Budget 2017: Railways get Rs 55,000 crore boost, online train booking gets cheaper

All coaches of Indian Railways will have bio-toilets by 2018 2000 railway stations under solar mission IRCTC to be listed in stock exchange Coach Mitra facility to address passenger grievances

Highlights of the Railway Budget:

• Railways will implement end-to-end transport solutions for certain logistics
• A new metro rail policy will be announced opening up new job opportunities for the youth.
• All coaches of Indian Railways will have bio-toilets by 2018
• Service charges for ticket booking on IRCTC withdrawn
• Rs 1 lakh crore corpus for railway safety fund over five years
• Railway related state-run companies like IRCON and IRCTC to be listed on stock exchanges
• Railway tariffs to be fixed on the basis of cost, social obligation and competition
• Railway line of 3,500 km will be commissioned in 2017-18 as against 2,800 km in 2016-17
• Unmanned railway level crossings to be eliminated by 2020
• 500 stations will be differently-abled by providing lifts and escalators
• Capital and development expenditure pegged at Rs 1.31 lakh cr for railways in 2017-18 from Budget
• Rail Capex at Rs 1,31,000 crore
• 2000 railway stations under solar mission
• Rail Sangraksha Fund of Rs 1 lakh for passenger safety
• Coach Mitra facility to address passenger grievances
• Rs 1.31 crore capital expenditure on railways
• 22% increase in Budget for railways
• Bill to protect poor from dubious schemes to be introduced IRCTC to be listed