India introduces high-speed train to Taj Mahal city, running at 150 kph.
15 February 2006

NEW DELHI (AP) - Tourists can now travel to the Taj Mahal city of Agra from the Indian capital in less than two hours with the Wednesday introduction of a high-speed train that runs at 150 kilometers per hour (95 mph), a railway spokesman said.

Until now, the fastest Indian train reached speeds of 120 kph (75 mph).

The high-speed train reduces the travel time by 40 minutes on the 200-kilometer (125-mile) New Delhi-to-Agra stretch of rail, said Rajiv Saxena, chief public relations officer of Northern Railways. The new train takes just under two hours.

It takes more than four hours to go by road from New Delhi to Agra.

The new "Shatabdi Express" train will runs six days a week, except Friday, between New Delhi and Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, stopping in Agra.

Concrete walls have been built on both sides of the railroad track to stop people and stray cattle from getting onto the tracks, Press Trust of India news agency said.

India must raise short distance rail fares - adviser

NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (Reuters) - India needs to raise rail fares for short journeys to boost revenues and help reduce the government's subsidy burden, an adviser to the country's economic plan panel said on Thursday. Indian Railways, which has the largest network in Asia spanning 100,000 km (60,000 miles) and serving 13 million passengers a day, heavily subsidises short distance fares.

It charges 20-25 paise per kilometre against the 40-60 paise per kilometre levied by private road transporters. "This puts a subsidy burden on the government and goes against the equity fare concept of (the) transportation sector and also prevents induction of efficiencies in the Indian railways," said B.N. Puri, an adviser to the Planning Commission.

India reviews fares in an annual railway budget, presented in February. Last year, it lowered passenger fares for long-distance trains, especially for air-conditioned coaches.

Revision of rail fares has always been politically sensitive with opposition parties opposing any increases.

1-km milestone for India’s longest rail tunnel
Toufiq Rashid
Posted online: Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 0000 hrs IST
qazigund

The first kilometre of the 11-km Banihal rail tunnel that will link Kashmir to rest of India has just been completed, promising to conquer the magnificent Pir Panjal Range, which has caused the Valley to miss a railway link for 154 years.

The tunnel from Laole (Banihal) to Qazigund on the Udhampur-Srinagar line is going be Indian Railways’ largest, and the second largest in Asia after the recently completed, 20-km Wushaoling tunnel in Gansu, northwest China. The longest operational rail tunnel in India is the 6.5-km Karbude on the Konkan railways.

For nearly three years now, a team of about 500 has been working under the mountains round the clock and aims to finish the tunnel by December 2009. Early 2010 should see 40 trains ply on the tracks to and from the Valley.
At the work site near Qazigund, a 56-metre shaft leads to a 36-metre passage opening into the 1 km of the tunnel already complete from the Srinagar end. Work is being simultaneously undertaken from the the South Portal-Jammu end, where another kilometre will be completed soon.
Down the shaft cut through the mighty rocks, dazzling lights and roaring machines give the first glimpse of the effort that has gone into making the 9.5-meter horse-shoe hole. Designed by an Austrian team, which supervises the work every week, the tunnel is being dug according to the “New Austrian tunnelling technique”, first used in India for the Delhi Metro.

The engineering effort is phenomenal even in this age as the rocks offer maximum resistance to even the world’s most high-tech machines. The earth at the site is made of limestone, clay and quartizite. “Quartizite is the most difficult to cut through,’’ said P Purkayastha, DGM, civil, for Ircon, the firm also constructing the Qazigund-Baramulla track in the Valley.

Though the Rs 4.5 crore excavator and breaker imported from South Korea has been breaking rocks for three years now, the work is moving at 2.5-to-3 meters a day. But for the people working there, it is a battle won every day. “We have bought a new machine worth Rs 18 crore which will require no explosives,’’ said Harpal Singh, project manager, Hindustan Construction Co, contractors for Ircon.

The engineers make holes to drain the water seeping in after excavation, but for the workers, it is like working in a shower for hours. Amid all this, an average of 2.5 tonnes of rocks and earth — muck, in local jargon — come out of the hole daily. “The rocks piled up will be as high as the pyramids in Egypt,” said Purkayastha.

Though the beautiful terrain outside the construction site is captivating for the workers too, for most of them the tunnel is the hardest task they have ever undertaken. A R More, a construction engineer and veteran of many railway tunnels, including Delhi Metro’s, agrees: “This tunnel will be the hardest job ever in the history of Railways, and the most challenging as well.”

http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/res/images/masthead_logo.gif

Thanks for the thread, hkskyline.

Looking forward to posting here.

:)

Mumbai - Victoria Terminus
Source : http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/mumbai

http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/image/54883961.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/image/54883963.jpg

What a beautiful station.

Chennai Central Station

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9961/chennaicentral2qp0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Train at Mumbai Victoria Terminus

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/7039/mumbairailze1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Indian rail budget may cut fares to fight inflation

NEW DELHI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Indian Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav could reduce some passenger and freight fares when he unveils his business plans for one of the world's largest rail networks on Monday, analysts said.

Indian Railways runs more than 14,000 passenger and freight trains and carries 15 million people daily -- more than the population of Sweden and Norway combined.

Last year passenger and freight rates were left broadly unchanged, but analysts said a cut in freight charges in the fiscal year starting in April could help the government in its battle against inflation.

"Reducing some freight rates could be a possibility if they are adding to food inflation," said D.K. Joshi, principal economist at domestic credit rating agency Crisil.

Wholesale price inflation stood at an annual 6.63 percent in early February after touching 6.73 percent at the start of the month, its highest in more than two years.

Analysts say the network has a cash surplus of nearly $2.5 billion, having turned itself round over the past year.

"The minister can afford to be a little liberal as the surplus is there and he could reduce some passenger and freight fares," said D.H. Pai Panandikar, president of private economic think tank RPG Foundation.

The state-run rail network has for years been synonymous with delays, losses and red tape, losing freight traffic to trucks and passengers to a fleet of new, cut-price air carriers.

Since last year it has pulled out all the stops to turn a profit, from competitive bidding for catering to leasing out advertising space on railway buildings, stations and some trains.

The ministry is trying to increase rail's share of freight by cutting costs and turnaround times, appealing to businesses frustrated by the slow movement of goods. Roads carry 85 percent of India's passenger traffic and 75 percent of freight.

"The minister will continue with his efforts to make the railways competitive and efficient," said T.K. Bhaumik, chief economist with industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd .

"Modernisation will be a thrust area and fare restructuring and innovation could be a possibility to meet intense competition from airlines and road transport," he added.

The government is desperate to keep prices under control as it approaches key state elections. It cut petrol and diesel prices this month and has also cut import duties on cement, capital goods, steel, aluminium, copper and other industrial raw materials, as well as on palm and sunflower oil.

The central bank has also tightened policy to contain prices.

The railway budget is separate from the federal budget, due on Feb. 28, in keeping with a practice set under British colonial rule and retained due to the sheer volume of freight and passenger receipts.

India mulls railway to Nepal following Chinese plans
Sat Apr 7, 5:59 AM ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian officials are exploring five options for a railway to neighbouring Nepal, speeding up efforts after China opened its first rail link to Tibet last year, a report said Saturday.

The surveys on the viability of the rail projects have acquired "top priority" in the railway ministry because of concerns over Chinese plans to extend the Tibetan line to the Nepal border, the Indian Express reported.

The Tibet railway, which opened in July, runs 1,142 kilometers (713 miles) from Qinghai province to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, making it the highest line in the world.

Kathmandu said last year that Beijing was willing to extend the line into Nepal.

"Although the Lhasa-Nepal link may neither be technically feasible nor financially viable, the strategic importance of such a link cannot be undermined," a senior Indian railway official told the newspaper.

China also has plans to build a railway line to the Tibetan town of Chomo near a Himalayan border pass to the Indian state of Sikkim in the next 10 years.

Last year, India and China agreed to open the border pass to revive direct trade. The pass was closed 44 years ago following a brief war between the two nations.

The two Asian giants have also been holding talks to sort out a decades-old border row, though the border has remained largely peaceful since the war.

Bangladesh, India to restore train links after four decades

DHAKA, March 29, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh and India will restore direct passenger train services after a gap of more than four decades, the government said Thursday.

The Bangladesh cabinet, led by interim government chief Fakhruddin Ahmed, gave the go-ahead for the resumption of the service, a government statement said.

The train will run between Sealdah, in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, and Joydevpur, near the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, it said.

The cabinet also decided to extend until 2010 the experimental train service agreement the two countries signed in 2001. The agreement, which lays the groundwork for the service to run, was to end in July this year.

Passenger train services between the two countries were suspended after the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. Bangladesh was then part of Pakistan. Bangladesh became independent in 1971.

While passenger services remained suspended, cargo links between the countries continued and in the 1990s a passenger bus service was launched between Dhaka and Kolkata, which share the Bengali language in common.

Bangladesh railway chief Belayet Hossain said the cabinet decisions meant the last hurdles had been cleared in the drive to restore the passenger train service.

The foreign ministers of Bangladesh and India agreed to resume the service in a meeting last month. But it still needed formal cabinet backing.

"We can now start the service in less than three months' time. There are some technical problems such as tariff and immigration, which needs to be settled. But they won't take time," Hossain said.

The state-run Bangladesh Railway chief said at first it was hoped to run a train a day from either side.

"It will initially carry some 600 passengers. But if it attracts more passengers we will add more trains," he said, adding there was huge potential for the service.

Passengers Push Stalled Train in India
16 May 2007

PATNA, India (AP) - A stalled train in India got a helpful nudge from hundreds of railway passengers in eastern India, a railway official said Wednesday. The train stalled in the Buxar district of the state of Bihar on Tuesday when an electrical connection snapped, railway spokesman A.K. Chandra said.

The driver then asked the passengers to push the train to the next electricity pole about 60 yards away, where the train was able to restart and resume its journey, he added.

The electric passenger train was traveling between Banahi and Raghunathpur.

India has one the world's largest railway network that carries more than 14 million passengers daily, but railway stations and tracks are often poorly maintained resulting in accidents and a poor safety record.

Passengers Push Stalled Train in India


:lol: That's interesting.

Photos of Mumbai's railway infrastructure :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=462126

Beautiful architecture, unforgettable smell.

3 Bombs Discovered on Train in India
21 May 2007

CALCUTTA, India (AP) - Police discovered three bombs hidden in a train parked at Calcutta's main railroad station on Monday and safely removed them, police said.

The discovery comes days after a bomb went off in a mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing 11 people.

"Our people were on a routine search of trains and found the bombs in one of the trains," said Amarkanti Sarkar, Inspector General of Railway Police.

No one claimed responsibility for planting the bombs, and police said it was too soon to name a suspect.

The train was set to travel from the Howrah railroad station in Calcutta to Tarakeswar, a small town sacred to Hindus some 50 miles west of Calcutta. Hundreds of pilgrims use the train daily.

There have been several attacks on trains in the last year, including the July bombings of seven Mumbai commuter trains that killed more than 200 people, and the bombing of a train linking India and Pakistan that killed 68 people in March.

In January, an explosion ripped through two cars of a passenger train near Belacoba railroad station, about 345 miles north of Calcutta, killing four people.

Maoists blow up railway stations in eastern India

RANCHI, India, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Maoist insurgents blew up two railway stations and disrupted public transport in rural strongholds in eastern India on Wednesday as a day-long strike took hold.

The insurgents detonated powerful explosives at two railway stations in the eastern state of Jharkhand in a pre-dawn attack, disrupting links with parts of eastern and northern India, officials said.

"They drove away our employees and then blew up the stations, causing huge losses," Amrish Kumar Gupta, a senior railway official, said in Jharkhand's capital, Ranchi.

Dozens of trains were cancelled across eastern India and several others diverted or held up due to the strike call.

The rebels also blocked some highways to stop the movement of vehicles during the strike, called to protest against what they termed "growing police atrocities" in leaflets distributed in many towns and villages.

In northern Jharkhand, rebels fired at bus drivers, causing one to lose control of the vehicle and plunge into a ditch.

"More than a dozen passengers were injured in the accident, while some were hit by bullets," said Mohammed Nihal, a senior police officer.

While life was largely normal in the main cities, shops were closed in some towns across the region, while authorities suspended public transport to rebel strongholds.

Hundreds of goods vehicles were stranded in southern parts of the mineral-rich state of Chhattisgarh.

Maoist rebels operate in a large swathe of India stretching from the east to some southern states, mostly in the countryside, and attack government officials and property.

They say they are fighting for the rights of millions of poor peasants and landless labourers. Thousands of people have been killed in the insurgency which began in the late 1960s.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6287152.stm
^^
Link has pictures!

There is a saying that the only way to discover the real India is by taking a train journey.


For decades, many adventurous tourists have used this option - travelling on crowded, non-air conditioned carriages often with wooden seats, at a steady pace through the Indian countryside.


It brought them face-to-face with millions of ordinary Indians who make up the six billion people transported by this vast network every year - middle-class families on vacation, farm or factory workers heading home to their villages, soldiers off to join their colleagues on the frontier.

For years the state-owned system was the ultimate symbol of socialist India - a service subsidised by the state so that the vast lengths of the country could be linked.


