Costlier for some: Freight rates on cement, coal, others hiked by up to 10%. Photo: Arunangshu Chowdhury

No new trains: While this year's budget did not see any new train announcements, Suresh Prabhu announced Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Mumbai overnight journey trains. Train speed will be hiked to reduce the travel time. Photo: S. R. Raghunathan

Meals on trains: The Railway Minister announced the introduction of e-catering to order meals from an array of choices. Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

24X7 helpline: With safety being one of the thrust areas, Prabhu plans to introduce 24X7 helpline for passenger security problems and installation of surveillance cameras in suburban coaches for women safety. Photo: Special Arrangement

Stay connected: The Railway Ministry plans to provide WiFi services at 400 B category railway stations. Photo: Kamal Narang

Customer-friendly freight service: While giving importance to technology, Prabhu announced the introduction of customer friendly freight tracking serivce. Photo: PTI

Disabled-friendly: The Railway Minister announced introduction of modern facilities for disabled citizens, senior citizens, patients through IRCTC such as braille-enabled coaches and booking of wheel-chairs online. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Train alerts: The SMS alert service for passengers will be expanded with Introduction of information about arrival, and departure of train. Photo: PV Sivakumar

Operation 5 Mintues: Suresh Prabhu has introduced 'Operation5Minutes' to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes. Photo: Special Arrangement

Published on February 26, 2015