Indian Railways - Projects | News | Discussions [Archive] - Page 19

Bombay2Calcutta

July 13th, 2012, 08:33 AM

Comptroller and Auditor General lens on trains introduced by Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: A team of auditors from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will travel on select trains originating and terminating at Sealdah and Howrah stations to ascertain whether their introduction was at all necessary.

Nearly all these trains were introduced by Mamata Banerjee during her tenure as railway minister between 2009 and May 2011.

According to sources in the CAG, this exercise is part of a thematic review on 'Introduction of New Trains'. The purpose of the review is to find out exactly how popular these trains are.

"Our auditors will not only travel on these trains, they will also take photographs of the coaches to establish their findings. We have already asked the respective railway zones to make the arrangements to ensure that the auditors are not harassed," a CAG source said.

To start with the auditors will carry out inspections on 10 pairs of trains under Eastern Railway. These are the 13051/52 Howrah-Siuri Hool Express, 13421/22 Nabadwip Dham - New Farakka Express, 13053/54 Howrah - Siuri Express, 13117/18 Kolkata - Behrampore Court Express, 13027/28 Kavi Guru Express between Kolkata and Azimgunj, 12273/74 Howrah - New Delhi Duronto Express, 11105/06 Pratham Swatantrata Sangram Express between Kolkata and Jhansi, 12357/58 Kolkata - Amritsar Superfast Express, 12249/50 Kolkata - New Delhi Yuva Express and the 13147/48 Uttar Banga Express between Sealdah and New Cooch Behar.

Save for the Pratham Swatantrata Sangram Express, all the other trains were introduced by Mamata Banerjee.

Sources say that the review was planned after the CAG received reports that several new trains are being introduced as populist measures without augmenting infrastructure. According to some experts, this is one of the causes for the increase in the number of accidents. Not only is existing infrastructure being over-utilised, there is also lack of proper maintenance of tracks and rolling stock.

One of the main recommendations made by the high-powered committee under Anil Kakodkar set up by the railways in 2011, was to stop the introduction of new trains for the next five years and concentrate instead on augmentation of infrastructure. The report had made it clear that existing infrastructure is being over utilized. Senior railway officials in Delhi said that they are aware of the audit. They also agreed that many of the trains introduced in the recent past are not receiving sufficient patronage, except during special occasions like festivals and vacations.

World8115

July 13th, 2012, 08:56 AM

Nice map Planemad :cheers:

aam admi

July 14th, 2012, 07:41 AM

ADB funds Indian rail infrastructure improvement programme
12 July 2012

Print Email
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement with the Government of India to provide a loan worth $150m to enhance rail freight services and passenger transport routes.

The loan, forming part of the $1.14bn Railway Sector Investment Program, and will help the country improve rail services across some of its busiest freight and passenger transport routes.

The investment programme will double the tracks along 840km of rail routes and electrify a further 640kmof rail.

The ADB loan will also be used to enhance the operational and financial efficiency of Indian Railways, as well as the installation of new signaling systems across the rail network.

The new railway programme will help trim down fuel consumption, enhance energy efficiency, reduce pollution, improve railway safety and increase line capacity as well as include new financing modalities.

Of the total $1.14bn programme, $500m will be provided by ADB in four installments, while the remaining $644.6m will be contributed by the Indian government.

The first installment, worth $343.4m, includes the $150m loan from ADB and $193.4m from the Government of India.

Joint Secretary Venu Rajamony, Ministry of Finance Department of Economic Affairs, said that although railways make up a significant part of India's transport sector, constraints on high density railway routes present a chronic challenge.

"This programme should improve energy efficiency, safety, reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability along key railway routes with heavy traffic," Rajamony said.

In order to promote sustainable transport in the country, ADB will provide $300,000 in technical assistance, which will help in shifting bulk good transport from road to rail, reducing carbon emissions.

mangalore mania

July 14th, 2012, 09:09 AM

Railways to install coin vending machines
TNN | Jul 14, 2012 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Railways-to-install-coin-vending-machines/articleshow/14876380.cms)

NEW DELHI: Railways has decided to install coin vending machines (CVMs) at booking offices at stations by August to facilitate passengers looking for loose change while buying a train ticket.

The elaborate guidelines have been sent to all zonal railways for quick implementation and first choice could be given to State Bank of India (SBI) followed by other public sector banks on a first-cum-first-served basis for installing the machines.

Railways will provide space for installing the CVMs on a nominal, one-time licence fee of Re 1 and electricity for the machine would be provided free of cost.

Initially, the CVMs will be installed for three years, and there could be a maximum of four machines at each booking office in big stations and a maximum of two at other stations.

"The bank will ensure that the requisite amount of coins are available in machines at all times," said an official.

The CVM would also display the name of the bank manager concerned to be contacted if there is shortage of loose change and maintenance work is needed. The banks would be allowed to display their logos on the CVMs.

mangalore mania

July 14th, 2012, 09:13 AM

Concor may soon be a Navaratna (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3635211.ece)

NEW DELHI, JULY 12:
The Indian Railways may finally loosen its grip and delegate work to the heads of its public sector units, such as Container Corporation (Concor), Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation, Indian Railway Finance Corporation, Railtel, RITES, Ircon, and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

The Department of Public Enterprises has invited applications from non-railway service employees for the post of Chairman and Managing Director.

The post, at present, is held by the Railway Board members.

This move will pave the way for more financial and administrative freedom for these PSUs as the post of their Chairman is at present held by the Railway Board members.

“There was a Railway Ministry decision to designate all MDs as CMDs. The DPE has already conducted the interviews of the MDs to find their suitability for the re-designation,” said the Managing Director of one of the railway PSUs.

This will also pave the way for the Rs 4,000-crore Concor to get Navaratna status soon, a move that will help the listed company take faster decisions, without waiting for approvals.

According to Mr Vinoo Mathur, former-Member Traffic, Railway Board, “Navaratna status will be good for Concor, particularly when it plans to take up overseas projects.”

At present, the Chairman’s post vests with Member (Traffic), Railway Board, something that works to the benefit of Concor, given that it is in the rail transportation business. But the new status will be good for Concor, as it can go ahead with plans to emerge as an integrated logistics player.

Earlier, the Navaratna status eluded Concor despite its eligibility because the Railways hesitated from giving away the post of Chairman. Concor had even come out with a bonus issue in 2008 to qualify as a Navaratna, coinciding with Shipping Corporation of India getting Navaratna status.

Concor plans to invest in port infrastructure, a move that will help it in forward and backward integration at a time when it is competing with companies such as APL, DPW, and Hind Terminals — all of which are backed by shipping lines or large port terminal companies.

Currently, Concor has a stake in a port terminal in Mumbai with APM Terminals.

In the domestic market, though, Concor benefits from being an incumbent player in the sector and enjoys two-third market share in wagon fleet. It has a network of over 60 terminals.

dpitchai

July 16th, 2012, 05:21 PM

Hybrid view of railways and highways http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Cities_of_South_India_with_Highway_and_Railway_Network_Map.png/631px-Cities_of_South_India_with_Highway_and_Railway_Network_Map.png (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Cities_of_South_India_with_Highway_and_Railway_Network_Map.png)

Does not show the metre guage lines of TN.

senthilkumark

July 18th, 2012, 06:42 AM

Rlys benefit from Trivedi legacy (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/rlys-benefittrivedi-legacy/480754/)

Pre-Budget freight rate increase, done through an executive order, raises revenue on this count by a fourth in the April-June quarter; case for rationalising these charges underlined

If Indian Railways’ (IR) freight revenue jumped 27 per cent in the April-June quarter, as compared with an 11 per cent rise in the same period last year, it was because former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi managed to effect a 20-25 per cent rise ins freight rates through notifications a few days before the presentation of the Railway Budget in March.

Trivedi's reformist Budget had earned the wrath of his party leader, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, and he had to quit. His successor, Mukul Roy, rolled back some of his predecessor's proposals after taking charge. But Trivedi's out-of-Budget move to raise freight rates remained unscathed by Roy's roll-back. For IR, this is proving a welcome relief, as its freight revenue is set to see a substantial increase in a difficult year.

IR achieved 23 per cent of its earning and loading targets of 2012-13 in the first quarter. On a loading of 244 million tonnes in the quarter, of the set annual target of 1,025 mt, its earnings were estimated at Rs 21,205 crore out of an annual target of Rs 89,000 crore.

Experts, however, say the sharp rise in freight revenue has only masked the economic slowdown that has already caught up with the railways. The impact is visible in freight loading volumes. Growth in this slowed to five per cent in the quarter ended June, as compared to seven per cent in the same period last year.

An expert, who did not wish to be named, said, "A freight hike is the simplest way of bailing out the railways and it does not require any out-of-box thinking. The railways need to chalk out a long-term strategy to capture the market share it is losing to roads. This euphoria over revenue increase won't last for long, as the railways can't afford to take advantage of being a monopoly forever."

Even the net tonne kilometres in the first quarter has increased only marginally, by 1.15 per cent, down from an increase of 6.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2011-12. The average lead, showing the distance over which the freight is carried, has also fallen by three per cent over the first quarter of 2011-12. The Railways will benefit if more freight is loaded for longer distances. So, net tonne km is the best indicator of performance, said an official.

However, almost 70 per cent of the increase in freight loading in the quarter, of 5.23 mt over the first quarter of 2011-12, is due to coal (+3.6 mt). The commodities which have shown an increase in loading in April-June, compared to the same period last year, are coal, foodgrain (+0.37 mt), pig iron and finished steel (+0.18 mt) and raw material for steel plants (+0.1 mt). Commodities witnessing negative loading as compared to the first quarter of 2011-12 are cement (-0.18 mt), fertiliser (-0.79 mt), petroleum oil products (-0.06 mt), domestic container services (-0.03 mt) and white goods (-0.37 mt).

According to a railway official, “Primarily, the growth in loading is very marginal and the spectacular revenue increase was inevitable, as the railways’ went for a freight hike twice in 2011-12.” Both these increases came outside the Budget. Just a week before the Budget of 2012-13, the Railways went for an across-the-board increase of freight rates, except iron ore for exports, by 20 to 25 per cent.

Apart from this, there was also an increase in the busy season charge from seven per cent to 10 per cent in October 2011. The busy season charge is levied on the base freight rate of commodities. It is levied for nine months – September to June. The development surcharge also increased from two per cent to five per cent. It is levied on the sum total of base freight rate and demand management charges like busy season charge, congestion charge and other supplementary charges.

This also raised the freight rate by around six per cent during the busy season i.e. September to June. This is over and above the 20 per cent rise. So, the cumulative impact is 27 per centand it is fairly reasonable, said an official.

The revenue impact because of the freight rate rise in the first quarter is expected to be comparatively more, since it includes busy season charge.

In the second quarter, this charge will go away and the volumes are also expected to dip because of rains, added the official

infra desperados

July 18th, 2012, 09:40 AM

Railways to take passengers on a musical journey

http://www.ndtv.com/news/images/shatabdi-ACcoach-295.jpg

New Delhi: A musical journey awaits passengers of trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi as the Railways has decided to play classical sound tracks in coaches.

Instrumental music played by maestros like Ustad Bismillah Khan, TN Rajaratnam Pillai and Pandit Pannalal Ghosh will keep passengers entertained in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains which have a public announcement system in place.

Railways have sourced the music from the All India Radio (AIR) library.
"We have sourced certain selected instrumental and Carnatic music from the All India Radio library. The AIR has permitted us to play the music in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains," said a senior Railway Ministry official.

Besides shehnai tracks by Ustad Bismillah Khan and sarod of Ustad Alluddin Khan, the offering includes rare raags on violin by Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, Nagaswaram of TN Rajaratnam Pillai and flute by TR Mahalingam and Pandit Pannalal Ghosh among others.

Other artists whose music will entertain train passengers include tabla by Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa, Dhrupad by Dagar brothers, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee on sitar, Radhika Mohan Maitra and Sharan Rani on sarod.

The ministry has given instruction to zonal railways that while playing the music, the region through which the train passes should be kept in mind.

Railways are also taking a number of initiatives for on-board entertainment of passengers. "We are in the process of providing live TV facility in Shatabdis originating from New Delhi," said the official.

senthilkumark

July 18th, 2012, 09:50 AM

Railways cuts telescopic benefits as freight moves shorter distances (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3650127.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

As the distance that goods are moved through rail declines, the Railways plans to continue the trend of reducing telescopic benefit.

Mr K. K. Srivastav, Member – Traffic, Railway Board, told Business Line, “This (trend) will continue.”

The Indian Railways may have registered over five per cent growth in commodity loading in June 2012 year-on-year, but the average distance for which commodities are transported is down by over three per cent.

The Railways moved its customers’ cargo 638 km this June, against 658 km in June 2011.

The average lead was 679 km in 2010-11 and 676 km in 2009-10. To deal with this reduction in average distance, the Railways has been tweaking its freight rates in a manner so as to reduce the telescopic benefits, which it has traditionally given to customers.

Simply put, the progressive rate, at which the Railways charged lower for the longer distances, has sharply reduced.

This has helped the Railways register almost 27 per cent growth in earnings for moving a tonne of freight over a kilometre, but this is lower than the 23 per cent growth it has seen for every tonne of cargo.

However, the Government-run behemoth has set a target of increasing its average lead to 662 km in the current fiscal. For this, it could be helped by petroleum products, foodgrains, cement, steel, and domestic container movement. Those commodities that moved shorter distances include coal for thermal powerhouses and cement.

In June, the Railways moved 80.43 million tonnes of cargo, with a 5.23 per cent growth.

The freight earnings were at Rs 6,925 crore, up 29.21 per cent during the period.

sidney_jec

July 18th, 2012, 05:59 PM

invincibletiger

July 18th, 2012, 08:57 PM

^^ Was a regular feature in the late 80s/early 90s. They used to play Rabindra Sangeet in NDLS-HWH Rajdhani.

sgups

July 19th, 2012, 09:50 PM

maybe my musical tastes are different but I am not 'entertained' by being forced to listen to classical music. should be part of the 'in-train entertainment' as shown in the picture.

gentem

July 20th, 2012, 06:23 AM

^^ yes, people can bring their earphones to plug in and listen.. not put in loudspeaker inside coach :ohno: But lcd screens are difficult to maintain in indian railways

Manjunath kasigavi

July 21st, 2012, 03:12 AM

Hubli Railway Station , New Building -- U/Chttp://img528.imageshack.us/img528/7342/hublinewrlystn.jpgCopyright : rosht17

World8115

July 21st, 2012, 07:00 PM

edit

anidel

July 24th, 2012, 05:59 PM

Railways withdraws Linke Holfman Bush rake

PATNA: The Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR), in a major development, has decided to withdraw LHB ( Linke Holfman Bush) rake of Patna-New Delhi Sampoorna Kranti Express (12393-12394) on regular basis due to various technical reasons.

The railways has already replaced the LHB rake with the old conventional rake. It has decided not to run this particular LHB rake for safety reasons.

Railways had introduced this LHB rake with much fanfare on July 8. Many problems came to light within one week of its run. Unable to tackle these problems, railways had no option but to withdraw the rake from the train, sources said. :bash::bash:

According to an ECR official, the rake was introduced this month after it remained lying idle in Danapur railway yard for about six months. The design and structure looked like Rajdhani Express LHB coaches. However, the new rake was different in weight, size and other designs from the Rajdhani Express' rake, he said, adding it was surprising how the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) had given his nod for the use of the rake. :bash:

Sources said during its weeklong run, it was found that several coaches of the LHB rake could not bear the full load of passengers. Springs and other vital components of the coaches started giving in under pressure, putting a question mark on passengers' safety too, they said.

Taking mechanical failure of the rake seriously, Danapur division informed the ECR headquarters about the development and sought replacement of this inferior quality LHB rake with a better one. Divisional railway manager (DRM) L M Jha said the load combination of Sampoorna Kranti Express's LHB rake was of 22 bogies, which included AC-I, AC-2, AC-3, sleeper, general bogies, pantry car and generator car cum luggage vans. Railways had made a trial run of this rake between Patna Junction and Mughalsarai at a speed of 110km per hour under the supervision of commissioner of railway safety (CRS) R P Yadav, he said.

According to sources, the Sampoorna Kranti Express with LHB rake was running at 130 kmph between Mughalsarai and New Delhi. The CRS of Northern Railway had given permission to run the train with new combination of LHB coaches, sources said.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-23/patna/32803714_1_rake-danapur-division-combination-of-lhb-coaches

metrofreak

July 25th, 2012, 08:30 AM

Hubli Railway Station , New Building -- U/Chttp://img528.imageshack.us/img528/7342/hublinewrlystn.jpgCopyright : rosht17

so Karnataka has already got a lot of awesome bus stands,... this seems to be the beginning of the railways stations. :banana:

anybody got the finished render of this one? can't find it on the net:)

World8115

July 25th, 2012, 08:47 AM

^^ link (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89956899&postcount=2738)

metrofreak

July 25th, 2012, 09:39 AM

^^ wowwwwwww... thanks for the link World8115 :D

sidney_jec

July 25th, 2012, 05:03 PM

Railways withdraws Linke Holfman Bush rake

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-23/patna/32803714_1_rake-danapur-division-combination-of-lhb-coaches

isnt there a team from Alstom which would inspect the safety standards of these rakes? It will be too much of a tarnishing of their image.

Bombay2Calcutta

July 25th, 2012, 08:20 PM

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/indian-railways-%E2%80%93-10-interesting-facts_789718.html
Indian Railways – 10 Interesting Facts
Ajith Vijay Kumar

1. Fastest train in India New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India. The all air-conditioned superfast train clocks a maximum speed of 150km/h on the Faridabad-Agra section. It also has the highest commercial speed - 89.87 km/h- and covers the 704 km New Delhi - Bhopal stretch in 7 hours 50 minutes.

2. Longest, shortest run by a train Kanyakumari-Jammu Tawi Himsagar Express has the longest run in terms of total time and distance in Indian Railways. The train covers a distance of 3751km in 71 hours and 45 minutes. Shortest run: Scheduled services between Nagpur and Ajni stations situated just 3km from each other – primarily meant for crew to travel from Nagpur station to the workshop at Ajni.

3. Longest non-stop travel/ Trains with most stops Trivandrum - H. Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express travels the 528km stretch between Vadodara and Kota non-stop. In second place is the Mumbai Rajdhani Express that travels nonstop between New Delhi and Kota. The record for maximum number of stops by an Express/Mail train is held by Howrah - Amritsar Express 115 halts, followed by Delhi - Howrah Janata Express 109 halts and Jammu Tawi - Sealdah Express 99 halts.

4. Longest, shortest station names Shortest names: Ib, near Jharsuguda in Odisha and Od, near Anand in Gujarat. Longest name: Venkatanarasimharajuvariipeta on the Arakkonam-Renigunta section near Chennai.

5. Least punctual train Guwahati-Trivandrum Express is said to be the most unreliable long-distance train in the country. The charted journey time is 65 hours and 5 minutes, but the average delay on a trip is about 10-12 hours.

6. Two stations at same location Srirampur and Belapur are two different stations in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra which are both at the same location on the railway route but on opposite sides of the track.

7. Most powerful locomotive Electric locomotive WAG-9 used for hauling heavy freight rakes is the most powerful locomotive in Indian Railways' fleet. The 6,350 horsepower beast is homed at Gomoh, Ajni,Lallaguda,Tughlakabad and Bhilai. Modified version of WAG-9 named WAP 7 is IR’s workhouse for high speed passenger service. It is capable of hauling 24 coach trains at speeds ranging between 140 and 160 km per hour. WAP-7 has similar horsepower as that of WAG-9 but comes with modified gear ratios for faster acceleration.

8. Last stations in North-South-East-West direction Northernmost railway station is Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Westernmost is Naliya near Bhuj in Gujarat. Southernmost railway station is Kanyakumari, while the last station on the east of India is Ledo on branch line from Tinsukia.

9. Junction with most number of routes originating from it Mathura junction with 7 routes- Broad Gauge (BG) line to Agra Cantt, BG line to Bharatpur, BG line to Alwar, BG line to Delhi, Metre Gauge (MG) line to Achnera, MG line to Vrindavan and MG line to Hathras, Kasganj. Six route junction – Bhatinda. Five route junctions – Lucknow, Guntakal, Katni, Varanasi, Kanpur Central, Villupuram, Dabhoi, and Nagpur.

10. Most number of parallel tracks/ Three gauges at one station Seven parallel tracks between Bandra Terminus and Andheri - 10km. Siliguri station on NFR holds the distinction of having three different gauges present.

vu3nnn

July 26th, 2012, 09:42 AM

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/indian-railways-%E2%80%93-10-interesting-facts_789718.html
Indian Railways – 10 Interesting Facts
Ajith Vijay Kumar

2. Longest, shortest run by a train Kanyakumari-Jammu Tawi Himsagar Express has the longest run in terms of total time and distance in Indian Railways. The train covers a distance of 3751km in 71 hours and 45 minutes. Shortest run: Scheduled services between Nagpur and Ajni stations situated just 3km from each other – primarily meant for crew to travel from Nagpur station to the workshop at Ajni.

The Kaniyakumari - Diburgarh Exp has recently upstaged Himasagar as the longest train in India.

3. Longest non-stop travel/ Trains with most stops Trivandrum - H. Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express travels the 528km stretch between Vadodara and Kota non-stop. In second place is the Mumbai Rajdhani Express that travels nonstop between New Delhi and Kota. The record for maximum number of stops by an Express/Mail train is held by Howrah - Amritsar Express 115 halts, followed by Delhi - Howrah Janata Express 109 halts and Jammu Tawi - Sealdah Express 99 halts.

Longest non-stop travel is between New Delhi and Cochin by Ernakulam- Nizamuddin Duranto Express.

sidney_jec

July 27th, 2012, 03:34 AM

^^I guess its about actual no stopping anywhere. Durantos have technical halts. But even if we discount Durantos New Delhi - Rajedranagar Sampoorna Kranti Exp runs non stop for 999 km.

senthilkumark

July 27th, 2012, 08:54 AM

'Indian railway: World's biggest open toilet' (http://www.timesnow.tv/Indian-railway-Worlds-biggest-open-toilet/articleshow/4407161.cms)

With Railways a "big headache" to efforts to make the country open defecation free, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today offered that his Ministry would bear half the cost of retrofitting eco-friendly bio-toilets in all 50000 coaches in five years. The total cost for retrofitting bio-toilets in all coaches would be about Rs 500 crores.

Ramesh, who also holds the portfolio of Drinking Water and Sanitation, said that at present only nine trains with 436 coaches are fitted with bio-toilets, while 4,000 coaches are produced annually which could be fitted with new bio-toilets developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

"...What I have offered to Railway Board Chairman is that we will bear 50 per cent cost of retrofitting each on the 50000 coaches with the DRDO biodigesters in 4 to 5 years time," he told reporters here after meeting Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal and senior board officials at his Ministry today.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation would bear its 50 per cent cost for retrofitting to provide Indian Railways, which ferries 11 million passengers daily, with hygenic sanitation.

During his meeting, Ramesh also asked the Railway Board officials to run a Nirmal Bharat Express, fitted with bio-toilets, which will go in various railwaylines to spread the message of sanitation and hygiene.

In these bio-toilets, the human waste is treated by bacteria which are benign to the humans. This bacteria converts human waste into water and gases (methane and CO2).

The gases escape into atmosphere and treated waste water is discharged after chlorination. Human waste, thus, does not fall on the tracks.

Railways have claimed that this system not only improves the environment and hygiene but also helps in preventing corrosion to coach and track components.

Speaking in the capital last month, Ramesh had said Railways was "another big headache for us" on the issue of ending manual scavenging and open defecation. The Rural Development Ministry has launched a campaign to end open defecation in 10 years.

mangalore mania

July 28th, 2012, 07:36 AM

Burden of loss piles up on Metro Railway (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Burden-of-loss-piles-up-on-Metro-Railway/articleshow/15218682.cms)

KOLKATA: Guess how much the Metro Railway spends to earn Rs 100? The answer: Rs 300.

The 17th and newest Indian Railways zone has created a record of sorts by achieving an operating ratio of nearly 300 during 2011-12, thanks to a populist approach adopted by railway ministers in the last several years. While a minor increase in fares won't help the Metro in wiping out its deficit completely, it will certainly help to bring the operating ratio to a healthy position.

The situation for the Metro is unique. Given the existing fare structure, the more patronization it receives the more is its deficit. According to sources, it costs the Metro about Rs 34,000 for every service between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhas. With 270 services being run per day, the Metro spends over Rs 91 lakh just to keep trains running. Nearly 5.5 lakh commuters use the services daily. If it were to be assumed that a commuter pays Rs 8 on an average (a mean of the maximum and minimum fares), even less than half of the cost of operations is realized. In addition to this, there are other costs involved.

If the volume of commuters increase, as it is bound to do after the interface between the Metro and the Eastern Railway's suburban line at New Garia becomes operational, more services may be required. This will add to the costs but earnings will only go up marginally.