While impressive, it was also characterised by poor services, slow trains, filthy stations and archaic signalling systems.


It also never made any money.


Now, remarkably, all that has changed.

Over the past year Indian Railways has generated profits of $4.5bn - double that of India's largest private company, Reliance Industries.


Turnaround


It is also attracting more passengers and improving its services with better trains and improved comforts.
There is no inherent conflict between commercial opportunities and social obligation
Railway official Sudhir Kumar



So how has Indian Railways - which is government-owned and operated by a vast bureaucracy - turned things around in a highly competitive market?

I decided to start at the very beginning - at the magnificent and enormous Victoria Terminus in Mumbai (Bombay) - a Gothic architectural masterpiece with lofty domes, carved stone friezes and stained glass windows.


It is a ready reminder that the railways were started when India was a part of the British empire.

This is where, in 1853, 400 people boarded the first ever passenger service in India, from Mumbai to neighbouring Thane - a distance of 34km (about 20 miles).


High-end Shatabdi trains have plush airline-style seating



Now, of course, the railways in India span 60,000km and bridge the enormous diversity of this continent-sized country - from the high Himalayan mountains in the north to the western desert, the western and eastern coasts, the deep south and the distant north-eastern state of Assam.

It is, in effect, India's lifeline.


The vast terminal is teeming with people, as they wait patiently for the first of many of the long-distance expresses to pull in.


Travelling by rail in India has always been relatively inexpensive - a trip from Mumbai to the capital, Delhi, costs between 425 and 3,000 rupees ($10-$73) depending on the class of travel.


But the deregulation of the Indian aviation market has led to a huge increase in budget airlines offering cheaper fares.


So the railways have decided to hit back.


On platform four, a huge crowd is waiting for the fully-air conditioned Garib Rath [Poor-Man's Chariot] to pull in.


Among those waiting are the Ansari family.



Comfortable


Every year, Mumbai shop worker Zahir Ansari takes his family to his village in north India.


But for the first time in their lives, they will be travelling in air-conditioned comfort.


"My wife read about this train in the papers and insisted I try and get us tickets," he says.

"It will be so much more comfortable for the boys in the summer heat," he adds, looking at his two little sons.


The Garib Rath is just one of many initiatives taken by Indian Railways in its effort to attract more passengers.


At the other end of the scale is the Shatabdi Express.


Mr Kumar says the railways are ready to face the competition



This high-speed inter-city train caters to business travellers making the point-to-point journey between Indian cities which are located fairly close to each other - and can be covered in about eight hours or less.


On the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi, it is all about living in the fast lane.


As our blue and gold train pulls away, I am seated in an airline-style seat with a footrest, personal reading lamp, a laptop and mobile phone point and a personal LCD television screen to watch the latest stock market trends.


A uniformed attendant pushes a cart through the narrow aisle offering passengers beverages followed by soup and dinner.

Changes



The seven-hour journey costs 1,295 rupees ($32).


There are other changes too.

Eating on board has always been a major part of the Indian railway experience.


From piping hot tea served in little ceramic cups to spicy curries and omelette on toast - the railways have always catered to a variety of tastes.



But now, at the modern Mumbai Central station there is a huge sign towering over the concourse - twin golden arches of the world's most famous fast-food brand, McDonalds.


There is also a pizzeria, Starbucks-style coffee shops and Indian fast-food restaurants serving their takeaways in cardboard boxes.


And on board, tea is now made with teabags and served in a little plastic cup.


The railway is India's lifeline


Indian Railways own vast spaces across the country - mostly around their stations.


These will now be rented or leased out to big retail giants - Walmart, local retail brands and hotels.


Considering that the railways have about 7,000 stations across the country, there is plenty of space. It is estimated that 40,000 hectares of railway land is at the moment under-utilised or completely unused.

But to get a real sense of where their ambitions lie, I head out to Mulund - a suburb of Mumbai and home to one of the system's many inland container depots.


This is where huge containers are brought in from Mumbai port to be transported along the railway network to various parts of the country.


"Every half-hour, a container train is setting off somewhere in the country," says Manish Kumar, general manager of the depot.



Business sense

Recognising that freight can be a major source of revenue in an economy that is one of the fastest growing in the world, the railways have now decided to build dedicated lines for freight trains connecting Delhi with Mumbai and Calcutta.


A senior official at the Railway Ministry, Sudhir Kumar, says the system has been able to turn things around simply by working on their strengths - by improving the infrastructure so that they can carry more loads, people and cargo.

"We are still a public utility and are fully conscious of our social obligations," he says.


"But I feel that there is no inherent conflict between commercial opportunities and social obligation."

So as India continues to transform under its growing economy - some of its oldest and most venerated institutions are beginning to change with clear results.


Even if some of the romance has gone out of one of the world's oldest and largest railway systems.

UPDATE 1-India to build rail freight corridors for $7.15 bln

NEW DELHI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - India has approved two rail freight corridors to be built at a cost of 281.81 billion rupees ($7.15 billion) over five years as it looks to build infrastructure capable of maintaining high economic growth.

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said on Tuesday the the proposed multi-modal, high axle load freight corridors would link several major cities and had been agreed by ministers.

The eastern corridor, connecting Ludhiana in western Punjab state and Kolkata in the east, will cost 118.59 billion rupees, while the bill for the western corridor between Mumbai and New Delhi would be 165.92 billion rupees, he said. "The project will immensely benefit ports, exporters, importers, shipping lines and container operators by the western corridor, and coal companies, steel plants and thermal power stations by the eastern corridor," the minister said.

"The project will provide the much needed rail infrastructure for growth of Indian economy and trade."

Japanese officials said in August that Tokyo was considering offering low-interest loans to help fund the rail link between Delhi and the financial capital, Mumbai.

Policymakers estimate that India will require $475 billion to improve its creaky infrastructure, which is key to sustaining annual economic growth of 9 percent. ($1=39.4 rupees) (Reporting by Rajkumar Ray, Editing by Mark Williams)

An interesting documentry on Indian Railways, yes it's a little twee, but it gives an impression of what they are like!

wnd6BQ9Rxf0

^^I'll never complain about KTM Komuter in KL ever again...

^^ Well in response I personally think India and it's railways are wonderful! Such a colourful and dynamic country.

^^^ these are mumbai sub urban local trains. these are old rakes. Now been replaced by new rakes.

Check Vedio (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=19388)

Unfortunately people still i have to wait till the Metro train gets going

Mumbai Metro

I have a very important question regarding Indian Railways. Does anyone know where I could get information about them nowadays and recent history? I need it to be fairly academic, this is for a graduate school term paper. I would appreciate it greatly.

Found this pic on Wiki, an indian railway DMU.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/India_Train.jpg

^^^ these are mumbai sub urban local trains. these are old rakes. Now been replaced by new rakes.

Check Vedio (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=19388)

Unfortunately people still i have to wait till the Metro train gets going

Mumbai Metro

OMG, can't understand the English of the reporter :lol:.It's nice to see that they're putting effort in modernzing. I wonder why can't they provide more modern rolling stocks ages ago since they produce all their trains/rolling stocks/locomotives locally:nuts:.

^^^ yes the accent is different of non english speaking nations. Similarly i had problem in understanding english in a malaysian vedio.:-)

After opening up the economy and success of Delhi metro, every state in India want metro. Also now its difficult for the idiot leaders to make fool of people any more

After opening up the aviation sector, the railway is getting tough compeition. So now Indian railways is thinking big. Modernisation of tarin stations, High speed trains, Modern rakes and dedicated freight corridor is on cards.

So insallah it will change;-)

France offers to help India modernise railways including fast trains
13 May 2008
Agence France Presse

France will sign an agreement with India to help modernise its massive railway system with a focus on safety, training and technology including fast trains, the French transport minister said Tuesday.

"Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français - the French National Railway Company - and the Indian Railways will co-operate through companies to modernise the railways in India," Dominique Bussereau, French state transport minister said.

"Our focus will be to increase safety measures, prevent fires, introduction of high-speed trains and personnel training," the minister told reporters.

France currently holds the record for the world's fastest commercial passenger train service at 320 kilometres (200 miles) per hour, he said.

The agreements will be signed in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Bussereau arrived in India Monday, on a three day visit to boost partnership in railways, aviation and freight transport systems between the two countries.

French and Indian Railways will tackle issues like overcrowding, railway track repairs, signalling, information technology and training, officials from both services added.

The state-run Indian railways, started by India's former British colonial rulers, has around 1.6 million employees -- making it the world's biggest civilian employer -- and runs thousands of trains daily.

But the 150-year-old railway, which transports more than 15 million people daily in the country of 1.1 billion people, has been notorious for deadly accidents, antiquated equipment, financial losses, delays and red tape.

The Indian Railways have posted a record 6.3-billion-dollar surplus for the financial year 2007-08, Railways minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said in February this year.

The French transport minister and his team leaves for capital New Delhi later Tuesday to meet civil aviation minister Praful Patel to discuss issues like building airport infrastructure, control tower systems and pilot training.

Guys, I happen to come across this thread. For those of you who are not aware, there is already a great thread on Indian Railways with a very active community. Here are the links:

Initial thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=137250. This thread started on Jul 29, 2004 and goes upto Aug 9, 2007 when it was moved to a new thread due to high volume of replies in this thread.

The new thread was started at: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=539912

These threads, in addition to discussing Indian Railways, were also discussing MRTS, Trams, Buses, etc.

Recently, on Jun 2, 2008, all discussions pertaining to Indian Railways was moved to a separate thread of its own at http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=638652.

Hope this info helps those who were not aware of this thread.

Mumbai's deadly trains claim a dozen daily
26 June 2008
Agence France Presse

Every morning college student Siddhi Sarangdhar squeezes herself onto a Mumbai train and hopes she will survive the journey to school on the world's busiest -- and deadliest -- rail network.

The death toll on Mumbai's railways averages a dozen a day -- more than a whole year on New York's subway system, which has an average annual accidental death rate of eight.

"It's a big achievement getting on. Then standing is really difficult and getting off is another problem," said Sarangdhar.

Mumbai’s rail system brings 6.5 million commuters into the city every day, six times the traffic of New York trains.

The result, railway officials say, is trains packed to 2.5 times capacity during rush hour -- which here in India's financial capital is called "super dense crush load time".

Railway cars designed for 200 passengers are crammed with 500 at peak times.

In the first four months of this year, 1,146 commuters died and 1,395 were injured, railway police said.

Many of the victims had been hanging on the side of the packed trains, unable even to wedge themselves inside, and fell to their deaths after losing their grip, they said.

Last year’s total toll was 3,997 deaths and 4,307 injuries.

"We could enforce a limit on the number of people on a train but people still need to go to work. They'll sit on the tracks and stop trains from moving," Central Railways chief security commissioner BS Sidhu said.

"Overcrowding can be prevented only by very broad alterations to the system," he said.

Two billion dollars, part of it from a World Bank loan, have been earmarked to improve public transport in Mumbai, a city of 18 million, by 2015.

But although authorities are working to increase the number of trains and their frequency, commuter figures appear to be growing at a faster pace.

While a third of deaths are of passengers losing their grip on the side of the train, nearly half are people hit by trains as they stroll on the tracks.

"The number of preventable deaths should come down in the years to come. But unpreventable deaths are unpreventable," Sidhu said.

Unpreventable deaths -- from the railway’s view -- include those passengers hit by trains when crossing tracks to get to another platform, illegal but not unusual.

Railway authorities have tried to combat the practice -- by fining tens of thousands of lawbreakers, erecting fences and asking people to identify places where footbridges should be built.

Still, in Mumbai "nobody in their senses will walk one (extra) kilometre to cross a foot bridge and then walk one kilometre back," said Sidhu.

It was while strolling across the tracks at Borivali -- Mumbai's second deadliest station -- that Samir Zaveri lost his legs when he was 18. He fell in front of an approaching train and it sliced thorugh his legs.

"It was my mistake, not the railway's," Zaveri, 37, who has artificial legs, admits.

Nevertheless, this year he decided to sue the railway for wasting crucial time when a passenger is injured.

"Immediate treatment can save lives. Sometimes it takes two to three hours for the railways to deliver" an injured victim to a hospital, he said.

In 2003, a high court ordered railway stations to have ambulances standing by for accidents, but many do not and there are regular reports of injured passengers left beside the tracks while the trains continue rolling.

And then there is India's infamous red tape.

"The railways must get a stretcher, inspect the body and write a memo about the injury. Then an ambulance is requested. Much time is lost," explained TS Bhal, ex-superintendent of the Government Railway Police.

Bhal started a non-profit society four years ago to provide ambulances for railway victims after he saw an unconscious railway victim raise his hands after being left for dead on the platform for three days.

"I've seen bodies lying in pieces unattended," he said.

"The railway staff is not interested in providing transportation facilities to victims."

Found this pic on Wiki, an indian railway DMU.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/India_Train.jpg
Those tracks look VERY bad.:shocked::ohno:

^^ Well in response I personally think India and it's railways are wonderful! Such a colourful and dynamic country.

sorry I am staying in India from many years and according to me Indian railways especially mumbai is worst. we should never ever travel by those trains .

just check out this link http://www.cehat.org/trainaccidents/accdeainj.html#2
and u will how how dangerous railways are in India

Those tracks look VERY bad.:shocked::ohno:

vey bad it's just horrible

india has the longest raiway/largest railway transportation network in the world.

india has the longest raiway/largest railway transportation network in the world.

