Union Minister of State for Railways Ram Naik has been indicating some of the budget's likely provisions over the past few months. Naik announced that a slash in first-class fares and introduction of weekly passes for suburban rail travel was likely to come through in this budget. However, senior railway officials have said that as the suburban rail system doesn't have a separate fare structure, a first-class fare cut will apply throughout the country. It remains to be seen how this announcement can be implemented.But if it comes through, the fare cut will pare down the huge gap between first and second-class fares and attract more second-class passengers. In the railway budget presented on May 29 last year, rates of second-class season passes werehiked by Rs 5 to Rs 15. Ordinary second-class fares were increased by Rs 1 to Rs 5.

Dipak Gandhi, honorary secretary of Mumbai Suburban Rail Passengers' Association, claimed that longstanding demands like rationalisation of fares on the suburban railway had not yet been met by railways. ``We pay nearly 40 paise/km, while long-distance commuters pay just 8 paise/km. This goes against the railway policy of not charging suburban passengers more than twice the long-distance passenger fares,'' he said.

Thursday's budget may also cater to an increased infrastructure spending. ``It is likely to be a good budget, at least for Mumbai. We may get an increase in allocation for handling railway projects in the city,'' a senior Central Railway official told Express Newsline.

Last year, the budgetary provision for major suburban rail projects was hiked to Rs 159.34 crore from Rs 66.47 crore in 1997-98. This money is independent of the World Bank aid for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-II) and is to be spenton doubling tracks and purchasing new rakes.Thursday's railway budget will also cater to the Rs 12.75 crore, or 51 per cent of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation's (MRVC) share capital. Ram Naik has already promised that the long-delayed MRVC would be set up by March 31. However, the passenger associations seem to have lost hope of a commuter-friendly budget, going by their lack of expectations from the railway ministry.

CR commuters who have been complaining of stepmotherly treatment from Goregaon-based MoSR, too are belligerent. The Mumbai Eastern Suburban Passengers' Association has threatened to launch a stir if adequate funds are not provided for infrastructural and operational development. Naik's statement that first-class fares will be reduced has come in for criticism from commuters. ``Without additional first-class compartments, it will only add to the chaos,'' said Shetty.