"These figures have now cast a shadow on the economic viability of other Metro projects. It is true that suburban or urban railway projects can't expect to earn surplus revenue but there is a limit to the deficit that a railway zone can incur. Unlike other railway zones, the Metro can't carry freight. Other zones earn a surplus from freight movement that helps to make up for the deficit . Metro can only earn from commercial utilization of its property but efforts in Kolkata have not been successful. Shops at underground stations weren't very popular. The government's restrictions on hoardings have also affected earnings adversely," a source revealed.

The first phase of the Joka-BBD Bag stretch, up to Majerhat, is expected to become operational by 2014. Unless the fare structure is revised, the losses incurred by the Metro will go up substantially once it starts operation along this stretch. Officials are now waiting for the Railway Board to fix a fare structure for the new stretch. They hope that a Metro ride along that network won't be as cheap as one in the North-South corridor. If the fare structure for the new networks is revised, commuters using the existing North-South corridor will also have to pay more. After all, there can't be different fare structures under a single zone. However, if the Railway Board decides to carry on with the populist trend, the Metro can expect to break its own record, so far as its operating ratio is concerned.

mangalore mania

July 28th, 2012, 09:23 AM

For cheap, comfortable travelling
The HIndu (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/homes-and-gardens/article3692372.ece)

An investment of Rs. 15-Rs. 20 crore per km on a Commuter Rail Service will create capacity equivalent to a Metro system with an investment of Rs. 150 crore per km.
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01157/28BGP_METRO__1157340f.jpg
The Railways does not have any constraints in expanding its network in Bangalore unlike the Metro. The experience of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and recently Hyderabad (where MMTS has been introduced on the existing network) shows that the Railways could be integrated into the commuter network. A RITES report even quotes the Indian Railways’ ability to enhance the average trip length of the suburban rail passengers in India from 15.9 km in 1951 to 33.8 km in 2011 (ref. Indian Railways Yearbook 2010-11). Contrast this with the average trip length by public transport in Bangalore which was 10.8 km in 2009. It is because the city virtually has been dependent on BMTC till recently.

The BMTC’s capacity to expand the trip length has come to a saturation point. Similarly, it is prohibitively expensive to extend Metro or Monorail to cover more locations. The RITES report concludes that with just about 10 per cent of the investment envisaged by the WSA i.e., Rs. 73,000 crore, the rail system can probably meet half of Bangalore’s public commuting demand. More refined statistics by the report indicate that with an investment of merely Rs. 8,000 crore, a Commuter Rail Service can handle two million passengers a day. This picture emerges while considering that such a network will have 25 commuter trains in each direction in the entire CRS network.

Each train will have 15 coaches with a carrying capacity of 200 each. Capacity enhancement is also possible with each train having 20 or more coaches and each coach carrying more than 200 passengers. A comparison with Metro shows that one CRS train will be equal to 3.3 Metro trains taking the length, width of the coaches and number of coaches per train. Similarly, investment of Rs. 15-Rs. 20 crore per km on a CRS system will create capacity equivalent to a Metro system with an investment of Rs. 150 crore per km. To boot, the passenger fares of CRS start from Rs. 2 onwards whereas BMTC fare starts at Rs. 4 and Metro fare, Rs. 10. What it boils down to is that CRS is the most economical mode of public transport and it needs to be made an integral component of any commuting system envisaged for Bangalore.

The RITES report admits that development of the rail network for the commuters’ needs in and around Bangalore entails complexities as the Indian Railways is a Central Government entity and commuter rail has to envision purely local needs.

Moreover, operations of the locals will not be without disturbing the already running traffic which connects the city to distant cities and is a major freight carrier. Notwithstanding these complexities, the network has untapped potential which has so far remained unexplored.

So the main hurdle will be faced in capacity enhancement of the network for local use. Mumbai’s suburban rail which leverages the potential of the conventional rail system is a shining example. If Mumbai suburban rail could run trains with a two to three minute frequency (while quadrupling the capacity by adding five to six lines along the rail track after Independence), it leaves no justification for Bangalore to ignore this possibility. When Mumbai could think of the capacity enhancement despite the constricted rail corridors (it is an island city with no scope for expansion), why not Bangalore which can sprawl all around?

Smooth Indian

July 29th, 2012, 07:20 PM

mangalore mania

July 30th, 2012, 01:45 AM

Why metros go off-track (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/a-k-bhattacharyametros-go-off-track/481768/)

Chiefs of metro rail corporations, operating or implementing rapid transport systems in various cities, are reported to have demanded that they be freed from the regulatory control of the Indian Railways. All metro rail corporations come under the administrative control of the urban transport ministry at the Centre, but all their technical issues fall under the supervision of the Indian Railways. This has been a bone of contention for the past several years and it is now time the Union government settled the dispute for faster, smoother and more efficient execution of metro rail projects planned for major cities in the country.

In the late 1990s, an embarrassing situation was averted when the Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan’s proposal to introduce standard gauge tracks for its network in the Capital was shot down by the Indian Railways. Sreedharan was reportedly so upset over the Indian Railways’ insistence on the use of broad gauge tracks that he had put in his papers. Good sense, however, prevailed on the Union government and it persuaded Sreedharan to stay on and accept the Indian Railways’ proposal for broad gauge tracks.

There was, however, a deal. In the second phase of the project, it was agreed, the tracks to be used would be of standard gauge. It was a compromise formula that defied all logic. If standard gauge was indeed the preferred mode of tracks used internationally, there was no need to accept the Indian Railways’ demand for broad gauge tracks. Apparently, the Indian Railways wanted seamless connectivity between its own tracks (which are of broad gauge) and the Delhi Metro tracks. This was spurious logic.
Yet, Sreedharan had to submit to the Indian Railways’ demand simply because it was the technical authority to decide on such matters. However, Sreedharan, a product of the Indian Railways himself, won a tactical victory by persuading the authorities to agree to standard gauge for Delhi Metro from the second phase onwards. Indeed, all other metro networks now under operation (barring the Kolkata Metro, which is under the Indian Railways) and execution are now using standard gauge tracks. Delhi Metro, however, continues to be perhaps the only network in the world that follows two gauges for its tracks, thanks to the Indian Railways’ insistence on the use of broad gauge tracks for its first phase.

The Bangalore Metro had a different problem with the Indian Railways. It has been arguing with the railway authorities in New Delhi that it should not enforce on metro bridges the construction parameters that are used for goods train haulage. Goods trains always have a higher tonnage than that of passenger trains. Since the Indian Railways carries goods as well as passenger trains using the same track, all railway bridges are built to specifications that can withstand the weight of the heavier goods trains. This is logical. But there is no reason why it should insist on the same condition for bridges that are constructed for metro projects, which will carry only passenger trains and with fewer coaches than the ordinary passenger trains of the Indian Railways. Yet, the Bangalore Metro had to wait for months before it could get the necessary permission for constructing bridges for its network.

The problem has manifested itself in other ways. The Indian Railways is authorised to issue safety certificates to all metro networks before they can start service in any new segment after completing construction. Obtaining a safety certificate from the Indian Railways, officials from the metro networks say, is a throwback to the Inspector Raj. The safety commissioner’s office, it seems, has no proper infrastructure of its own to certify the safety of a metro network. It insists on a declaration from the metro network that it has observed all the safety standards. A routine check is conducted, but in essence it is a certification of a declaration made by the metro network. If that is how the metro networks perceive the safety certification process, there is something seriously wrong in the way the safety standards of the rapid transport systems in the cities are being observed.

There is only one way this problem can be tackled. The office of the safety commissioner should be adequately strengthened so that it can on its own certify the safety standards, instead of merely endorsing the declaration made by the network operator. Safety in metro travel is not something that can be taken lightly. Self-declaration is necessary, but there has to be an active and effective safety commissioner which can undertake its own independent checks, instead of relying on the operator’s declaration.

It is perhaps necessary to create a safety commissioner’s office for each of the metro networks, so that the office of the safety commissioner of the Indian Railways is not overburdened with this responsibility. Let there be uniform standards, but surely there could be more than one regulatory office to certify that the network operator has met the safety requirements based on those norms. Indian Railways need not continue to be the technical regulator for metro networks in different cities. After all, it is also a network operator and it should not be a regulator for other metro network operators. If necessary, a new authority should be set up with offices in different cities with metro network plans. The new authority could issue regulatory clearances with uniform standards followed across the country.

mangalore mania

July 30th, 2012, 06:26 AM

Established in 1986, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), a manufacturing unit of Indian Railways has manufactured around 16,000 passenger coaches of 51 different types including self propelled passenger vehicles which constitute over 35% of the total coaches in the Indian Railways.

RCF is equipped with CAD centre to design and manufacture bogies, (both with stainless steel and corten steel).

RCF has also manufactured coaches for both Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express. RCF exports coaches manufactured at its plant in Kapurthala.

Photographs, courtesy: RCF and Rediff

http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail8.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail7.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail3.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail9.jpg

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-indian-railways-exports-these-beautiful-coaches/20120730.htm

mangalore mania

July 30th, 2012, 06:27 AM

More
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail6.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail5.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail2.jpg
http://im.rediff.com/business/2012/jul/27rail4.jpg

adam_india

July 30th, 2012, 08:21 AM

^^ I'm reminded from my last trip that it's funny that Indian railways uses switches, plug points, western style toilets, taps, etc. that are normally used for home furnishing.

ajithv

July 30th, 2012, 09:18 AM

32 Tamil Nadu Express passengers charred to death (http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article579416.ece)

http://newindianexpress.com/incoming/article579526.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/TNExpressFire_AP.jpg

Thirty-two train passengers were charred to death and 25 others injured when a fire broke out in a coach of the New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express near here in the wee hours today due to a short circuit.

Additional DG Railways V S K Kaumudi told PTI that 32 bodies have been recovered so far from the charred S-11 bogie of the train. South Central Railway officials in Hyderabad said 25 people have been injured in the mishap and have been admitted to different hospitals. According to Nellore district officials, the fire was noticed by a gateman at around 4.15 A.M who alerted officials.Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately to put out the fire and they managed to restrict the blaze to the S-11 bogie, they said. Nellore District Collector B Sridhar said, "There was a short circuit near the toilet and the train was moving at a speed of 110 kms per hour. It was going to Chennai from Delhi. All the passengers were asleep when the fire broke out at 4:30 AM. People were not able to come out immediately".

"The fire spread fast and the passengers could not come out through one of the doors because of the fire. So the other edge of the coach was to be used. Some people could come out while others succumbed to death," he said. The bodies have been charred so it is difficult to identify them, Sridhar said. Additional Joint Collector Laxmikant said the toll could rise up to 35 as some of the bodies are still to be recovered from the charred S-11 compartment. Nellore district police officials said 14 passengers in the bogie were safe. Some of the passengers travelling in the train told reporters that smoke engulfed the bogie soon after the fire broke out making it difficult for them to come out.

Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announced an exgratia payment of Rs five lakh each to the next of the kin of those killed in the mishap. The Railway Minister also announced a payment of Rs one lakh each for those who were grievously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered simple injuries. The Railway Ministry has also ordered an inquiry by D K Singh, Commissioner of Railway Safety of South-Central Circle to look into the cause of the accident. Expressing shock and anguish over the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy conveyed his condolences to members of the bereaved families. A release from the CM's Office said he would visit Nellore to meet those injured in the mishap. The Chief Minister has asked the Chief Secretary to monitor the relief operations on a minute-to-minute basis and also coordinate with railway officials of Secunderabad and Delhi, the release said.

The S-11 coach looked like a structure of mangled steel put in a furnace. Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the railway station as relatives of some of the deceased passengers, who reached Nellore, wept inconsolably.
The coach was brought to the Nellore railway station and normal traffic was restored by around 8.30 A.M, the South Central Railway officials said.

JhonJ

July 30th, 2012, 12:01 PM

qFE8nmKpmXY

we need machines like these to lay new railway lines.... which lays tracks on the gone and immediately we can run the trains.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=9834.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoWO-QRd56E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czlWZZPq8Fw

mangalore mania

July 30th, 2012, 04:32 PM

Indian Railways to get bio-toilets on all trains by 2017 (http://www.rail.co/2012/07/30/indian-railways-to-get-bio-toilets-on-all-trains-by-2017/)

The world’s fourth largest railway network, Indian Railways, will get bio-toilets on all trains by 2017.
“Indian Railway is the largest open toilet in the world,” said the country’s Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh.
An estimated 11 million passengers travel every day by train and at present, waste is dumped directly on to the tracks, with many passengers ignoring requests not use toilets when trains are stationary.
Apart from the unbearable stench it creates, the practice leads to clogging of rail lines at busy stations.
Jairam Ramesh said that his ministry will now be fitting all new coaches with bio-toilets built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Over Rs 5 billion, funded evenly between Indian Railways and the Rural Development Ministry, has been set aside for installing 50,000 coaches with the new technology.
At present only nine trains with 436 coaches are fitted with bio-toilets, while 4,000 coaches are produced annually which could be fitted with new bio-toilets.
“Installing bio-toilets will not only prevent the corrosion of tracks, but will also provide odourless toilets to passengers,” said Jairam Ramesh.
Railway Board chairman Vinay Mittal has given a positive nod to the proposal and asked the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to submit a detailed plan in this regard.
Jairam also requested the Railways Ministry to run Nirmal Bharat Express on the model of Red Ribbon Express to spread the message of cleanliness and sanitation.

anidel

July 30th, 2012, 08:39 PM

^^ I'm reminded from my last trip that it's funny that Indian railways uses switches, plug points, western style toilets, taps, etc. that are normally used for home furnishing.

BTW, its quite funny that what we calls western style toilets are excavated by archeologists in the Indus Vally civilization.:)

So if thousands of years ago Indian were using toilet with chair like seating position how can these called western style toilets??:nuts:

ajithv

August 1st, 2012, 10:28 AM

Kanyakumari may enter MEMU map (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/145485)

With a view to exploring the tourism potential, the divisional railway is planning to extend the “soon-to-be launched” Kollam-Nagercoil MEMU train service to Kanyakumari.

“Currently a lot of tourists visit the Varkala, Kovalam and Kanyakumari beaches on their descent to the south. We are running only two trains, the Jayanti Janata and the Island Express, to the southern tip on a daily basis. he MEMU service announced in the budget was to be up to Nagercoil. But, it can run an additional 20-odd km,” a top railway official said.

The Trivandrum division has forwarded the proposal for consideration of the Railway Board. The board is meeting this week and this proposal is likely to get the approval. “The electrification of the entire stretch up to Kanyakumari is complete,” the official said.

Originally, the date fixed for the MEMU launch was August three, but as the commissioning of the MEMU shed in Kollam got delayed, the service between the Kollam-Nagercoil section was yet to be started, he said. “The next MEMU service to be started will be the Ernakulam-Thrissur, and a MEMU rake is ready with the Chennai headquarters. We hope to get the services operated in all the three sections before December 31,” the official said.

MxC

August 1st, 2012, 01:13 PM

Railways to set up corporation to focus on bullet train project
(Source: ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/railways-to-set-up-corporation-to-focus-on-bullet-train-project/articleshow/15250635.cms))

Aiming to expedite the ambitious high speed corridor project, the government has decided to set up a corporation which will exclusively deal with aspects like its tendering process and execution.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) will be constituted shortly and focus on execution of the bullet train project, including tendering, pre-feasibility study and awarding contracts, among others, Railway sources here said.

The corporation will comprise four members, all railway officials, they added.

According to Railway officials, among the eight upcoming high speed rail corridors, the one between Mumbai-Ahmedabad will be taken up on priority.

The 492-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail route will see its first bullet train, with a speed of 300 km per hour, which is expected to reduce the travel time drastically between the two financially strong cities to a mere two and a half hours from seven hours by Duronto, the fastest train at present.

The high speed corridors, considered to be a flagship infrastructure project, has got the nod from the Prime Minister's Office, which has announced a roadmap for implementation of the project.

Besides the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, the seven other high speed corridors which have got in-principle approval are Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad- Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai, Howrah-Haldia, Chennai-Bangalore- Coimbatore-Trivandrum, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna and Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur.

Except Delhi-Amritsar and Delhi-Jodhpur, pre-feasibility study has been undertaken for all the corridors.

The PMO has also decided to set up a project steering group consisting of Chairman Railway Board as Chairman and Secretary (DEA), Secretary (Planning), Member (Mechanical), Member (Engineering) and Member (Electrical) as members to monitor the project closely.

So looks like the list of proposed routes for the HSR is finalized now. However the biggest item of huge finances required is not being discussed. Let's see how this new Corporation will work and what kind of financing it will manage to come out with.

sidney_jec

August 1st, 2012, 08:46 PM

lets first focus on setting up standards for safety and implementing them in the trains lakhs of people use daily in India rather than something which may well be used by a few thousand. we can go on and on and on about the fancy stuff after we have taken care of the basics at least (in which some good for nothing sarkaari babus are made chiefs to keep them busy)

akbarsyed

August 2nd, 2012, 04:56 AM

MxC

August 2nd, 2012, 09:41 AM

mangalore mania

August 2nd, 2012, 04:08 PM

India and Belgium Sign MOU for Development & Modernization of Railway Sector
MOU to Focus Especially on Development of Railway Stations to International Standards (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=85667)

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the visiting Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders and the Union Minister of Railways of India Shri Mukul Roy on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries, here today. In pursuance of the Vision 2020 document promulgated by the then Minister for Railways, Mamata Banerjee, for modernization and development of major Railway Stations as vibrant centres of the life of cities for commerce, entertainment and social space, Indian Railways has identified stations for development to the international standards and signing of this MOU will especially focus in this direction.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Mukul Roy said that the MOU will usher in a new era of cooperation between two countries for effective development and modernization in Railway sector. He said that both Indian and Belgian Railways will benefit with mutual consultation and exchange of information services on development and modernization of railway stations.

Shri Mukul Roy further said that knowledge sharing on design and current practices in the field of Railway Infrastructure and deputation of specialists and experts in areas of mutual interests will bond the ties between the two countries further. He said that Belgium Government owned companies, namely Euro Station and Immostar, have vast experience in field of development of stations in and outside Belgium. These companies have extensive expertise in transforming historical railway stations into the modern international terminals and the experience gained by them can be gainfully emulated in India after suitable adaption to Indian conditions.

Shri Mukul Roy informed that both the countries have agreed to form Steering and Working Groups consisting of experts to determine and define detailed scope and modalities of the activities and projects to be undertaken by both the countries for mutual benefit. Shri Mukul Roy said that he is directing these groups to start working immediately and come up with workable recommendations. Shri Mukul Roy hoped that the cooperation between Indian and Belgian Railways reaches a new high with the signing of this MOU.

Speaking on the occasion, the Belgium Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders said that the size of Indian Railway sector is truly impressive. He said the developments and opportunities in this sector are equally impressive in view of the vision and ambitions of the Indian Government. He pointed out that Indian Railway sector is a focus sector of Belgium economic diplomacy.

Referring to the existing Belgium involvement in Indian Railway sector, Mr. Didier Reynders said that several Belgium or Belgium-based companies are already firmly present in India and their activities range from the fastening and coating of rails to the delivery of parts for the train construction and software for safety and network management. Referring to today’s MOU, Mr. Didier Reynders said that this initiative will kick start Belgium cooperation for the development of world class railway stations in India. He expressed the hope that it will be a fruitful and long standing partnership. He also outlined the economic and commercial potential of Belgium and elaborated about the well developed Railway network of Belgium.

In his welcome address, Shri Vinay Mittal, Chairman Railway Board (India) said that with the signing of this MOU, a new era of construction and exchange of technical and managerial information in relation to the modernisation of railway station and commercialization of real estate around stations between the two countries will begin. Shri Mittal said that the rich experience of the Belgium Railway companies will boost Indian Railways’ endeavours in modernizing and upgrading its stations. He said that under this MOU, the areas of cooperation among others shall also include carrying out joint research and training programmes.

The Minister of State for Indian Railways, Shri K. H. Muniyappa was also especially present on the occasion.

CEO of Euro Immostar/Eurostation Mr. Herwig Persoons also spoke on the occasion. Also present on the occasion were Board Members and senior officials of Indian Railways and Ambassador of Belgium to India Mr. Pier Vaesen among others.

sidney_jec

August 2nd, 2012, 04:40 PM

IR does need to get many basics in place. But in the current context, it's not practical to say that they should 'first' be in place 'before' taking up new developments like these. HSR is an idea whose time is long overdue in Indian context and with long term gestation involved it needs to be planned now itself rather than later.

for me the idea of HSR is something which doesnt impress me much. we already have a huge network in place. I would go with making the system more robust and upgrading it rather than investing in a whole new system. once the DFC gets completed the congestion on the existing lines would go down considerably. we can have 3rd and 4th lines where there is a heavy traffic.

there are minimal advantages of HSR imo considering the investment that would go into it. and all that money is going to come out of our pockets.

ajithv

August 4th, 2012, 07:10 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/528542_10151164172957228_298955295_n.jpg

MP04

August 4th, 2012, 09:24 AM

Manjunath kasigavi

August 4th, 2012, 06:28 PM

Hubli Railway Station -- U/C

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/1994/rail1x.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/rail1x.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Manjunath kasigavi

August 4th, 2012, 06:30 PM

^^

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1538/rail2o.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/213/rail2o.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Kilo Delta

August 5th, 2012, 09:42 PM

^^I guess its about actual no stopping anywhere. Durantos have technical halts. But even if we discount Durantos New Delhi - Rajedranagar Sampoorna Kranti Exp runs non stop for 999 km.

Similarly, Sampoorna Kranti also does not run 999 km non stop. It has crew change stops at Kanpur, Allahabad and Mughal Sarai. So, actual physical longest non-stop run still remains Trivandrum Rajdhani between Kota-Nizamuddin.

sidney_jec

August 6th, 2012, 05:18 AM

Similarly, Sampoorna Kranti also does not run 999 km non stop. It has crew change stops at Kanpur, Allahabad and Mughal Sarai. So, actual physical longest non-stop run still remains Trivandrum Rajdhani between Kota-Nizamuddin.

oh ok. and you mean Kota and Baroda right?

sidney_jec

August 6th, 2012, 05:19 AM

^^

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1538/rail2o.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/213/rail2o.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

that is one ugly ass station building

Bombay2Calcutta

August 6th, 2012, 05:26 AM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Siliguri-Darjeeling-toy-train-run-to-resume-soon/articleshow/15370043.cms
Siliguri-Darjeeling toy train run to resume soon

DARJEELING: Direct toy train services between Siliguri and Darjeeling are likely to resume by the end of 2013. Coming under fire from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) MLAs over the lack of infrastructure in the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), railway ministerMukul Roy announced this at Darjeeling on Sunday. The GJM leaders also demanded that the Darjeeling Mail be extended up to Gulma, which falls within the territory of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA). They also demanded that the Gulma station be renamed Darjeeling Road.
It was the first official programme for Bimal Gurung, chief executive of the GTA and its other members. During the oath-taking ceremony on Saturday, the GJM leaders had received a number of sermons on how to behave in a responsible manner. A day after, it was their turn to remind the railway minister how the DHR - a Unesco World Heritage Site - has been neglected.

"During our childhood days, there used to be a large number of services of the toy train. Today, there are only a few services. Infrastructure has not been developed. The Darjeeling station has no mention that it is home to a World Heritage Site. Even the plaque at the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station has disappeared. The DHR requires a lot of care. It was the first industrial site in Asia to have been inscribed as a World Heritage Site, but the Indian Railways haven't come up with plans for its conservation. A director has been appointed to the DHR, but he has to commute to Darjeeling every day from Siliguri, said Rohit Sharma, MLA, Kurseong.

Gurung pointed to how the Tindharia workshop and the tracks there were devastated during the last major earthquake in the area.

"Ever since we began our agitation, we have been demanding that the Gulma station be renamed Darjeeling Road and trains like the Darjeeling Mail, Mahananda Express and Kanchanjungha Express start from there. I would also urge the railway minister to level the DHR tracks that cross National Highway-55 for the benefit of motorists and reserve more quotas in trains from this area," Gurung said.

According to Darjeeling MLA Trilok Dewan, development of the Gulma station will lead to socio-economic development of the area.

"In the GTA Agreement, there was a clause to extend the broad-gauge line up to Sukna. This isn't possible due to the non-availability of space. We want the Gulma station to be developed instead, so that people don't have to travel all the way to NJP from Darjeeling," he said.

Roy said that the proposal to rename Gulma station has been sent to the ministry of home affairs. The general manager of Northeast Frontier Railway will decide the operational feasibility of running long-distance trains from there.

"We are trying to connect the hills of Darjeeling by rail. Several surveys, including the one between Sevoke and Mirik are already over while others are underway. All these projects will lead to development. We are also working on a budget hotel and a functional centre at the Darjeeling station. Several development projects are also on in Kurseong. The ministry of road transport has already cleared Rs 55 crore for the repair of the stretch of NH-55 near Tindharia. I also promise that we will resume services between Darjeeling and Siliguri by the end of 2013," Roy said.

