The countdown for the Union Budget 2018 has begun and as all eyes are set on the Arun Jaitley's big speech, experts think that the Finance Minister could announce big relief for the Railways.
Last year, the Modi government had put an end to the tradition of announcing the Railway Budget separately and had merged it with the Union Budget.
Now, this year too as the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gets all set for the big day, below is the list of announcements he could make for the Railways:
1. Safety of passengers
Last year, the safety remained one of the prime concerns for the Indian railways, with many unfortunate train accidents, it is expected that the FM Jaitley could announce big infrastructure push to amend the security features.
The Indian Railways has already ditched the tried-and-tested method of tying crackers to the tracks to alert drivers of approaching signals, in favour of a system that can ensure trains no longer move at a snail's pace in foggy weather.
The device -- Fog Pass (Fog Pilot Assistance System) or FSD -- is GPS-enabled and can continuously calculate the distance of the train in relation to the next landmark, enabling drivers to know when exactly a signal is approaching.
2. Cleaner, faster trains
In today's times, many surveys have shown that the commuters do not mind paying a little extra in exchange of more facilities that includes comfort, speed and cleanliness.
Media reports suggest, railways have assigned officials in the Research Designs & Standards Organisation and coach production units with the task of developing new design coaches that will be faster, reliable and will provide more comfort to the travellers.
Announcements related to funds to upgrade systems could also be in line.
3. Tickets may cost less
Experts believe that setting an eye on 2019 polls, Modi government may announce freebies for railways passengers. In bid to push digital transactions, service charge on booking of e-tickets had already been removed.
4. Announcements related to premium trains
Since it was reported that the railways may soon replace the premium trains Shatabdi and Rajdhani by world-class trains.
Media reports suggest, that a world-class train, known by the name of Train 18 will replace Shatabdi by June this year and another one by the name Train 20 will take place of Rajdhani in the year 2020.
The special trains will be designed by Railways' Integral Coach Factory.
We can expect the introduction of more high-speed trains on the Indian tracks.
5. Taking note of Economic Survey
The Economic Survey released on January 29 commended the government for 'transformative' steps taken in the Railway sector. It said giving priority to high-speed rail, last-mile linkages and dedicated freight corridors were steps in the right direction. It is expected that these would get a further boost in the Union Budget.
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 "Budget 2018: Here's what Railways can expect from FM Arun Jaitley's speech tomorrow")
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