The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Youngsters welcome Railway budget

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Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
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Youngsters welcome Railway budget

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Youngsters in the city have whole-heartedly welcomed the Railway budget, terming it as ‘people-friendly and attractive’.

The youth gave a ‘very good’ rating for Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, who presented the budget in Parliament on Friday.

Rahul Gopakumar, a postgraduate in management employed with a multinational company here, said that the decision not to increase passenger fares will be beneficial to lakhs of youngsters who travel by train daily.

“I am with the marketing department and hence need to travel thousands of kilometres monthly. The decision not to hike the fares will help us a lot,” he said.

Gouri Gopalan, an M. Phil student, requested the Railways Minister to introduce the low-cost, air-conditioned ‘Yuva’ trains in select cities in the State. Ms. Gopalan said that the fares proposed in the Yuva trains were really attractive.

The budget said that trains will run from point to point for the distance ranging from 1,000 km to 2,500 km.

The fare will be Rs 229 for distances up to 1,500 km and Rs 399 for distances up to 2,500 km. Priya Benoy, who is pursuing a B. Ed programme in Delhi, was excited when the Railways Minister announced a non-stop train from Ernakulam to Delhi.

“This service will reduce the time required for reaching Delhi. I am very happy,” she said.

Santhosh Ramakrishnan, a software professional employed in Bangalore, said that the Bangalore-Kochuveli super fast train will help a lot of Keralites working in Bangalore. “We need more trains. Thousands travel from Bangalore to various parts of the State.”

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