During the day, Roy flagged off two toy train services between Darjeeling and Ghum and Darjeeling and Kurseong.

phaedrus

August 6th, 2012, 07:40 AM

that is one ugly ass station building

+1

gentem

August 6th, 2012, 08:12 AM

^^ construction going on.. all those ladders and all will be removed

senthilkumark

August 6th, 2012, 09:55 AM

that is one ugly ass station building

Why do you say like that. It looks good compared to lots of others stations.

PlaneMad

August 6th, 2012, 11:20 AM

Why do you say like that. It looks good compared to lots of others stations.
Is that a station? It looks like a crumbling concrete structure housed in a gaudy glasshouse that traps heat and foul smells inside

sidney_jec

August 6th, 2012, 04:25 PM

Why do you say like that. It looks good compared to lots of others stations.

take up aluminium panels and glass window panes put glue on them, throw them up in the air and allow them to settle in. This is what this station looks like.
Using aluminium and glass doesnt make a building modern.

kalkibhagwan

August 7th, 2012, 10:20 PM

Maybe sidney can teach us a thing or two designing buildings isn't it? :p

phaedrus

August 7th, 2012, 11:23 PM

take up aluminium panels and glass window panes put glue on them, throw them up in the air and allow them to settle in. This is what this station looks like.
Using aluminium and glass doesnt make a building modern.

aluminium panels, solution to everything. tough to choose if its better or worse than the concrete boxes up till now.

sidney_jec

August 8th, 2012, 02:25 AM

Maybe sidney can teach us a thing or two designing buildings isn't it? :p

the coaching rate is 50$ an hour. Cash only

MP04

August 8th, 2012, 10:02 AM

oh ok. and you mean Kota and Baroda right?

Trivandrum rajdhani has technicle halt at ratlam ... so its not longest nonstop train

sidney_jec

August 8th, 2012, 04:06 PM

Damn yes. I have seen TVM Rajdhani at Ratlam quite a few times. I thought the stop was removed recently

Kilo Delta

August 8th, 2012, 09:00 PM

Damn yes. I have seen TVM Rajdhani at Ratlam quite a few times. I thought the stop was removed recently

I have seen TVC Rajdhani skip Ratlam very very slowly without stopping, so the Kota-Vadodara non-stop run still remains the longest physical non-stop run for any train at 528 km.

Close on its heels is the Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad Duronto with an actual non-stop run of 492 km. It does not stop at Vadodara.

sidney_jec

August 8th, 2012, 09:49 PM

so no technical halt for TVM Rajdhani at Ratlam? Damn this is confusing.

senthilkumark

August 10th, 2012, 11:38 AM

PM focuses on railways for overall economic development (http://news.oneindia.in/2012/08/10/pm-focuses-railways-development-for-economic-growth-1051382.html)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has emphasised on faster execution of infrastructure projects to ensure that the nation's economic reforms get underway. The PM has also decided to keep tabs on development in the railways, one of the key ministries close to the infrastructure sector, reported leading Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika (ABP).
The railways have been crippled by financial woes and often, populist stances taken by railway ministers are blamed for the deteriorating conditions in a key public sector unit of the country. Earlier this year, the nation witnessed how a railway minister was sacked by his party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), for he tried to increase train fares for the betterment of the railways in the public interest.
Train mishaps have become a regular affair and passenger security has taken a serious beating. The current railway minister, Mukul Roy, also from the TMC, said, after the deadly fire that killed many people in a compartment of the Tamil Nadu Express in Nellore last month, that he had sought special financial help for the railways from the PM and would approach the latter again.
It shows how desperately the railways need improvement and many quarters feel that Singh's initiative to make the sector a key part of the overall infrastructural development would help things for the better. A better health of the railways, which serve as the nation's lifeline, will facilitate infrastructural development, which in turn will encourage investment and ensure economic growth.
The PM is also stressing other transportation sectors like civil aviation and shipping but railways, being the cheapest and widest mode of transportation in the country, is always the first preference of investors. But the problem in India is that these key sectors often suffer under the compulsion of coalition politics. The lesser parties are mostly given these ministries but they remain busy with politics limited to their own region and pay little attention to the ministries that are crucial in the all-India perspective. The Centre, it is believed, has understood the problem and is seeking more coordination in these ministries.
The ABP reported that the PM is mainly stressing the elevated rail corridor in Mumbai and the high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Singh is also interested on the freight corridors and improving railway stations and he wants, sources added, private investment in these projects. He was ordered to set up a steering committee on the matter and the high-profile committee is set to comprise top railway, finance and Planning Commission officials, the ABP report said.
Official sources said that the PMO wrote to the Rail Board chairman and other members on the railway projects several times in the last few months. The PM also convened a meeting recently on infrastructure projects and railway officials were invited there. But the railway minister skipped the meeting for he was busy with the inauguration of his party office in Chandigarh! The PM, who was left disappointed, thereafter took the initiative himself to develop the railway infrastructure, said the report.
Sources in the railway ministry said the PM is authorised to look into the functioning of any ministry but Singh has only stressed infrastructural development and not intervening in the ministry's day-to-day functioning.

gslv mk3

August 11th, 2012, 04:16 PM

Is Indian railway developing a 200 km/h EMU?
here is some reference to it..
While MOR conducted study of upgrading existing lines with
speeding up of loco-haul passenger coach (PC), the Consortium
proposes EMU train for upgrading of existing line for the
following reasons.
a) Light axle load : Damage to track will be reduced, and hence
longer track maintenance interval can be expected.
b) High redundant system: One traction unit failure will not
cause operation disturbance in entire line, because EMU
train can continue running by other traction unit with cutting
off failed traction unit.
c) Higher acceleration and deceleration performance: Schedule
speed will be higher and stopping distance will be shorter.
d) Profit from regenerate braking : Regenerated electricity to
be supplied to over head line will be efficiently used and
mechanical wear of pneumatic brake will be decreased.
􀁺􀁺􀁺􀁺􀁺 Specification of the Proposed Train
Train Configuration 8 cars/train
Train set MT ratio 6M2T or 4M4T
Train set length Approx.200m
Car body length 26.4m(Front-end car)
25m(Intermediate car)
Car body width 3,380mm
Car body height 3,700mm
Max. Operation Speed 200km/h
Passenger Capacity Approx. 575persons/train
Train Weight (Unladen load) 400ton/train
Maximum axle load Approx.14ton
Acceleration 0.4m/s2

Licit Mortal

August 11th, 2012, 04:25 PM

Indian railways needs to be privatized immediately.

Smooth Indian

August 11th, 2012, 07:55 PM

Indian railways needs to be privatized immediately.
:nuts::nuts:
Please provide more details about how it should be done. Just privatizing doesn't automatically solve all the problems and may even create newer problems.

Kilo Delta

August 11th, 2012, 09:27 PM

gslv mk3

August 12th, 2012, 07:23 AM

What is your source for this information? Please share.

BTW, when it says EMU, do not think of a 200 km/hr train looking like Mumbai locals which are EMUs. Practically all high-speed trains across the world like TGV, Acela Express etc are EMUs aka electric multiple unit fixed sets with two cars with driving cabs at the ends, and multiple sets can be connected if a longer train is required. No need of gathering individual coaches and connecting with a separate locomotive.
So it is a push pull train and not an EMU?
This pdf file:
http://wiki.iricen.gov.in/doku/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=ppt_presentation:1-rajesh_kumar_sunil_kumar_gupta.pdf
section 9.2
reference to it on Report of expert group for modernization of Indian Railways

" Train sets for intercity travel with modern aluminium body coaches with distributed power system
*Total Cost (Rs. In Crores)-5,000
*Included in 12th Plan Estimates -Nil
*Balance to be Funded-5,000
*Advantages/Need-High speed travel up to 200 kmph to be introduced on select intercity corridors

sixsigma1978

August 12th, 2012, 04:22 PM

that is one ugly ass station building

I like this station better than the old concrete asbestos monstrosities we have everywhere

Kilo Delta

August 12th, 2012, 05:12 PM

So it is a push pull train and not an EMU?

Yes, you can call it push-pull, but the main difference between such high-speed fixed trainsets and regular trains is that they have more than one power source, usually distributed at two ends, and if the consist is longer, one more in the middle too, instead of one locomotive at the front of the train pulling 20-24 coaches behind it. Something like these trains-

http://www.luxurytraveler.com/tgv_east_1.jpg

http://www.american-rails.com/images/AMTRK_WM_Acela.jpg

They don't have a separate "engine". Instead the first and last coach have power equipment.

mangalore mania

August 12th, 2012, 07:33 PM

Railways’ failure to provide link leads to stock pile-up, says Mahanadi Coalfields

(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article3758311.ece)

RECENTLY IN SAMBALPUR:
Vasundhara is an asset that can easily produce up to 70 million tonne (mt) of thermal coal, large enough to fuel 14,000 MW power capacities. It also has ready environment clearance for stepping up production by 10 mt.

Yet, Mahanadi Coalfields – a wholly-owned mining subsidiary of Coal India – has no plans to produce an extra kilogram of coal from this mine in the next 4-5 years, if not more.

Because, in the absence of rail link, the mine cannot despatch even the existing production of 12 mt, earning it the distinction of single largest contributor to CIL’s monumental 70 mt idle stock as in last fiscal. As on March 31, 2012, Vasundhara had a pit head stock of 8 mt, equivalent to nearly 67 per cent of its annual production.

LARGEST INVENTORY

The mine alone contributed over 40 per cent of MCL’s total stock of 18 mt coal as in 2011-12.

And, since coal catches fire, if exposed in the open for long, one may expect a good part of this 8mt stock has actually been destroyed.

RAILWAYS TO BLAME

MCL authorities blame an inordinate delay by Indian Railways in implementing a company-funded, 52-km Jharsuguda-Barapali rail link - connecting Barapali at the mine-end to the South-Eastern trunk route at Jharsuguda – as a spoilsport.

Conceptualised at least a decade ago, the project finally took shape in 2005 when RITES (a project construction arm of Indian Railways) was assigned to implement the Rs 469-crore rail-link with a capacity to evacuate 35 mt of coal annually from Vasundhara, latest by 2009.

As things stand now, on behalf of RITES, South Eastern Railway (SER) has started construction work in 24 km (out of 54 km) of the proposed line at the Jharsuguda end.

Meanwhile, the estimated cost of the project has gone up by over 50 per cent to Rs 720 crore.

WAY TO GO

“Considering a minimum of three years implementation schedule, we don’t foresee the line being ready before 2016,” a senior MCL official told Business Line.

He wouldn’t be surprised if the project runs further cost and time over run.

And, unless the line connects the mine end, the project is of little use to the company.

“Presently the nearest railway siding is 35 km away from the mine. To pace up evacuation we need the railway siding at pit head,” MCL sources said.

gslv mk3

August 13th, 2012, 05:59 AM

Yes, you can call it push-pull, but the main difference between such high-speed fixed trainsets and regular trains is that they have more than one power source, usually distributed at two ends, and if the consist is longer, one more in the middle too, instead of one locomotive at the front of the train pulling 20-24 coaches behind it. Something like these trains-

http://www.luxurytraveler.com/tgv_east_1.jpg

http://www.american-rails.com/images/AMTRK_WM_Acela.jpg

They don't have a separate "engine". Instead the first and last coach have power equipment.
I was thinking more like these
http://www.bombardier.com/files/en/supporting_docs/image_and_media/products/BT-3882-CRH1_-_China.jpg

MxC

August 13th, 2012, 12:40 PM

Railways to procure 200 high HP electric locos for dedicated freight corridor
(Source: ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/railways-to-procure-200-high-hp-electric-locos-for-dedicated-freight-corridor/articleshow/15435546.cms))

Gearing up for hauling maximum loadings in the upcoming dedicated freight corridor (DFC), the railways have decided to procure 200 high horse power (HP) electric locomotives including import of 40 locos from Japan.

In addition to its 6000 HP locomotives, the national transporter will acquire 9000 HP electric engines to increase its haulage capacity.

"We will procure 200 high HP electric locomotives for the DFC, out of which 40 will be imported from Japan as the requirement is to increase the carrying capacity substantially. The rest will be manufactured in the country", said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The carrying capacity will increase to 6000 tons per locomotive from the existing 5000 tons capacity.

It is estimated to cost about Rs 20 cr per 9000 HP locomotive. At present it costs about Rs 14 cr for the 6000 HP loco.

"The import of locomotives from Japan is as per the Japanese loan condition since the western corridor of the DFC is being funded by JICA," said the official, adding, "the rest of the locomotives will be assembled in India with technology and components from Japan."

The procurement process of modern locomotives is to begin shortly as part of the DFC, which is likely to be operational in the next three years.

The 3373 km long DFC, the flagship project of the railways, aims to augment the rail transport capacity to meet the growing requirement of movement of goods by segregating freight from passenger traffic.

sidney_jec

August 13th, 2012, 04:09 PM

so the DFC is going to have electric traction?

sunilboston

August 13th, 2012, 05:48 PM

:nuts::nuts:
Please provide more details about how it should be done. Just privatizing doesn't automatically solve all the problems and may even create newer problems.

Could be in line with power and air travel sector:
Power Sector is separated in Generation, Transmission, Distribution.
For Railway it could be: Production, Tracks & Stations, Services.
Tracks and stations should be similar to Toll roads/newer airports.

It will create some new issues but overall it'll improve services and GDP.

Government and Central planning controls little too much in India, doesn't have to be that way.

sixsigma1978

August 13th, 2012, 08:17 PM

sidney_jec

August 13th, 2012, 08:27 PM

interesting...that we have to import these locos - our current heavy weight is the WDG 5 that can carry 5000 HP. Wonder how much R&D effort would go into moving from 5k to 7.5k or even 9k HP locos?

Since they will be electric locomotives we already have the WAG9 which is 6350HP so dont really think much of R&D is required. And moreover they will be imported from Japan ;)

anidel

August 13th, 2012, 09:25 PM

MxC

August 14th, 2012, 07:57 AM

so the DFC is going to have electric traction?

Looks so. However wasn't there a decision sometimes back that DFC will be on diesel traction??

MxC

August 14th, 2012, 09:13 AM

20 cr X 200 = 4000 cr about US$ 800 million.

Japanese are smart.

Even after spending US$ 800 million we will be dependent on the Japanese for the components etc. :ohno:

The article says only 40 would be imported. So that works out to approx US$ 145 million at approx conversion rate of 55. Rest are supposed to be assembled in India. So that would create jobs in terms of a plant to do so and thus would benefit India.

And yes they are smart and more important, they have good money at low interest rates which India is not having :) So the Japanese are giving the money on their terms which is fair enough as long its not causing unnecessary disadvantage to India!

sidney_jec

August 14th, 2012, 04:13 PM

Looks so. However wasn't there a decision sometimes back that DFC will be on diesel traction??

yeah thought the double decker containers were a problem for electric traction

Smooth Indian

August 14th, 2012, 06:06 PM

yeah thought the double decker containers were a problem for electric traction

The electrification was at the insistence of the japanese who are funding the project. Besides, IR has already demonstrated that it can raise the catenary height for double stacked container wagons and can modify the pantographs to account for the increased height. I think it was done somewhere in Orissa.

infra desperados

August 14th, 2012, 08:16 PM

Delhi-Jaipur AC double-decker train to be flagged off on August 16:cheers:

http://www.indiatvnews.com/upload/news/mainnational/AC_double_decke17312.jpg

New Delhi: Come August 16, journey between Delhi and Jaipur can be a new experience as people will have the opportunity of travelling by AC double-decker train.
The much-awaited AC double-decker train will be flagged off by Railway Minister Mukul Roy on August 16 from Sarai Rohilla station here, according to Railway Ministry officials.

The train will cover the distance between the national capital and the Pink city in about five hours.

A daily service, the train will leave Sarai Rohilla at 5.35pm and reach Jaipur at 10.05pm.

The double-decker service on Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Jaipur-Delhi routes were announced in the 2011-12 railway budget but they could not be started last year because of delay in getting safety clearance and manufacturing of double-decker coaches.

There is already an AC double-decker train operational between Howrah and Dhanbad. There were certain modifications in the manufacturing design for Jaipur and Mumbai route. These coaches are being manufactured at Kapurthala coach factory in the Punjab.

The AC double-decker coach has a seating capacity of 120 and every coach has fire extinguishers near its gate. Equipped with fully automatic doors, each coach has 8 emergency windows, mini-pantry including fridge and microwave.

The AC double-decker service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is also expected to be flagged off this month.:banana:

source- http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/DEL-delhi-jaipur-ac-double-decker-train-to-be-flagged-on-august-16-3650107-NOR.html

BangaloreOne

August 14th, 2012, 09:30 PM

http://www.indiatvnews.com/upload/news/mainnational/AC_double_decke17312.jpg

Will the Delhi-jaipur double-Decker going to have the above color scheme?

g vardhan

August 14th, 2012, 09:43 PM

^^
The same question popped in my mind..
in the month of April i saw these rakes in red and yellow @ NDLS railway station
standing for trail runs

infra desperados

August 14th, 2012, 09:52 PM

THIS ARTICLE IS 2 DAYS OLD..

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/now-travel-delhi-jaipur-double-decker-train-sarai-rohilla/1/212891.html

THESE ARE PICS GIVEN IN THE ARTICLE,WITH DETAILS..

http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories//2012aug/double-decker-inside_230_081212081718.gif
view of the double-decker train from upper decker.

http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/double-decker-train_350_081212082325.gif
an inside view of the coaches that will make up the double-decker train.

http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories//2012aug/jaipur-delhi_230_081212081718.gif
curious onlookers admires the train at NEW-DELHI during the trials.

SO,ACCORDING TO THIS ARTICLE COLOUR SCHEME SHOULD BE YELLOW-RED,AS VARDHAN ALSO MENTIONED THAT.
WHICH IS SAME AS HOWRWH-DHANBAD AC DOUBLE DECKER..SO,THE PIC GIVEN BELOW COULD BE DELHI-JAIPUR ONE,NOT SURE IF HAVE BEEN POSTED BEFORE. ANYWAYS POSTING FOR CONVINIENCE.
http://img.technospot.in/Indian-Double-Decker-Train-Close-View.jpg

then what about the pic given in previous article??i saw a lot of that on net, that could be of mumbai-ahemdabad??or may they will use both for this route WELL HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT'S INNAUGRATION, TO KNOW ABOUT IT'S COLOUR SCHEME, ALSO THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE SAYS THERE WILL BE MODIFICATIONS IN DESIGN, BUT THE DESIGN IN ABOVE PICS LOOKS SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS ONES.

BangaloreOne

August 15th, 2012, 06:48 AM

I think Mumbai-Ahmadabad double-decker also has red-yellow color scheme.

G_3ZyunvDWg

May be they found green-yellow to be dull and dropped that color.

downunder1

August 15th, 2012, 07:39 AM

When the first prototype of the double decker was launched, the train had Green-Yellow colour scheme. It was subsequently changed to Orange-Yellow that we see now on Howrah-Dhanbad route. The very same colour scheme will continue on Delhi-Jaipur and Mumbai-Ahmedabad DD trains as well. In other words, Green-Yellow will NOT be seen anywhere!

gentem

August 16th, 2012, 06:13 PM

big joke railways arranges special train for northeast people fleeing bangalore due to rumour SMS telling 4 people got killed :bash:

gentem

August 17th, 2012, 04:55 AM

Fear makes way for cheer as trains chug out of City (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/272105/two-more-trains-leave-bangalore.html)
Bangalore, Aug 16, 2012, DHNS :

http://www.deccanherald.com/images/editor_images1/2012/08/17/train-to-assam.jpg

The huge crowd of passengers erupted in loud, long cheers until the second special train bound for Guwahati departed Platform 4 of Bangalore City railway station at 9.26 pm on Thursday.

heading home: A crowded train compartment, destined for Guwahati, at the City Railway station on Thursday night. dh PhotoJust an hour before, another train, equally jam-packed, had left for the capital of Assam.

Platform 4 remained crowded to the gills as North-East- bound passengers, mediapersons, and police personnel jostled for space to walk.

The travellers were waiting for train no 12509, a regular train also bound for Guwahati, to arrive. The train departed from the City railway station at 11.30 pm.

The first special train that departed at 8.15 pm had 17 bogies. The second had 16 coaches and the regular train had 23. There were no sleeper coaches in the special trains and every coach was crammed with passengers. The remaining crowd appeared too large to be accommodated in a single train.

Railway officials say 5,725 passengers booked 2,275 tickets for Assam-bound trains. The chances of huge number of people travelling without tickets could not be ruled out.

According to Anil Kumar Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager of Bangalore Division of the South Western Railway, it’s humanly impossible to check for tickets when such a huge crowd was involved.

The special trains were arranged by summoning coaches from Chennai, Mysore and spare coaches from Bangalore Division.

If the situation of panic continues on Friday, too, it might be a huge challenge for railways to accommodate the passengers as more coaches are not available. “The special trains which have been arranged now will take at least five days to return,” Agarwal told Deccan Herald.

On Wednesday, 6,832 people bought tickets for North-East-bound trains. The number was in addition to the tickets reserved earlier.

The two special trains that left yesterday had 38 coaches, and the regular train 23. Sources in the SWR said the Bangalore division requested for more coaches and two sets are likely to come from Mumbai and New Delhi.

“But we are not sure when we will get them,” a senior official said. Fifteen officers of the Railway Police and Railway Protection Force accompanied passengers in the trains that left Wednesday night. Similar arrangements were made on Thursday too.

The maddening crowd left many Muslims travelling to Bihar worried. With Eid-ul-Fitr expected to fall on Sunday or Monday, they had reserved tickets on the regular train. They hope extra passengers are not accommodated in the reserved coaches.

“We might reach home on time if something goes wrong. In that case, we’ll have to celebrate Eid during the travel,” Muhammad Masoom, a cleric from Kishanganj, Bihar, said.
2 special trains arranged by indian railways :nuts: indian railway helping those who spreading rumour sms saying 4 NE people killed in bangalore

Gudavalli

August 17th, 2012, 01:07 PM

Railways seeks to curb autonomy of subsidiary’s freight corridor (http://www.livemint.com/2012/08/16215427/Railways-seeks-to-curb-autonom.html?atype=tp)

Indian Railways and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp. of India Ltd (DFCCIL) can’t agree on how much autonomy the latter will have on the dedicated freight corridor (DFC).

The railways wants the corridor under its control, while DFCCIL wants autonomy. The concession agreement between DFCCIL and Indian Railways is currently being studied by an inter-ministerial panel. DFCCIL is a subsidiary of Indian Railways established as a special purpose vehicle to construct the 3,278km-long corridors that received cabinet approval in 2006.

The provisions of the concession agreement are being finalized and these won’t allow DFC to operate at arm’s length or provide for access to qualified rail users, said at least two senior government officials, both of whom didn’t want to be named. “In other words, the present stipulations will not allow the dedicated freight corridor to seek business from private parties,” said one of the officials.

A concession agreement is typically a contract between the government and a company, permitting the latter to operate a particular business within the former’s jurisdiction.

In the case of the corridor, it is, in effect, the codification of a working arrangement between DFCCIL and the railways on the arrangements that allow the company to build and operate the freight network.

Conceived in 2005, DFC will connect the busiest freight lanes from Mumbai to Delhi in the west and Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni (West Bengal) in the east. The route is proposed to be flanked by a multi-billion-dollar industrial corridor spanning several states.

The officials said the concession agreement in the works runs counter to how the cabinet had visualized the project in 2006. The cabinet had approved to set up the body at “arm’s length” from the railways, “provide non-discriminatory access to qualified rail users” and “have an independent revenue stream”.

Autonomy will allow the company to tap other sources of equity, at a time when the railways is cash-strapped. It works as an incentive for the railways to reduce cost of construction or operations, it will be unable to sell any spare capacity and would, therefore, lead to a “suboptimal utilization of infrastructure resources”, said a government official.

Another official said the current design goes against the objective of maximizing shareholder wealth, with DFCCIL being forced to maintain a zero per cent return on equity.

A senior railway ministry official rejected this contention.

“The dedicated freight corridor was set up to garner that part of the business which the railways was unable to service because of capacity constraints. If they go out looking for more business, it will jeopardize the interests of the railways itself,” this official said.

These concerns follow a demand for more autonomy from the railways. On 4 July 2011, Mint had first reported that the agency had been demanding more autonomy from the government, saying its ability to execute the enormous project could otherwise be undermined. The issue had cropped up during successive meetings to finalize bid documents for DFCCIL in June 2011, Mint reported.

While the eastern corridor is being funded with a loan from the World Bank, the Japan International Co-operation Agency is funding the western corridor.

The project is expected to decongest existing railway lines, catalyze industrial investments of around Rs.2.3 trillion and create new jobs along the rail route.

In 2010, allegations of misappropriation of funds at DFCCIL led to the ouster of then managing director V.K. Kaul. In May last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case on the basis of internal vigilance reports and started investigating the case.

“DFC was never envisaged as a competitor to the railways,” said R. Sivadasan, a former financial commissioner of the Railway Board, adding that it was created to speed up the laying of a freight-only network as opposed to the current system where freight and passenger trains run on the same set of tracks.

