Following are the highlights of the Railway Budget for the year 2003-04:

• No hike in rail fare, freight rates
• Introduction of 50 new trains, increase in frequency of 13 trains and extension of run of 24 popular trains proposed.
• Railway plan for 2003-04 fixed at Rs 10,607 crore, Rs 603 crore higher than revised estimates of the current year.
• Age limit to avail senior citizens' concession on rail fares lowered to 60 years from the existing 65 years.
• Cancer, thalassemia and heart patients to be granted up to 75 per cent concession on rail fares.
• Kidney patients undertaking train journey for the purpose of treatment to get similar travel concession.
• Mega terminals to be built at Anand Vihar in Delhi and Chitpur in Kolkata to ease congestion.
• Plan to install a device in trains to avoid collisions.
• Existing concessions to journalists in rail fares to be extended to Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains.
• To strengthen Railway Protection Force, 3,500 constables to be recruited.
• Track renewal of around 5,400 kilometres to be completed by the end of this year.
• Jammu-Udhampur rail link targeted to be completed by March 2004 and the rail link upto Katra to be completed during 2004-05.
• Task force constituted to give shape to ‘Operation Cleanliness' in Railways with private participation.
• Ten prototype refrigerated vans developed by Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala to be inducted in popular long-distance passenger trains to preserve perishable commodities.
• Over 775 kilometres of gauge conversion during 2003-04.
• To complete 225 kilometres of new lines.
• 375 kilomtres to be electrified during the 2003-04.
• Mumbai Urban Transport Project - Phase-I to be completed in five years.
• Konkan Railway registers modest growth. Still needs considerable financial assistance.

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What do you think about the story? Read what others have to say: Number of User Comments: 86 Sub: my views Well the railway budget seems quite passenger friendly, yet there is space for improvement.the concession list must also include those people who r going to ... Posted by danish Sub: Railway Budget Congratulations to Shri Nitish Kumar to show that betterment of Railways is possible without regularily taxing the nmasses. This can be a hall mark for ... Posted by k.m.srivastava Sub: comitment DEAR NIOTHISH KUMARJI In two years back railway budjet tumkur bangalore track in karnataka has taken up for the double track still it is dragging ... Posted by e.basavaraja Sub: Senior citizen concession Till now senior male citizens 65 years and above and senior female citizens 60 years and above were getting 30% concession. Now the age limit ... Posted by k sanjeevan Sub: Installing Device so finally they are installing a device to avoid collusions, well the big question is who installed the device in the minister's mind with the ... Posted by Davda Hitesh C