Will you take the flight or train? Tell us!

The gloves are clearly off between the Indian Railways and the low-cost budget airlines that have been threatening to lure away travellers by pitching their fare on par with railway fare.

In the Railway Budget 2006 presented on Friday, Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has slashed AC first class fares by a whopping 18 per cent and AC 2-tier by 10 per cent.

Apart from targeting the private airlines, the other highlights of the Railway Budget are:
Fully air-conditioned Garib Rath (poor man's chariot) to be run on pilot basis, with fares 25 per cent lower than existing AC 3-tier fares
Passenger security to be beefed up, with special arrangements for women passengers
No increase in passenger fares
No increase in freight rates
Diesel, petrol freight charges down by 8 per cent
30 per cent discount during non-peak, 20 per cent in peak season on incremental freight

Surely, with Lalu at the helm, traveling by rail promises to be a terrific experience. Our question is, will you now skip the flight to take the train? Tell us!