Gudavalli

August 17th, 2012, 01:09 PM

Indian Railways Plans to Build Four Biodiesel Production Plants (http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-09/indian-railways-plans-to-build-four-biodiesel-production-plants)

Indian Railways, Asia’s oldest network, plans to build four plants to produce biodiesel fuel, according to a government statement.

The first two will be completed by 2013 at a cost of 600 million rupees ($11 million), according to the statement late yesterday, which cited a written reply from Railway Minister K.H. Muniyappa to parliament.

The plants will have the capacity to produce 30 tons of fuel a day and will be set up at Tondiarpet in Tamil Nadu state and Raipur in Chhattisgarh state. The locations of the other two are being finalized, Muniyappa said.

The state carrier also plans to install solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines in the next three years, according to the statement, which didn’t provide further details.

Gudavalli

August 17th, 2012, 03:53 PM

Fitch affirms Indian Railway Finance Corporation at 'BBB-'/negative (http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/idINWLA202720120817)

Aug 17 - Fitch Ratings has affirmed Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited's (IRFC) Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'BBB-' with a Negative Outlook. Fitch has also affirmed IRFC's National Long-Term rating at 'Fitch AAA(ind)' with a Stable Outlook, and its National Short-Term rating at 'Fitch A1+(ind)'. A list of additional rating actions is provided at the end of this commentary

The ratings are credit linked to the ratings of the Republic of India ('BBB-'/Negative) given IRFC's legal and funding linkages with the Ministry of Railways (MoR). Fitch has classified IRFC as a dependent public sector entity. The company's strategic policy is dictated by the government of India (GoI) and it is tightly monitored and controlled by the sovereign. Indian Railways provides an important public service and maintains a monopoly situation in the country.

The ratings derive strength from MoR's continued equity infusions into IRFC since its formation and the latter's proactive approach in managing its exchange rate variations. Although IRFC's debt/equity ratio has been within prescribes limits, it is very close to the upper limits of the regulatory domestic 10x mark. Fitch would expect further capital injections if this ratio were to exceed the limit; MoR infused additional equity of INR5bn and INR2.5bn in January 2012 and March 2012, respectively. During FY13, a further equity sum of about INR14.50bn is planned for infusion. Nevertheless, liquidity risk due to a temporary asset liability mismatch could be a rating concern for the corporation.

The business of IRFC is crucial to MoR as the company funds a significant portion of the country's capital investment in infrastructure needs. Not only does IRFC's annual borrowing target require approval of the parliament of India but also MoR's debt servicing obligation is committed by the Indian Parliament every year. The government has high stakes in the sound financial health of IRFC's business and has been extending all necessary support to it.

IRFC's Board comprises a sound mix of professional expertise and experience. Apart from the Chairman who is the Financial Commissioner (MoR) and two functional Directors, the Board of Directors also includes one Director nominated by the Ministry of Finance and two independent Directors.

IRFC's financial accounts are subject to audit by the Supreme Audit Agency set up under the Constitution - Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) of India. Besides, C&AG also undertakes propriety audit of the company which is a valuable means of a prudent external review of its business.

IRFC was incorporated for the purpose of raising resources from the commercial markets to finance the acquisition of new rolling stock for meeting the developmental needs of the Indian railway system. Established in 1986 and administered by MoR, IRFC is a notified Public Financial Institution under the Companies Act, 1956, and is a non-banking finance company and an infrastructure finance company under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.

Rating actions on IRFC's foreign currency loans and bonds are as follows:

- JPY12bn term loan affirmed at 'BBB-'

- USD200m bond issuance affirmed at 'BBB-'

- JPY3bn term loan affirmed at 'BBB-'

Gudavalli

August 17th, 2012, 03:54 PM

Hydrogen to power Railways plans sans diesel, electricity! (http://dailypioneer.com/nation/87574-hydrogen-to-power-railways-plans-sans-diesel-electricity-.html)

Hydrogen-propelled locomotive is the next big thing that the Indian Railways has set its eyes on. The Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuel is in an “advanced stage” to develop a technology for use of hydrogen as a source of fuel for its locomotives, which is part of its greater plans to reduce its dependency on diesel and electricity.

IROAF, a body under Railway Ministry, is working on this project to use solar energy to make hydrogen. Railways uses nearly diesel worth Rs 11,000 crore to run locomotives in both the passenger and freight category.

“We are seriously looking at hydrogen and solar energy applications for our fleet. As per international prediction hydrogen is going to be only source of energy in future. The future is no doubt full of excitement,” a Railway official said.

Besides hydrogen, Railways has also cleared use of blended diesel with 10 per cent bio diesel for use in diesel locomotives. IROAF is setting up four bio-diesel plant for production of the fuel on a mass scale.

Out of these, contract for two plants have been awarded and the work is in progress. These plants situated at Raipur in Chhattisgarh and at Tondiyarpet in Chennai are expected to be operational by March 2013. For the remaining two plants, land is being located in different Zonal Railways.

Railway also proposes to use compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel in dual fuel mode on diesel electric multiple units (DEMUs). For this purpose, a project has been sanctioned for conversion of 100 DEMUs into dual fuel mode which is under implementation. Railway official say their ultimate goal for gas related was heading towards extensive usage of LNG with the help of international majors like M/S Westport. “In a few years prices of LNG are going to be as attractive as CNG,” they claimed.

Natural gas (NG) when compressed to about 3600psi becomes CNG. The same natural gas when compressed and cooled to minus 162 degree Celsius gets liquefied and is called LNG (liquefied natural gas).

With higher calorific value, LNG offers better mobility for transportation and storage than CNG. LNG is much safer that diesel, as the auto ignition temperature of LNG is 537°C, as compared to around 210°C of diesel.

Gudavalli

August 17th, 2012, 07:43 PM

Mangalore-based Corporation Bank donates wheelchairs to Indian Railways (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-15/mangalore/33216038_1_mangalore-wheelchairs-corporation-bank)

MANGALORE: Mangalore-based Corporation Bank on Wednesday donated wheelchairs to Indian Railways on the occasion of Independence Day.

Ajai Kumar, chairman and managing director handed over three wheelchairs to authorities of Mangalore central railway station at the Independence Day celebrations held at corporate office here. The wheel-chairs have been donated as part of corporate social responsibility for benefit of differently-abled passengers.

Ajai Kumar who handed over the wheelchairs to PM Radhakrishnan, station master started the Independence Day celebrations by unfurling national tricolour at the corporate office in the presence of Ashwani Kumar and Amar Lal Daultani, executive directors. Ajai said, "On this day we should rededicate and reflect on betterment of the country, society and ourselves. Every citizen of this country should celebrate this day with pride and vigour."

A cultural show was organized on the day involving the Bank's staff and their family members, students of University College, Mangalore and differently-abled children from Chetana School, besides others.

sidney_jec

August 17th, 2012, 07:47 PM

^^ This is just plain absurd. Railways gobble up a lot of public money and it needs to pull up its socks and provide the basic necessities like wheel chairs for who need them and not depend on institutions to give them on charity and then feel like they are doing a premium service to the customers.

Gudavalli

August 18th, 2012, 06:46 PM

How to Make India’s Railways Safer (http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/07/31/how-to-make-indias-railways-safer/)

A fire that swept through a moving passenger train in southern India on Monday killed at least 32 people and injured dozens, according to a railway official.

One coach of the Tamil Nadu Express going from New Delhi to the southern city of Chennai caught fire as it passed through the station in the town of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

A spokesman for India’s railways, Anil Saxena, could not confirm the cause of the fire. Local media reported that the blaze seems to have been caused by an electrical short circuit in the coach.

India’s state-owned rail network is the main mode of long-distance travel in the country. But safety remains a pressing issue.

Between January 2007 and September 2011, more than 2,000 people died in 738 railway accidents – including collisions, derailments, fires and unprotected railway crossings – the railways minister revealed last year in response to a Right-to-Information request filed by activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal.

In recent months, railway accidents have been alarmingly common. In May, 24 passengers were killed and 25 injured when a passenger train collided with a stationary goods train in Andhra Pradesh. Later that month, four people died after a train derailed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

And this month, a goods train derailed in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Last week, a speeding passenger train rammed into 11 coaches of a Mumbai suburban train in the western state of Maharashtra, killing three people and injuring more than 50.

Experts say that although the causes for these disasters vary, together they show that just how poor India’s record is when it comes to rail safety.

Here are the key areas experts say need urgent attention to make India’s railways safer:

Fire detection systems: Most trains in India still lack effective systems to detect smoke and fire. In some trains, the fire alarm systems have been installed in air-conditioned coaches, while other compartments have been neglected. In open compartments, it is more difficult to detect smoke. The Tamil Nadu Express fire took place in the train’s non-AC coaches.

Anti-collision technologies. These are devices that automatically halt the train if it overshoots a red signal. “India, which has the world’s fourth-largest railway network after the U.S. China and Russia, still doesn’t have such safety devices,” said Vijay Kumar, a railway safety expert and former railways official.

Such technologies could have helped prevent the 32 train collisions that took place in India since 2008, according to official figures.

Improved staffing. While speeding and skipping red signals are the main causes of concern, human error is another common cause of accidents. The reason for this is partly that there is a shortage of staff, meaning that workers are often overworked, said Mr. Kumar. According to official figures, there were 18 train accidents last year due to faults of drivers and other railway staff.

New tracks. A significant number of accidents that take place in India are caused by derailments. For this, “derelict tracks are to blame,” Mr. Kumar said.

There were 273 train derailments in India since 2008, 28 of which took place last year, according to official figures.

A report submitted in February by a panel of experts appointed by the Indian government said there was an “urgent need to modernize the key revenue generating assets of the railways such as tracks and bridges.” It suggested modernization of 19,000 kilometers of existing tracks.

Manned railway crossings. There are more than 50,000 crossings along India’s railway tracks of which 15,000 are unmanned. This is where accidents are more likely to occur “primarily due to inadequate precautions by road users failing to observe mandatory sign boards, signals and basic traffic safety rules,” the ministry of railways said in a recent statement. “The cost of maintaining these [crossings] is huge. But work is underway,” it said.

According to government records, nearly 10,000 people died during the last three years in accidents on unprotected crossings. Mr. Kumar said the government should provide “easy options” such as “improved fencing, flyovers and overpass bridges” so that people don’t just rush across the railway tracks.

adam_india

August 19th, 2012, 07:47 AM

G_3ZyunvDWg

That's a really beautiful video. Thanks.

Bombay2Calcutta

August 19th, 2012, 08:12 PM

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Soon-photo-ID-must-for-non-AC-train-travel/articleshow/15555329.cms)
Soon, photo ID must for non-AC train travel

NEW DELHI: Railways is set to make it mandatory for passengers travelling in non-ACsleeper class to carry identity proof as part of its efforts to check the widespread menace of transferred tickets sold by touts.

The decision to carry a valid I-card for train passengers in non-AC reserved class is being finalised and likely to be announced shortly, a senior railway ministry official said.

"This is being done to strengthen measures to keep a check on passengers travelling on transferred tickets," the official said.

Earlier in February, railways had made it mandatory for AC class passengers to carry identity proof with them. Passengers travelling on a Tatkal or an e-ticket are also required to carry I-cards while undertaking train journey.

"Non-AC travellers were kept out of the photo I-card decision at that time," the official said, adding that "the policy ambit is being widened now so that every passenger in reserved class onboard a train has a valid identity card."

Once the decision is announced, passengers failing to produce original identity proof in sleeper class, as and when asked for, will be treated as "without ticket" and charged accordingly.

The rule will apply for all sorts of tickets, including those for sleeper class, issued by Railways through computerised passenger reservation system (PRS) or internet.

The decision to introduce photo I-cards for sleeper class passengers is likely to deter touts from booking tickets on fictitious names and selling the same to passengers at a premium price, the official said.

Passengers can carry any of these nine ID proofs while undertaking train journey - voter ID card, passport, PAN card, driving licence, photo identity card having serial number issued by central/state government, student identity card with photograph issued by recognised school/college, Aadhar card, nationalised bank passbook with photograph and credit cards issued by banks with laminated photograph.

A campaign will be soon launched to spread awareness among passengers of sleeper class regarding the move to carry photo identity cards, the official said. Message will be printed on train tickets for spreading awareness among the people.

Gudavalli

August 20th, 2012, 12:14 PM

Indian Railways new norms for Tatkal Reservation (http://www.onlineindiannews.com/content/view/2327/36/)

Indian Railways have taken various measures to facilitate access to general as well as Tatkal reservation by common man. Accordingly, more than 2900 computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) locations have been opened and facility of booking through internet has also been provided. However, during peak rush periods when the demand outstrips the availability, some cases of black marketing of railway tickets by touts come to notice at the time of surprise inspections and preventive checks conducted at reservation offices. During the period from April 2012 to June 2012.. Indian Railways have taken various measures to facilitate access to general as well as Tatkal reservation by common man. Accordingly, more than 2900 computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) locations have been opened and facility of booking through internet has also been provided. However, during peak rush periods when the demand outstrips the availability, some cases of black marketing of railway tickets by touts come to notice at the time of surprise inspections and preventive checks conducted at reservation offices. During the period from April 2012 to June 2012, large numbers of checks were conducted during which 930 unauthorized agents/touts were apprehended/prosecuted. In order to reduce the scope of cornering of tickets by touts and also to balance the load on the computerized PRS as well as on internet, with effect from 10.07.2012, the timing of opening of reservation of Tatkal tickets has been changed to 1000 hours on the previous day of journey instead of 0800 hours as per earlier provision.

Gudavalli

August 20th, 2012, 12:15 PM

Railway freight traffic to grow 5.2 pc this fiscal: CMIE (http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-08-19/news/33272987_1_freight-traffic-iron-ore-cmie-report)

MUMBAI: Railway freight traffic is likely to clock a 5.2 per cent growth this fiscal on higher demand from coal and iron ore meant for domestic steel plants, a forecast by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) says.

"In 2012-13, the revenue-earning freight traffic of the Indian Railways is projected to rise by 5.2 per cent. About 1,020 million tonnes of commodities are likely to be transported during the year," CMIE said in its latest report.

The freight traffic during the June quarter increased 4.8 per cent as compared to the corresponding period year ago.

Noting that the growth will be supported by coal and iron ore meant for domestic steel plants, the report said country's coal imports are expected to rise by 28.3 per cent to 134.4 million, which will create a need for transporting.

There is a strong demand for coal from the power and steel sector. Since the domestic output is not sufficient to meet the demand of the power sector, coal is imported.

"Finished steel production is expected to rise to 7.4 per cent, to cater to demand from the infrastructure and automobile sectors."

According to CMIE, in June 2012, the Railways freight traffic increased by 5.2 per cent year-on-year to 80.4 million tonnes.

Higher freight volumes of coal and iron ore meant for steel plants neutralised the effect of sharp decline in traffic of iron ore (excluding for steel plants) and fertilisers.

Accordingly, the Railways freight revenue rose by a robust 29.2 per cent to Rs 6,926 crore. This increase was mainly added by a sharp 39.7 per cent increase in freight revenue of coal, the CMIE report said.

At the same time, the CMIE said, the freight volumes of coal rose by 10.1 per cent in June (y-0-y) to 39.3 million tonnes driven by a 9-12 per cent increase in traffic of thermal coal and coal for public use.

The iron ore freight meant for domestic steel plants jumped by 40.7 per cent to 5.2 million tonnes during the month.

However, traffic of iron ore excluding that for steel plants declined 13.7 per cent, it said.

v-8ras

August 20th, 2012, 10:53 PM

I think Mumbai-Ahmadabad double-decker also has red-yellow color scheme.

G_3ZyunvDWg

The rake in the video is actually of the Jaipur AC Double Decker Express undergoing trials in Mumbai. These were bought to Mumbai for speed tests done at 130 kmph after which it received RDSO certification. The actual rakes for the Mumbai Ahmedabad Double Decker arrived at Ahmedabad only a few days ago.

MxC

August 21st, 2012, 02:53 PM

Good move. One possible suggestion that could help IMO.... expand the length of the name field, make it compulsory to attach a copy of a government issued ID in case of physical counters and ID type/no in case of internet, and then make sure the name on the ticket matches that on id.

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Soon-photo-ID-must-for-non-AC-train-travel/articleshow/15555329.cms)
Soon, photo ID must for non-AC train travel

NEW DELHI: Railways is set to make it mandatory for passengers travelling in non-ACsleeper class to carry identity proof as part of its efforts to check the widespread menace of transferred tickets sold by touts.

The decision to carry a valid I-card for train passengers in non-AC reserved class is being finalised and likely to be announced shortly, a senior railway ministry official said.

"This is being done to strengthen measures to keep a check on passengers travelling on transferred tickets," the official said.

Earlier in February, railways had made it mandatory for AC class passengers to carry identity proof with them. Passengers travelling on a Tatkal or an e-ticket are also required to carry I-cards while undertaking train journey.

"Non-AC travellers were kept out of the photo I-card decision at that time," the official said, adding that "the policy ambit is being widened now so that every passenger in reserved class onboard a train has a valid identity card."

Once the decision is announced, passengers failing to produce original identity proof in sleeper class, as and when asked for, will be treated as "without ticket" and charged accordingly.

The rule will apply for all sorts of tickets, including those for sleeper class, issued by Railways through computerised passenger reservation system (PRS) or internet.

The decision to introduce photo I-cards for sleeper class passengers is likely to deter touts from booking tickets on fictitious names and selling the same to passengers at a premium price, the official said.

Passengers can carry any of these nine ID proofs while undertaking train journey - voter ID card, passport, PAN card, driving licence, photo identity card having serial number issued by central/state government, student identity card with photograph issued by recognised school/college, Aadhar card, nationalised bank passbook with photograph and credit cards issued by banks with laminated photograph.

A campaign will be soon launched to spread awareness among passengers of sleeper class regarding the move to carry photo identity cards, the official said. Message will be printed on train tickets for spreading awareness among the people.

MxC

August 21st, 2012, 02:56 PM

Indian Railways new norms for Tatkal Reservation (http://www.onlineindiannews.com/content/view/2327/36/)

What's the idea of sharing this such old news which have been shabbily presented in this particular article.

MxC

August 21st, 2012, 02:59 PM

I think Mumbai-Ahmadabad double-decker also has red-yellow color scheme.

G_3ZyunvDWg

May be they found green-yellow to be dull and dropped that color.

Excellent timings in this video, making it a pleasure to watch. Especially admired the steady hand of the person making it!

gentem

August 22nd, 2012, 06:05 AM

vu3nnn

August 22nd, 2012, 10:52 AM

My worry is that this move will give birth to a new cottage industry of fake ID cards, meant for "one-time railway use." The TTE will obviously not have the means or expertise to verify authenticity.

The way to prevent this happening is to
1. make photocopy of the ID card mandatory at the time of reservation at physical counters.
2. ensure that IRCTC users have to register themselves first with their ID card verified at physical locations before they are allowed to make bookings. If the registered account holder is not traveling, a scanned copy of the ID card should be made along with the booking

Railways can conduct random checks to ensure that the photocopies / scans submitted are of genuine cards. Criminal cases should be slapped on forgerers.

Having said this, all these are quick fixes / short term measures. The only long term and viable solution to this menace is capacity addition so that supply is greater than or match demand.

Bombay2Calcutta

August 24th, 2012, 05:45 AM

Sri Lanka Railways puts three Indian trains on track

Aug 23, Colombo: Sri Lanka Railways says that three trains supplied by India will be put on the rail tracks in next two weeks.

They are to be deployed for test runs first, said a Sri Lanka Railways official.

One of the trains is to be deployed as a luxury train between Colombo and Matara. Another train will run between Colombo and Trincomalee. The third is to be in reserve for emergency services.

India provided these trains to Sri Lanka Railways under the Southern Railway Development Project.

The Southern coastal line was reconstructed in three stages with India's assistance. The Indian government provided US$ 168 million to implement the comprehensive project for upgrading the Colombo-Galle-Matara coastal railway track.

Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) was entrusted with the construction.

Sri Lanka Railways put five locomotives that were imported recently from China on the rails last week for test runs.

These trains include four power sets and a luxury train. The four power sets are to run on the Kelani Valley Line from Colombo to Avissawella while the luxury train will run on upcountry railway line.

Sri Lanka Railway has also planned to import eight more trains from China.

gentem

August 24th, 2012, 06:04 AM

Railways to put curtains in AC 3-tiers (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/7492/banner-300x250.swf)
New Delhi, pti:

In order to give more privacy to the passengers, the Railways has decided to put curtains in aisles of all the air conditioned three-tier coaches.

“From the consideration of privacy, security and comfort of the passengers, it has been decided to have curtains in the aisles of AC 3-tier coaches,” a senior Railway Ministry official said.
KPXe0jFt96A

invincibletiger

August 24th, 2012, 11:12 AM

^^ It was already there for many trains for the past 1-1.5 years.

mangalore mania

August 24th, 2012, 06:51 PM

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3815865.ece (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3815865.ece)

CHENNAI, AUG 24:
The Indian Railways is not able to achieve the “desired level of progress due to limited availability of resources’’, Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy said at a Consultative Committee meeting of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Railways.

The Minister also said that the available funds are “distributed over large number of projects’’.

Noting that the Indian Railways is able to provide only about Rs 12,000 crore to new line and gauge conversion projects, Roy told the Members of Parliament that the Ministry of Railways has requested the various state governments to “share the cost of the projects falling in their respective states’’.

Many states have come forward in this regard and at present 35 projects are under construction under such cost-sharing arrangement, he said.

“Some remunerative projects are proposed to be executed through public-private partnership,” he said.

The Ministry has also requested the Planning Commission to enhance the budgetary support for Railways.

Land acquisition issues

Roy said that the Railways intend to set up a number of factories for the manufacturing of locomotives, coaches and wagons. These proposals are in various stages of progress.

However, some of the projects are getting affected due to the delay in land acquisition, especially clearance required for a forest land, he said.

Look who is speaking about funds constraint. Why did nobody questioned him on the withdrawal of ticket fare hike

infra desperados

August 24th, 2012, 07:24 PM

DELHI-JAIPUR AC DOUBLE-DECKER TRAIN FLAGGED OFF:banana::banana:
http://www.newstrackindia.com/images/newsimages/images1/338919.Delhi-Jaipur-double-decker-train.jpg

Railway minister Mukul Roy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flag off a double-decker, air-conditioned train from Delhi to Jaipur on Friday.
The Minister of Railways, Shri Mukul Roy and Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit flagged off the AC Double Decker train between Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur from Delhi Sarai Rohilla station today. The Minister of State for Railways, Shri K. H. Muniyappa, Mayor of M.C.D., Smt. Meera Aggarwal and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Shri Mukul Roy said that the first AC Double Decker train was introduced between Howrah-Dhanbad in 2011 which was found to be satisfactory. He said that with the introduction of this much awaited Air Conditioned Double Decker service between Delhi and Jaipur, the Indian Railways have fulfilled the dream of the travelling public. He said that AC Double Decker coach which has been designed in-house and manufactured at Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, a Production Unit of Indian Railways is a noteworthy achievement.
A beautifully decorated train left from at 17:35 hours from Delhi Sarai Rohilla and is scheduled to reach Jaipur at 22:05 hours.
The train will run regularly August 25, 2012. Moreover, the Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla AC double decker train will leave from Jaipur at 6:00 hours to reach Delhi Sarai Rohilla station.
The train contains all chair cars and has the capacity of sitting 120 passengers in each coach. No of seats in each deck are:
Upper Deck: 50
Lower Deck: 48
On ends: 22
The coaches have been fully designed at Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala. As far as designing of coach is concerned the adjustment of size has been done in the lower portion of the trains as it was not possible to increase the height of the coaches due to old railway bridges.
The Railway Minister said that the design of the Double Decker coaches was a mighty challenge for the Railways as the entire Rail network and coach designs need to meet standard dimensions in length, breadth and height as per bridges, overhead electricity wire, tunnels, etc. It is not feasible to either enhance the width of the coach or increase its height. In keeping with these limitations, the railway officials worked out the design to enable accommodation of 120 passengers in the new coaches instead of 78 passengers in the existing chair cars of Shatabdi type. This makes the air-conditioned Double Decker production a major achievement. More Passengers can thus travel at most reasonable costs with the comfort of air-conditioned travel. Shri Roy said that the coaches of this AC Double Decker are made of stainless steel, which reduces the weight of the coaches. In keeping with the safety of the services, the coaches are designed with anti-climbing technology and have crash-worthy shells. Through the air springs in these coaches, passengers can derive greater ease and comfortable in travel, he said.
Shri Mukul Roy reiterated the commitment of the Indian Railways in delivering greater convenience to its passengers while keeping costs for these increased comforts minimal to the traveler. He also congratulated all the officers and staff of the Indian Railways for their zeal to deliver such convenience and comfortable mode of travel to the public.
Speaking on the occasion, Smt. Sheila Dikshit said that it is a very useful service between Delhi and Jaipur and will also promote tourism. This train will provide a comfortable ride in air conditioned atmosphere to the passengers. She said that more such services should be introduced for the benefit of the people.
The departure time of this daily AC Double Decker train (no. 12986) from Delhi Sarai Rohilla is 5.35 P.M. and arrival time at Jaipur is 10.05 P.M. From Jaipur this train (no. 12985) will depart at 6.00 A.M. and arrive at Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 10.30 A.M. This AC Double Decker train will have two stops on its way namely Delhi Cantt. and Gurgaon Railway Station.
Also present among others on the occasion were Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vinay Mittal, Board Members, General Manager, Northern Railway, Shri V. K. Gupta and senior Railway officials.
Evolution of AC Double Deckers
Double Decker coaches were first introduced on Indian Railways in 1975 mainly aimed at providing higher carrying capacity in short distance commuter trains

SOURCE-- http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/8/24/384-Delhi-Jaipur-double-decker-train-starts-from-today.html

infra desperados

August 24th, 2012, 07:40 PM

DELHI-JAIPUR AC DOUBLE DECKER TRAIN STARTS TODAY

http://www.ndtv.com/news/images/double-decker-train-295.jpg

New Delhi: Passengers to Jaipur can now take a ride on an air conditioned double-decker train. Railway Minister Mukul Roy flagged off the train at a function in the capital which was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and a host of other political leaders and senior railway officials.