Don't agree.

india has the longest raiway/largest railway transportation network in the world.

Well, I'm afraid not.
NO.1 is USA
NO.2 is Russia
NO.3 is China

The US has the largest railway system in the world - about 240,000 km connecting 48 continental states. That is enough track to circle the Earth five times.

Russia (154,000 km) and Canada (72,961 km) follow. India comes fifth with 62,658 km of railroad after Canada and China. Indian Railways is owned by the government, and is the largest under a single management.

india has the longest raiway/largest railway transportation network in the world.

Thats not even true as mentioned, but then what good is it when Indian railway system seriously needs help?

New Delhi railway station on track for a sleek makeover
18 September 2008
The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The New Delhi railway station is getting a sleek new look. From new infrastructure to technological enhancements, the station is on track to reach world-class status by 2010.

Other than completion of the mammoth Route Relay Interlocking System (RRI), that came after circuiting an area of about 3.5km using 700km of cables, the station plans to offer a lot more to its passengers by the year-end. A sprawling new building with enhanced passenger amenities, international graphic signs, disabled-friendly platforms, shopping arcade, food court and the list goes on.

The completion of the first part of the renovation came at a cost of Rs 71 crore. Apart from the route relay interlocking system that costed Indian Railways Rs 27 crore, the maintenance facility of the station has also been upgraded by the addition of a track. A new track has also been added to remove the bottleneck from the Sadar Bazaar side."The completion of RRI has made sure that there was no conflicting movement on the tracks. Not just that, the RRI will also drastically reduce the chances of rail traffic congestion," said a Northern railway spokesperson.

The entire RRI system is controlled from power cabin where the operators have a layout in front of them indicating the occupied and unoccupied tracks. With RRI capable of handling 1,278 routes, the station has also entered the Guiness Book of World Records.

According to a railway official, the transformation of New Delhi Railway Station is not just because of the Commonwealth Games but also to handle 8-12% growth in passenger traffic in last 2-3 years.

Northern Railways chief spokesperson, Rajiv Saxena said, "With the increase in passenger rush, its not just the rail traffic that has to be smoothened but facilities for passengers comfort are also to be added. To meet this demand, railways is carrying out the required changes."

The station has also added four platforms (two of which are to be completed shortly), which will ease out the problem of trains getting held up because of the unavailability of platforms. Saxena added, "Going by the fact that the during the peak seasons the station handles more than 4 lakh passengers, the additional platforms will also offer greater passenger space."

The new 80,000-square foot station building at the Ajmeri gate entrance will only make things better. According to a railway official, it will be a state-of-the-art building. Expected to be ready by December-end, it will have a touch-screen enquiry system, plasma TV but also an AC ticketing area. The building will also house both AC and non-AC waiting rooms and dormitories.

Cross posting from Indian Rly photo section: -

The country’s first ‘service coach’ with hostesses was flagged off on Wednesday. Run by KBS Tour and Travels and named Queen B, the coaches will be part of the Kanchankanya Express and Uttar Banga Express trains to give passengers the comfort of in-flight facilities

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/Pc0020600.jpg

Photo and Information source: Times of India

Is Mumbai's suburban rail network the world's most dangerous one?

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=xmdHywSk2FI

Now Indian Railways are planning to make Indian railway attractive to attaract more NRI tourists.. Read More .., Economic Times (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Railways/Railways_to_run_luxury_train_to_attract_NRIs_tourists/articleshow/3550484.cms)

But 1 think I dont understand that our government is making NRI comfortable, but what about our regular travellers ...... When they will be comfortable.. or atleast Safe ...

These Trains have some features like "The driver's cab has heating and defogging unit keeping in view the cold climate", "Snow cutting type cattle guard has been attached at the driver's end of the train for snow clearance from tracks during winter", "executive chair-car type seating arrangement with fire resistant grade upholstery and reclining mechanism"...etc ^^

Photo:AP, Source : The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/)

On Track
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/01.jpg

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/05.jpg

Flagg Off
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/06.jpg
Manmohan Singh flags off Kashmir's first-ever train, as Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav joins him, in Srinagar on Saturday. :cheers:

More Pics of the New DEMU of Kashmir Valley :-

More pics are available @ Rediff. (http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld1.htm).

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld1.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld2.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld5.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld4.jpg

Some more good Pics are here....!!! See the Gallery (http://75.125.120.232/~mathinfo/static/gallery/kasmir/)posted in Mathrubhumi

It must have been a huge piece of work to bring the train by road through the mountains as the line is not connected to any network yet.

These Trains have some features like "The driver's cab has heating and defogging unit keeping in view the cold climate", "Snow cutting type cattle guard has been attached at the driver's end of the train for snow clearance from tracks during winter", "executive chair-car type seating arrangement with fire resistant grade upholstery and reclining mechanism"...etc ^^

Photo:AP, Source : The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/)

On Track
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/01.jpg

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/05.jpg

Flagg Off
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0758/images/06.jpg
Manmohan Singh flags off Kashmir's first-ever train, as Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav joins him, in Srinagar on Saturday. :cheers:

More Pics of the New DEMU of Kashmir Valley :-

More pics are available @ Rediff. (http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld1.htm).

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld1.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld2.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld5.jpg

http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/10sld4.jpg

Some more good Pics are here....!!! See the Gallery (http://75.125.120.232/~mathinfo/static/gallery/kasmir/)posted in Mathrubhumi

beautiful pics

But now here is something problematic in mumbai railways. Even as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the nodal agency for the Mumbai Metro Rail project, struggles to decide on a model for implementation of the third corridor, obstacles in executing this underground route are gradually beginning to surface. While Line 2 awaits Centre’s nod, third corridor faces issues like locating plot for car shed and environmental concerns.

Read More : exchange (http://www.exchange4projects.com/RAIL/mumbai-metro-line-3-on-trouble-run)

interesting trains.

Nice trains :D

Glad to see continued investment in the railways!

First train service for troubled Kashmir
11 October 2008
Agence France Presse

India's prime minister Saturday launched Kashmir's first train service, the fruit of an eight-year project that overcame tough terrain and rebel strife, on a visit overshadowed by violence.

Security was tight as Manmohan Singh flagged off the first train to travel along a new 117-kilometre (73-mile) line which it is hoped will help transform the volatile region.

"Our intention is that the future of Kashmir should be socially, economically and politically bright," he said in a pre-launch message.

Singh launched the service from Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar, where two Muslims were killed Friday in police shootings on anti-India demonstrators protesting his visit to the revolt-hit region.

Thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled Srinagar's streets as shops, schools and offices shut down after separatists and trade unions called a two-day strike to protest the prime minister's visit.

The track links Baramulla town in the north with Qazigund in the south and should eventually be integrated into India's massive national rail network. For the moment, only a 66-kilometre stretch is ready to be used.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and federal railways minister Lalu Prasad Yadav were also present during the tightly-guarded ceremony.

Officials said the new Kashmir trains would be guarded against possible attacks by anti-Indian rebels.

"We have set up a separate railway police force wing to guard the railway assets and passengers," police chief Kuldeep Khuda said.

The 20-billion-rupee (470-million-dollar) rail project was started in 2000 and involved thousands of engineers and labourers who had to contend with tough Himalayan weather -- especially in winter -- and rugged terrain.

They also had to work under high security, given the near-constant threat of attack by rebels who have been waging an armed struggle against Indian rule since 1989.

Work was halted temporarily after an Indian railways engineer and his brother were killed by suspected militants in June 2004.

In April 2007, a policeman was killed in an attack on a group of engineers inspecting the project.

The track will have nine stations and a pair of air-conditioned trains with large windows to provide a view of Kashmir's celebrated mountain scenery.

The main beneficiaries are expected to be those in remote areas who previously faced long journeys to larger towns and cities.

"It is a dream come true for us," said villager Mushtaq Ahmed from Baramulla. "I have never seen a train in my life. I will try to be the first from my village to board one."

The journey from Qazigund to Srinagar is a three-hour bus ride, but will take just 45 minutes by train.

"It is a god-sent gift to people like me," said Idrees Ahmed, a student who makes the trip every day to a Srinagar college.

In the second phase, the valley will be linked to the rest of India through Udhampur in Kashmir's south. Currently the only way to reach Kashmir is by a mountainous highway.

The launch came as a top Pakistani security officer arrived in New Delhi for anti-terrorism talks on a visit some officials said was linked to growing security concerns in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country, which has suffered a spate of bombings.

Pakistan's National Security Advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani will meet his Indian counterpart M. K. Narayanan for talks in New Delhi on Monday, the foreign ministry said.

Boosting ties, Japan offers India record loan for railway
22 October 2008
Agence France Presse

Japan on Wednesday offered a record 4.5 billion dollars in loans to India to build a major railway as the Asian powers agreed to step up both economic and military ties.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso hastened to deny that the cooperation was aimed at countering China, where both leaders head Thursday for a summit of Asian and European leaders.

Under the agreement signed in Tokyo, Japan will provide an initial 450 billion yen (4.5 billion dollars) in low-interest loans to build the freight railway between New Delhi and Mumbai.

The 1,468-kilometre (912-mile) railway between India's two largest cities will also include economic sectors around the tracks. It is aimed at improving a creaky infrastructure seen as a key bottleneck holding back India's economy.

The two leaders pledged to step up military cooperation, including to help the "war on terror" and disaster relief.

"This reflects our shared desire to contribute to peace, prosperity and stability in Asia and the world," Singh told a joint news conference with Aso.

Japan last year held joint naval exercises with India and the United States, despite Tokyo's post-World War II constitution which bars the country from ever using force.

Aso, a conservative who took office last month, has in the past advocated building ties with fellow democracy India to offset frequent tension in Japan's relationship with China which is scarred by wartime memories.

But both Aso and Singh denied reporters' suggestions that they were focused on China.

"Economic partership and security cooperation between India and Japan are not at the cost of any third country, least of all China," Singh said.

Aso also said the agreement was "not targeted at any third party."

The Japanese leader said he and Singh both wanted "steady progress in bilateral relations between Japan and India, which share common basic values."

The railway loan is the largest ever extended by Japan for a single project overseas, topping the 260 billion yen it provided to India to build the New Delhi metro.

Despite warming political ties, India and Japan both trade far more with China.

Singh earlier told a luncheon with Japanese business leaders that investment from Asia's largest economy "is much less than its full potential."

"We welcome Japanese investment in our effort to build a new dynamic India," Singh said.

Both Aso and Singh are both taking part in the Beijing summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, where the global financial crisis is set to take centre-stage.

Singh told the business luncheon that India wanted a role in moves to increase surveillance of the global financial system.

"Developing countries like India are also affected by the crisis and have to be part of the solution," said Singh, an Oxford-educated economist who opened up India's economy as finance minister.

The central Reserve Bank of India on Monday cut its lending rate for the first time since 2004 and Singh conceded this week that the country would face a "temporary slowdown" from "the ripple effects" of the crisis.

Singh, however, told the Japanese audience that India would return to the recent growth level of nine percent a year once the global crisis eased.

"Fundamentals of the Indian economy have been and continue to be strong," Singh said.

On the Right Track
Sudhir Kumar found a way to upgrade Indian Railways and make it pay.
But politically, this train may be leaving.
27 October 2008
Forbes Asia

Sudhir Kumar found how to upgrade Indian Railways and make it pay. But politically, this train may be leaving.

Reforming the Indian Railways is a mammoth job but not, perhaps, what one might expect from the familiar image of hot, crammed cars, indolent staff and teeming metropolitan train stations.

Sudhir Kumar, the man given the operational task, was basically told he could fiddle with nearly everything except the system's 17 million daily second-class passengers and the 2.5 million employees (1.4 million active, 1.1 million pensioners). Politically, they were untouchable for even Lalu Prasad Yadav, the brash rail minister who appointed Kumar in 2004.

Putting that hurdle--the world's largest ridership and nearly its largest nonmilitary payroll--aside, Kumar still had plenty to deal with: 268,000 pieces of rolling stock, 7,000 stations and 63,300 kilometers of track. By addressing those variables, and getting better effort out of his protected staff, Kumar, 52, has managed to make real if arguably tenuous gains.

It turned out, he says, that reforms elsewhere in the Indian economy were actually making matters worse for IR. Privatizations in basic industries were undoing an arrangement by which freight shippers simply passed along uncompetitive rail rates to the government. With that escape hatch closed, these steel, cement and petroleum customers began shopping around for truck, barge and pipeline alternatives. New private airlines, meantime, were taking away IR's first-class (air-conditioned car) passengers.

So the rail giant's books looked grim. It was hanging on with a mere $85 million in cash on earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation of $560 million and had defaulted on a dividend payment to the government of India. (Today those numbers have soared to $4.9 billion on Ebitda of $6 billion.) An expert group declared Indian Railways was "on the verge of a financial crisis. . . . On a pure operating level, [it] is in a terminal debt trap."

