2013 – 2014 Indian Railway budget’s impact on Mumbai, Passenger fare, Mumbai Suburban Local train service, Outstation trains (Express/Passanger), Mumbai Railway infrastructure and investment are discussed in this article.
Impact on Mumbai Train Fare Due to Indian Railway Budget 2013
- NO INCREASE IN MUMBAI LOCAL TRAIN FARE for any class in the 2013-2014 Indian Railway Budget.
- Budget has imposed Supplementary Charges for Superfast Trains and “Tatkal” booking. Those travelling on trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdhi, etc, will have to pay more.
- Reservation and Cancellation Charges have increased marginally, leading to a slight increase in fare.
Additional Mumbai’s Suburban Trains in the Railway Budget
- 72 new train services will be introduced along Mumbai’s Suburban Local train network.
- The FIRST AC EMU RAKE on the Mumbai Suburban Train network will be introduced this year.
- Number of “Ladies Special” Mumbai Local Suburban trains will increase.
Mumbai Outstation Trains in Indian Railway Budget 2013 – 2014
New Express Trains from Mumbai in the Railway Budget
Of the 67 new Express Trains, 10 are Mumbai based. These are:
- Ajni (Nagpur) – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) Express Via Hingoli – (Weekly)
- Nizamabad – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) Express – (Weekly)
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla)– Kochuveli Express – (Weekly)
- Bandra Terminus – Ramnagar Express via Nagda, Mathura, Kanpur, Lucknow, Rampur – (Weekly)
- Bandra Terminus – Jaisalmer Express via Marwar, Jodhpur – (Weekly)
- Bandra Terminus – Hisar Express via Ahmedabad, Palanpur, Marwar, Jodhpur, Degana – (Weekly)
- Bandra Terminus – Haridwar Express via Valsad – (Weekly)
- Hubli – Mumbai Express via Miraj, Pune – (Weekly)
- Kakinada – Mumbai Express (Bi-weekly)
- Mumbai – Solapur Express via Pune- (6 Days a week)
Extension of Mumbai Trains in the Railway Budget
- 12145/12146: Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) – Bhubaneswar Express to Puri
- 12545/12546: Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) – Darbhanga Express to Raxaul (after gauge conversion)
- 22107/22108: Mumbai CST – Latur Express to Hazoor Sahib (Nanded)
Increase in frequency of Mumbai Trains in the Railway Budget
- 11103/11104: Jhansi – Bandra Terminus Express – 1 to 2 days
- 22819/22820: Visakhapatnam – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) Express – 2 to 7 days
Mumbai Railway Network Investment in the Indian Railway Budget
- Mumbai’s ambitious Elevated Rail Corridor will be undertaken under the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) route.
- Construction Work on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and Eastern DFC will start this year. Contracts for 1,500 Km, out of a total of 2,800 Km, will be allocated in 2013-2014. The DFC will allow the railways to increase their services and focus on their customer segments (industry and passengers). The Western DFC from Mumbai to Dadri (in UP, near Delhi) will pass Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Utter Pradesh. The Easter DFC from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni in (West Bengal) will pass Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar and West Bengal.
- The Indian railway’s online website (www.irctc.co.in) will be revamped to issue 7,200 tickets per minutes (from 2,000 currently) and it will be able to support 1,20,000 users at the same time. Booking railway tickets on the mobile will also be started.
- Free WiFi will be offered on some trains.
NOTE: Indian Railways has introduced a Toll Free Number, “1800111321”, for Railway related grievances.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Latest Indian Railway Fares for Mumbai Suburban and Outstation Trains
Impact on Mumbai of Indian Railway Budget 2012
Accidents and Deaths on Mumbai’s Suburban Trains
Image by Abhinav Phangcho Choudhury. Image used under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0.