The train will run between Delhi's Sarai Rohilla and Jaipur and carry 120 passengers in a coach as compared to about 80 passengers in a conventional coach. A ticket will cost Rs. 347.

The train will leave from here at 5.35 pm and arrive in the Pink city at 10.05 pm the same day.

In the return direction, commencing regular services from August 25, the Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Double Decker AC will depart from Jaipur daily at 6 am to reach Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 10.30 am the same day.

Comprising eight AC chair car coaches and two power cars, the double-decker AC train services will stop for 2 minutes each at Delhi Cantt., Gurgaon and Gandhi Nagar, Jaipur stations enroute in both directions.

In all, Railways proposes to introduce five AC double-decker trains across the country, the first of which started running last year between Howrah and Dhanbad. Mumbai-Ahmedabad is next in the line to have a double-decker train.:banana:

SOURCE-- http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/now-a-double-double-decker-air-conditioned-train-to-take-you-from-delhi-to-jaipur-258931

Vicvin86

August 25th, 2012, 06:18 AM

Aug. 24: A missing dog or cat may take a few hours or days to find but how long does it take to locate a “missing” train engine?

Four months, if you are the Indian Railways.

The electric locomotive — all 70 tonnes of it — was reported “lost” from the Kazipet junction in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, in April.

After a nationwide search, with lookout notices pasted at every major junction, it has been found just 4km from the Kazipet loco shed, stranded on an unused track behind a hillock where its drunken drivers had abandoned it.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120825/jsp/nation/story_15896091.jsp#.UDhQmaMZdrq

barrykul

August 25th, 2012, 08:44 AM

Whatever happened to the Bio Digester Toilet for IR. I have little hope with the current Moronic Mukul Roy as Railway Minister of IR.

A bio-digester fitted on to an Indian Railways coach. Looks crude but does the job.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/multimedia/dynamic/01187/bl24_train_jpg_1187262f.jpg

A leap in toilet technology, courtesy DRDO, can bring about the sanitation revolution India needs.

The energetic minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh, thinks India’s defence scientists, who have been praised sky-high for the launch of Agni V, should get their act together on the ground as well: They should solve the toilet problem in villages of Odisha near Dhamra port, close to the launch sites of Wheeler Island, Chandipur and Balasore.

The defence scientists have been quick to respond to the call by offering a bio-digester technology that could be deployed to fabricate eco-friendly toilets.

The tradition is already in place. Former President, and ‘missile man’ A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for over a decade, tried hard to popularise the spin-offs of the country’s ambitious missile programme.

He often narrated the story of how composites (lightweight, corrosion-free material) used in the nose tip of Agni, are also useful in fabricating light-weight boots that provide relief to the polio-affected and accident victims.

As chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), he formulated at least 10 initiatives to serve the common man as spin-offs of the defence technologies under a societal mission programme. These included pacemakers, titanium implants, lightweight boots, bullet-proofing of vehicles, etc.

When Jairam Ramesh made his sharp comments in Odisha, he must have been aware of these efforts. But as Rural Development — and earlier Environment and Forests — Minister he would have seen a good part of rural India and must be alive to the woeful inadequacies and desperate need for basic amenities.

It is no secret that women in several small hamlets have to sometimes wait till sunset to answer the call of nature. It has now been decided that the Rural Development Ministry will install at least 1,000 bio digester toilets along the 90-km Jhamjhadi-Dhamra stretch in Odisha under a pilot project over the next decade.

To start with, six twin-bio digester toilets based on DRDO technology were launched in Dhamra at the end of June.

The bio-digester is a spin-off technology product developed by scientists from the DRDE, Gwalior, and Defence Research Laboratory (DRL), Tezpur, to treat biological wastes of soldiers serving in the high altitudes of Ladakh and Siachen.
Eco-friendly process

“The bio digester-based toilet has already found its way into railway coaches, tourist buses, small homes and is to be extensively set up in Lakshadweep islands over the years. It has the potential to be used in all terrains — plains, deserts and marshy lands”, said V.K. Saraswat, present chief of the DRDO.

To meet the growing demand, the DRDO has licensed the patented technology to at least 50 companies to build eco-friendly toilets that could be called E-Loos. Many of these firms are involved in the fabrication of the ‘no flush’ toilet version which, according to estimates, would cost around Rs 15,000 at present. The technology helps turn human waste into biogas and odourless compost.

The process is eco-friendly. The gas generated can be used for energy and cooking. The process involves tapping bacteria which feed on the faecal matter inside the bio digester tank and degrade it to be released as methane gas.

The DRDO says it has two categories of bio digesters; one made up of metal for soil-bound regions. The other is made up of metal, fibre re-inforced plastic (FRP) and poly urethane foam (PUF) for temperature regulation for glaciers.

While metal bio digesters maintain required temperatures by geothermal and microbial heat, temperature controlled types are heated by energy from solar photovoltaic cells.
Push from Railways

A major push to civilian application of the bio digester came from the Indian Railways. At the request of the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow, the DRDE designed a customised toilet for railway coaches. The single toilet bio-digester has been fitted in at least eight long-distance trains.

Made of stainless steel, it is rectangular in shape and does not require any special maintenance, except routine cleaning. It has two basic chambers, one for biological and the other for chemical treatment. The combination of these two treatments results in odourless effluent for safe discharge.

According to the 2012-13 Railway Budget, 10,000 bio toilets based on the DRDO bio digester technology would be installed.

Under request from the Planning Commission, the DRDO has customised the bio-digester to treat human waste for a family of 4-6 members for the coastal areas, Union Territories and different islands.

Lakshadweep has firmed up orders to purchase 12,000 bio-toilets for the entire island population. When completed, it could become the first island/UT to adopt a sewage disposal system based on biological treatment of human waste.

Vast sections of people in a country of around 1.2 billion have no access to toilets. Sewerage systems and sanitary operations, besides safe drinking water, are woefully inadequate.

The impact of these shortfalls is a severe crisis on the health front, leading to avoidable deaths, productivity loss in people and a big dent in the country’s economy as a whole.

The DRDO has joined hands with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) under an Accelerated Technology Assessment and Commercialisation programme to identify technologies that can be tailored to solve problems faced by the common man and involve the private sector.

Bill Gates’ role

If one looks at the history of toilets, it’s interesting to find that King Minos of ancient Crete was the first to have a flushing water closet. Variations of toilets can be found at Mohenjadaro-Harappa, at Rome and China.

However, the first patent for a flushing water closet was issued to Alexander Cummings in 1775.

Innovations in toilets got global attention recently when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation unveiled the ‘reinvent the Toilet fair’ at Microsoft’s Seattle campus.

Bill Gates’ push for designing the future loo to improve global sanitation, especially in developing countries, saw some exciting designs on display.

The winner of the $100,000 prize out of 28 designs was from the California Institute of Technology which designed a toilet based on solar power, generating hydrogen and electricity as well. The Gates Foundation has committed $370 million to its future toilet initiative and hopes to field-test the prototypes within three years.

The challenge before the DRDO and the Ministry of Rural Development led by Jairam Ramesh would be to enthuse the private sector to mass-produce these eco-friendly loos.

It will be a daunting task but well worth the challenge, if India has to emerge as a global economic powerhouse.

The DRDO can only claim modest success of its earlier spin-off technologies on a commercial scale. With a string of 50 national labs at its disposal, this innovation perhaps holds out the opportunity to win the confidence of the private sector and the public.

link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article3812330.ece)

pavan9741650414

August 25th, 2012, 07:39 PM

New Arrival

http://www.deccanheraldepaper.com/pdf/2012/08/25/20120825aE007100009.jpg

pavan9741650414

August 25th, 2012, 07:39 PM

BEML SUPPLIES NATION’S FIRST STAINLESS STEEL EMUs TO INDIAN RAILWAYS (http://www.bemlindia.nic.in/documents/News%20&%20Events/Press%20Releases/24082012.pdf)

BEML LIMITED, the premier railcoach manufacturing Company, under the administrative purview of Ministry of Defence, took up the challenging task of redesigning the existing Corten Steel EMU (Electrical Multiple Unit) coach body with more modern Stainless Steel Carbody design. The innovative design, developed by R&D Division of BEML, was approved by RDSO (Research Development Standard Organisation) and Indian Railways have placed a Developmental Order for design,
development and manufacture of 10 nos. of Stainless Steel EMUs. Each rake of SS EMU consists of 9 cars. The first rake of 9 Cars designed and developed by BEML have been cleared by RDSO and RITES (Rail India Technical & Engineering Services) and have been successfully commissioned for trial run at Sealdah Division of Eastern Railways, Kolkata. The new design of SS EMU has been evolved for the First Time in the country with modern aesthetic look, comfortable seating and the interiors designed to be on par sophisticated Metro Cars, thus making the SS EMU more comfortable, durable, safe and easy for maintenance.
With this innovative product of BEML, Indian Railways plan for gradual replacement of existing corrosion-prone corten steel EMUs with modern Stainless Steel corrosion-proof EMUs in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai & Chennai suburbs has become a reality. BEML foresees a huge business potential for the newly designed and developed
Stainless Steel EMUs.

Bombay2Calcutta

August 26th, 2012, 06:30 AM

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Indian-Railways-to-use-CNG-for-diesel-unit/articleshow/15722618.cms)
Indian Railways to use CNG for diesel unit

ALLAHABAD: In its endeavour to use new technology and conserve environment, Indian Railways has taken the initiative of using compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternate fuel on pilot project involving Diesel Power Car (DPC) of Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU). Presently, the power car of Diesel Electric Multiple Unit is being hauled with the help of diesel.

Contracts for conversion of 50 DPCs have been placed on three different firms by Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels (IROAF) for Northern Railway Shakurbasti Diesel Shed homing DEMUs. Fitment of these kits is under progress. Cost of fitment on 50 DPCs is about Rs 55 crore and savings in fuel consumption can be assessed only where these kits are positioned.

The information regarding the use of CNG in DPC was given by the minister of state for Railways KH Muniyappa in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

barrykul

August 27th, 2012, 04:40 AM

Railways proposes to introduce five AC double-decker trains across the country

This exemplifies the myopic planning of babus and mantrijis.They care little about the rest of the nation and treat public like they are nobody. For a nation with hot climate, it is imperative that the traveling public have AC as de rigueur. The above double - decker is the minimum for all public railway travel. Time to retire the entire junk of dabbas and upgrade all trains to this level pronto.

akbarsyed

August 27th, 2012, 07:09 AM

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/railways-to-contruct-low-cost-houses-to-remove-encroachments-near-tracks-259280?pfrom=home-india

gentem

August 27th, 2012, 08:51 AM

^^ railway lines in metro cities is nothing but slum corridors. no policing by railways, mumbai ruined by slums because of indian railways

Railways to contruct low cost houses to remove encroachments near tracks

At present, there are about 1,34,841 encroachments reported on railway land.

Railways have approximately 4.31 hectares of land, out of which about 981 hectares of total land holding, are under encroachment.

According to data prepared by the Railway Ministry, over 220 hectares of railway land have been encroached in the Northern Zone, followed by 167 hectares in Northeast Frontier Zone and 162 hectares in South Eastern Zone.

Railways have shelled out Rs. 22 crore for Mumbai and Rs. 11 crore for Delhi under the scheme till now. "Funds will be provided for other cities also as detailed rehabilitation plans are being worked out with states concerned," said the official.

The scheme was announced in the Rail Budget 2011-12 by then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

invincibletiger

August 27th, 2012, 04:06 PM

^^ railway lines in metro cities is nothing but slum corridors. no policing by railways, mumbai ruined by slums because of indian railways

Mumbai wouldn't have become the India's largest metropolis without the railways.

Bombay2Calcutta

August 28th, 2012, 02:22 AM

Rail Journal (http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/track/india-to-import-its-first-track-laying-machine-for-freight-corridor.html?channel=542)

India to import its first track laying machine for freight corridor
Written by Raghav Thakur

FERROVIA Trans Rail Solutions, the joint venture awarded the Rs.1.56bn ($US 28m) contract to build the 66km New Kawadia - Durgapur section of India's 1839km Ludhiana - Dankuni eastern dedicated freight corridor (DFC), will import a refurbished Harsco Rail track laying machine in December.

This will be the first time that such machines will be used in India.

Using manual or semi-mechanised track laying methods, Indian Railways takes about 10 days to lay 1km of track, but the Harsco Rail machine will be able to lay 1km of track per day. "This will mean a generational jump in track construction and will help overcome labour issues," says Mr R K Gupta, managing director of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL). The eastern DFC is expected to open in December 2013.

Another seven track laying machines will be needed for the rest of the eastern DFC and the 1499km Mumbai - Delhi western DFC. Four more DFCs are planned: North-South (Delhi - Chennai), East-West (Kolkata Howrah - Mumbai), Southern (Chennai - Goa) and East Coast (Kharakpur - Vijaywada). By 2020, Indian Railways plans to build around 25,000km of new lines.

senthilkumark

August 28th, 2012, 06:48 AM

cross posting

Cross posting from Tirunelveli Transport thread. Courtesy: TVMH/SSC : Open account with IRCTC and book your rail ticket (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=94558908&postcount=648)

Booking railway tickets will be a tad easier and faster once a system of having an account with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) comes into being.

In a bid to make booking easier, the IRCTC has decided to launch a Rolling Deposit Scheme (RSD), under which anyone can deposit the desired amount in the account to be opened with the service provider.

The user could purchase tickets from the money deposited by using the RSD card as a novel payment option, which the IRCTC claims has advantages over the other modes of payment. The system would enable hassle-free and secured transactions, besides saving time by eliminating the payment approval sequence. It reduces the user’s dependence on banks and their servers and allows for booking tickets directly through the RSD mode. The other benefit is that the user need not make the payment gateway charges. The tedious process of using credit or debit cards for making online purchases is done away with under the proposed scheme.

One can open an account using the PAN card and operate the account through a transaction password and PIN number and manage the account online and top up the account too.

The minimum deposit is likely to be in the range of Rs. 1500 to 2000.

Registration fee

The account can be opened with a registration fee of Rs. 250, which can be redeemed while booking tickets later.

The IRCTC will provide facility for the user to track the transaction history and in case of cancellation of ticket, the refund would be deposited in the account the very following day.
THE HINDU (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3828578.ece)

InfraNerd

August 28th, 2012, 06:49 AM

^^ December 2013!:nuts: You got to be kidding me. How can they build the corridor so fast? Can anybody confirm if the journalist got the date right.

_Mihir13

August 28th, 2012, 06:52 AM

cross posting

That's an excellent idea and will work wonders.

Lets see how fast they implement it.

arun82

August 28th, 2012, 05:30 PM

^^ December 2013!:nuts: You got to be kidding me. How can they build the corridor so fast? Can anybody confirm if the journalist got the date right.

If a machine can lay 25 km in a month in 14 months it would have done 350 kms .

So if 7 machines are employed then 350*7 = 2450 KMS approx.

So Dec 2013 is possible with 7 machines working for 14 months.

anidel

August 28th, 2012, 08:08 PM

InfraNerd

August 28th, 2012, 08:57 PM

If a machine can lay 25 km in a month in 14 months it would have done 350 kms .

So if 7 machines are employed then 350*7 = 2450 KMS approx.

So Dec 2013 is possible with 7 machines working for 14 months.

The article says, "Another seven track laying machines will be needed for the rest of the eastern DFC and the 1499km Mumbai - Delhi western DFC." So total of eight track laying machines working for both the corridors. In that case, it seems an impossible task. Correct me if I got it wrong.

Bombay2Calcutta

August 29th, 2012, 02:18 AM

When they say Dec 2013 for opening on the eastern DFC , it might not necessarily mean the entire stretch. Entire stretch by 2013 is not possible.

nagpuri_punter

August 30th, 2012, 11:31 AM

amazing ...just by 2013..
seems immpossible

aam admi

August 30th, 2012, 12:36 PM

I think by December, 2013, IR would be aimimg to open 100 km of section between Mugalsarai and Sonenagar. The foundation stone for this strech was laid by Sonia in presence of Lalu in 2009.

master777

August 31st, 2012, 06:06 AM

The article says, "Another seven track laying machines will be needed for the rest of the eastern DFC and the 1499km Mumbai - Delhi western DFC." So total of eight track laying machines working for both the corridors. In that case, it seems an impossible task. Correct me if I got it wrong.

It is impossible. Track can lay with machines and construction of bridges will take time. In all existing new line works track laying work is going timely and because of Major and medium bridges only projects are delaying.

pavan9741650414

September 3rd, 2012, 04:50 AM

Smart card for train journey on Howrah and Mumbai routes (http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=9&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOIBG&mydateHid=03-09-2012&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI)

New Delhi: Passengers will soon be able to use smart cards for buying train tickets on the busy Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes and also in the Kolkata Metro.A pan-India multi-purpose smart card is going to be launched by railways in two most sought after routes on a pilot basis shortly and the modalities are being worked for it, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in the project.PTI

mangalore mania

September 3rd, 2012, 02:23 PM

Soon, machine that can lay 1-km railway track each day (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Soon-machine-that-can-lay-1-km-railway-track-each-day/Article1-923524.aspx)

For the first time, the Indian Railways is planning to utilise track-laying machines that would help put in place one kilometre of railway lines each day.
Offered by US-based Harsco Rail, the machine would be first used for laying tracks on the 66-kilometre New Kawadia-Durgapur section of India’s eastern freight corridor — scheduled for inauguration in December 2013.
Costing Rs. 70 crore, the model is being imported on a trial basis by the Ferrovia Trans Rail Solutions Private Limited. The JV was awarded the Rs. 156 crore contract for building tracks on the New Kawadia-Durgapur section. The first set of the track-laying machines is expected to arrive by December.

"This technology will mean a generational jump in rail track construction systems, and will help overcome labor issues," said RK Gupta, managing director of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).

Given the huge potential for laying rail tracks in India, these machines are expected to be in huge demand in coming years

At present, it takes approximately 10 days — besides nearly 3,000 labourers — to lay a kilometre of railway track through the use of semi-mechanised methods.

anidel

September 3rd, 2012, 05:26 PM

Railways drops live TV, Net plan for Shatabdis

New Delhi: The Indian Railways has dropped its ambitious plan of providing live TV service and Internet on Shatabdi trains after it failed to get any response from private players. Last year, the railways had come up with the plan of installing seven-inch LCD screens in Delhi-bound Shatabdi trains on a PPP model and had invited bids.

“The idea was to provide free of cost value-added service to Shatabdi passengers and allow service providers to air advertisement and share a part of the ad revenue with the railways,” said a senior official.

“The railways had planned to provide this service on all Delhi-bound Shatabdi trains by the end of last fiscal year, but wasn’t able to do so because of technical delays. The railways conducted a trial run in Kalka Shatabdi before deciding to introduce it in other trains.”

“There were no technical delays but the contractor didn’t find the project viable as 20% airtime for advertising was too less for them to survive. The project involved high maintenance and service cost and the advertisers, despite getting captive audience, weren’t excited about spending on this service,” said another official, requesting anonymity. “RK associates, one railways' biggest caterers and also the owner of Comesum chain of restaurants, were to implement this project,” he added.

In first phase, the railways had planned to introduce this service on eight trains and after that the project was to be replicated in air-conditioned chair cars of other elite and high-speed trains. The railways had also planned to provide value-added services such as Internet, facilities for making ticket reservations and hotels and cab bookings.

“I don’t think there would be any such plan even in near future as the service can be viable only when we charge from passengers,” the official added.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/railways-drops-live-tv-net-plan-for-shatabdis/996963/0

anidel

September 3rd, 2012, 05:27 PM

Travelator at Habibganj railway station soon

BHOPAL: A travelator installed on platform number one at Habibganj railway station would be functional shortly.

Installed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, test run of travelator has already been carried out. "It is in perfect shape," West Central Railways' (WCR) Bhopal division officials said.

The new walkway would prove a boon for passengers who face problem in climbing stairs to reach platform.

Around 25,000 passengers make journey from Habibganj station from where more than 50 trains pass and originate daily. A large number of people come to the station to receive or see off their relatives boarding trains, officials said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Travelator-at-Habibganj-railway-station-soon/articleshow/16232566.cms

anidel

September 3rd, 2012, 05:32 PM

Soon, machine that can lay 1-km railway track each day (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Soon-machine-that-can-lay-1-km-railway-track-each-day/Article1-923524.aspx)

I have visited the website of above company US-based Harsco Rail, It have a "Sales Representative in Pakistan" but not in India :nuts: Pakitsan virtually don't have railways or the money.

murlee

September 3rd, 2012, 05:39 PM

Thats the way CIA works.. ;)

mangalore mania

September 3rd, 2012, 07:25 PM

I have visited the website of above company US-based Harsco Rail, It have a "Sales Representative in Pakistan" but not in India :nuts: Pakitsan virtually don't have railways or the money.

Might be they are doing for some NATO supply lines

pavan9741650414

September 3rd, 2012, 07:29 PM

SWR special trains for Dasara, Diwali (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3854683.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

HUBLI, SEPT. 3:
South Western Railways is planning to run the following special trains during the Dasara/Diwali festivals.

Train No 06221 Mysore – Bangalore City Daily Express Special will depart at Mysore at 08-00 hours from October 1 to November 30 and arrive at Bangalore City station at 11-15 hours, on the same day. In the return direction, Train No 06222 Bangalore City–Mysore special train will depart at Bangalore City at 12-05 hours from October 1 to November 30 and arrives at Mysore at 15-40 hours, on the same day.

TIRUNELVELI

Train No 06515 Bangalore City –Tirunelveli Weekly Extra Special will depart at Bangalore City at 06-45 hours on Sundays from September 23 to November 25 and arrive at Tirunelveli at 19-30 hours, on the same day. In the return direction, Train No 06516 Tirunelveli- Bangalore City special train will depart at Tirunelveli at 22-55 hours on Sundays from September 23 rd to November 25 and arrives at Bangalore City at 12-50 hours, on Mondays.

ERNAKULAM

Train No 06543 Yesvantpur-Ernakulam Weekly extra special train will depart from Yesvantpur at 09-15 hours on Mondays from October 1 to November 26 and arrive Ernakulam at 21-30 hours, on the same day. In the return direction, Train No 06544 Ernakulam-Yesvantpur special train will depart at Ernakulam at 23-00 hours on Mondays from October 1 to November 26 and arrives at Yesvantpur at 12-00 noon, on Tuesdays.

JAIPUR

Yesvantpur-Jaipur Train No 06511 weekly garibrath express. The special train will depart at Yesvantpur at 05-20 hours on Sundays from September 30 to November 25 and arrive at Jaipur at 04-15 hours, on Tuesdays. In the return direction, Train No 06512 Jaipur-Yesvantpur special train will depart at Jaipur at 15-30 hours on Tuesdays from October 2 to November 27 and arrives at Yesvantpur at 15-10 hours, on Thursdays.

PATNA

Train No 06513 Bangalore City–Patna weekly express special train will depart from Bangalore City at 10-10 hours on Tuesdays from September 25 to November 27 and arrive Patna at 09-50 hours on Thursdays. In the return direction, Train No 06514 Patna-Bangalore City special train will depart at Patna at 20-10 hours on Thursdays from September 27 to November 29 and arrives at Bangalore City at 21-00 hours on Saturdays.

:cheers::cheers:

gentem

September 4th, 2012, 05:21 AM

anidel

September 4th, 2012, 08:42 PM

Might be they are doing for some NATO supply lines

NATO supplies are transported via roads through trucks carried by Pathan lobby.

