in AC 3 tier.

Fares in Metro Rail Calcutta, increased by Rs 1 to Rs 3 . Surcharge in MRTS Chennai increased to Re 1 in Second Class and Rs 2 in First class . Computerised reservation charges increased by Rs 5 . Supplementary charge for super fast trains also revised to Rs 10 to Rs 50. Platform tickets to cost Rs 3 .Parcel rates for magazines increased by 20% . Newspapers spared . Parcel and luggage rates of all other commodities increased by 5%
Proposals in regard to freight rates
No general increase in freight tariffs . Freight rates for coal adjusted marginally in shorter distances . Classification for iron ore, manganese, and other ores, timber and caustic soda, soda ash and rubber crude moved up by one step . Taper of rates for coal, cement, iron ore, steel adjusted by 1 to 2%. Classification of limestone, dolomite and gypsum reduced by one step . Foodgrains, edible salt, urea, edible oils, kerosene, liquid petroleum gas etc. continue to enjoy exemption . Above proposals to yield Rs 450 cr.