No Hikes in passenger fares, three or four important railway projects for her home state, a slew of new trains and announcements to improve the travelling experience of the passengers. This is the tried and tested formula that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to stick to when she unveils the Rail Budget on July 3.

While Banerjee looks all set to follow in her predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav’s footsteps by not announcing any hike in passenger fares, she is, however, unlikely to emulate Lalu when it comes to making any kind of cuts in passenger fares.

Not that the temptation to cut fares was not there. But laden with the twin baggage of losses suffered ever since the economic downturn set in and the Rs 14,000 crore which the Railways has to shell out to implement the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission, the top brass of the Railway Ministry is learnt to have backed the idea of retaining status quo on passenger fares. Not hiking fares is a big enough move, the ministry officials are learnt to have argued. Also, unlike Lalu’s term when the single-point agenda during the Rail Budget used to be fare-cuts, the ministry under Mamata is apparently under not much pressure to cut fares further.

The fact that a two per cent across the board fare cut, announced by Lalu in the Interim Rail Budget in February, is already in place for the current financial year is also unlikely to necessitate a further cut. “If at all a fare-cut is made, it has to be very nominal and symbolic,” a ministry source said.

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