They don't have railways in Afghanistan or even in pakistan its in very very bad shape.

vinblr

September 7th, 2012, 07:26 AM

Finally the Train to Talguppa from Bengalooru.... Wow:banana::banana:!
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOIBG/2012/09/07/2/Img/Ad0020607.png

MxC

September 7th, 2012, 08:19 AM

HSRC to execute India's first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad
(Source: ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/hsrc-to-execute-indias-first-bullet-train-project-between-mumbai-and-ahmedabad/articleshow/16007726.cms))

High Speed Rail Corporation of India (HSRC), a company that was incorporated last month, will speed up the process of building India's first high speed rail network between Mumbai to Ahmedabad. This will reduce the current travel time between the two financial hubs from current eight hours to about two hours.

The HSRC, which has been created as a subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), will formally be launched by railway minister Mukul Roy in September, according to an official connected to the development.

The Vision 2020 document presented to Parliament by then railway minister Mamata Banerjee in 2009, first talked about implementation of high speed rail corridors with services at 250 to 350 km per hour.

"We have just begun the process. But yes, it will be implemented in a public private partnership mode", Satish Agnihotri, managing director of RVNL said. According to the written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Thursday, the railway ministry informed that likely private investment in the high speed corridor between Mumbai and Admedabad will be to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore. The government is also expecting soft loan from multilateral agencies and government institutions of Japan.

The newly incorporated HSRC will first concentrate on Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor before venturing out to other corridors such as Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna, Howrah-Haldia, Hyderabad-Chennai and Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram.

The company will prepare project related studies, preparation of technical standards, providing support to government in finalizing financial and implementation models.

Significantly, the first high speed train Shinkansen, popularly called bullet train, was introduced between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 1964. The original speed of the bullet train was 240 km per hour, which was later enhanced to 300 km per hour. The other such high speed trains are TGV of France, AVE of Spain and Chinese Railways.

In India, Shatabdi Express is the fastest train so far which zips at a maximum of 150 km per hour only in the section between Delhi and Agra. In most other stretches its speed limit is 130 km per hour.

MxC

September 7th, 2012, 08:31 AM

Meghalaya set to be in country's railway map soon
(Source: ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/meghalaya-set-to-be-in-countrys-railway-map-soon/articleshow/16283932.cms))

Despite opposition from several quarters fearing influx of outsiders, Meghalaya is set to be included in the country's railway map with the Centre sanctioning at least two projects for the state.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma would lay the foundation stone for the state's first railway station at Mendipathar in Garo Hills region on Saturday, while the assembly was informed about a railway head connecting Shillong with Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district.

Another railway line linking North Bengal and Garo Hills region via Assam is also in the pipeline.

Sangma said he would lay the foundation stone for the railway station at Mendipathar in the newly created North Garo Hills district on September 8.

The broad-gauge line between Dudhnoi in Goalpara district of Assam and Mendipathar would open up many opportunities for the people and the state in general, Sangma said outside the assembly.

The project is supposed to be completed in 2012-13. The Shillong-Byrnihat railway head was set to be completed by 2018, Transport Minister A T Mondal said in reply to a question of Ardent Basaiawmoit, MLA of Nongkrem.

The line will go through Byrnihat-Lailad-Nongsder- Umroi-Umpling Mawsapa to New Shillong, he said.

Another railway line connecting North Bengal, Lower Assam and Garo Hills is on the pipeline, the chief minister said, adding necessary paper works were being carried out.

Introduction of railway head in the state were being opposed by influential students' body the Khasi Students Union fearing influx of migrants and illegal immigrants which could affect the demographic profile and the identity of the tribals in the state.

^^ Good development. Now only if it's actually executed asap instead of lingering on for decades!

senthilkumark

September 7th, 2012, 01:48 PM

Rail authority to soon bid for commercial use of land (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3866772.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/multimedia/dynamic/01200/BL07_LOG_RAIL-LAND_1200932f.jpg

Having got the Cabinet’s nod to go ahead with leasing land, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is all set to invite bids over the next few days to garner revenues from commercial use of land.

RLDA will follow three models of commercial utilisation, either directly or through joint ventures.

These are: multi-functional complexes (MFCs) , over 40 of which will be developed with Ircon and RITES, commercial sites and modernisation of five stations.

RS 400 CR EXPECTED

In the current fiscal, the authority expects to receive Rs 400 crore from commercial use of land.

But, out of this, Rs 330 crore is expected from Parsvnath Developers, from a contract awarded to it, a few years ago.

The Indian Railways’ land lease activities had come to a standstill after a Cabinet circular in 2011 had barred all Ministries from leasing land.

MFCs and commercial sites will be offered to developers on a 45-year lease period. In this model, the developer is required to make available facilities for rail users on at least 200 square metre land within the first nine months. On the remaining land, which could be 1,000-3,000 square metre in size, the developer is free to build shops, restaurants, book stalls and budget hotels.

During the demand survey, retail brands such as Pantaloon, Cafe Coffee Day, The Loot, Woodland, WH Smith (Travel News Services) had evinced interest to set up shops at the MFCs. RLDA has lined up 60 new MFC sites and six stand-alone sites for which the bidding process is being initiated in phases. Some of the MFCs will be bid out in joint venture with RITES and Ircon.

STATION UPGRADATION

“Commercial sites will be offered at six locations - Katra, Amritsar, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Bangalore - with a 45-year lease. In commercial sites, we are not dictating the end-use of the land. For instance, we do not specify whether a hotel should be built or office space should be built,” an RLDA official said.

The authority has also been entrusted by the Rail Ministry for modernising five stations at Chandigarh, Anand Vihar (Delhi), Bijwasan (Delhi), Habibganj (Bhopal) and Shivajinagar (Pune).

These stations are being developed through the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation, a joint venture company created by Ircon and RLDA in which the former is the majority partner.

senthilkumark

September 7th, 2012, 01:51 PM

IRCTC to start chartered rail tours from North East (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3866207.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

Indian Railways’ subsidiary IRCTC today announced launching of special chartered rail tours for the first time for the people from Assam and North East.

“Under this scheme, special coaches would be attached to regular trains from Guwahati. The package would include fare for rail and hotel, food and sight-seeing, as a one-stop solution,” Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) regional manager Kaushik Banerjee told reporters here.

He said the first tour, a Durga Puja special, would start from Guwahati on October 19 in the Kanchenjunga Express. It would be a five night/six days package to Kolkata and cost Rs 8,149 for each person on twin sharing basis.

This would be followed by a ‘Spiritual Odisha’ tour which will start on November 22, followed by ‘Royal Rajasthan’ on December 6 and a tour of ‘Delhi—Agra—Jaipur Golden Triangle’ from December 29.

“Each tour would have a capacity of 65—68 and we are positive about 100 per cent booking. From 2013, we plan to further diversify it and cover more parts of the country,” Banerjee said.

Besides discounts for those who book early, the IRCTC chartered tours would include insurance cover without any additional cost, he said.

Banerjee said IRCTC is also planning to conduct around 35—37 package tours for students from Assam to New Delhi and Agra in the next couple of years.

“We have already conducted three such tours for students of Assam under a tie-up with the state government under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. Now, we plan to take another 2,600 students in next year or two,” he said.

senthilkumark

September 10th, 2012, 10:07 AM

Foundation laid for first railway station in Meghalaya (http://news.oneindia.in/2012/09/10/foundation-laid-for-first-railway-station-meghalaya-1068013.html)

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma laid the foundation stone of the first railway station in Meghalaya on Sunday, a report published by Anandabazar Patrika said on Monday. Ministers, bureaucrats, police officers and North East Frontier Railway (NEFR) officials were present at the inauguration of the station in North Garo hilly district. If everything goes according to plan, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh will also be linked with railways by this year end.
Student and youth organisations of Meghalaya have been opposing extension of railway lines to the northeastern state, fearing it would only create a problem by bringing in 'outsiders'. The problem over railway extension in this part has been going on for nearly two decades, the report said. CM Mukul Sangma, however, said the railway link would help in the state's development and slammed those who were opposing the project. "We believe that other parts of the state will also be linked by railway lines," the newspaper report quoted Sangma's saying.
According to Meghalaya government officials, train services to Mendipathar will begin by next March. The 20-km-railway line between Dudhnai in Assam and Mendipathar will cost around Rs 144 crore, the report said. A government official expected that railway services will start from Shillong by 2018.
The plan to start train services in Garo hills was first mulled in the mid-1990s but it could not be executed in the face of public protest.
A top engineer of the NEFR said 20 km out of 21.76 km broad gauge line has been laid down already in Arunachal Pradesh. Several railway bridges have been built and land acquisition has been carried out. The line will be linked with North Lakhimpur Rangapara line in Assam.
However, progress on railway extension project between Dimapur and Kohima in Nagaland was not satisfactory even though approval had been received in 2007. Railway sources said procedural issues have delayed the progress.

master777

September 11th, 2012, 11:07 AM

mangalore mania

September 11th, 2012, 02:19 PM

Railway tenders for commercial complexes soon (http://dailypioneer.com/nation/93490-railway-tenders-for-commercial-complexes-soon.html)

Indian Railways will soon float tenders for development of 60 multi-functional complexes and commercial utilisation of six sites to mop up funds.
The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has been given the responsibility of developing Multi Functional Complexes (MFCs) that will provide multiple facilities like shopping, food stalls/ restaurants, book stalls, PCO Booths, ATMs, medicines and variety stores, budget hotels, parking spaces and other similar amenities to rail users at railway stations.

Indian Railways has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land. Out of this, 1,500 hectares was suggested to the RLDA for commercial exploitation. However, the RLDA recently reported to the Railway that between 600 and 700 hectare of this land was not fit for commercial use because of reasons like encroachment and shape of the land.

“Roughly 2,337 acres of land, which constitutes 0.22 per cent of the total land holding of Railways, is under encroachment,” Railways official admit.

Total 1,500 hectare suggested to RLDA for commercial utilisation account of 130 sites and RLDA reported that only 58 sites were fit for commercial exploitation. Tenders for six out of these 58 sites would be floated soon.

The primary objective for constitution of RLDA was for development of vacant Railway land and air space for commercial use to generate revenue through non-tariff measures.

RLDA started functioning in 2007. So far, developers have been fixed for five sites and a lease premium of `385 crores have been realised.

Since 2009-10, RLDA has been assigned the responsibility for development of Multi-functional Complexes (MFCs) to provide passenger amenities through Railway PSUs and private developers. Construction of MFCs has been completed at 13 sites.

An expert group on modernisation under Sam Pitroda had said in its report has suggested measures for exploitation of Railway’s land bank and air space above platform and tracks. “This would generate additional resources, lead to efficient utilization of land and airspace as well as ensure speedy development, growth and improved customer service. Monetization of surplus land and airspace could mobilise `50,000 crores for IR,” it said.

murlee

September 11th, 2012, 03:40 PM

Construction of MFCs has been completed at 13 sites.

Any idea where ?

Bombay2Calcutta

September 12th, 2012, 03:58 AM

http://rusembassy.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5110%3Arussian-lng-powered-trains-headed-to-india&catid=16%3Apress-on-bilateral-relations&lang=en

Russian LNG-powered trains headed to India

Indian Railways is set to float a tender for the supply of gas-turbine electric locomotives and the Russian consortium has virtually no competition.

http://rusembassy.in/images/stories/New_Site/buziness/LNG-powered_locomotives.jpg

The LNG-powered locomotives may take some time to come to India. Source: Press Photo

Russian gas-turbine electric locomotives using liquefied natural gas will be heading to India in the not-too-distant future. Indian Railways is set to announce an international tender in November for the supply of gas-turbine electric locomotives, unique machines that offers a viable alternative for trains running on clean fuel. A consortium of Russian Railways Concern (RZD) and associated companies like the United Industrial Corporation OBORONPROM will be bidding for it and will have practically no competitors.

Russia has the first mover advantage in this nice high-tech area, but it has no experience of their mass production either. India and Russia may, therefore, become pioneers in the commercial development of LNG-powered locomotives.

The experiments to create a railway locomotive with a gas turbine instead of a diesel power engine hark back to the middle of the last century. But due to their noise, high fuel consumption and structural complexity, gas turbine-electric locomotives didn’t quite take off.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Samara Scientific and Technical Complex specialised in the construction of gas-turbine engines for strategic bombers and gas-pumping units.

In the 1990s, they were asked to create a gas-turbine engine for an aircraft that would use LNG as fuel. Subsequently, the RZD got interested in the LNG gas-turbine unit based on aero-engine NK-256. The RZD considered building a gas turbine-electric locomotive for the Extreme North – where railways are not electrified but where there is a lot of natural gas – a machine of this type would be at least one-third more efficient than diesel locomotives.

At the end of 2006, Russian Railways placed an order with Kuznetsov Bureau to develop and to build a prototype engine for a gas turbine-electric locomotive (a GTEL is driven not by gas, but by the power produced by the generator which is connected to a gas turbine).

The newest Russian gas turbine-electric locomotive with NK-361 engine set off on its maiden trip at the beginning of July 2008. For the time, it was acknowledged as the most powerful locomotive in the world that uses LNG – that is 8.3 MW, a feat that found mention in the Guinness Book of Records. This locomotive can accelerate to a speed of up to 100 kilometres per hour and cover 750 km on a full tank of fuel. It operates very well in mountain regions. In four years, it created several world records in the carrying capacity of the train it hauled. For example, last autumn it pulled a train weighing 16,000 tonnes (170 carriages) which stretched nearly up to 3 kilometres along the ring railroad of the Railway Research Institute (VNIIZhT).

This machine is environmentally friendly: its emissions in the atmosphere are 10 times lower than it is required even by the prospective European emission standards. In addition, the uniqueness of the up-to-date Russian GTEL is in the fact that it may be used not only as a locomotive, but as a mobile power station as well. It just comes to the specified place, gets two wires connected to it and gives electricity to a village or an enterprise. At the end of June, the RZD and Sinara Group concluded an agreement about the production and supply of 40 mainline GTELs consuming LNG by 2020. They will be produced at the Lyudinovsky Locomotive Plant which belongs to Sinara.

At the same time the RZD and OBORONPROM began to prepare for the Indian tender. In Samara they are sure that the world leader in this sphere is Kuznetsov Bureau and the RZD is the sole owner of a gas turbine-electric locomotive that can meet the requirements of the Indian Railways fully. According to informed sources, the Indian party is ready to finance the development activities aimed at adapting the power unit of the Russian GTEL to hot climatic conditions.

Only two questions still remain open: the creation of the requisite infrastructure to provide GTELs with fuel and the capacity of Samara engine plants to produce the necessary quantity of power units (RZD will need up to 200 machines, Indian Railways – up to 300).

The LNG-powered locomotives may take some time to come to India. The Indian Railways will be testing these machines for the next two-three years at least. Kuznetsov, United Engine Corporation and OBORONPROM have, therefore, some time to organise a full-fledged production of engines for the new unique Russian locomotives.

The Russian government has made a decision to strengthen the group of strategic bombers Tu-160 (White Swan), pacing the way for the resumption of the production of NK-32 engines in Samara. “It is most profitable from the economic point of view to produce engines based on a single gas generator. The one of NK-361 is much alike the one on NK-32. Now we are reorganising our production to resume making and repairing NK-32 engines for the needs of strategic air force. “Correspondingly, this very production will be aimed at making engines for GTELs as well,” says Dmitry Fedorchenko, Chief Designer of OJSC Kuznetsov.

In addition, the enterprise plans to produce gears for power generating and gas pumping units with the power of up to 32 MW and aircraft engines with 30 tonnes of thrust (it may be installed, for example, in the largest cargo aircrafts – Ruslans) based on the single gas generator. This will take more than one year. But RZD needs only 40 GTELs till 2020.

September 6, 2012

Vadim Ponomarev, Expert Magazine

leetown

September 12th, 2012, 09:25 AM

L&T Infotech has won 2 vital prison guard enterprise resource coming up with (ERP) comes for computerizing the upkeep of rolling assets of the Indian railways. The end-to-end system integration (SI) comes were conceptualized and tendered by Center for Railway data system (CRIS), the IT arm of Indian Railways.

Under these comes, L&T Infotech would be deploying ERP software package and therefore the underlying hardware for automating the upkeep of the 2 major ‘bread-winner’ rolling assets of the Indian railways, namely, the wagon fleet—which carries their freight traffic, and diesel locomotives that haul their freight and traveler trains.

mangalore mania

September 13th, 2012, 01:58 PM

IIT Kharagpur helps Indian rail speed up (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/IIT-Kharagpur-helps-Indian-rail-speed-up/articleshow/16379770.cms?)

KOLKATA: At a time when the world has reached a speed of 330 kilometres per hour on rail, the best that India could achieve has been a little over 130 kilometres per hour. But it is high time that we too sped up, feels the Indian Railways and with this intent, it has entrusted IIT Kharagpur with the responsibility of providing the technological knowhow. The research is to happen at the newly opened Railway Research Centre of IIT Kharagpur and work has already started. The goal is to immediately increase the maximum attainable speed to 200 kilometres per hour.
Experts who have workd in the railway board are however askance. They feel that over the past two decades the focus of the railways has been to keep the fare low, even if it is at the cost of not improving the infrastructure or spending to augment safety of rail travel. To introduce high speed trains the centre will have to re-lay tracks at a cost of Rs 100 crores per kilometer, which is a mammoth expenditure that the railways are not prepared for. So why this exercise?

The project that IIT Kharagpur has received is four pronged and is aimed at improving not only the speed but the general efficiency of moving trains, keeping the present infrastructure in mind. A total of three years time has been allotted to the centre within which time it should come up with solutions to the specific problems that have been earmarked by the Railway Board, the apex administrative body of the Indian Railways.

Four broad areas have been identified as "immediate needs" by the railways - improving speed, imrpoving carrying capacity (heavy haul), use of advanced material, advanced signalling and maintenance for better safety. A total of eight IIT Kgp departments have started work in tandem for this.

"Speed is a priority for the railways at the moment. However, as things stand now, it is not possible to haul it up from the existing 130 kilometres per hour to the desired 330 kilometres per hour. Countries that have been able to achieve this use a completely different rail technology. So we have decided to do it in stages. We will first provide the technical support that will help to increase the speed to 200 kilometres per hour," explained Siddhartha Mukherjee, a senior faculty member who heads the centre and is leading the research.

Nearly 100 faculty members and research scholars are working together on the project that involves electrical, ciomputer science, mechanical, metallurgy, civil, rubber technology, electronics and aeronautical engineering departments. There is a lot of excitement on campus over this mammoth project and faculty members say that a project of such magnitude has never been tried before.

One of the key experiments happenening at the moment in the institute's laboratories is whether a different quality of steel should be used both in the construction of the rails as well as the coaches. One of the options that the scientists are looking at, is Bainitic Steel. "It is unparalleled in its malleability and ductility. The most advanced railway systems in the world have already been using this steel. However, we will also have to consider mass availability of this kind of steel and the cost effectiveness," informed Mukherjee. This steel is being considered especially because the Railway Board has asked the institute to provide the knowhow so that the load carrying capacity can be sharply increased. "We will have to use the hypothetical load and study the resultant stress and strain over a long period of time before arriving at a conclusion. The material used to build the compartments and the design of the compartments will also go through changes to increase efficiency," said a faculty member involved in the project.

The recent spate of accidents have also induced the railways to ask the institute to imrpove the signalling quality. While in the more advanced systems in the world, fully computerised cab signalling is in vogue, India still follows the old rail side signalling technique. "We have been told that the idea was not to completely change the old pattern but to improve efficieny of the existing signalling system by developing an analytic signalling logic design tool," Mukherjee explained.

While briefing the institute about the future safety standards that the railway board had set out to achieve through indigenous technological support, the institute was asked to improve the efficiency of hundreds of railway bridges. "We are developing a censor system that will study the vibrations and wear and tear caused everytime that a train moves through a bridge. This will be charted on graphs so that the maximum strain can be studied and plotted to see if strengthening of the bridge is needed. The censor will be able to identify the spots on the bridge that need reinforcement," Mukherjee said.

SR Thakur, former additional member of the railway board feels that a national debate should start on whether the priority of the railways is to augment speed or whether it is to improve safety. "Huge funds are needed if high speed trains that run above 180 kilometres per hour are introduced. That is because the existing tracks will have to be taken out and new tracks laid. These tracks will have to be made of a different quality steel and will have to be laid on an elevated platform with no level crossings in between. Also the present kind of signaling will not work and cab signaling will have to be introduced. To do this Rs 100 crores per kilometer will have to be spent. Where will this money come from?" Thakur asked

pavan9741650414

September 13th, 2012, 06:30 PM

Railways earnings rise by nearly 20%
(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3892914.ece)
NEW DELHI, SEPT 13:
Railways earned Rs 49,211.40 crore in April - August this year compared to Rs 41,082.67 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.79 per cent.

The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs 27,445 cr during April-August 2011 to Rs 34,070.85 cr in the same period this year, an increase of 24.14 per cent, according to Railway Ministry data.

The passenger earnings during first five months of the current fiscal were Rs 13,005.44 cr compared to Rs 11,692.59 cr during the same period last year, registering an increase of 11.23 per cent.

The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs 1261.13 cr during April-August 2012 compared to Rs 1152.93 cr during the same period last year, an increase of 9.38 per cent.

The total number of passengers booked during April-August 2012 were 3567.51 million compared to 3418.86 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 4.35 per cent.

barrykul

September 14th, 2012, 06:43 AM

senthilkumark

September 16th, 2012, 05:50 AM

Mamta banerjee is threatening to give only outside support for upa. At last something good is going to happen for railways.

MxC

September 16th, 2012, 06:43 AM

senthilkumark

September 16th, 2012, 07:15 AM

gentem

September 17th, 2012, 08:17 AM

Madras high court judge ticks off railways over dirty linen in AC coaches (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Madras-high-court-judge-ticks-off-railways-over-dirty-linen-in-AC-coaches/articleshow/16429418.cms)
TNN | Sep 17, 2012, 06.59AM IST
CHENNAI: It's been a year since CBI raided a few trains and seized dirty bed linen and bed rolls at the Central and Egmore railway stations. But nothing has changed.

Recently, a judge of the Madras high court shot off a letter to the Southern Railway general manager stating that the bed rolls supplied to him and other passengers on an AC II tier coach of Nellai Express on August 19 were smelly and dirty.

"This is not the first time when I have had this experience. The bed rolls supplied to passengers are not washed," said Justice R S Ramanathan in his letter. He also asked the railways to supply properly washed bed rolls to passengers in the AC coaches.

Red tape and lack of proper checks or supervision continue to make travelling a nightmare on trains operated by Southern Railway .

In spite of repeated complaints , the railways continues to supply dirty bed linen to its passengers in air-conditioned coaches on mail and express trains.

Though the railways insists that its contractors wash the sheets after every trip, on most occasions passengers who travel from Chennai receive clean sheets while used sheets and bed rolls are pressed and supplied for the return journey.

Passengers who travel to the city from cities like Madurai, Nagercoil, Coimbatore , Thiruvananthapuram , Kochi and other cities are forced to use stained pillows, bed sheets and bed rolls. As per rule, sheets should be used only once and railways should ensure that trains carry adequate number of fresh sheets for return journey. But, this is hardly followed.

"Berths are dirty in sleeper class while unwashed sheets are supplied to passengers on AC coaches . I have seen passengers spend sleepless nights because of bed bugs in AC coaches," said T Achuthan , a frequent traveller.

Southern Railway chief public relations officer V J Accamma said: "Railways is planning to take over supply of sheets and bed rolls. A washing plant that will have capacity to wash 1,000 sheets is being set up at Basin Bridge. A tender will be floated to set up a similar plant in Thiruvananthapuram. We tell our contractors to supply clean sheets." The anti corruption branch of the CBI raided Trivandrum Mail, Cheran Express, Pandian Express, Rockfort Express , Bangalore Mail, Nellai Express and Yercaud Express in August 2011. But, dirty sheets are still supplied in these trains.
they should stop giving bed rolls to 3 tier a/c, like done in garib raths.. people can bring their own beddings. railways should run trains, not wash cloths

aam admi

September 17th, 2012, 02:12 PM

Two things that are promising for the Indian Railways:
a) Russian gas-turbine electric locomotives using liquefied natural gas
b) Railway Research Centre of IIT Kharagpur

Russia has great expertize in gas turbines and their seminal work in strategic bombers Tu-160, is a great testament to the ingenuity of Russians. Getting their help in this area is a welcome move.

