Chennai, Jul 3 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today welcomed the budget presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying it was prepared keeping in mind the needs of the common people.

In an official release here, Karunanidhi said despite the"prevailing hard economic conditions,"there was no hike in passenger fares and lauded the minister for focusing on passenger safety and people&aposs welfare.

He thanked the Railway Minister for announcing various schemes for Tamil Nadu, including developing the Central Railway station as a world-class station and the announcement of a Chennai-New Delhi non-stop fast train.

" People will greatly benefit from such services,"he said.