Lalu cuts AC fares, no hike in 2nd class fares
	New Delhi: Continuing his populist tune, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday reduced second class fares by Re 1 in non-suburban ordinary passenger and non-superfast mail and express trains. Presenting the 2007-08 Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha, he announced reduction of three per cent in fares for AC first class in busy season and six per cent in lean season. Similarly, for AC two-tier, the busy season reduction is two per cent and lean season four per cent. He also lowered fares for all classes of high capacity new design reserved coaches which would be four per cent for AC three-tier and AC chair car in busy season and eight per cent in lean season. In sleeper class, the reduction would be four per cent in all seasons. Lalu Prasad announced that discounts for the busy season shall be applicable in popular trains throughout the year. Superfast charge on second class tickets has been reduced by 20 per cent from Rs 10 to Rs 8, he said. Lalu Prasad announced introduction of tourist ticket in Mumbai suburban services with facility for unlimited travel. He brought down charges for e-tickets booked on the internet. He also announced that there will be no wooden seats and the existing will be replaced by cushioned ones in ordinary class passenger trains from next fiscal. He said that unreserved compartments in new trains will be increased from four to six to help ordinary passengers. “Fifty per cent fare concession for UPSC and other official examinees. Changes in the design of compartments to help physically disabled. Separate coach for vendors, milkmen and petty traders in passenger trains, he said. He announced that ticket bookings and hotel bookings can be done through railway call centres to be set up. Talking about the ticketing vending machines he said that 6,000 automatic ticket vending machines to be set up in next two years. Number of berths will be increased from 72 to 84 in sleeper coaches and new telephone number ‘139’ for railway inquiry will be provided across India. About Mumbai Urban Transport Project, he said that the project would be speed up to help suburban commuters. A sum of Rs 5,000 crore to be allocated during the next Five-Year Plan for the purpose. He also announced that Railways to set up 300 new model stations, some stations to have CCTVs and all TTEs to be provided palm tops. With Cabinet approving the Rs 28,000 crore investment in the Mumbai-Delhi, Ludhiana-Kolkata high-speed freight corridors, the railways have drawn up a Rs 250,000 crore investment plan for the next five years, four times as large as in the plan that is just ending. A third of this investment will come through public private partnership.