The interim railway budget for 2014-2015 seeks approval for spending for the first 4 months of the fiscal year and pegs annual plan investment at 643 billion rupees. It projects total receipts of 1.65 trillion rupees and total expenditure of 1.45 trillion rupees. The budget also outlines plans to introduce 72 new trains, expand infrastructure through partnerships and foreign direct investment, and establish an independent tariff authority to regulate fares and freight rates.

1. NEW DELHI - Following are highlights of the Interim Railway Budget for 2014-15 (Apr-Mar),
presented by Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament today:
FY15 ESTIMATES
* Seeks approval for spending for first 4 months of FY15
* FY15 annual plan investment pegged 643 billion rupees vs 594 billion FY14
* Rail Vikas Nigam to borrow 10 billion rupees from mkt FY15
* IRFC to borrow 128 billion rupees from market FY15
* Pegs total receipts at 1.65 trillion rupees FY15
* FY15 goods earnings pegged 1.06 trillion rupees
* FY15 passenger earnings 453 billion rupees
* FY15 gross traffic receipts 1.61 trillion rupees
* FY15 total expenditure 1.45 trillion rupees vs 1.28 trillion
* Budgetary support for FY15 annual plan 302 billion rupees
* FY15 internal resources for annual plan pegged 104 billion rupees
* FY15 fund balance seen 127 billion rupees vs 80 billion FY14
* FY15 pension outgo seen 270 billion rupees
* FY15 fuel operating expense 337 billion rupee vs 285 billion
* FY15 total working expense 1.44 trillion rupees vs 1.27 trillion
* FY15 ordinary working spend 1.11 trillion rupee, up 136 billion rupees
* Pegs investment via PPP at 60.05 billion rupees FY15
* FY15 operating ratio 89.8% vs 90.8% yr ago
* To pay 91 billion rupee dividend to exchequer FY15
* FY15 pension outgo seen 270 billion rupees vs 240 billion FY14
* Internal resources for FY15 annual plan 104 billion rupees
* Extra budgetary resources for FY15 annual plan 198 billion rupee
* Rail Land Development Authority raised 9.37 billion rupees so far
* FY15 freight loading target 1,101 mln tn vs 1,052 mln FY14

2. FY14 REVISED
* Minister says to end FY14 with fund surplus
* FY14 plan outlay revised to 593.59 billion rupees
* To surpass 1.04 billion tn load target for FY14
* Rail Land Development Authority raised 9.37 billion rupee FY14
* Paid out 1 trillion rupees on 6th pay commission implementation
* Railways met extra expenditure through own means
FREIGHT, FARES
* Govt confirms freight rates left unchanged
* Govt confirms passenger fares kept unchanged
* Setting up independent authority to advise on fares, freight rate
* New tariff body to minimise volatility of revenue streams
* Tariff authority to usher in new pricing regime
* Tariff body to slowly cut cross-subsidy between segments
* Tariff body to engage stakeholders for new price regime
INFRASTRUCTURE, MODERNISATION
* Japan agency to co-finance study on Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor
* To survey 19 new lines, 5 line doubling FY15
* FDI being enabled for world-class rail infra
* New parcel policy to encourage transportation of milk
* Upgrade scheme extended to AC chair car, executive chair car
* Converted 19,214 km non-broad gauge lines to broad gauge FY14
* 3 new factories have become functional in FY14
* Completed 1,532 km of rail lines expansion vs 1,525 km aim

3. * Converted 510 km of meter gauge line to broad gauge FY14
* Plan to expand railway network to Shillong this year
* New factories in Chhapra, Dankuni, Rae Bareli started ops
* Capital of Arunachal Pradesh to be on trial map of Railways
* Extension of rail connectivity to northeast a focus area
* Acquired 64,875 wagons this year
* Completed doubling gauge of 2,227 km vs 2,000 km aim
* Completed electrification of 4,556 km vs 4,500 km aim
* 2,207 km of new lines have been completed this yr
* Completed 11.2 km tunnel in Kashmir
* Raised permissible carrying capacity of 20-ft containers
* 20-feet container capacity up by 4 tn via rolling stock upgrade
* Eased some curbs on imported cargo movement via containers
* To run special parcel trains for time-sensitive cargo
* Plan semi-high speed project for Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Chandigarh
* To extend bio-toilets to more coaches vs 2,500 coaches now
* Working on empty flow discount plan to up rail traffic
* Plan to launch ticketing on mobiles for unreserved category
* 200 stations, 2,000 crossing gates to have green energy
* To enable users to run freight business from offices, homes
* Aim to have more cash-accepting automated ticket vending machines
* Looking at 3rd party warehousing in special parcel terminals
* Targeting pvt invest in infra projects to bridge funding gap
* Liberalised wagon investment scheme in pipeline
* PPP projects related to rolling stock mfg units in pipeline
* Considering dynamic passenger fare pricing on a larger scale

4. * Some states agreed to share project costs in their areas
* To award 1,000 km freight corridor construction project FY15
* Rail energy management company now functional
* To replace LPG in pantries by electric induction-based system
* Fire, smoke detection system in all major passenger trains
* Flooded with requests for new projects
NEW TRAINS
* Introducing total 72 new trains
* To introduce 17 new premium trains, 39 express trains
* To introduce 10 new passenger trains FY15
* To extend 3 trains, increase frequency of 3 others FY15
* To start passenger svc to Vaishno Devi, Katra shortly
* Evaluating high speed trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad
* FY14 revised estimate for gauge conversion 4,556 km
* To run more passenger trains at higher speed, as needed
MISCELLANEOUS
* Employed 100,000 people in C category, 160,000 in D in 5 yrs
* High time we take note of immediate investment, needs