New Delhi, Feb 26 (UNI) Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today announced a general reduction in fare by four per cent in the newly-designed sleeper class coaches.

This reduction will be applicable during both lean and peak seasons, he said while presenting his fourth Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha.

Mr Yadav said the fares for the newly designed AC-3 tier and AC Chair Car coaches would be reduced by 8 er cent in lean season and 4 per cent in peak season. In popular trains this reduction would be uniformly 4 per cent throughout the year.

The Minister informed the members that the Railways had designed new sleeper class, AC Chair Car and AC 3-tier coaches. From 2007-08, only these high capacity coaches would be manufactured.

''We have decided to share a portion of the benefits of this enhanced capacity with our customers,'' he said.

Stating that the Railways had increased the speed of some trains and upgraded them to superfast trains, the Railway Minster said on popular demand he had decided that the superfast surcharge levied on second class tickets for superfast trains would be reduced by 20 per cent.

The fares for AC-1 class would be reduced by six per cent in the lean season and 3 per cent in the peak season. The fares would be reduced uniformly throughout the year by three per cent in popular trains, he said.

The fares for AC-2 tier would be reduced by 2 per cent during the peak season and 4 per cent during the lean season. The fares would be reduced uniformly throughout the year by 2 per cent in popular trians, he added.

UNI