On Railway Research this should have occurred long ago. The IITs, NITs are fertile grounds for students/profs to work on areas of relevance to Indian problems. They can come up with innovative solutions to targeted problem areas. Not just speed, but other areas like engine efficiency, signals, efficient operations management science, better materials, real time communication and tracking systems, etc. Some time back I read some research that GE made into improving wheel friction on tracks. A solution was created to improve friction and thereby speed up the train. A few small steps can improve the overall speeds. All trains could use a speed up. Imagine if they improve speeds by at least 50%, the economy could use the time savings that are generated.
IIT Kharagpur helps Indian rail speed is only for public consuption. Increasing the sectional speed to 200 kmph does not require any new technology. Trains have been running at this speed for ages all over the world. IR only need to upgrade its network by widely available RS, Track, Signalling solutions for these speeds. It can start by upgrading Mum-Delhi or Delhi-Kol (would also please Mamata). There is lot of saturation on these lines. We may increase the capacity of these lines which may earn good revenue for IR.
Since IR do not have the vision, they are engaged in cheap, populist ,widely publicised study exercise done by IIT. IIT is not an expert in rail transportation. Enough of study, IR is suffering from 'implementation bug'. Get over this and start doing something on ground.
Why to waste time in reinventing the wheel. The technology is widely available for the speed in excess of 200 kmph. IR needs to identify route, arrange for finance, award contract , implement it in reasonable time. Roping in IIT, KGP is nothing but an eyewash. If at all ITTs are roped in, they should be asked to work for advancement in the already available knowledge.

invincibletiger

September 17th, 2012, 04:17 PM

pkalein

September 17th, 2012, 05:09 PM

Rajdhani-like coaches for all trains

KAPURTHALA (PUNJAB)/ AMRITSAR: Stainless steel seems to be future for Indian railways desperately trying to increase the life span of its coaches and wagons and increase the general safety standards in its network.

In an ambitious move, the railways have decided to replace all its traditional blue coloured Express train ICF coaches with the new and popular stainless steel made LHB coaches that are now being used in only select trains that include Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Durantos.

All the LHB coaches will be made of stainless steel, making the coaches lighter and with a life span ranging between 30-35 years instead of the usual 20-25 years. The target is to replace all rakes of running express trains to LHB by the end of 2016. In the beginning, the AC rakes are to be replaced.

The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala which is making such coaches has been instructed to also step up production of AC coaches in general keeping in view the ever increasing popularity in AC travel — one of the cheapest mode of air-conditioned travel around the world.

From a mere 16 per cent of total coaches produced a couple of years back, the AC coaches now constitute 36 per cent of the 1500 coaches produced annually by the RCF. According to B N Rajsekhar, general manager, RCF, they have also begun the production of non AC LHB coaches for the first time.

"A train in Punjab is already running on LHB normal sleeper coaches. We are now trying to gift Northern Railway LHB coaches on its busiest route — the Delhi-Patna-Dhanbad route. These coaches will begin running soon.

These trains can run at a maximum speed of 160 Km/ hr instead of the usual 120 Km/hr with top speed braking within 1.1 km. These can be upgraded easily with very small changes to run at a maximum speed of 200km/ hr,'' he said.

Source (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/rajdhani-like-coaches-for-all-trains/articleshow/16431953.cms)

mangalore mania

September 17th, 2012, 08:26 PM

Railway ministry plans to set up National High Speed Rail Authority (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Railway-ministry-plans-to-set-up-National-High-Speed-Rail-Authority/articleshow/16436289.cms)

MUMBAI: The Indian Railways does a commendable job transporting an estimated 20 million people to the remotest parts of the country every day. Yet, modernisation eludes it even as nations like China and South Korea have stolen a march over us.

Indian Railways may have the most extensive network in the world, but its trains still run at speeds between 60 kmph to 130 kmph. Successive populist union rail ministers have turned down every attempt to raise fares, which would have helped upgrade the network and offer more comfort to commuters.

So far, the ministry has only proposed feasibility studies for high speed trains. The ministry of railways, in consultation with state governments, proposed high speed corridors between Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Pune- Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulum, Howrah-Haldia and Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna. The ministry also planned to set up a National High Speed Rail Authority for standard setting, implementing and monitoring these projects. The estimated cost of construction cost per km would be up to Rs 100 crore.

The Railways intends to run high-speed passenger trains at about 250 kmph on these routes.

While India's ambitions are still on paper, Japan, which was completely devastated in world war II, introduced its first Bullet Train way back in 1964. The Shinkansen— as the Bullet Train is more popularly known all over Japan— revolutionised train travel when it took to the tracks, touching speeds of 210 kms an hour.

Today, it criss-crosses across Japan at speeds of upto 300 kms an hour. This correspondent was fortunate to travel on a bullet train some years ago. We were on our way to the city of Kitakyushu, a distance of 67.2 kms from Fukuoka. At precisely 12.59 pm, the Shinkansen starts its run. The urban landscape whizzes past the window at almost the same speed as a Boeing 737 taking off a runway. The scenery changes so swiftly, it is hard to believe a train can move so fast. At exactly 1.15 pm, our Shinkansen enters the Kokura station in Kitakyushu—a distance of 67.2 kms covered in just 16 minutes. It is akin to travelling from Churchgate station to Palghar (a little beyond Virar) in such little time.

Hopefully, someday in the distant future, a passenger will be able to travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in less than three hours.

truckin

September 17th, 2012, 09:05 PM

Railway ministry plans to plan a planning authority if the plan is okayed in the Planning Commission's planned meeting.

Bombay2Calcutta

September 18th, 2012, 03:44 AM

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/west/%E2%80%98akbar%E2%80%99-ready-roll-out-sariska-safari-475
‘Akbar’ ready to roll out for Sariska safari

After overhauling, one of the last surviving steam locomotives of the country is all set to travel to the national capital for its journey towards Alwar carrying tourists for tiger sighting at Sariska. Christened “Akbar” after the great Mughal emperor, the 47-year-old steam locomotive is currently at the rail workshop here for repair. It is scheduled to reach Delhi Cantonment in November. “We don’t have the original drawings of the steam engine. But still we have succeeded in making the engine operational in seven weeks...,” said Samrendra Kumar, chief works manager of Amritsar Rail Workshop. “Akbar, the 103-tonne steam engine, will haul the popular tourist train to Alwar for tiger safari at Sariska during the tourist season between November and April,” he said. The rail workshop itself is very old. Railways took over the workshop from Punjab government in 1956. At present, it is the only workshop in the Northern Railway which has capacity of repairing steam locomotives. While “Akbar” is almost ready, the workshop is currently engaged in repairing the 1907 built steam-run monorail for the National Rail Museum (NRM). “The mono-rail is a heritage property and it has come here for periodic overhaul,” said Mr Kumar, adding that it will be dispatched to the rail museum shortly. Beside periodic overhaul of steam locomotives, the workshop is engaged in manufacturing stainless steel wagons and brake vans. Equipped with latest machinery like plazma under water cutting machine and grinding machine, the workshop also manufactures bogies for AC and non-AC coaches. Efforts are on to acquire state-of-the-art machinery and upgrade the skill of the staff to meet new challenges, Mr Kumar said.

aam admi

September 18th, 2012, 06:37 AM

Railway ministry plans to plan a planning authority if the plan is okayed in the Planning Commission's planned meeting.

:lol::lol::lol:

gentem

September 18th, 2012, 06:41 AM

That would be going back 20-30 years, when almost everybody used to travel with a huge bed roll (in SL and FC). Railways across the world provide blankets etc. if they are providing a sleeper berth with AC.

By the way, even in Garib Rath, they have to wash the linens :)

garib rath no need to wash linen as seats are artificial leather.. 3 tier a/c will be like garib rath with fewer berths :cheers:

MxC

September 18th, 2012, 06:46 AM

Railway ministry plans to plan a planning authority if the plan is okayed in the Planning Commission's planned meeting.

Well said :nuts:

MxC

September 18th, 2012, 06:48 AM

donaaldaaron

September 18th, 2012, 07:59 AM

invincibletiger

September 18th, 2012, 11:05 AM

garib rath no need to wash linen as seats are artificial leather.. 3 tier a/c will be like garib rath with fewer berths :cheers:

You were talking about not giving blankets and all ... Even in GR, you get that (at a cost though).

anidel

September 18th, 2012, 07:32 PM

As mamata have left the UPA and her ministers will resign :banana:

We can hope of some efficient minister not another ally of UPA to take over railways.

They should hike the fares, collect the revenues and speed up the projects and modernization of railways. :cheers:

senthilkumark

September 18th, 2012, 07:43 PM

senthilkumark

September 19th, 2012, 07:03 AM

Rail projects in jeopardy after Mamata quits UPA-II

Will the 'Mamata Express' lose steam in Bengal after the firebrand Trinamool Congress chief's decision to quit UPA-II?*

Railway officials in the state are a worried lot. Projects worth several thousand crores are currently under way in the state and commitments have been made. If railway minister Mukul Roy resigns from the Union cabinet on Friday, there is always the risk of funds drying up.*

In Mamata's words, 16 railway factories were planned for the state. On several occasions, she had pointed out that these factories would bring about industrialization and generate jobs in the state, resulting in economic development.*

Even in the Trinamool meeting on Tuesday, after which Mamata announced her decision to quit, Roy is said to have pointed out that the railway projects in the state may be affected. In fact, the railways had a major role to play in the Trinamool's coming to power in the state in 2011. In fact, Mamata had said that she would build a Metro coach factory on a 600-acre plot in Singur that was earlier allotted to Tata Motors for the Nano factory.*

"Several Metro Railway projects are under way in Kolkata alone. The Joka-BBD Bag stretch is progressing quite fast. Work has also started for the New Garia-Airport (via Rajarhat) stretch. The other stretches are Noapara-Dakshineswar-Barrackpore and Noapara-Airport-Barasat. The project cost for the Joka-BBD Bag stretch is Rs 2,619 crore. It will take around Rs 8,638 crore to complete the other three projects. Of the Rs 11,257 crore required for the four projects, Rs 9,600 crore has already been allocated. We are apprehensive that the projects will be affected after a while. After all, a railway minister from outside the state will not have so much interest in the development of Kolkata," pointed out a senior official.*

Construction of the networks will not be sufficient. Funds will also be required to procure rakes and create other facilities. The Union cabinet also took a decision recently to hand over the Centre's share of the East-West Metro link in Kolkata to the railways. "The railway projects in the state had got a fresh lease of life after Mamata Banerjee took over. We suspect that the projects will be in dire straits if Roy resigns," the official added.*

The existing north-south Metro link will also require additional funds to replace the old rakes with air-conditioned ones. In the past, the Kolkata Metro was neglected by railway ministers. When Mamata was railway minister in the NDA government, she had announced extension of the stretch from Tollygunge to New Garia. Though construction progressed, there was little effort in actually running trains on the stretch in the next 10 years. Only in 2009 when Mamata took over as railway minister again was the project completed.*

"It is the same with other projects. The rail connectivity between Tarakeswar in Hooghly and Bishnupur in Bankura, which would be an alternative and shorter route from Howrah to Bankura, Purulia and beyond, was also announced by Mamata in 1999-2000. In the next 10 years, there was no progress in this stretch. After she took over again in 2009, work was speeded up and trains are now running up to Arambag from Tarakeswar. On Sunday, Roy said in Arambag that more than 165 pairs of new express trains have been introduced in the last three years. A large number of EMU locals were also introduced during this period," another official said.*

South Eastern Railway is all set for the inauguration of a DEMU factory in Haldia while an electric locomotive component factory at Dankuni under Eastern Railway is already operational. Another factory to manufacture diesel locomotive components in Dankuni is being built.*

"The other major projects include a wagon component factory at Jellingham, a factory at Budge Budge, a midlife rehabilitation workshop at Anara, a 1,420MW super critical power plant with NTPC in Adra, a wagon factory in Kulti, an EMU coach factory in Kanchrapara and a wheel and axle plant at Buniyadpur in Dakshin Dinajpur. It was Mamata who insisted that the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor be extended up to Dankuni from Sonnagar in Bihar. For this, a freight terminal is also being constructed in Dankuni. We fear that either these projects will be scrapped or future railway ministers will only allocate token amounts in budgets," the official said.

http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Rail-projects-in-jeopardy-after-Mamata-quits-UPA-II/articleshow/16456664.cms

sunder.k

September 19th, 2012, 02:42 PM

It would be interesting to say, Indian railways is one of the world's largest railway networks with 7,500 stations. Indian Railways is divided into different zones like central, northern, southern and western and it has also some sub zones available like east central, north, west central, south central and many more.

Yes, it has indeed been divided into 14 zones already. Pl go through the Indian Railways' website indianrailways.gov.in. You will find all the zones and their jurisdictions.:)

gentem

September 19th, 2012, 05:52 PM

You were talking about not giving blankets and all ... Even in GR, you get that (at a cost though).

i told 3 tier a/c can have same arrangement as garib rath.. 2 tier a/c can be given bed rolls as number is much less.. anyway sleeper class people travel with their own bed rolls.

Let us all pray that mamata sticks to her decision and pm accepts resignation letters on Friday. :)

yes, now that mission rout left from bengal is over, time to take back railways from them and give it to mulayam? he may not need it.. at least it will stop drainage of railway funds to bengal.. they should choke funds to kolkata metro first, its not railways job to build capital heavy metros

invincibletiger

September 19th, 2012, 08:15 PM

i told 3 tier a/c can have same arrangement as garib rath.. 2 tier a/c can be given bed rolls as number is much less.. anyway sleeper class people travel with their own bed rolls.

How does that solve your problem of washing/cleaning laundry? Blankets need to be cleaned whether they are provided for a charge or for free :)

senthilkumark

September 20th, 2012, 10:13 AM

300 freight trains idling in yards for want of cargo (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3915344.ece?homepage=true)

About 300 freight trains are parked in sheds because they have no cargo to carry. This is despite the over 20 per cent growth in freight earnings in the first five months of this fiscal. Usually, only 150 rakes are parked during the July-September quarter, the “lean season”.

Hit by slowdown, the growth rate of cargo volume has dipped or fallen sharply for items such as cement, pig iron and finished steel, and petroleum products. In August, cement loading saw a 12 per cent fall, while pig iron and finished steel movement dipped over 2 per cent. Fertiliser movement slid by over 3 per cent.

Even coal availability at railway terminals has declined following the poor monsoon. “Delayed and prolonged rains damage the roads. As a result, many truckers are unwilling to load coal from the pit-head to railhead. So, there is no coal to be carried,” said a source.

Parked rakes are bad news for Railway finances, though this is not yet reflected in the freight earnings data. This is because a significant share of freight earnings is due to an across-the-board 20-28 per cent rate hike from March. Freight earnings for the first five months of the current fiscal grew over 21 per cent compared with the same period last year.

“Not that we are not loading more. The cargo loading volume is still up on a year-on-year basis — 3.48 per cent in August. But, simultaneously, the average distance for which goods are moved has seen an over 3 per cent reduction, not just in August, but in the previous months as well,” a Rail traffic official said.

So, the earnings projection of the Railways, as suggested in the Budget, may have to be revised downwards if the economy does not grow at a faster pace for the rest of the year.

Already, passenger earnings are expected to be lower by over Rs 4,000 crore than the figure presented in the original Budget — on account of Mukul Roy rolling back the proposed fare hike. Further, fuel expenditure is expected to bloat by Rs 600 crore this fiscal, following the diesel price hike.

And if the excess wagon capacity continues after October, when the busy season starts, the Railways may even have to reconsider its pace of wagon procurement.

thillai_selvan

September 20th, 2012, 11:12 AM

Railways develop crash-resistant coaches (http://in.video.yahoo.com/news-26036098/national-26073656/new-couplings-coaches-toilets-to-make-trains-much-safer-30640051.html)

metrofreak

September 20th, 2012, 07:04 PM

am I the only 1 freaking out with happiness over the reports of LHB conversion of all express trains?:banana::banana::cheers:

anidel

September 20th, 2012, 07:11 PM

Double-decker train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad flagged off

Indian Railways on Wednesday flagged off its newest train – a double-decker between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. This is the third double-decker service launched by the Indian Railways after it was launched last year between Howrah and Dhanbad in Jharkhand. Last month railways had started its services between Delhi and Jaipur.

The train was flagged off by Bharat Sinh Solanki, minister of state, railways at Ahmedabad railway station on Wednesday morning.

The service is expected to be a profitable venture for the cash-strapped railways on busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. It will carry 70 per cent more passengers than that of Shatabdi express. Like Shatabdi Express, this train is also fully air conditioned and will cover the Mumbai- Ahmedabad distance in 7 hours, only 15 minutes more than the Shatabdi express. Tickets for one way journey is priced at Rs 471 in comparison with Rs 695 for Shatabdi Express.

Though the western railway already has few double decker coaches attached to the Flying Rani express which plies between Mumbai Central-Surat stations, they are non AC coaches. This is for the first time railways is launching fully air conditioned service using double decker coaches on this route.

Railways is expected to launch the double decker services on few more busy routes including

Chennai-Bangalore and Indore-Bhopal in next few months

http://business-standard.com/india/news/double-decker-train-between-mumbaiahmedabad-flagged-off/187667/on

Ahmedabad to Mumbai : The First Ever Super-Fast A/C Double Decker Train on tracks

http://www.aegindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Double-decker-AC-superfast-express-train.jpg

http://www.aegindia.org/2012/09/ahmedabad-mumbai-superfast-ac-double-decker-train-tracks/212516.html

anidel

September 20th, 2012, 07:16 PM

Indian Railways to seek foreign partner for locomotive plants

INDIAN Railways has announced it will invite bids in March 2013 for PPP contracts to establish electric and diesel locomotive production facilities at Madhepura and Marhoura in the state of Bihar.

With an estimated investment of Rs 12.94bn ($US 238m), the Madhepura facility will assemble 8.94MW electric locos. Currently India's only electric manufacturing plant at Chittranjan builds only 4.47MW units. The diesel factory planned at Marhoura will manufacture 3.73MW locomotives.

For the electric facility, four suppliers have been shortlisted by the International Committee on Bidding (ICB): Siemens, Alstom, GE, and EMD.

GE and the EMD have also been short-listed for the diesel factory, which is expected to cost around Rs20.25bn.

It is anticipated that the Madhepura plant will manufacture 800 electric locomotives per year, with performance guarantees based on international best practice.

Additionally, the factory will also build 200 8.94MW electric locomotives for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which are being financed through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Indian Railways currently operates a fleet of around 5400 diesel and 4300 electric locomotives. Approximately 600 locomotives are rolled out each year by the two existing production units at Varanasi and Chittranjan, but the numbers have remained marginally short of requirements.

Undergoing a huge expansion of its fixed assets, Indian Railways needs to urgently scale up its locomotive manufacturing activities. Indian Railways says it needs to procure 2010 electric and 2000 diesel locomotives over the next five years. http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/asia/indian-railways-to-seek-foreign-partner-for-locomotive-plants.html?channel=542#.UFtPba4mVI4

senthilkumark

September 21st, 2012, 07:23 AM

Congress to keep Railway Ministry with itself : Sources (http://news.oneindia.in/2012/09/21/congress-to-keep-railway-ministry-with-itself-sources-1073522.html)

Jairam Ramesh, who is currently the Minister of Rural Development is all set to become the next Railway Minister of India, say sources.
As current Railway Minister Mukul Roy of Trinamool Congress (TMC), along with his five party colleagues is going to tender their resignation from Congress-led UPA cabinet, sources say the Congress is likely to keep Railway with itself. Ministry of Railways is considered to be one of most important portfolios, as millions of Indians depend on trains to commute on a regular basis.
Thus Indian Railways is going to have a new minister, the third in a year, after Dinesh Trivedi vacated his post for Mukul Roy in March.
A resfhuffle of the Union Council of Ministers appears high on the cards as TMC is all set to pull out of UPA on Friday, Sep 21.
Chief Minister of West Bengal and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that her party would pull out from the UPA government after the Congress-led alliance at the Centre raised prices of disel, decided to cap the number of subsidised LPG cyliners and allow FDI in multi-brand retail and other sectors.
As Indian Railways is facing difficult time, with no proper leader to bail it out from its current mess, Ramesh will have a tough job ahead.

ajithv

September 21st, 2012, 07:49 AM

Punalur-Shencotta Broad-gauge work drags on (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3916803.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01213/20tvko-Railway_Tun_1213830e.jpg

It’s two years since the Railways withdrew the 106-year-old metre-gauge service on the 49-km Punalur-Shencotta ghat section for gauge conversion. The last journey of a train on the metre-gauge track was on September 20, 2010.

As per indications, the gauge-conversion work is expected to be completed only by the end of 2014. The work on the Punalur-Shencotta section forms part of the 235-km Kollam-Punalur-Shencotta-Tenkasi-Tirunelveli-Thiruchendur gauge conversion project of the Railways.

The work on the Thiruchendur-Shencotta and Punalur-Kollam sections has been completed. The first train from Tirunelveli to Shencotta will be flagged off on Friday.

The Kollam-Shencotta section is part of the Kollam-Chennai rail route commissioned by the British in 1904.

When contacted for the status of the gauge conversion work, the railway authorities said that the 7 km from Shencotta to Bhagawathipuram and the 12 km from Punalur to Edaman will be completed by March 2013. This throws open the possibility of the local train services from Kollam to Punalur getting extended to Edaman and at least one train being terminated now at Shencotta getting extended to Bhagawathipuram.

The authorities said the 20-km section between Bhagawathipuram and Edaman is one of the difficult projects to be undertaken by the Railways because of the terrain. The gradient is such that for a horizontal distance of 50 metres, the track to be laid gets vertically raised by one metre.

The section comprises 5 tunnels cut through granite, one of them almost 1 km long, by the British. These are now being widened. “It is a tough job, but the work is progressing satisfactorily.”

There are 14 bridges constructed by the British on this section and given its heritage value, it has been decided to retain all of them. For broad gauge trains, these bridges will have to be jacketed with concrete. The work has commenced, the officials said.

Meanwhile, there are allegations that the work on the Punalur-Shencotta section is progressing only at a snail’s pace. This has compelled people living along the Kerala course of the section to form an action council to put pressure on the Railways for early completion of the work. Action council leaders allege that even the Kollam-Punalur section has been completed in a slow manner. The work on the Kollam-Punalur section was inaugurated in 1998 by the then Chief Minister A.K. Antony, but actual work began only in 2007 and was completed in 2010.

The Punalur-Shencotta gauge conversion work has been split into four reaches. They are Punalur-Edaman, Edaman- Kazhuthurutty, Kazhuthurutty-Bhagawathipuram, and Bhagawathipuram-Shencotta. The work from Punalur to Edaman is under the supervision of the Thiruvananthapuram division of the Railways and that from Edaman to Shencotta under the supervision of the Madura division.

barrykul

September 21st, 2012, 07:59 AM

Jairam Ramesh, who is currently the Minister of Rural Development is all set to become the next Railway Minister of India
I hope this happens. Mukul Roy was a disaster as Railway Minister. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
The Indian Railways needs a thorough revamp of fares, railway coaches, engines, signalling, railway stations, management structure, etc.

Jairam Ramesh has excellent edu background, IIT-B, CMU, MIT. Hope he runs it like a good business. Time to put the engineering talent of the nation to build a national railway system with modern tech for speed, comfort and amenities, something we can all be proud of. Major investments are needed and I think that would pay of in the long run. Just the savings in time of travel would yield a good return to the nation's productivity index. The entire set of trains that ply the cities need to be rethought. Better to have good high speed trains for the major cities, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Bluru, Hybad with Feeder trains to other B, C cities. For remote small towns, villages regular commuter trains would suffice. Electrification of all tracks should be a high priority. We cannot have diesel burning monsters anymore. The railway stations need to be built like airports at least for the A, B metro cities. The rest need to be upgraded to minimum set of acceptable world class standards. Follow the lead of Praful Patel in the airport revamp projects throughout India.

Revamping the management of IR is an immediate imperative when you run large organizations. They should have independent authority to manage divisions like a well tuned business entity. No tolerance for sloppiness, inefficiency, more accountability and better reward schemes for delivering goals.

The national team to build high speed trains should be empowered soon. There is enough Indian talent to build advanced systems and make it your own. The existing rail coach factories need massive injection of modern manufacturing technology. The imported from Germany LHB coach being currently manufactured in these factories is very poor. They managed to put dents and dings into what was a flat glossy exterior shell. This is due to hand welding steel sheets that gives it the "hungry horse" deformation look. The sub-systems are also sub-standard, the coaches sway more that the original ones.

I am glad the TNC, Mom tata and moron Mukul are finally gone. Make it happen Ramesh.

senthilkumark

September 21st, 2012, 01:25 PM

^^
Sometimes back also during Prez poll, we all had hope that Mamata would get kicked out from UPA and finally Rlys would be better off. But look now, nothing changed, and going by that trend, nothing gonna change now either :ohno: So let's not count the chicken before they are hatched!

