HIGHLIGHTS - Railways fiscal 2009/10 budget

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The railway minister Lalu Prasad on Friday presented the government's interim railway budget for the 2009/10 fiscal year just weeks ahead of a

general election.

Following are the highlights of his speech in parliament:

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PROJECTIONS FOR FISCAL 2009/10:

* Passenger fares cut by 2 percent for air-conditioned and other classes on mail, express and ordinary passenger trains for distances over 50 km.

* Freight traffic seen rising 60 million tonnes to 910 million tonnes.

* Passenger traffic seen rising 7 percent.

* To add 43 new trains in the fiscal year.

* Gross traffic receipts seen rising by 107.66 billion rupees to 931.59 billion rupees ($19.13 billion).

* Total receipts seen at 953.06 billion rupees.

* Freight earnings seen at 590.59 billion rupees.

* Total spending seen at 844.3 billion rupees.

* Ordinary working expenses seen at 629 billion rupees.

* Plan outlay kept at 379.05 billion rupees.

* Cash surplus seen at 55.72 billion rupees.

* To pay government dividend of 53.04 billion rupees.

* To borrow 75 billion rupees in the fiscal year.

* Rail Vikas Nigam to raise 5.3 billion rupees in the year.

* Public-private partnership investment seen at 34 billion

rupees.

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PERFORMANCE REVIEW FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008/09:

* Ordinary working expenses seen at 550 billion rupees, higher than earlier estimate on implementation of pay hikes.

* Plan outlay kept at 367.73 billion rupees.

* Freight loading target kept at 850 million tonnes.

* Freight earnings revised to 542.93 billion rupees.

* Passenger traffic seen rising an annual 7 percent.