Title - Railway budget brings no cheer to the city_

As Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced the Rail Budget 2013-14 in New Delhi on Tuesday, there was little for Ludhiana residents barring some goodies. This, despite the fact that the minister himself belongs to Punjab.Increase in Tatkaal booking charges and reservation/cancellation charges have too disappointed the residents.However, the major disappointment for Ludhiana residents was the lack of no new Shatabdi for the city.While the announcement of a project to double the track from Ludhiana railway station to Dhuri-Jakhal has come as relief for Ludhiana, the long-pending demand for a direct train from Ludhiana to Anandpur Sahib and Nanded has still got no response from the Railways Ministry.An inter-city train from Chandigarh to Amritsar via Ludhiana and a passenger train from Amritsar-Lalkaun via Ludhiana are some other additions to Ludhiana's basket.Besides, Ludhiana figures among the 104 railway stations chosen for installation of escalators.