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Railway budget: Reactions from the common man

Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled a populist budget on Friday that froze both passenger and freight fares, disappointing hopes for major reform in a lagging sector key to the country’s infrastructure growth.

Reuters spoke to people at the New Delhi railway station to get their reaction to the railway budget.

Should we have a separate railway budget?

Vipul Tripathi

Feb 23, 2010 16:06 UTC

A railway budget separate from the general budget started in 1924 because the railways then formed more than a third of the budget.

A dedicated budget for railways was called for.

However the pattern of government’s finances has changed and the railways despite the impressive statistics - 63,327-kilometre network, 18 million passengers,  two million tons of freight – is less important.