The Indian government has presented a railways budget to parliament which puts price increases on train fares and proposes twelve new trains engines and carriages.

The railways budget seeks to raise all passenger fares, but with most of the increased cost being borne by travellers using express trains.

The government hopes to raise more than one-hundred-million-dollars through the price rises.

It also wants to provide new rolling stock, including several trains for the two northern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The railways budget was criticised by members of Parliament from (the southern state of) Kerala, (the eastern state of) Orissa and (the north-eastern state of) West Bengal who said that the budget ignored their states.