Mega logistic hubs are being planned along side eastern and western dedicated freight corridors.

Under the 'Kisan Vision Project', special trains will be run from production clusters to consumer centres for perishable products like fruits and vegetables and also for village handicrafts to increase outreach and access to new markets for rural produce.

Temperature-controlled cargo centres will be encouraged and premium parcel services named 'Faster Parcel Services' on pilot basis on three routes -- Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah, will be introduced with guaranteed time transit.

Annual Plan for Railways for 2009-10 has been fixed at Rs 40,745 crore, which is an increase of Rs 2,840 crore on interim budget for the current year.

Outlay on new lines has been pegged at Rs 2,921 crore, while for gauge conversion, it is Rs 1,750 crore. Passenger amenities will get Rs 1,102 crore. A sum of Rs 335 crore has been allocated for staff quarters and Rs 424 crore for amenities.

The Plan also includes acquisition of 18000 wagons in the current year as against 11,000 in 2008-09. An additional budgetary support of Rs 1,949 crore has been sought for 11 national projects.

An expert committee under Sam Pitroda, who headed the National Knowledge Commission, is being set up to suggest innovations to utilise optic cable network of railways for taking information technology to doorsteps in remote areas.

The minister said that there was a proposal under consideration for takeover of units of Burn Standard and Braithwaite.

Dealing with financial performance in 2008-09, Banerjee said freight loading was recorded at 833 million tonnes, an increase of five per cent over the previous year.

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