No hike in passenger fares and freight tariffs, introduction of 54 new trains, six long routes and four short route Duronto trains, special tourist trains and a slew of concessions, are the main highlights of the Railway Budget for 2010-11 presented in Parliament today.<br/><br/>A reduction of hundred rupees per wagon in freight charges for food grains for domestic use and kerosene to ease the price rise situation has also been proposed. The Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, presenting her second budget in a row for the UPA government, also announced a number of steps to provide more passenger amenities and steps to ensure safety and security of the passengers. The highlights are:<br/><br/>All the 13,000 unmanned level crossings to be manned within five years, introduction of automatic fire and smoke detection system on 20 long distance trains, raising 12 companies of women Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to be named as Mahila Vahini for the security of women passengers. Ex-servicemen to be involved in strengthening RPF. Cancer patients going for treatment to get 100 per cent concession in 3 tier AC and Sleeper class. 50 per cent concession to spouses of Press Correspondents will now be extended also to the companions of those correspondents, who do not have a spouse and also for dependent children up to 18 years. Service charge on e-tickets to be reduced from fifteen to Ten rupees for Sleeper class and from forty to 20 rupees for AC class. Concession in fares for technicians of regional film industry while travelling for film production work is also proposed.<br/><br/>To ensure better passenger facilities, the Railway Minister announced that 94 railway stations will be upgraded as Adarsh Stations. Ten more stations identified to be converted as World Class stations. To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Ms Mamata Banerjee also proposed a special train called Sanskriti Express to run across the country.<br/><br/>It is also proposed to take this train to Bangladesh. Special tourists trains named, Bharat Tirath will run on 16 routes across the country. They will connect popular tourist sites in different parts from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, Dwaraka to Vindhya Parbat, from Ajmer Sharief to Gangasagar and from Madurai to Patna Sahib. Ms Mamata said that this will emphasize the country's unity in diversity.<br/><br/>A new weekly express train Janmabhoomi Express to start between Ahmedabad and Udhampur. Three unreserved trains called Karambhoomi trains will also be introduced. They are Darbhanga-Mumbai Express, Guwahati-Mumbai and New Jalpaiguri-Amristar, all weeklies.<br/><br/>A Commonwealth Exhibition train will run to mark the Commonwealth Games in India later this year. The Railway Minister said that the Ladies special trains will be renamed as Matrubhoomi Specials. They are Ambala Cantt, Bolpur, Ernakulam, Gorakhpur, Jammu, Jhansi, Khargapur, Kota, Surat and Thane. The facilities also include construction of 93 additional Multi-Functional Complexes and setting up of 6 clean drinking water bottling plants through Public-Private-Participation (PPP) for providing cheap bottled drinking water.<br/><br/>Talking about the welfare of 14 lakh Railway employees, she announced several initiatives including a new scheme of House for All to provide residence to all railway employees in the next ten years. She said 50 creches and 20 hostels are also proposed to be set up for the Railway women employees. 522 hospitals and diagnostic centres, 50 kendriya vidyalayas, ten residential schools on the pattern of Navodaya vidyalayas, model degree colleges and technical and management institutions of national importance are also proposed to be set up. Rashtriya Swashtya Bima Yojana for all licensed porters, vendors and hawkers, who are from the unorganised sector and are socially challenged, are also proposed.<br/>Ms Banerjee also announced the setting up of a National High Speed Rail Authority for six high speed passenger corridors.<br/><br/>Describing the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), as the Prime Minister's dream project, she said that Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) will be revamped. An agreement on the main loan for Phase One will be signed next month with Japan International Cooperation Agency for Western Corridor of the dedicated freight corridor. She said that a dedicated passenger corridor called Golden Rail Corridor is also being planned on the lines of Diamond Rail Corridor.<br/><br/>The Railway Minister proposed the Plan Outlay for 2010-11 at 41 thousand, 426 crore rupees, which is the highest ever plan investment. She said the target of freight loading has been fixed at 944 Million Tons, which is an increase of 54 Million Tonnes. The Gross Traffic Receipts are estimated at 94 thousand 765 crore rupees, which is an increase of 6,490 crore rupees over 2009-10. She said the freight earnings have increased to 58,716 crore rupees, which is 191 crore rupees more than Budget Estimates.