Indian Government Presents People-Friendly Railway Budget

The Union Minister for Railways, Dinesh Trivedi interacting with the media persons after presentation of Railway Budget 2012-13, in New Delhi on March 14, 2012. The Ministers of State for Railways, Bharatsinh Solanki and K.H. Muniyappa and the Board Members are also seen. Photo © PIB

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian government on Wednesday presented a 'people friendly' railway budget in parliament that stresses safety as top priority for the train network which has 'to be benchmarked with Europe and Japan'.

"Indian Railways has to be benchmarked with Europe and Japan. My focus is safety, safety, safety," said Indian Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

Trivedi said he was not satisfied with the current safety standards and claimed a special purpose vehicle would be set up to achieve better safety protocols, adding unmanned level crossings would be abolished in the next five years, Xinhua news agecny reports.

He said the target of reducing accidents from 0.55 to 0.17 had been met, saying "I vow to target zero deaths," in his budget speech.

However, there would not be any steep increase but a minimal hike in passenger fares.

Trivdei announced 75 new express trains and 21 new passenger trains and with this new addition the railways are expected to recruit over 100,000 people in the next financial year.

Several railway modernisation programmes requiring an investment of 560 billion rupees (US$12 billion) were also announced by Trivdei.

The Indian Railways is the third largest rail network in the world. -- NNN-BERNAMA