Yet as Kumar analyzed the apparent gap between rises in IR's costs and throughput over the previous quarter century--immersing himself in thousands of pages of reports--he found the long-term situation was not so hopeless once he factored out embedded inflation. Shocked, he asked a finance professor at the premier business school in Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management, to double-check him. Long and short of it was, if IR could get back the market share it was losing while at the same time boosting its return from capital assets, Kumar could return the operation to a sound footing even without touching the mass fares or laying off staff. Minister Lalu gave his blessing and backing.

One solution: faster, heavier and longer trains. He increased the number of coaches, both for goods and passenger trains, from 16 to 24. The 28% increase in cost per train kilometer was easily offset by the 78% increase in revenues. Smarter deployment also reduced the turnaround time for freight wagons from seven days to five by making the goods shed operate round the clock; examining the wagons after three trips (instead of after each trip) and electrifying all feeder lines, saved time on switching the locomotives from diesel to electric and vice versa. As a result IR could load 800 trains per day, up from 550, earning an additional $3.5 billion annually. Believing the tracks would bear up, Kumar also made the trains heavier and increased the load they could carry from 54 tons per wagon to 68 tons.

All of that required getting staff to work more efficiently, or in some cases overcoming inertia with new managers. Total productivity is now rising at 8% a year, by Kumar's count, versus 2.5% in the 1990s. His biggest challenge, however, was in recapturing the lost market share for transporting freight. In 1991 IR transported 67% of the nation's iron and steel and 59% of cement. By 2003 those numbers had dropped to 36% and 40%, respectively. "[It] had priced itself out of the market. . . . If you define yourself as someone in the business of transportation, that's a fiercely competitive industry and you have to question old assumptions of monopoly," says Kumar.

In addition to the physical enhancement, he went about reducing rates, offering discounts and reclassifying shipments in order to achieve more favorable, targeted pricing. Commodities like steel and cement that had faced steep charges got a break; charges on iron ore and limestone went up. "In the steel [transport] business we had been losing market share every year," says Kumar. "Whenever there was a deficit in the Indian Railways, they always increased freight rate on steel and cement." In the past year export prices of iron ore were up 400%, says Kumar, and he hiked up his transportation charges by 500%. "They earned 600 billion rupees [from the hike in export prices], and we earned 100 billion rupees[$2.5 billion] of it," he says.

He got some business but not enough. In 2006 he called a meeting with the steel magnates of the country to ask them what else he had to do get their business. They wanted railway stations at the factories, they said. He offered to cover half the costs. He also eased the tonnage minimums and allowed the companies to unload their cargo at multiple stops.

But Kumar still wasn't happy. He wanted the contract to carry Reliance Petroleum's crude oil, but the billionaire controlling owner Mukesh Ambani told him that the railways were just too expensive and he was using the pipelines of his competitors at a 10% discount on IR's price. Kumar realized that the railways had traditionally overpriced petroleum freight rates and quickly offered Ambani a 20% discount on his cost. IR now transports Reliance's crude (but only while the company builds its own pipelines) as well as a couple of million ton of annual by-product of petroleum coke.

Meantime, he had to watch his political flank. "Politicians are not sensitive to how you price iron ore versus steel," he says. "But they are sensitive about passenger fares." He recalls when he showed Lalu his first budget, highlighting initial gains, all he was told was "I don't get anything from this." So for trips under 250km (90% of the travel in India) the average fare was reduced by roughly 3 rupees per passenger. An amount so meager might seem pointless, but in rural India even a 2-to-3-rupee decrease on a 6-rupee ticket was a huge saving and made them devoted followers of the minister. Kumar's longer trains also had roughly 73 million more passengers cramming into them annually.

Higher-end passengers, by contrast, were a market target. In 2005 Air Deccan, the largest low-cost airline at the time, offered a Delhi-Hyderabad round trip for 3,000 rupees, lower than the 5,000 rupee fare for ac first class in the railways. "[Then owner GR] Gopinath was eating into my high-end passengers," says Kumar. "I told him I have the might of the Indian government behind me, and I can bleed you dry." He sure did. Kumar launched a new ac train on that route with round-trip fares of 1,600 rupees, and Air Deccan, which had been running at losses, was sold to another airline. "That's a Tata's Nano car [experience] at the price of a motorbike, AC travel at non-AC prices," boasts Kumar, who now maintains the fare exceeds his marginal cost. "If money is the concern, then today I'm the best value for the price."

Kumar has used railways of the U.S., Japanese and even Chinese (in most respects, the world's largest) as benchmarks. He has tried to instill his reforms through management-training programs with New York University's Stern School of Business and the French business school, INSEAD. He even has a five-year contract with the Malaysian Central Bank run non-profit, International Center for Leadership in Finance, to train 210 IR managers per year on how to come up with a road map for the organization. More tangibly, senior managers got cell phones, even though as government employees most of them weren't eligible for one; authorized cab pickups and drop-offs between home and work; and allowances to let them hire domestic help.

Incentives are layered at every level of the organization. When the railways made its first $2 billion profit in 2005, the minister increased the standard employee bonus from 59 days' pay to 65 days (now 73). A few months later, on the festival of Holi, each employee got 500 rupees as a token of thanks. At the bottom of the pyramid the 300,000 employees who check the tracks and the level crossings were all assigned winter gear such as appropriate shoes and gloves, accessories that they are often too poor to buy on their own. Kumar also ensured that all 100,000 or so of the running staff who would normally cook their food at the station after every shift were now getting a free meal at the canteens.

All the upgrades have cost money. Already 47% of Indian Railways' operating expenses go toward salary, double the global industry standard of 20% to 25%. Kumar waves off criticism. "This is helping create a commitment and loyalty [among the staff] to the railways. This cost [of the training and the perks] is peanuts when you think of the kind of loyalty you are building up."

Physical plant certainly is more than peanuts. IR now finances $1.75 billion in domestic and international bonds, up from $1 billion in 2004.

Will the progress so far continue?

"If you can measure results so quickly, you don't want to measure them," says Anat Lechner, a professor at nyu's Stern School of Business who has worked with IR managers. Change "is not about showing profitability, it's not the right approach; profitability is the Band-Aid." More important, says Lechner, is "shifting the value system in congruence with the new vision."

An international rail consultant familiar with IR and major counterparts agrees. "There is great danger that [this] change will stall and die," he says. "It's possible that the changes that have been made [will] remain, but there are no incentives to come up with new innovations." Old habits and structures die hard, and if the current Indian government falls in elections expected next year, there's no guarantee a Lalu-like overlord will provide political cover for an executive like Kumar, who will leave with Lalu.

Sighs the consultant, "In India people are mortally scared of ministers."

Boosting ties, Japan offers India record loan for railway
22 October 2008
Agence France Presse

Under the agreement signed in Tokyo, Japan will provide an initial 450 billion yen (4.5 billion dollars) in low-interest loans to build the freight railway between New Delhi and Mumbai.

Too bad it's only freight...

Cross posting from Mumbai Railway Discussions: Projects and Updates

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/HTMumbai/Article/2008/11/03/006/03_11_2008_006_004.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

Photos by: - Vivek
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7228/kamayaniok8.jpg

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/2610/pushpak001ji1.jpg

Photos by: - Arzan Kotval

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7204/dsc00500el7.jpg

X-Posting from "India > Infrastructure & Transportation > Railways and Transportation > India - railway pictures only " (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=323680&page=52) by Suncity :cheers:

photos copyright stormcatcher

1
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/7605/shatabdistormcatcherzk4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3788/stormcatchergoodssh2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

3
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4230/stormcatchergoods3xl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

4
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1989/mangalexpressstormcatchkc4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

5
Vivekananda Setu, Kolkata.
photo copyright myself :)

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3/sealdahrajdhanimyselflj4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

More skywalks on the cards
3 November 2008
The Times of India

MUMBAI: City residents might soon be able to walk along skywalks not only at railway stations but also between stations when they want to cross the tracks at some spots.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority(MMRDA) is planning to have skywalks at spots between stations to enable people to cross the railway tracks in a safe manner and move over busy streets, said MMRDA officials.

"This is in addition to the 50 already planned at railway stations in the Mumbai region with an outlay of Rs 600 crore,'' said the officials.

The MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said they are planning to conduct surveys to locate these spots.

"We are planning skywalks between stations as there is a demand from people for safe ways of crossing over from the east to west, this plan is however at a preliminary stage,'' he said. "Seventeen of the skywalks will be built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation(MSRDC), the rest will be constructed by the MMRDA,'' added joint project director, Dilip Kawathkar.

X-Posting from "India > Infrastructure & Transportation > Railways and Transportation > India - railway pictures only "

DEMU crawling in Snowing Kashmir with protection

http://tm.dinakaran.com/15112008/TM_151108_E1_08_03%20SLM.jpg

Pic Courtsey: Dinakaran Daily

Originally posted by kolkatausa @ "India > Infrastructure & Transportation > Railways and Transportation > India - railway pictures only

Science Express at Howrah Railway Station
http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/449914/ScienceExpress_048_large.jpg

http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/449776/ScienceExpress_014_large.jpg

http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/449809/ScienceExpress_020_large.jpg

http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/449845/ScienceExpress_030_large.jpg

http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/449908/ScienceExpress_046_large.jpg
cc:lightstalkers.org

^^ very nice...

is there any HSR project?

^^ very nice...

is there any HSR project?

:ohno: Not Yet Started, Proposals are on papers

here is some details X-Posting from some another Thread :)


Railways to conduct pre-feasibility studies for high speed passenger corridors

Ministry of Railways has decided only to conduct pre-feasibility studies for construction of high speed passenger corridors equipped with state of the art, signalling and train control system for the following five corridors. These are :-

1) Delhi – Chandigarh – Amritsar

2) Pune – Mumbai – Ahmedabad

3) Hyderabad – Dornakal – Vijayawada – Chennai

4) Chennai – Bangalore – Coimbatore – Ernakulam

The proposed section will be having dedicated tracks solely for running trains at speed of 300 to 350 kilometres per hour. As per concept, these trains will have state of art technology, travelling comfort and on board services. Detailed requirement of technology will be assessed during the course of pre-feasibility study.

Till now, global tenders for engaging a consultant for Delhi– Chandigarh – Amritsar and Pune–Ahmedabad have been invited by Ministry of Railways.


NEW DELHI, Sept. 7: In the first step towards running high-speed passenger trains at 300-350 kmph, the ministry of railways has floated a global tender for conducting a pre-feasibility study for constructing two corridors at the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar and Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad sections of Indian Railways. However, experts in the ministry told The Statesman that even if all goes according to plan and there was no change of mind within the political establishment about the ambitious project, the first high-speed train running at 300-350 kmph is unlikely to be launched before 2015.
Ministry officials admitted that it would take some time before India matched China in railway infrastructure development but claimed that when flagged off the proposed high speed passenger train would be far better in looks and performance than China’s first bullet train that began operating between Beijing and the port city of Tianjin, a month ahead of the recent Beijing Olympics. But before that China will have run its own high-speed train at about 350 kmph speed between Beijing and Shanghai in 2012.
The move to float a global tender for appointing consultants for a pre-feasibility study came following the railway minister, Mr Lalu Prasad’s announcement to that effect during his 2007-08 Railway Budget speech. The proposed passenger train corridor, according to ministry officials, would be equipped with state-of-the-art signalling and train control systems.
These trains would cover distances up to 600 km in 2-3 hours. The ministry plans to adopt PPP (private public partnership) for implementing the passenger train corridor project. The stress will be on using high-tech energy efficient and environment friendly systems in the project, the ministry officials said.
Given the high-cost of the passenger train corridor project (estimated to be Rs 60 crore per km), the ministry plans to target only “rich passengers” ready to shell out a ticket price that would be on par with airline fares.
The ministry is also deliberating on ways to making purchase of tickets a smooth affair. Since the travel time is unlikely to be more than 2 to 2.5 hour a passengers could ill afford to wait long to get his or her ticket. All these aspects would be taken into account while selecting consultants for the pre-feasibility study.
After the pre-feasibility study a detailed project report would be prepared. Railway officials said construction work for the project would take at least five years to complete.

...Ministry officials admitted that it would take some time before India matched China in railway infrastructure development but claimed that when flagged off the proposed high speed passenger train would be far better in looks and performance than China’s first bullet train that began operating between Beijing and the port city of Tianjin, a month ahead of the recent Beijing Olympics...

I thought this quote is quite amusing.

High-speed Maglev trains may run in Mumbai
Mumbai, PTI:
The Maharashtra government has proposed six high-speed magnetic levitation (Maglev) train routes for Mumbai.

Millions of Mumbaikars who commute daily in jampacked local trains are set to get relief with Maharashtra government proposing six high-speed magnetic levitation (Maglev) train routes for the city.

The six routes include new proposed airport at Panvel to Khopoli (30 km), to Alibag (60 km), to Santacruz airport (45 km), and Santacruz airport to Nariman Point (18 km), to Goregaon (15 km) and to Kalyan (50 km).

"German company Vossing has already started working on feasibility report of these routes," a senior official from Planning Department said.

Sources said the six routes were suggested by the government considering need for connectivity between the proposed airport at Panvel in Navi Mumbai and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to the island city.

Along with the six routes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with distances ranging from 20 to 50 kms, the second phase proposed is a passenger-cum-freight corridor between Mumbai and Nagpur, via Nanded, a distance of about 900 km.

