The Railway Budget is three days away. But as Pawan Kumar Bansal gears up to table the railway’s plausible expenses for the 2013-14 financial year, Bengal has little to look forward to as it will no longer be showered with wagons of goodies like was the case in the last couple of years. According to experts, this year’s railway budget will by no means be a populist one. The state will receive its due share, they feel, but gone will be the largesse that Mamata Banerjee bestowed on the state.“So far as the Metro Railway is concerned, no new projects will be announced. The total number of surveys sanctioned is 13 for a distance of 312 km. In all likelihood, these won’t go beyond the survey stage,” said and official. Talking of the five Metro projects being executed at present that have hit roadblocks, the official said: “The total...
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project cost for these was Rs 12,236.22 crore. In the last two budgets, Rs 10,000 crore of this was allocated. The actual spending till January 2013 was a mere Rs 1,098.39 crore. This is normal. For a project that is likely to take five years to complete, the spending in the first year would be only about 10%. It was poor planning to have allocated such huge sums at the start. This was Mamata Banerjee’s effort to get mileage. Now that Rs 9,000 crore has remained unutilised, nobody is sure whether funds will be available when they are actually required.”
With the Metro’s operating ratio rising to over 300, all eyes will be on whether Bansal announces a hike in fares in the budget. According to Subhas Ranjan Thakur, former additional member, Railway Board, the railway ministry has no option but to tighten screws.
“Indian Railway’s freight traffic is likely to miss its target by nearly 20 million tonnes. The earnings are bound to fall. Apart from an increase in input costs, performance has not been up to the mark. There is no alternative before the minister but to take harsh steps. One can expect hikes in passenger fare and freight rates as well as a squeeze on expenses,” he said.
Officials believe that the state will receive some long-distance trains but few suburban locals due to severe congestion along all routes. There will be no new Durontos announced though. A train from Howrah to Chennai is likely to be announced and the Yeshwantpur (Bangalore) Duronto may become a daily train. Odhisa and Jharkhand are also likely to get a few new trains.
“Some fully air-conditioned trains and Shatabdis may be announced but there won’t be any Durontos. The Shalimar - Secunderabad Express which was announced earlier, but is yet to start, may run more frequently. Funds are likely to be allocated for development of Shalimar and Santragachhi stations into full-fledged terminals as minister of state for railways Adhir Chowdhury has shown interest in these projects,” said another official.
However, he specified that no major funds are likely to be released for projects like the Amta-Bagnan, Dankuni-Furfura Sharif or Deshpran-Nandigram stretches. “All of these are facing land acquisition hurdles. They won’t be scrapped but the allocation is likely to be afew lakhs only,” he said.
The fate of the wagon component factory at Jellingham in Nandigram also hangs in balance. This apart, nobody knows when work will actually begin at the two locomotive component factories at Dankuni. Officials also have no clue about whether the proposed power plant at Adra or the factory at Kanchrapara will ever see the light of day.
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR BENGAL?
As far as the Metro Railway is concerned, no new projects will be announced State may get some long-distance trains but few suburban locals No new Durontos Train from Howrah to Chennai likely to be announced and the Yeshwantpur (Bangalore) Duronto may become a daily train
Shalimar — Secunderabad Express
may run more frequently Funds likely for development of Shalimar and Santragachhi stations into full-fledged terminals No major funds for projects like the Amta-Bagnan, Dankuni-Furfura Sharif or Deshpran-Nandigram stretches
Wagon component factory at Jellingham in Nandigram uncertain
Decision yet to be made when work will begin at the two locomotive component factories at Dankuni
Proposed power plant at Adra or factory at Kanchrapara hangs in balance

18:13 Rail Budget likely on Feb 25, Union Budget on Feb 28 : Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kamal Nath held informal consultations about the 2013 Budget dates and convening of the Parliament with his ministerial colleagues. He will be interacting with the main leaders of the Opposition soon, reports our correspondent in New Delhi.
Northeastern states are to go for polls in the first week of March. Last year, because of the Uttar Pradesh elections the Budget was postponed to mid March. But this year, the government does not want to change the dates.
Deliberations are on. There is a possibility of a joint session of the Parliament to be held on February 21. The railway budget by Pawan Kumar Bansal may be scheduled...
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for February 25, the Economic Survey on February 27 and the Union Budget is likely to be presented by P Chidambaram on February 28.
But these dates are tentative, according to the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. But a Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which is meeting on January 22 will take a final call.

Indian Railways has modified the rules regarding allotment of vacant berths in the additional coaches being attached o­n day to day requirement basis.
Accordingly, whenever an extra coach is attached to a particular train to clear day to day rush of waitlisted passengers, vacant berths available in the extra coach shall be first offered to the tatkal waiting list passengers of that class and there after the left over vacant berths, if any, to the general waiting listed passengers of that class. However, this provision is not applicable to the additional coaches, attached as a regular measure of temporary augmentation, for a specific duration such as summer rush.
Earlier, vacant berths available in extra coaches were offered first to general waiting list passengers and the balance, ...
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if any, were allotted to tatkal waiting list passengers of that class.

Details in here.
For the convenience of passenger, Western Railway will augment 10 pairs of trains with AC 3 Tier/Second Class Sleeper/Chair Car Coaches in the following trains:-
Sr.
No.
Train No.
From
To
Coach
Date Of Augumentation
1
12953/54
Mumbai Central
...
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Nizamuddin
One AC 3 Tier
Ex Mumbai Central from 01/08/2012
2
19023/24
Mumbai Central
Firozpur
One Sleeper
Ex Mumbai Central from 01/08/2012
3
12935/36
Bandra T.
Surat
One Chair Car
Ex Bandra T.from 01/08/2012
Ex Surat from 02/08/2012
4
12943/44
Valsad
Kanpur
One Sleeper
Ex Valsadfrom 01/08/2012

5
19051/52
Valsad
Muzaffarpur
One Sleeper
Ex Valsadfrom 04/08/2012

6
59025/26
Surat
Amravati
One Chair Car
Ex Surat from 02/08/2012
7
19059/60
Surat
Jamnagar
One Chair Car
Ex Surat from 02/08/2012
Ex Jamnagar from 02/08/2012
8
12919/20
Indore
Jammu Tavi
One AC 3 Tier & One Sleeper
Ex Indore from 01/08/2012

9
12972/71
Bhavnagar
Bandra T.
One Sleeper
Ex Bhavnagar from 01/08/2012
Ex Bandra T. from 01/08/2012
10
12993/94
Gandhidham
Puri
One Sleeper
Ex Gandhidham from 03/08/2012