#RailwayBudget2016: Key Takeaways From Suresh Prabhu's Speech

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu brought some cheer for the common man, as he presented the Union Rail Budget 2016 today (February 25). No fare hike, an increase in the quota for senior citizens and women were some of the highlights of his speech. The minister said that co-operation, collaboration and communication were the hallmarks of the Indian Railways' journey and the network would be scouting for international bonds and other sources for funding.

What's in store for Aam Aadmi

• The cleaning of toilets by requests through SMS.
• Thirty-three per cent sub-quota for women under all reserved categories. 
• Cancellation facility has been introduced through helpline number 139. 
• Plans to introduce bar-coded tickets on pilot basis to tackle problem of ticketless travel.
• Overnight double-decker trains to be introduced on business travel routes.
• Fully unreserved super-fast trains to be introduced on dense traffic routes. 
• Railways to increase the quota of lower berths for women and senior citizens.

The macro promises

• Special purpose vehicle for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed corridor. 
• A Railway Ring to be redeveloped in the national capital in partnership with the Delhi government. 
• Elevated rail corridors in Mumbai from Churchgate to Virar and CST to Panvel. 
• Suburban rails in Bengaluru to be set up in partnership with the Karnataka government. 
• Northeastern states, especially Mizoram and Manipur, to be connected through a broad gauge soon. 
• Plan to commission 2,800 kms tracks this fiscal. 
• Plans to redevelop 400 new stations through public-private partnership in the upcoming financial year.
• Plans to provide Wi-Fi services at 100 stations in the coming year in partnership with Google. The services will be extended to 400 more stations a year later.

The moolah part

• Gross budgetary support seen at Rs 40,000 crore coming fiscal.
• Passenger revenue target at Rs 51,012 crore, up 12.4 per cent year-on-year basis; goods earnings target at Rs 1.18 lakh crore. Operational ratio target at 92 per cent in the upcoming financial year. 
• Life Insurance Corporation to fund Rs 1.5 lakh crore over next three years. 
• Pension spending in FY17 targeted at Rs 45,500 crore. 
• Plans to double investment in railways than what has been in the previous years. Investment being pegged at Rs 1.21 lakh crore for 2016-17. 
• Savings of Rs 8,720 crore expected this year. 
• Railways to get Rs 40,000 crore budgetary support from the Central government. 
• The outlay for railway electrification increased by 50 per cent.