The corridor was being planned as the Government has undertaken the development of a multi-crore, multi-cargo hub at Nagpur, the official said.

Finance Minister Jayant Patil floated the Maglev plan and the state Cabinet gave clearance to the project last year.

The feasibility study would be completed in February, he said.

In Maglev technology, powerful magnets lift the train 10 mm above the track which is called a guideway. Other magnets power speed and braking.

The electromagnets that power the train consume much lesser energy than an aircraft. These trains run at a speed of 300-350 km/hr.

However, the technology does not come cheap. "Let the company complete the feasibility report. The government can then take a decision over project cost," the official said.

x posting from Indian Railways Thread


Crossing Bhopal Shatabdi while nearing Agra Cantt

video by ankitwap7

kCPKZUFJZcs

Triple KYN Tigerface WAG7 bankers are running light towards Kasara for their next banking assignment. Video taken from Ehgaon Viaduct of Thull Ghat.

Video by Arzan Kotval

h1Uq0TnVR4Y

NZM bound Chennai garib rath at Morena

video by ankitwap7

jaUOVLhtirk

Few More

Patna Rajdhani near Dadri Station

video by amit1407

QaeuUGlxhiE

2570 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Jaynagar Garib Rath via Patna

video by lkoshatwap5

y0oAVc-7ODw

Devgiri Express and Indrayani Express

video by cater91

9dJlYaiEJJE

The Haywards 5000 Soda Intercity Superfast Express :lol: whizzles past Chinchwad station hauled by a KYN WCAM-3 # 21935.

video by cater91

efpfQYM6-WA

The Shatabdi interior

Photo cc cjboulier5 @flickr

Don't know which train.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3054548592_51004f4e62_b.jpg

some pics


Photo cc Syed1976 @flickr

Lucknow Shatabdi with WAP5
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/2711439344_2ba098f509_o.jpg

A tiger-striped, NKJ WAG7 hauling an empty BOXN rake.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3061928802_800d21f215_o.jpg

Kashmir train
An excellent shot of the train in Kashmir in todays TOI

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/7954/getimagedllgc7.jpg

last one for now

pics courtesy Rahulm

http://i34.tinypic.com/mmx5sj.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/1ew5lh.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/5f0ifc.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/21m5e2p.jpg

VERY BEAUTIFUL!! those trains go so fast too!

a small documentary on Indian Railways

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some Shatabdi trains (fastest in India)

From the loco
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from inside the same train as above at 150 kph
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and a reminder to never cross one of them

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The Rajdhani (links the capital with other major cities)

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The garib Rath (Poor Man's Chariot)

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some more x-posts from the Indian railways thread

Darjeeling

pic by Which_Main_Which_Cross
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3773/bywhichmainwhatcrossxj1.jpg

X-posting from "Enchanting Tamilnadu Pictures"
Posted by Into_salem
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8415/pambanah6.jpg

Courtsey: "Dinakaran" 08.12.2008

video: atigupta

LDH WAG7 #27625 moves towards MTJ with LPG rake in tow.Listen to the strange sounds produced by the waggie.
65zx1lpj1YI
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=65zx1lpj1YI&feature=related

LDH WAG7 pulls a container rake towards TKD yard.
hk-qOGqDCkc
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=hk-qOGqDCkc&feature=related

Some of those pictures show truly stunning scenery. You're lucky to have railway lines that go right through it!

i fell in love with the railways when i was a kid when i used to travel from Mumbai to my home town down south. This particular train went through a place called Khandala, which was just awesome. I kept bugging my parents to always take the train just to go through this place...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Railways_to_spend_Rs_30000_crore_on_infrastructure_upgrade/articleshow/3833410.cms


Railways to spend Rs 30,000 crore on infrastructure upgrade


NEW DELHI: Indian Railways on Saturday announced it will invest around Rs 30000 crore ($6.6 billion) to upgrade its infrastructure as well as

boost the economy.

The upgradation plan includes renewal of 2,941 km railway tracks that will require about 339,228 tonnes of steel and renewal of sleeper sheets along 2,382 km of railway lines.

The state-run enterprise said in a statement that the investment would shore up its infrastructural development and upkeep, and also "go a long way in boosting the Indian economy".

The railways, which have manufactured 3,000 coaches this year, an increase of about 12.5 percent over last year, said work was in progress for developing 300 railway stations into model stations.

It is also developing 23 world class stations, for which construction work on four has already started.

The statement added that railways would set up a 1,000-MW thermal power plant as part of a joint venture deal with National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC) at Nabi Nagar, Bihar at a combined cost of about $1.19 billion (Rs.5,352 crore)

The ministry of railways has increased its target of electrification of railway lines to 3,500 km as part of the 11th Five Year plan, it added.

The electrification target for the current year has been increased from 700 km to 1,000 km, while it has set a target of 1,200 km for next year.

To see more Details and Comments, click on the Picture. :cheers:

Longest viaduct between Shindawne & Ambale, Photo By S.Ashwin
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/3509/longestviaductbetweenshhu2.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/fc/Twins_viaduct_small_upload.jpg.html)

Udyan Express, Photo By Ranjeet Ramaswamy Iyer
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/496/udyanexpressol0.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/6529.jpg.html)

Odha Station, Photo By Arzan Kotval
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/8862/odhastationef0.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/odha+station.jpg.html)

Electric Triplets passing through the viaduct on Thull ghats, Photo By Anish Niranjan http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/7143/electrictripletspassinggd8.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/thull_1.jpg.html)

Nizamuddin bound Karnataka Sampark Kranti, Photo By Sachin Buddhisagar
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/4244/nizamuddinboundkarnataktf9.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/killa_001.jpg.html)

Manmad-Pune Express at Talegaon, Photo By Ranjeet Ramaswamy Iyer
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/3013/manmadpuneexpressattalehs9.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/21947.jpg.html)

More Here: IRFCA.ORG (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/openline/)

Photos by Bharat Vohra, More Pics Here: IRFCA.ORG (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Trips/mhow-magic/) :cheers:

a MG DMU ( rare one)
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/7349/mgdmuatraubr3.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Trips/mhow-magic/DMU+at+Rau.jpg.html)

Mhow Station
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6180/mhowstationnorthendne8.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Trips/mhow-magic/Mhow+-+North+End.jpg.html)

Somewhere near Mhow
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/8157/somewherenearmhowcuttinpk4.jpg (http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Trips/mhow-magic/Cutting.jpg.html)

Indian rail revenues hit buffers as economy slows

NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Revenue of the Indian Railways has taken a hit in October because a slowdown in the economy led to a drop in freight income, the country's railways minister said on Thursday.

"The decline in railways freight earnings is attributable to a slackening of market demand for transportation in the present environment of economic downturn," Lalu Prasad, India's railway minister, told Parliament.

Revenue growth of the railways slowed to 6.52 percent in October from 19.31 percent in the same month last year, he added.

In a written reply, he said during October, earnings from freight which constitutes bulk of railway revenue earnings dipped to single digit at 4.91 percent compared to the corresponding month of last year.

In April-October period, Indian Railways' earnings mainly from passenger and goods traffic, however, rose by 15.76 percent year on year, and stood at 445.48 billion rupees.

Industrial output fell 0.4 percent in October from a year earlier, as firms cut production to prevent inventory build-up. Exports have also declined by 12 percent, the first monthly fall in nearly three years on falling overseas demand.

Earnings of railways will be hurt in 2008/09 as economic growth is expected to slow to about 7 percent from 9 percent in previous year.

The railway ministry on Thursday sought parliamentary approval to spend 17 billion rupees over the budgeted 299.39 billion rupees in FY09 for completion of ongoing projects.

The parliament in October had approved 5.27 billion rupees of extra spending, taking the total surplus to 22.27 billion.

To counter the effect of the slowdown on financial health of railways, the ministry has taken a number of steps to boost demand for transportation, said Prasad.

"These include freight discounts of up to 40 percent on short lead cement traffic and distance-based freight concession of up to 50 percent on iron-ore traffic for export," he added.

Seems like some Track repairing works are going on there.

Photo cc Ankit Bharaj @flickr

Mumbai Rajdhani with GZB WAP-5 # 30007 at its helm does a painful 30 kmph through Faridabad.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3127834730_20a9ab1bc2_o.jpg

LDH WAG-5 # 23231 in a livery approaches Faridabad with a BCNA rake in tow.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3127835346_dee51aeb57_o.jpg

As the mist begins to settle at Faridabad, the Ludhiana based WAG-5 is welcomed by a WAG-7 performing shunting duties.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3127007289_683d0c9ec4_o.jpg

Shakurbasti - Ballabgarh EMU hits the brake to stop at Faridabad. (Local Suburban)
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/3127835190_4f66e0213c_o.jpg

Indian Railways to invest approx Rs. 37,500 cr on infrastructure & assets

THE MOVE WILL GIVE FILLIP TO ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN THE COUNTRY

New Delhi : Indian Railways have drawn up plans towards the increased upgradation of rail infrastructure and procurement of new assets of rolling stock during the current financial year with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 37,500 Crore (approx.) to shore up the infrastructural development and upkeep. The move will go a long way in boosting the Indian Economy as also provide strengthened rail infrastructure for carrying yet higher loads.

Over the past few years, Indian Railways has been marching in tune with the requirements of the national economy and it has bettered the targets it set for itself in the process. Indian Railways have emerged as one of the major movers of economy as its plan size in the year 2007-08 has gone upto Rs. 37,500 crore from a plan size of Rs. 10,177 crore in the year 2000-01 and it has shown tremendous financial performance by achieving a cash surplus of Rs. 25,000 crore in 2007-08 as against a meager cash surplus of Rs. 350 crore in 2000-01.
The strategy in current year includes massive track and sleeper renewal activity leading to increased steel consumption, production of more steel bridge girders, more production of passenger, EMU & MEMU Coaches, more production of diesel and electrical locos, more production of wheels & axles, development of model stations and world class stations, installation of modern and upgraded signaling system, increased route electrification and improvement in telecommunication work. While the massive investment by the Indian Railways will strengthen Railways, it will also kick start rapid economic activity and growth in different core sectors of Indian economy.

Indian Railways is also undertaking the construction of dedicated freight corridor, the biggest infrastructural development activity of Indian Railways since independence, towards which an amount of Rs. 400 crore is being spent in 2008-09 and Rs. 3000 crore have been earmarked for 2009-10.

Such massive growth, would in turn, fuel growth in other critical sectors of the economy specially steel and cement. In case of cement the consumption over Indian Railways is likely to increase to 11.41 lakh MT in current financial year as against 5.88 lakh MT in 2000-01 and a total consumption of cement over Indian Railways is likely to be 15.90 lakh MT in current year as compared to 7.75 lakh MT in 2000-01.

Some of the projects under execution are as follows:

• Indian Railways have set a high target of rail renewal over 2941kms which will require 3,39,288 MT of rail steel. The target of sleeper renewal over 2382 kms will require 38.59 lakhs pre-stressed concrete sleepers (approx.).

• A target of renewal of 44.5 lakhs of PSC sleepers has been fixed for open line works. This will require 88200 MT of steel.

• In addition, 5000 MT of steel is likely to be used towards the manufacture of steel channel sleepers to be used in railway bridges during the current financial year.

• During 2008-09, 5294 MT of steel bridge girders have already been produced up to the month of October 2008, and the total production in the financial year is likely to exceed that of 2007-08 i.e. 8615 MT of steel bridge girders.

• It has been decided by Indian Railways to manufacture 3000 coaches this year which is an increase of 12.5 % over the previous year.

• It is planned to acquire 2873 EMUs, 1091 MEMUs, 216 Kolkatta Metro Coaches and 3 - phase propulsion system for 200 motor coaches with an expected outlay of about Rs. 9200 Crore .

• Railway has planned to acquire sufficient number of wagons to meet the requirements of growing freight.

• Production of diesel locomotives and high horse power EMD Design Locomotives would be enhanced at the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. DLW has been able to produce 152 locomotives during the first seven months of the current fiscal as against 137 in the corresponding last year i.e. an increase of 10.9%.

• The production of wheels & axles is being increased by 60% in comparison to the last year which will also help in saving foreign exchange.

• Work is in progress for the development of 300 railway stations into model stations. Besides, Indian Railways have envisaged creation of 23 world class stations of which four are being taken up in first stage.

• Indian Railways are setting up a 1000 MW thermal power plant through a joint venture with NTPC at Nabi Nagar, Bihar with a total cost of Rs. 5352 Crore.

• Indian Railways are also seeking an allocation of a coal block of 300 MT which is proposed to be utilised for setting up a 2000 MW power plant.

• About Rs.300 Crore will be spent during the next three months for commissioning modern electronic signalling systems at about 400 stations, intermediate block signalling in about 200 block sections and 400 route kms of automatic block signalling. Rs.1800 Crore will be spent during the next year (2009-10) for the modernisation/ upgradation of signalling systems.

• Railway electrification target for the XIth Plan has been enhanced to 3500 Kms. Similarly, the electrification target for the current year has been increased from 700 Kms to 1000 Kms.

• The high density network of Indian Railways, including DC-AC conversion in Mumbai, is being strengthened for carry ing heavier trains and the requirement of fund for these works in 2009-10 is Rs.500 crore.

• Acquisition of electric locomotives has been enhanced from to 220 in 2008-09. Process is underway for acquiring 200 electric locomotives from BHEL at an approximate cost of Rs. 5.5 crore each.

• A factory is to be set up at Madhepura for manufacturing 100 electric locomotives per year through JV route. Bid process is presently underway.

• Indian Railways is seeking an outlay of Rs. 2800 crore towards undertaking telecommunication works till 2011-12. These telecommunication works include replacement of more than 10,000 route Kms. of overhead alignment in the optical fiber communication and Quad Cable network, provision of a very high capacity DWDM network, modernise the switching and networking structure and Mobile Train Radio Communication.

Source: Machinist (http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1839&Itemid=2)

x-posting again...

Heritage Train Run between Royapuram & Tambaram
Photo CC: Krupa Ratnam, IRFCA
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/998/wp7200royapuramtambaramno6.jpg

Coming outside Tambaram Sanatorium
Photo CC: Harish Kumar, IRFCA
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7061/wp7200royapuramtambaramhj6.jpg

Towards Tambaram
Photo CC: Harish Kumar, IRFCA
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/815/wp7200royapuramtambaramos3.jpg

@Tambaram
Photo CC: Krupa Ratnam, IRFCA
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3345/wp7200royapuramtambarammz9.jpg

Pune - Nagpur Garib Rath on its inagural run (2009-01-19), rolls on more than century old Arch Bridge
Photo CC: Hrishikesh Moghe, IRFCA
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6880/punenagpurgaribrath2ib4.jpg

Decorated Pune - Nagpur Garib Rath
Photo CC: Lalam, IRFCA
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2307/punenagpurgaribrathhz1.jpg

Indore - Howrah Express @ Howrah
Photo CC: Harish Kumar, IRFCA
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5184/howrahwam421384indorehwwf9.jpg

Ernakulam Jn
Photo CC: Jimmy Jose, IRFCA
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9610/ernakulamjnnb6.jpg

DBRT Rajadhani
Photo CC: Harish Kumar, IRFCA
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8752/dbrtrajadhanidh8.jpg

Virar bound Memu @ South Vaitarna bridge
Photo CC: Arzan Kotval, IRFCA
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3118/southvaitarnabridgevirarm2.jpg

:banana:

photo copyright Shivam

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2790/goadudhsagarshivamro6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Scenic

Koyna Express
video by harshu6991

6pSqDR1-pSg

Udyan Express
video by sameer7876

M8HKe8EFLxQ

Hindupur-Yeshwanthpur passenger
video by sameer7876

a4FAE-fsEyQ

Koderma Gaya stretch
video by avinashvatsayan

BtSiVLkpjVg

Koderma Gaya stretch
video by ritadhishankar

V_qtdtzGUFg


Coalfield Express and Shaheed Express
video by ritadhishankar

fDK9f94EFig

Vizag-Secunderabad[Janmabhoomi Intercity Exp]
By Sameer7678

tJShYZskqkM

FOCUS-India rail budget cheers wagon makers; operaters cold

MUMBAI, Feb 13 (Reuters) - India's 2009/10 interim railway budget proposals announced on Friday cheered wagon makers, as it signalled more orders, but left private rail operators cold.

The budget, ahead of the general elections expected by May, proposed tariff cuts and more wagons for passengers, but did not herald any incentives for cargo handling.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav proposed an investment of 2.3 trillion rupees in the five years till 2012, introducing higher capacity wagons and said a feasiblity study for high speed "bullet trains" has been launched.

"I'm very bullish about the metro bullet trains. We are already in the metro segments so we will be able to play a major role in that," R.S. Natarajan, chairman of metro railcar and coaches maker BEML , said.

Construction work on the eastern corridor started on Feb. 10 and work on the western line will begin this month, Yadav said in his speech, spurring hopes of more wagon demand in the near term.

The ministry had set up a special purpose vehicle in October 2006 to construct a dedicated freight corridor to carry cargo, effectively separating passenger and freight loads.

"The freight corridor they've announced will boost demand for the new technology wagons. The total number of these wagons is likely to go up further," said Ashok Vijay, senior vice president of Texmaco Ltd .

Yadav said 43 new trains will be run this year.

Texmaco, India's biggest private wagon manufacturer, which secured orders for 3,000 wagons in 2008/09, expects orders for another 4,500-5,000 wagons in FY10, Vijay said.

Shares in wagon makers, which had opened strong, rose between 5 and 13 percent during the speech on hopes government incentives will boost the firms' growth.

COLD HAUL

The budget disappointed rail operators, who expected some concessions on freight charges. They were hoping for a reduction in haulage charges, especially for empty containers and better facilities on the rail stretch.

"I dont see anything on the freight front. With regards to freight haulage charges there seems to be no changes done," said Chairman Ajay Mittal, Arshiya International Ltd .

The company has ordered 20 rakes from Titagarh Wagons.

Freight in India is estimated to rise 6.59 percent to 910 million tonnes in 2009/10 despite a slowing economy. The load has been rising an average 8 percent a year over the last five years.

India's economy is expected to expand at 7.1 percent in fiscal 2008/09, the slowest pace in six years and below the previous year's 9 percent.

"Being an interim budget, he couldn't have made any projections. He didn't come up with any PPP (public-private partnership) initiatives," said Umesh Chowdhury, managing director of Titagarh Wagons Ltd , which has an order book of 8 billion rupees.

Pics by Nashcode

Tidal park signal
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8868/tidalparksignal2.jpg

3 MRTS stations at a go. (Sadly the SR havenot completed many stations)
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5958/3mrtsstation.jpg

Udhampur Station

Pic by Rajendra Saxena - IRFCA
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5857/udhampur.jpg

Pic by Bharath Moro - IRFCA
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/4662/udhampur2.jpg

Pic by Shashanka Nanda - IRFCA
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4974/udhampur3.jpg

What is an electric engine doing at Udhampur in the last picture above, with its pans down right behind the diesel engine?

What is an electric engine doing at Udhampur in the last picture above, with its pans down right behind the diesel engine?

Tha Electric engine will be pulling the train after the Diesel Engine is detached on the electrified section.

:) The Capital City of Kerala, "God's Own Country"
TRIVANDRUM CENTRAL

Photo courtesy: prasoonvk, flickr

http://i39.tinypic.com/14ch8nt.jpg

Sorry, I didn't find any thread for "Chennai MRTS" @ Subways and Urban Transport, So posting here.

Thiruvanmiyur - EMU bound for Velacherry
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8098/dsc03341w.jpg
Copyright to respective owner.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8159/2836384328b3ecf06c37o.jpg

Pics Courtsey: A Premkumar, IRFCA
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/9665/velacheryboundemusomewh.jpg

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/4788/chennaibeachmsbboundemu.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9637/dsc00724tmh.jpg

Pics Courtsey: Sagar, IRFCA
One more level crossing:. A great Escape there...
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8889/darjeelinghimalayanrail.jpg

Racing with Train??
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8889/darjeelinghimalayanrail.jpg

Wagon makers demand infra push, more trains

MUMBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - India's wagon makers have demanded speedy execution of rail infrastructure projects, clearing pending proposals for private participation and more passenger trains in the upcoming budget.

India's rail budget, which allocates funds and announces reforms for the sector, is to be announced on July 3 by Mamata Banerjee, the newly-appointed rail minister.

"The Indian Railways need to ensure an increased contribution of the rail sector towards infrastructure creation and enhancing the growth pace of the Indian economy," the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said.

The railway's outdated technology, poor condition of its stations and increased competition from roads are some of the impediments blocking the growth pace of the Indian economy, ASSOCHAM said in a budget recommendation in June.

India's economy grew 6.7 percent in 2008/09, its weakest in six years, well below 9 percent rates of the last three years.

The world's second-fastest growing major economy is on a drive to improve its creaky infrastructure and boost rail connectivity between industrial hubs and major ports.

With a 63,327-kilometre long network, the railways forms an integral part of Indian life, transporting over 18 million passengers and over 2 million tonnes of freight daily.

While work on the west and the east dedicated freight corridors, spanning about 2,800 kilometres, has started, company officials said there is scope for a southern passage too.

"The railways now should look at the south, south-east and south-west corridors. There is huge cargo available, which is moving by road, which the railways must target," AK Vijay, vice president, commercial, Texmaco Ltd , said.

Currently, roads carry about two-thirds of the country's total cargo, while rail carries just a third, Vijay said, adding, "This total lopsiding in freight movement has to be corrected."

SECTOR DEMANDS

Wagon makers such as Titagarh Wagons , BEML and unlisted firm Jessop expect a boost in spending on long-distance, faster passenger trains and new metro rails at India's growing cities, to help gain orders.

They also demanded orders from the railways to be placed up to two years in advance to help planning for long-term production and to ensure timely deliveries of wagons. Currently, the railways places orders annually.

Rail operators, on the other hand, want stability in haulage charges to enable long-term contracts and reduce turnaround time, officials said.

"Frequent changes (in rates) cause problems for us. It's not possible to pass on all the charge (to users)," Sachin Bhanushali, president of Gateway Rail Freight Ltd, a unit of Gateway Distriparks , said.

Arshiya International and Sical Logistics Ltd also have licences to run container trains in a market dominated by state-run Container Corp of India.

Non-stop trains can derail airlines' growth
5 July 2009
The Times of India

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's ambitious proposal to run non-stop trains between big metros could prove to be the biggest challenge to low-cost carriers (LCCs), when the proposal becomes a reality. For almost a year now, airlines, including LCCs, have been hiking fares. While higher fares have seen a sharp erosion in number of fliers, airlines still bet on two facts to survive - train journeys take much longer and getting confirm tickets is difficult.

"Thankfully, she did not lower fares and add to our problems of traffic drop leading to fall in yields. But as and when - and most importantly if - the concept of economical non-stop trains does become a reality, we will face even tougher times," said an official at a LCC.

The success of LCC's in initial stage came from the fact that their fares were comparable to Rajdhani AC III and lower than AC II levels. This led to a sudden shift of that voluminous segment to LCCs. "Those fares were unsustainable and LCCs that insisted on retaining them folded up. When fares started to rise, people started going back to trains and we have been registered negative growth for many months now," said an airline chief executive officer.

Despite higher fares, LCCs get traffic simply because the journey time offered by planes can't be matched by trains. Now Mamata is targeting the sectors where Rajdhanis and Shatabdis were anyway offering tough competition - in fare - to airlines.

In her Budget, she spoke of launching nonstop trains from Delhi to places like Jammu, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Allahabad, Bhubaneswar an Ernakulam. The 'Duronto' nonstop service are proposed to have both AC and non-AC classes and run once to thrice a week. "That service will take some years to come, if it comes all. Our big worry right now is to survive till that time," said a senior AI official.

the all new Kolkata Terminalhttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/3426437646_673a44b99c_b.jpg
cc:anshu si

Howrah Station, Kolkatahttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3642717399_c68bb6d8d9_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3643528642_b90b3ffba6_o.jpg

Howrah Station, Kolkata
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3577566168_4f95751f17_b.jpg
cc:chanchal47

More details can be had here....The Golden Chariot (http://www.thegoldenchariot.co.in/the_train.php)

http://www.thegoldenchariot.co.in/images/logo.jpg

Here are the interiors of the luxury train......from the website...:)

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8282/tgc002.jpg

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3537/tgc001.jpg

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2413/tgc013.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6665/tgc003.jpg

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/2474/tgc004.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7155/tgc005.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/710/tgc007.jpg

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3485/tgc006.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1961/tgc009.jpg

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3868/tgc010.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/903/tgc012.jpg

For Tour Details (http://www.thegoldenchariot.co.in/journey.php)

Tariff Details (http://www.thegoldenchariot.co.in/tariff.php)

Mysore railway station
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4381/dsc02676e.jpg
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8252/mysorestationpramath.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Pramath (irfca)

WDP4_hauled Shatabdi towards Mysore
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1154/wdp4hauled20071shatabdi.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Pawan Koppa (irfca)

Guwahatti Rajadhani ascends a grade near the Kamakhya station
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3840/guwahattirajadhaniascen.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Harsh Dinesh (irfca)

heres on near Patna, Bihar
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/3528316457_88a2b07919_b.jpg
cc:aksveer

Choo choo at the Howrah Rail Museum
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/422862924_088e580945_o.jpg
cc:diptman

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1136/1089420513_cfcf50d452_b.jpg
cc:rahul 460

Kasara Ghat Bridge, Maharashtra.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7444/kasaraghatbridge.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Arvind Prasad (irfca)

Tapti River Bridge, (Bhusawal-Maharashtra)
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1967/2472swarajexpressonthet.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Abhijit (irfca)

Ulhas River Brige, Maharashtra.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5186/gmowag727224atulhasrive.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Arzan Kotval (irfca)

Rajgir bound Shramjeevi Express passes under the DMRC's under-construction Yamuna Bank - Vaishali line
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5553/wdp4b20075haulingrajgir.jpg
Pic Courtsey: Ankit Bharaj

^^ Grt work man. Keep it up!

Very nice pics, thanx! :)

Nice pics, one thing thats strikes me is that old colonial style railway station, its refreshing to see that they havent gone for that flashy glass and flat tv screen look most of us are doing now. Its what a nice hill station should look like and it evokes a feeling of happiness and old country that we seem to have lost. good going on the pictures, we used to live in this town called Nagrota, and we used to drive up to Udhampur on the weekends (1983) nice to see theres a train that goes there now.

^^ very nice...

is there any HSR project?

I hope so, but I also hope that all new development keeps in mind India's indigenous peoples and there needs as well, Im so impressed to see that trains in India still look like trains and not space ships, albeit there still is scope for alot of improvement, trains in India still evoke the past with there sounds and rocking at night, a trip on an Indian train is almost never forgotten.

An interesting documentry on Indian Railways, yes it's a little twee, but it gives an impression of what they are like!

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i saw this, this is like 20 years old though, I saw it on pbs in America.

India not to impose service tax on goods sent by rail

NEW DELHI, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Indian government has withdrawn a proposal to impose service tax on goods transported by rail, a government official said on Tuesday.

"Government has decided to exempt transport of goods in containers by rail from service tax, scheduled from Sept 1," Hemambika R. Priya, spokeswoman for Central Board of Excise and Customs, told Reuters.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had proposed to impose 10.3 percent service tax on transport of goods by rail in the federal budget.

Lovely pics, I'm hoping in my lifetime I get to see India have true High Speed Rail, there is enormous potential for it to flourish.

Hello Everybody, I am a train fanatic and on my recent trip to India which was this Februrary of 2010, I shot these videos of trains and I put them on youtube, if anyone is interested you can check them out, here are some of the links.

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/7/r6p0EhGamWs

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/6/992Sqazl2xg

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/5/Kv2swu_1aBM

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/4/c2ulfRWNccw

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/3/ARNrwbdGo78

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/2/XaKIzlKupHw

http://208.117.236.69/user/SOLANKI78#p/u/0/bZxjVsuqxlM

I hope you like these videos.

Hi all,

Since I could find no thread on Indian Railways, I decided it was time to add one.

16th April, 1853...............The Beginning

The first railway on Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane.

The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.

The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm "amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns."
The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station destined for Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15th August, 1854. Thus the first section of the East Indian Railway was opened to public traffic, inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of the sub-continent.

In south the first line was opened on Ist July, 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Veyasarpandy and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles. In the North a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3rd March 1859. The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October, 1875.

These were the small beginnings which is due course developed into a network of railway lines all over the country. By 1880 the Indian Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/images/main_header_big3_white2.jpg


LOGO:

http://www.seeklogo.com/images/I/Indian_Railway-logo-D33F1889EB-seeklogo.com.gif

Trains between stations :

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/between_Imp_Stations.html

Railway Map :

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/images/rail-map.jpg


Introduction :

Part I :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoPmVEXoAEc&feature=related

Part II :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zf54Xb67bk&feature=related

Part III :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg2iokXTzNE&feature=related

Part IV :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na4xVaDThFM&feature=related

Part V :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8lNgw51MsI&feature=related

http://social.bioware.com/brc/933397

http://www.delhicapital.com/images/metro-map-phase2.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_zene3_l54&feature=related

Palace on Wheels


http://www.palaceonwheels.net/new/the_train.htm

Railway Tourism :

http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/tag/PDF/RailwayTourism.pdf (13.13 MB)

When you travel in Indian Railways, you may face a lot of problems. Many of these problems are created by the passengers. You will see that most of the trains are dirty. Toilets are horrible. Food supplied is not hygienic. Your suggestions in detail to improve the services of Indian Railways may please be posted here. Data thus collected here can be forwarded to the Railway authorities time to time.

There's a very active Railways and Transportation (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1251) section in the Indian forum (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=450).

....

"Black beauties" fire up India's railway tourism

NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The pounding of pistons, the rhythmic chuff of a locomotive and storybook names such as "Fairy Queen" are all part of the allure of India's old-fashioned steam railways, which once tied together this vast nation.

Now, heritage train aficionados are turning their passion towards the foreign tourist market, hoping for even more attention -- and preservation -- for the "Iron Ladies" they love.

"Steam heritage tourism is a potential tourism sector for the country," said Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi, Indian Railways.

"The presence of raw fire that fires raw power in the belly of steam locomotives attracts tourists, and the unique sound, the rocking gait, the shrill whistle, the throbbing body and an open design... are features that impart an irresistible charm to these black beauties," he added.

Lohani, once director of India's National Rail Museum and who piloted the historic run of the Fairy Queen, an 1855 steam locomotive recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest working locomotive, is hardly alone in his passion.

There are several fan clubs on social networking websites, as well as magazines and blogs about travel to unusual places.

Others pour their hearts into fashioning model trains or dreaming about doing so. A museum dedicated to train miniatures in the western city of Pune has over 400 working model trains which draw more than 500 people every week.

"There are people who come to purchase these models and stock them in their drawing rooms and there are those who just admire them but can't afford to buy them because of their price, which vary from $100 to $300," said Ravi Joshi, who runs the museum.

Now, with a growing number of foreign visitors coming for vacations and even weddings in India, tour operators are hoping to cash in on increasingly broad interest.

TOURISM STEAMING AHEAD

"There was a time when foreign travellers will be interested to travel only by luxury tourist trains of India such as Palace on Wheels," said Ashok Sharma at travel firm Real India Journeys.

"Now there are hard-line steam railway travellers and photographers who come in huge groups every week. We refer to them as 'narrow-gauged' or 'single-tracked.'"

Some 80 foreign tourists rode the Fairy Queen during its last season of roughly 12 to 14 runs, while more than 1,200 visited the National Rail Museum from October to December last year.

Yet despite growing interest, train enthusiasts feel efforts towards preservation have been few and far between after a noticeable decline in the number of steam trains two decades ago.

"Many countries, especially the UK, retained a sizable number of steam locomotives, primarily for the twin causes of heritage and tourism. India also could have retained more of steam than what it has," said Lohani from Indian Railways.

Looking to the future, the Indian Steam Railway Society, established in 1999, has earmarked 53 routes for steam heritage train journeys in India. Many of the journeys include scenic train routes such as Darjeeling, Niligiri and India's erstwhile hill capital of Shimla, all likely to be popular with tourists.

Enthusiasts notched one victory last year when the sprawling Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed, India's only remaining locomotive shed, was transformed into a tourist spot with attractions that include nine working locomotives.

Fans, of course, are thrilled.

"We were surprised when an engineer in the shed came to us and said, 'let me fire up a steam loco for you guys.' The placard on the train said 'Rewari Queen"" said Parthajit Dasgupta, a wildlife photographer.

"There was a feeling of awe that rocked me as I watched the Iron Lady take her mighty steps."

Any High Speed Rail being planned in India?

Train is a big business in India

WIKI

Proposal to introduce 250-350 km/h trains in India

The Indian Ministry of Railways' white-paper Vision 2020[1] submitted to Indian Parliament by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 18, 2009[2] envisages the implementation of regional high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h, and planning for corridors connecting commercial, tourist and pilgrimage hubs. Six corridors have already been identified for technical studies on setting up of high-speed rail corridors: Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai, Howrah-Haldia, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna. These high-speed rail corridors will be built as elevated corridors in keeping with the pattern of habitation and the constraint of land.
During Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tokyo in December 2006, Japan assured cooperation with India in creating a high speed link between New Delhi and Mumbai.[3] In January 2009, the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad expressed keen interest in introducing bullet-trains in India. "The day is not far off when the bullet train will run in the country" Prasad said after getting a first-hand feel of the superfast trains traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto at a speed of about 300 km/h.[4] On a visit to India in December 2009, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama offered bullet-train technology to India. "Since its inception (in Japan), there has been no accidents. We will like to see this technology being used in India”, said Hatoyama. The proposal is under discussion, according to official sources.[5]
Not everyone in India is equally keen on introducing high-speed rail as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad. On 18 February 2008, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yeddyurappa, described a "Bullet train 'as not in the state’s best interest'". He also said that his government will participate in the project only if the Chennai-Bangalore High Speed Rail Link is extended to Mumbai via Hubli, with an additional link to Mysore, both being single tracks on the normal broad gauge track. He also stated that "Such projects will help only the people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala come to Bangalore and not the people of Karnataka. If our suggestions are not taken into consideration, it would be difficult for Karnataka to support the projects envisaged by the Railways."[6]
Two new routes were later proposed by Indian Railways, namely Ahmedabad - Dwarka, via Rajkot, Jamnagar and other from Rajkot to Veraval via Junagadh[7]

Any High Speed Rail being planned in India?

Train is a big business in India

around 6 corridors are planned but all are in a nascent stage.

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New German coaches for TVC Rajdhani Express

ERS WDM3A 18555 carefully carries 16701 Chennai Egmore-Rameshwaram express on the mother of all bridges - Pamban. Speed limit 15 KM/HR.

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Hold Your Breath...!!!

Why the hell did they even build such a precarious bridge in the first place...

I would pay EXTRA money to ride in a train over a bridge like that. Especially if I could stand in an open doorway. :D

*described as semi-high speed rail:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-14/ahmedabad/29772688_1_feasibility-study-vadodara-kmph

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/vadodaramumbai-in-3-hours-flat-japanese-arrive-for-study/817335/

Chenab Railway Bridge construction Animation - CADMEC

Chenab Railway Bridge construction Animation - CADMEC


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cross posting from SSC I

some pics of IR

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5957524621_31e8b693dd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957524621/)
WDM3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957524621/) by VinTN (http://www.flickr.com/people/35164268@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/5957525261_f4e86b5b7f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957525261/)
WAP4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957525261/) by VinTN (http://www.flickr.com/people/35164268@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/5957525879_fafbe640b7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957525879/)
EMU (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35164268@N02/5957525879/) by VinTN (http://www.flickr.com/people/35164268@N02/), on Flickr

cross posting from SSC I

Indian Railways, abbreviated as IR, is thecentral government-owned railway company of India, which owns and operates most of the country's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India.
Indian Railways has more than 64,215 kms (39,901 mi) of track and 7,083 stations. It has the world's fourth largest railway network after those of the United States, Russia and China. The railways traverse the length and breadth of the country and carry over 30 million passengers and 2.8 million tons of freight daily.

Rajdhani trains to have Super AC coaches

http://im.rediff.com/money/2011/jul/29rajdhani1.jpg

Spacious and technologically advanced Super AC coaches for Rajdhani trains are on the anvil with the Rae Bareli coach factory being asked to undertake the new project.
"The conceptual design for the Super AC coach with just 44 berths is being finalised and instructions have been issued to the Rae Bareli coach factory for manufacturing a prototype," a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project said.
At present, the second AC coaches in Rajdhani trains have 55 berths, while there are 72 in third AC coaches.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/15sld6.jpg
Though the fare structure for the Super AC coaches is yet to be finalised, it is expected to be higher than the current second AC rates but less than first AC.
The railway coach factory in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh has been deemed the task of manufacturing 25 Super AC coaches for Rajdhani trains in the first phase.
"The unique feature of the new coach being designed in Rae Bareli is that it will be more spacious than the existing ones in Rajdhani trains. Later, we may consider it for other mail and express trains," the official said.

http://im.rediff.com/money/2011/jul/29rajdhani2.jpg
Proposed in the Rail Budget, the new Super AC coach with 44 berths will have wider windows and more leg space, particularly for side berth passengers.
"It is aimed at providing high-end service to passengers with better ambiance, more amenities and will also be equipped with a small pantry car," he said.
The lightweight Super AC coaches will be made of stainless steel and will have all safety features.
Besides the proposed Super AC coach, Rae Bareli factory is currently manufacturing new-generation Linke Holfmann Bush coaches.

http://im.rediff.com/money/2011/jul/29rajdhani3.jpg
"Six LHB coaches are ready to roll out from the factory," the official said.
The factory, which was inaugurated by Rae Bareli MP and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in 2009, is expected to cater to Railways' increasing demand for coaches by rolling out about 1,000 units every year.
"Our target is to manufacture 1,000 LHB coaches every year. In the first two years, we would produce 60 coaches a year as per the first phase production target," the official said.

http://im.rediff.com/money/2011/jul/29rajdhani5.jpg
"The coach factory spread over 1,500 acres of land is entirely eco-friendly and we have adhered to highest standard of pollution safety norms," the official said, adding that the
first phase 'always takes time as it involves acquiring land, procuring machinery and finalising contracts'.
Currently, the Railways requires about 4,000 coaches every year with the launch of nearly 100 new trains.
The annual requirement, however, is likely to go up to 6,000 coaches, according to a vision document.

http://im.rediff.com/money/2011/jul/29rajdhani6.jpg
While the Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala produces 1,600 coaches, the output at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai is 1,500 a year. Railways procures 450 coaches from Bharat Earth Movers Limited.
The Railways have also finalised plans to set up coach factories at Kanchrapara, Haldia and Palghat.
"The manufacturing of coaches at Rae Bareli factory is crucial for Railways as we depend upon it to meet our growing requirement," the official said.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/15sld1.jpg
Now the conventional coaches in trains will gradually be replaced by high quality stainless steel-bodied high-speed coaches (LHB coaches), as in the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains at present.
These coaches have higher carrying capacity and passenger comfort and are safer in operations with features like the more efficient disc brakes and centre buffer couplers with superior anti-climbing features.
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/15sld5.jpg

Apart from resistance to corrosion to give longer life, the official said, these coaches have modular fittings, microprocessor controlled air-conditioning, environment-friendly controlled discharge toilet systems.
"The riding of these coaches is much better and they have sound and thermal insulation, public address system, panoramic windows, toilet occupancy indicators and rounded berths," the official said.


Source
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-rajdhani-trains-to-have-super-ac-coaches/20110729.htm
cross posting from SSC I

Why do so many locomotives have those fences over the front-windows? Isn't that annoying for the driver? Is it because there are large wild birds which may damage the windows at high speeds?

Why do so many locomotives have those fences over the front-windows? Isn't that annoying for the driver? Is it because there are large wild birds which may damage the windows at high speeds?

I don't think those trains will travel at a speed high enough to sustain damage from birds. The grill over the windows is most likely to protect it from rocks thrown by kids.

Good to see there are some newer coaches on indian railways, those older ones break like cardboard, even though they weigh more than 50 tonnes

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Source : http://www.youtube.com/user/karthikabbilash

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...

Meter gauge trains in action. All the lines shown in this video were converted to Broad Gauge in the last 10 years.
Source : http://www.youtube.com/user/vb642

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Written EIR 21
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_locomotive_class_WAP-5

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_locomotive_class_WAP-7

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X-post from India section

Braganza Ghats,Castle Rock,Karnataka!!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5084/5323412712_bca67e0d71_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5162/5228258729_c7ea6a4453_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayasankar_madhavadas/

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/dudhsagar/Interesting


Dhudhsagar falls,castle rock Karnataka

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/5964167666_0f883ab4a4_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/natarajanydm-4/5964167666/sizes/l/in/photostream/



Braganza Ghats,Castle Rock,Karnataka!!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/6011008934_0b7762bab7_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayasankar_madhavadas/

^^ Those are some impressive photos, thank you for sharing! I don't think I've seen a train line with such a spectacular waterfall so close to it before!

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Man this videos are awesome ! Thanks for sharing.

Man this videos are awesome ! Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome!
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The Indian railways is a state owned entity have the fifth largest and busiest network in the world in terms of track length and at 1.4 million employees is the worlds largest commercial employer. So, real strength lies in our Indian Railway.

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Thanks all for sharing these information...

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BTW, what type of couplings are dominant for passenger/freight services in India?

BTW, what type of couplings are dominant for passenger/freight services in India?
Information about coupling in IR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_%28railway%29_by_country#India
http://www.irfca.org/~mrinal/alstomcoaches.html
http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-stock2.html#coupler

The IRFCA website is not Indian Railway's official one but has lot of info.

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Tank train :banana:

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I always see that barrier beside the platform tracks at stations. What are they for? Are they intended to discourage people from crossing the tracks or are they water pipes to replenish the water supply in coach toilets?

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I always see that barrier beside the platform tracks at stations. What are they for? Are they intended to discourage people from crossing the tracks or are they water pipes to replenish the water supply in coach toilets?
Water pipes.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2642902.ece?homepage=true


http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00841/train_new_841389f.jpg

They were passengers on the inaugural run of the Vivek Express, a new weekly train that now boasts the longest rail route in the country – 4,286 km all the way from Dibrugarh in upper Assam, to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, that will be covered in 82.30 hours.

This train left in the morning, but the regular weekly service, which will begin on November 26, will leave at 11.45 p.m. every Saturday, reaching its destination at 10.25 a.m. on Wednesday.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2642902.ece?homepage=true

I'd like to experience this train from DBRG to CAPE.

I'd like to experience this train from DBRG to CAPE.
Super! Please do take lot of pics!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallavan_Express

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEMU

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Bhuvaneshwar - Chennai Express
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24 coaches!
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this is the 2nd biggest system in the world isn it?

^^ Fourth largest after US, Russia and China

Great Video

Great Video
Thanks!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duronto_Express

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With all the industrial output India has, why isn´t it evolving with new designs in coaches and locos?

With all the industrial output India has, why isn´t it evolving with new designs in coaches and locos?

Almost all of the coaches and locomotives are sourced from govt run enterprises which are as inefficient and bureaucratic as it gets.

Well India has a lot of funds, they sure can purchase from established Western railway suppliers. The Indian armed forces can afford, and have acquired some of the world's most advanced weapons through foreign military sales.

In India there are best places to travel. and Railway and taxi services are the best.

With all the industrial output India has, why isn´t it evolving with new designs in coaches and locos?
Simple. That will somehow result in fare hike which most here are allergic to no matter how much they earn. Here is the latest example,

Bus fares in Chennai, one of the major industrial center, was increased after ten years,

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Chennai-bus-fares-hiked-after-10-years-disgruntled-commuters-hope-services-will-improve/articleshow/10776554.cms

CHENNAI: After a 10-year slumber, the state government has finally realised that increasing bus fares to improve services is actually not a bad idea. Tamil Nadu chief minister on Thursday announced that the minimum fare would go up from 2 to 3 and that the maximum would go up from 12 to 14. The bus fares were last revised in 2001.

Commuters are not happy, understandably , with the increase in tariff, but they want the service quality to go up with the ticket rates. So hope officials of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Metropolitan-Transport-Corporation).

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa had enough to justify the hike. "In 2001, the diesel price was 18.26 and now it costs 43.95. The cost of tyres and other parts have also increased leading to massive to loss for transport corporations across the state," she said. The transport corporations have incurred a loss of 6,150 crore till March 2011, of which MTC's loss is 216 crore. MTC, with a fleet of 3,421 buses, caters to around 56 lakh passengers every day. Yet it faces a monthly loss of 18 crore.

"We are not yet sure how much the hike will help us make good the loss but we are sure we can improve our services considerably," said a senior MTC official. "We may think of adding more buses to the fleet."Here is how Chennaites reacted
http://expressbuzz.com/biography/after-hike-mtc%E2%80%99s-loss-is-railways%E2%80%99-gain!/335971.html (http://expressbuzz.com/biography/after-hike-mtc%E2%80%99s-loss-is-railways%E2%80%99-gain%21/335971.html)

CHENNAI: The state government’s move to hike bus fares has helped the railways fill its coffers. A number of Chennai’s commuters have shown a marked preference for trains over buses, thanks to the huge difference in ticket fares between the two modes of transportation.
Suburban Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) and Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services are recording a substantial increase in patronage. Several railway stations in Chennai and its peripheries are reportedly experiencing double the amount of usual passenger traffic, sources said. According to railway statistics, the number of commuters using EMU trains shot up by 56.93 per cent, after the bus fare revisions came into effect last Friday. A comparison between the annual average earnings per day through 2010-11 and the amount earned on November 21 (Monday) in 127 suburban stations falling under the Chennai Division of Southern Railways shows a 32 per cent increase in earnings. This is also reflected in the fact that ticket sales are up by 27.5 per cent, a senior railway official told City Express.Along the Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu line, some stations such as Singaperumalkoil, Guduvancherry, Vandalur, Tambaram Sanatorium, Park Town, Fort and even Chengalpattu itself have seen double the number of passengers they would normally have received. On the MRTS line, the Mandaveli station has also seen a surge in commuters, while the Pattabiram Military Siding in the Chennai Central - Tiruvallur section has seen a sharp spike in passenger traffic.“The train fare between Avadi and Moore Market Complex is `7. But with this money, I can travel only to the next bus stop from Avadi in an MTC bus after the hike,” said T Ravi Kumar, President, All India Train and Bus Passengers Association. Even though trains provide excellent connectivity to places 100km from city center they are actually larger version of those ran in 1930s. Identical to them except for size...

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WAP-7 the most advanced IR electric loco pulls Kolkatta Rajdhani's LHB rakes.

^^ Good speed!!!
I mean in a creative way of thinking, when will you replace old for new ones? At that moment I would like to see the outcome of I+D plus good indian design, always considering that you are part of BRIC...

^^ Good speed!!!
I mean in a creative way of thinking, when will you replace old for new ones? At that moment I would like to see the outcome of I+D plus good indian design, always considering that you are part of BRIC...
Slowly... The above WAP-7 loco is based on ABB's Lok 2000 and the coaches are German. These combinations are found in trains like Rajdhani(connects Delhi with other state capitals) and Satabthi Express whose old rakes are still used by other trains like Duronto.

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The loco is GE designed one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WDP-4

Thanks, nice watching it!!!

^^:cheers:
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Slowly... The above WAP-7 loco is based on ABB's Lok 2000 and the coaches are German. These combinations are found in trains like Rajdhani(connects Delhi with other state capitals) and Satabthi Express whose old rakes are still used by other trains like Duronto.

The loco is GE designed one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WDP-4

That's a nice looking train, far from the image of rusty open cars with people hanging from them which is engraved in foreigners' mind. However I'm wondering why do they still leave the door open, or open them before the train stops. I assume that's an air conditioned train so ventilation isn't an issue. Also they can place markings on the platform so people will know where their carriages will be and line up from there, that'll prevent them from running around chasing the train. It'll make Indian railway look far more professional and organized if these measures are implemented.

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Nice videos of the powerful beasts..I can keep watching these locos for hours. Thanks for posting.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o504/vijaymarathe/marathonmumbai070.jpg

Does India railway operate any regular long haul double stack container trains like the ones operated in the US and China?

Does India railway operate any regular long haul double stack container trains like the ones operated in the US and China?

Internet search is your friend:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article2211281.ece

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I'm aware of the double stack trains at Mundra port, especially since it's one of the few trains allowing double stacking standard height containers. But the question is whether India railway has any regularly scheduled, long distance service of double stacking container trains.

I've got a question that maybe a local can answer:

On many pictures and videos of long distance indian trains I noticed that the consist usually has a special, louvered van at each end. A bit of perusal of the web informs me that these are generator cars that provide head-end power.
What is the reasoning behind Indian Railways' practice of providing head-end power from separate generator cars, and not from the locomotive?
Especially on electrified lines this would appear to be inefficient.

I've got a question that maybe a local can answer:

On many pictures and videos of long distance indian trains I noticed that the consist usually has a special, louvered van at each end. A bit of perusal of the web informs me that these are generator cars that provide head-end power.
What is the reasoning behind Indian Railways' practice of providing head-end power from separate generator cars, and not from the locomotive?
Especially on electrified lines this would appear to be inefficient.

The practice is not only found in India, but Japan as well. Power requirements for airconditioning and the like is extremely demanding, it is better to have separate generators rather than draw it from the locomotive, which would reduce the amount available for traction. This is especially true for diesel locomotives, of course. Often these trains run on both electrified and non-electrified lines, so it better to have a generator car attached. JNR once tried a generator car equipped with pantographs to draw power from the catenary, but the additional weight of the electrical equipment made the car too heavy, as it already had diesel generators for operations in non-electrified territory.

Hi.:)
I traveled India in last January. I visited Mumbai, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad,
Delhi, Khajurajo and Agra by Trains.
At that time, I noticed that there are many variations of front-design on
EMU and MEMU fleets. Yes, full of varieties!
I took pictures of them all every time I found, and I'd like to share them.

the Mumbai EMUs;
With the full-sized indicator on the middle place and two tail lights.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_1.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_1.JPG
With the full-sized indicator on the middle, and single tail light.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_2.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_2.JPG
With the full-sized indicator on the lower place.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_3.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_3.JPG
With the full-sized indicator on the upper place.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_4.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_4.JPG
With the half-sized indicator on the upper place.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_5.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_5.JPG
With the half-sized indicator on the lower place and no sunshade on the windows.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_6.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_6.JPG
With two small front windows and half-sized indicator.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_7.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_7.JPG
With one big front window.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Emu_at_Lonavala.JPG/640px-Emu_at_Lonavala.JPG
A new EMU fleet.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_10.JPG/640px-Mumbai_suburban_railway_emu_10.JPG

Delhi EMUs;
With one large front window and one indicator inside.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Delhi_emu_01.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_01.JPG
With two shorter front windows, one longer one and two indicators over them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Delhi_emu_02.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_02.JPG
With three same height small front windows and one indicator over them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Delhi_emu_03.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_03.JPG
With many codes, two smaller front windows, one larger one and lights inside of them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Delhi_emu_04.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_04.JPG
With one large window and two indicators inside.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Delhi_emu_05.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_05.JPG

MEMUs;
With two windows and lights inside of them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Delhi_memu_01.JPG/640px-Delhi_memu_01.JPG
With two windows and indicators over them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Agra_memu_01.JPG/640px-Agra_memu_01.JPG
With one large windows and two indicators over.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Delhi_memu_02.JPG/640px-Delhi_memu_02.JPG
New one (on the right).
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Delhi_emu_and_memu.JPG/640px-Delhi_emu_and_memu.JPG

If you have pics of any other version, I'd like you to share them.
Especially, I'm looking for the MEMU with "one large window and two indicators inside of" like this.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/2008/11/3ad83942-5401-4ab5-aa93-b06d26cfb1a4HiRes.JPG
http://photo.outlookindia.com/images/gallery/20111201/railway_20111212.jpg

Thanks a lot and I'll be happy if you enjoy!:D

^^ thanks a lot for posting EMU pics :)

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