Trinamool exits UPA govt, ministers submit resignations (http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Chunk-HT-UI-HomePage-BreakingStory/Trinamool-exits-UPA-govt-ministers-submit-resignations/Article1-933560.aspx) :applause::rock::dance:

holaindia

September 22nd, 2012, 04:04 PM

Well , The Indian Railways have always been close to me! I don't know for some reason it's fun to travel on these trains, compared to trains in Europe which are like Economy Planes on Rail Tracks , these offer one of the greatest experiences to anyone who wants to get a taste of this great country.
But I think Bullet trains on the major routes will be really useful. Bullet trains also mean New stations and new infrastructure. And It's not that we can't do it. We have proven our capability by modernizing not only the Metropolitan airports but also the smaller Tier 2 and Tier 3 airports to classiness in the past few years.
The Metro Projects in the various cities are also showing that we have everything to commence with modernizing the Railways now (We would have been capable from 40-45 years ago if not for these politics).
lekin ek disadvantage hai , agar ek bhi second late ho gaye toh bhaagke train bhi nahin pakad payenge :banana:

anidel

September 22nd, 2012, 06:18 PM

MxC

September 22nd, 2012, 08:02 PM

C.P. Joshi gets additional charge of Railways :bash:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cp-joshi-gets-additional-charge-of-railways/article3926557.ece

Just because he's got Rahul Gandhi's support and known as his men :bash:

He is not good, even as road transport minister looking after NHAI :ohno:

But the main thing at this point is that it's with Congress finally, instead of being with a pound-of-flesh-demanding allied party. So let's wait and watch how it will all unfold.

anidel

September 22nd, 2012, 08:23 PM

But the main thing at this point is that it's with Congress finally, instead of being with a pound-of-flesh-demanding allied party. So let's wait and watch how it will all unfold.

I have no objection to the railways going to Congress, in fact even corruption is bearable till they perform. But the CP Joshi is non performer.

I am ok with a minister making 100 crore personally but completing the projects of 1000 crore honesty is of no use if just for the sake of it minister don't work and the projects keep on piling up.

MxC

September 23rd, 2012, 09:11 AM

I have no objection to the railways going to Congress, in fact even corruption is bearable till they perform. But the CP Joshi is non performer.

I am ok with a minister making 100 crore personally but completing the projects of 1000 crore honesty is of no use if just for the sake of it minister don't work and the projects keep on piling up.

The impression I've got after reading today's paper is that CP Joshi is some kind of a keep-the-chair-warm-for-a-more-permanent-congress-minister arrangement until the much speculated ministry reshuffle is being worked upon. So let's keep our fingers crossed, wait for reshuffle to happen, and hope that a really meritorious person will get the ministry!

senthilkumark

September 23rd, 2012, 05:19 PM

The impression I've got after reading today's paper is that CP Joshi is some kind of a keep-the-chair-warm-for-a-more-permanent-congress-minister arrangement until the much speculated ministry reshuffle is being worked upon. So let's keep our fingers crossed, wait for reshuffle to happen, and hope that a really meritorious person will get the ministry!

Jairam ramesh name doing the rounds. C P Joshi is for time being only. I heard Jairam is a good choice.

p2p4

September 24th, 2012, 11:40 AM

Jairam ramesh name doing the rounds. C P Joshi is for time being only. I heard Jairam is a good choice.

While JR is a good name to be put up for the Rail Ministry, I am personally against shifting of ministers from one portfolio to another. JR was environment minister before he was shifted to the current portfolio which he is running (rural development etc). Now from Rural Dev to Rail Ministry.. !/!?!

What has shifting and shoving of ministers done so far? Can't we just break this nonsense of MINISTER's (unrelated individuals to their actual portfolios) and bring in PEOPLE WITH enough technical and administrative capabilities to RUN an important portfolio like Railways?

Assuming JR is put in the hot seat, 2 years later he will be thrown out and some other joker will replace him . And to head the Railways from the current glut, it is not a 2 year process but a long term one . Getting a collection of different brains behind every portfolio after every 1 - 2 years is not the answer to the development of this country in my humblest of opinion

MxC

September 24th, 2012, 05:23 PM

^^ That my friend is a an extremely tall order!
Such a thing might happen in some distant future, but for the immediate future there is no practical chance of it happening, and we all know that unfortunately :(

Bombay2Calcutta

September 25th, 2012, 01:47 AM

T3-like upgrade for Anand Vihar

New Delhi, Sept. 24 -- Shopping joints, food stalls, restaurants, book stalls, medicines and variety stores, ATMs and budget hotels - the Anand Vihar railway terminal is in for a major makeover. Anurag Sachan, divisional railway manager (DRM) of Northern Railway (Delhi), told Hindustan Times: "The plan will be executed on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Two stations, Anand Vihar in Delhi and Bijwasan and Haryana - in the Northern Railway's jurisdiction - have been chosen for the upgrade."

He said, "Facilities at the stations will be provided the way it has been done at the Terminal3 of Delhi's international airport. Till now such facilities were provided only at airports. Now we will do the same at railway stations as well."

A railway ministry communique said several leading brands, retail, hotel chains and developers have expressed their interest in "multi-functional complexes" being developed by the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA). Prominent among them are Pantaloons, Cafe Coffee Day, The Loot, Woodland, Apodis Hospitality, Krishnan Palace Residency and WH Smith (Travel News Services).

The DRM said, "RLDA generates non-tariff revenue from railway land. The Anand Vihar project will be executed through Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd., a joint venture created by IRCON - a company set up under the Ministry of Railways for execution of railway projects and RLDA."

Many real estate consultants such as Knight Frank, IL&FS, PWC, E&Y and JLLM are advising RLDA in planning and marketing the MFC/commercial sites. Inaugurated in 2009, the Anand Vihar Railway Terminal caters to all east-bound trains from Delhi. Long-distance trains from Delhi used to ply from three stations - Delhi Junction (Old Delhi), New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin. These stations could not handle the rush.

"Also, trains from all these stations had to cross Yamuna all the three stations are located on the other side of the river," said an official.

Bombay2Calcutta

September 25th, 2012, 03:56 AM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Buddha-Trail-to-enthral-tourists/articleshow/16537175.cms

Buddha Trail to enthral tourists

KOLKATA: The state government is all set to start a 'Buddha Trail', on the lines of the Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan. Spread over the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim, the trail will connect cities where Lord Buddha had a spent a part of his life.

The project, being prepared in consultation with railway officials, will not only require financial support from the Centre but also it's approval. Once the project is finalized and accepted by the Indian Railways, it will be forwarded to the Centre.

Palace on Wheels may have its very own Bengali incarnation. West Bengal government has embarked upon an ambitious plan to start a 'Buddha Trail', connecting the cities related to Lord Buddha. The project is being prepared in consultation with railway officials and the Buddhist trail is being considered by the Indian Railways. Since other state governments are also involved in the project, the trail will require a nod from the Centre as well as financial support. After the project is finalised and accepted by the Indian railways, it will be further sent to the center.

After a preliminary discussion, the trail had been conceptualised to be spread over the four states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim.

"The main aim of the project is to attract Buddhist tourists from Southeast and East Asia. A huge number of footfall is experienced in each places linked with Buddha. Most of these tours are organised from Delhi. Now, we plan to start a similar trail from Kolkata," said a senior tourism department official. "The tourists travelling from Southeast Asia will find the tour very lucrative because of cost benefits. The airfare from Southeast Asia to Kolkata is way less than that in any other Indian city."

A tentative itinerary has also been chalked out and sent for approval. According to it, the Buddha Trail will first pass through Gautam Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini and then through UP's Kushinagar where Buddha attained nirvana. This will be followed by a stop at Shravasti in the state's Gonda district. Tourists will then be taken to Sarnath in Bihar. "There are ruins and relics which the travellers will visit. Sarnath is also an important place of pilgrimage for those who practice Buddhism

," said the official.

After a visit to Varanasi, tourists will be taken to Bodh Gaya where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment. In the final leg of the tour, travelers will be taken to two monasteries - Rumtek in Sikkim and Ghoom, around 8km from Darjeeling. The monastery at Ghoom has a 15-feet hight Buddha statue.

The tentative itenary which has been discussed and sent for an approval includes places like Lumbini - the birth place of Gautam Buddha and Kushinagar - place where Buddha attained nirvana in Eastern U.P. Followed by Shravasti in the Gonda district of U.P. At Sravasti Buddha had spent a long time after he became a monk. It is also near Tetavana monastery where he had spent his life. The tourists will be then taken to Sarnath in Bihar. "There are ruins and relics which the travelers will visit. Sarnath is also an important place of pilgrimage for those who practice Buddhism. The place houses a deer park," said the official. Tourists will be then taken to Varanasi situated just 13 kms away from Sarnath.

Next on the tour will be stop at Bodh Gaya - a place where Gautam Budhha had attained his enlightenment. The temple located at Bodh Gaya has been identified as a Unesco protected world heritage site.

In the final leg of the tour, travelers will be taken to Rumtek monastery in Sikkim and the famous monastery at Ghum near Darjeeling. "Rumtek is famous for a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery and is closely associated with Karmapas - religious gurus of the Tibetan sect. At Ghum in West Bengal which is only 8kms from Darjeeling is also a place of tourist interest. The monastery at Ghum houses a 15-feet high Buddha statue," added the tourism department official.

The tour will be expensive since the cost will include accommodation, travel and food expenses of all travelers

. "The tourists will be put up at star hotels whenever there are overnight stays

. Moreover, an entire train will have to be reserved with grand decor, global cuisine and other luxuries which the travelers can experience in the Palace on Wheels," added the official.

The state government will also start a tour to the rare heritage sites of West Bengal. "A seven-day tour will start from Malda and end in Darjeeling," said Vikram Sen, secretary of tourism department.

Bengali tourists too shall have no regrets as the TMC led government is also working on a plan to start a package showing the travelers rare heritage sites and natural beauty of West Bengal. "A seven-day tour will start from Malda and end in Darjeeling," said Vikram Sen, secretary of tourism department. Bodh Vihar, Bara and Chota Sona Masjit, Imambara of Malda along with Bangarh in South Dinajpur will be toured on dau 1. The second day itenary includes places like Gorumara, Chaba, Jalpaiguri and stone temples in Moinaguri. On day 3 the tourists will be taken to Jaldapara and Jayanti. On day 4, tourists will travel on bus from Malbazar and reach Kalimpong. The next two days will be spent at Darjeeling. Finally on day 7, the tourists will visit Mirik lake and then start for Kolkata from Siliguri.

"The total package will cost Rs 16,000 per head and will include accommodation, travel and food costs," said Sen.

Bombay2Calcutta

September 25th, 2012, 03:58 AM

Western Railways to replace current coaches with LHB ones

DNA Correspondent l Surat

If everything goes according to plans, passengers in Western Railways (WR) may soon travel in safer coaches. The authorities have decided to use LHB (Linke Holfman Bush) coaches which are already being used in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains.

LHB coaches are based on German technology that is equipped with ultra-modern safety features. The coaches have crumble zones at both ends along with energy absorbers. While crumble zone prevents impact of accident on passenger area, energy absorbers prevent thrust of accident from reaching the passengers. These coaches also have specially designed couplers (hooks to join coaches) that would lessen shaking of coaches when speeding.

“We are planning to use LHB coaches in super fast and express trains. We have forwarded a proposal for the same to higher officials and waiting for approval,” said Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO, WR. According to him, LHB coaches will mostly be used in long distance trains.

Published Date: Sep 25, 2012

kalkibhagwan

September 26th, 2012, 09:29 PM

Not sure where to put this, but I found a link to all the ongoing rail projects (including metro and monos) in desh...

http://www.railway-technology.com/search/?q%5B%5D=India

senthilkumark

September 27th, 2012, 01:22 PM

AC train fares to increase by more than 3.7% (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ac-train-fares-to-increase-by-more-than-3-7/1008699/)

With the exit of Trinamool Congress from UPA, Finance Ministry has decided to levy service tax on AC and freight services fares, which are set to increase by 3.7 per cent from October 1.
Fares of AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier, AC Chair Car will go up by 3.708 per cent from October 1 and a notification to this effect will be issued today, a senior Railway Ministry official said.

The decision for levying service tax on AC classes and freight and auxiliary services was taken yesterday at a meeting between Railway Minister CP Joshi and Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

The service tax will apply to tickets issued in advance for journeys to commence on or after the date of its implementation. In case of tickets already issued excluding service tax, it will be ensured that the same is recovered either by TTEs in the train or by the booking offices before commencement of journey.

In case of cancellation of tickets by the passengers, service tax will not be refunded by railways, the official said.

On concessional tickets, service charges will be 30 per cent of the total fare.

The service tax is 12.36 per cent but after the abetment of 70 per cent it will be 3.708 per cent on passenger fares in AC classes and freight.

Passengers traveling in AC classes were brought under service tax from July this year as per the Finance Bill 2012 but the levy had since been kept in abeyance because of opposition by the TMC.

Freight rate will also go up by 3.708 per cent from October. However, auxiliary services rendered at stations like catering and parking will have to bear the burden of 12.36 per cent as there will be no abetment on these services.

Service tax on freight was announced in 2009-10 Union Budget but then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had protested the move.

"The freight operators can reclaim the service tax after the submission of their tax returns," the official said, adding that "there will be no respite in auxiliary services as they cannot reclaim it."

Railways had already increased the freight rates by more than 20 per cent before the Rail Budget presented by then Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in March. Passenger fares in AC-2 and AC-1 tiers were also hiked by about 30 per cent during this time.

Railways is expected to mop up about Rs 3,000 crore from the hike in the fares.

MxC

September 27th, 2012, 03:37 PM

anidel

September 27th, 2012, 07:00 PM

Instead of doing this drama of increasing only 3.7% fare that too only in AC class :bash: the railways should raise fare by at least 15-20% in each and every class.

1. It have not raised in almost last 10 years.

2. The fuel cost have increased over the years.

3. The wages and other expenditures have also increased.

4. The railways urgently needs money for modernization, completion of projects and safety etc.

gentem

September 28th, 2012, 05:10 AM

^^ all that can be done in a railway budget, not in between. But now they could increase minimum fare to Rs. 5 matching platform ticket price

_Mihir13

September 28th, 2012, 06:28 AM

^^ all that can be done in a railway budget, not in between. But now they could increase minimum fare to Rs. 5 matching platform ticket price

There's no law that states that fares can be increased in the Railway budget only. If they have the political will - they can increase the cost any time they want.

In fact - the whole idea of having a separate railway budget is wrong. It creates more problems than it solves. It basically allows the politicians to dole out goodies to garner votes - without having the slightest regard for the financial health of the system.

MxC

September 28th, 2012, 09:56 AM

^^ There's one important point about this service tax on AC fares not reflected in news article above, but in many others.... As per this new rule, in case of cancellation, the service tax will NOT be refunded!

Now what is not clear is that will this be in addition to the existing cancellation charges applicable on confirmed tickets. If so, it will provide additional deterrent to those doing advance reservation in speculation, and especially for multiple dates, and hopefully will lead to more general availability of confirmed seats to the genuine travelers.

BTW, also not clear is if for waitlisted tickets being cancelled also, will the service tax refund not provided.

In any case, IMO, the clause about non-refund of service tax is unfair, would probably be legally untenable, and will most likely get challenged sooner or later in a court!

anidel

September 28th, 2012, 05:38 PM

^^ all that can be done in a railway budget, not in between. But now they could increase minimum fare to Rs. 5 matching platform ticket price

That's not the case its just the old practice that Railway ministers hike/reduce/retain fares just to get lime light on their budget speeches.

Its no rule/law/procedure that requires the fare hikes only in the railway budget only. :ohno:

Even Railways hikes its fright rates as and when required.

Oworld

September 29th, 2012, 07:00 PM

I wish we could have world class railway stations at least in our major cities just like our new airports.

Bombay2Calcutta

September 29th, 2012, 07:48 PM

Villagers build a rly station
Community Labour Brings 9 Haryana Villages Closer To City
Dwaipayan Ghosh TNN (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2012/09/28&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01001&ViewMode=HTML)

New Delhi: Their homes lie within earshot of the Delhi-Bathinda railway line, but for years a journey to the capital meant travelling 14km on bad roads to board a train at Karaichi station near Jind. Time and again, the nearly 1 lakh residents of these nine Haryana villages, 90km from Delhi, lobbied for a station of their own but the assurances did not materialize. Until one April day, when they came together with bricks and mortar, hoes and spades, to gift themselves the Lakhan Majra railway station.
The new station inaugurated on Thursday by Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is reportedly the brainchild of Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and the means and material to build it came from local panchayats.
As Northern Railway officers watched in awe, hundreds of locals toiled day and night to complete the station in what is the first s h r a m d a a n (collaborative effort) project in the Delhi division.
“The station at Lakhan Majra will provide rail connectivity to nine villages — Bahasi, Kherak, Gugaheri, Nandakheri, Chiri, Poli, Indergarh and Lakhan Majra — on the Delhi-Bathinda rail route,” said a senior Northern Railway officer. At least six passenger trains will halt here for a minute each on their way to and from Delhi. The Delhi DRM office confirmed that the Rohtak-Jind passenger, Delhi-Ferozepur passenger and Delhi-Jakhal passenger trains will be available immediately.
“Railway authorities granted approval for provision of a halt station at Lakhan Majra in April 2012 and the foundation stone for its construction was laid on April 13,” said VK Gupta, general manager, Northern Railway. AK Sachan, divisional railway manager, termed it a “people’s effort”.
Shashi Chauhan, a local, said it was a “long cherished dream” of the villagers. “This was an effort of all panchayats here. Now the railways must keep their promise to give us more trains.” Construction of the station and its access road ended Last Friday. Two rail-level platforms of 400m each have been built, and there are toilets and drinking water for waiting passengers. The station is situated close to the Rohtak-Jind national highway.
With a new station to serve them, the locals hope to develop the area into a cargo hub.

MxC

September 30th, 2012, 05:37 AM

^^
I recall there was already a news about it few months back. Is it another new station near Gurgaon then? I think probably it's the same news, just that some additional works might have been completed/actual trains starting to halt, etc.

gentem

September 30th, 2012, 03:11 PM

I wish we could have world class railway stations at least in our major cities just like our new airports.

problem is each big city needs 3 railway stations :(

engineer.akash

September 30th, 2012, 03:33 PM

I wish we could have world class railway stations at least in our major cities just like our new airports.

Not world class but IR is moving towards better facilties.

Consider this,

Hubli Railway station u/c,Karnataka SWR HQ

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/541099_470955086259332_544891976_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/393581_470955212925986_2061936484_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/397175_470955536259287_1429126177_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/404710_470955672925940_729633355_n.jpg

Copyright Pavan

engineer.akash

September 30th, 2012, 03:34 PM

Hubli Railway station u/c,Karnataka SWR HQ

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299469_470957526259088_1370312032_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/408736_470957729592401_1995595305_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/538749_470958086259032_553817683_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/552126_470958439592330_1011740991_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/485646_470958719592302_406973380_n.jpg

engineer.akash

September 30th, 2012, 03:37 PM

Hubli Railway station u/c,Karnataka SWR HQ

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/581371_470958889592285_1664263078_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/481075_470959076258933_2115014756_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/246717_470959329592241_675333384_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/487548_470959509592223_979637918_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206410_470959706258870_1622152856_n.jpg

engineer.akash

September 30th, 2012, 03:39 PM

Hubli Railway station,SWR HQ karnataka master plan

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/406035_354062191330669_1044097010_n.jpg

MxC

September 30th, 2012, 06:08 PM

Hubli Railway station,SWR HQ karnataka master plan

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/406035_354062191330669_1044097010_n.jpg

Masterplan looks quite good to me!

Oworld

October 1st, 2012, 05:35 AM

Railway stations in all our metro cities are complete mess.

We don't only need new and world class stations but they should plan for future also, considering population of our country is growing very fast.

saptarsi

October 1st, 2012, 08:16 PM

India today sought greater cooperation from Austria for modernisation and capacity augmentation of the rail infrastructure in the country and safety enhancement plans.

"Railway envisages massive capacity augmentation, modernisation and safety enhancement plans in the coming decade and initiatives such as setting up of dedicated freight corridors and increased production and procurement of rolling stock.

"We look forward to the participation of the Austrian side in realising these initiatives," Railways and Road Transport and Highways Minister C P Joshi said.

He said this during an MoU signing agreement between the two countries for strengthening long-term relationship and bilateral cooperation on road infrastructure and road transportation technology.
The MoU was signed between Joshi and visiting Austrian Minister of Transport, Innovation & Technology Doris Burse.

Noting that both the countries had already entered into an agreement in October last year for technology-specific cooperation in railways, he said a joint working group has already met and "we are moving ahead with the cooperation".

Talking to reporters, he said India will also be drawing on Austrain expertise in tunnelling work to expand its road network particularly to remote areas.

He said Austrian companies are already involved in some major projects in India, with one of the Austrian companies bagging a contract from Delhi Metro.

source: Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/india-seeks-great-participationaustrian-cos-in-railway/63203/)

saptarsi

October 1st, 2012, 08:18 PM

In compliance with the provisions in Finance Bill 2012, and subsequent notifications issued by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India, the Ministry of Railways, Government of India has levied, with immediate effect, Service Tax on the fares of passenger services in AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier Class, AC-3 tier class, AC Chair Car class, AC Economy Class and First Class. The Service Tax applies to tickets issued/booked on or after October 1, 2012, according to a PIB report. For tickets issued prior to the said date, no Service Tax will be collected on board the trains. In case of cancellation of tickets booked by the passengers on or after October 1 this year, the applicable amount, including refundable Service Tax amount, will be refunded by the railways, as per the Railway Refund Rules and guidelines of MoF.

Since an abatement of 70 per cent has already been permitted on passenger services by MoF, Service Tax is charged on 30 per cent of the total fare, including reservation charges, development charges and super fast surcharges. Service Tax of 12 per cent is charged on 30 per cent of the fares, which is equivalent to 3.6 per cent of the total fare. Education Cess of two per cent on Service Tax has been added, amounting to 0.072 per cent on the total fare, and Higher Education Cess of one per cent on Service Tax has been added, which calculates to 0.036 per cent on the total fare. Thus, the total Service Tax implication is 3.708 per cent on the total fare. On concessional value tickets, service charge is levied at 3.708 per cent of the actual total fare paid by passengers.

The amount of Service Tax collected from passengers will be deposited with MoF as per the prescribed procedure. Finance departments of zonal railways have been instructed to provide proper accounting and remittance of Service Tax amount to the government.

source: Travel Biz Monitor (http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/indian-railways-levies-service-tax-on-passenger-fares-with-immediate-effect-17906)

metrofreak

October 3rd, 2012, 08:05 AM

source (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Railway-steps-up-security-for-women/Article1-938972.aspx)!

The railways have stepped up security for passengers, especially women, after an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a woman—an employee of an MNC in Noida —on board an AC coach of a Delhi-Lucknow train on Monday. "All important trains have mobile squads of either our Railway Protection Force (RPF) or the states' Government Railway Police (GRP). Instructions have been issued to maintain extra vigilance and check such cases in future," said a senior northern railway official.
"We're making passengers aware that there are attendants in all AC coaches. They can be spoken to in case any passenger perceives any threat or feels insecure," he said.

"Any complaints of crime can be lodged at the next major station. We have displayed helpline numbers of the railways as well as the GRP in trains and at stations," the official added.

Citing lack of adequate manpower as a major problem, another railway ministry official said, "Our priority is railway board's trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi, followed by express and mail trains run by various zonal railways. Because of staff shortage, small-distance and daytime trains often suffer."

"Also, there is no adequate coordination between RPF and GRP. Efforts are on to introduce a bill in Parliament to transfer handling of all heinous crime cases to RPF," the official said.

RPF is responsible for the detection of crime and protection of passengers but unlike GRP, it does not have the powers to lodge FIRs, investigate, and arrest offenders. RPF has for long been ruing the fact that the GRP —even after detection of crime—does not lodge cases citing jurisdiction issues.

saptarsi

October 4th, 2012, 05:38 AM

In a sudden move, the Indian Railways has scrapped its successful real-time train tracking system SIMRAN (Satellite Imaging for Rail Navigation) developed by IIT-Kanpur, and has decided to create a similar website on its own.

In a meeting of the Railway Board on September 11, attended by IIT-K officials, Railways said the institute’s technology and services would not be required after September since CRIS, Railways’ IT arm, would create a separate real-time train tracking website.

IIT-Kanpur, following the sudden termination of their services, put up the message on the SIMRAN website: “Due to non availability of funds from Indian Railways we are unable to maintain this site any further. SMS service is also closed.”

At around 5 pm Wednesday, following a request by the the Railways, IIT-Kanpur replaced the message with: “As per decision of Railway Board this site has been closed on 1/Oct/2012. SMS Service is also closed. User might use regular Indian Railways Enquiry Systems. Railway SMS Service No is 139.”

Sources said Railway officials had asked the IIT to redirect users to its existing railway website, trainenquiry.com, but the institute refused. Unlike SIMRAN, trainenquiry.com, which predates SIMRAN, does not use satellite imagery.

A railway spokesperson said that the Railways always planned to run its own system since SIMRAN was a trial, which officially ended on September 30.

Sources said that the decision to remove IIT-Kanpur from the project was a sudden one since a section within the Railways has been lobbying to transfer the job to CRIS and Indian Railways Project Management Unit.

Source: Indian Express (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/simran-scrapped-rlys-to-create-own-tracking-system/1011535/)

saptarsi

October 4th, 2012, 05:40 AM

Oct 03 - Fitch Ratings has assigned Indian Railway Finance Corporation's (IRFC) proposed USD300m bonds an expected rating of 'BBB-(EXP)'. The rating is aligned with IRFC's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'BBB-' which has a Negative Outlook.

The final rating of the USD bond issue is contingent upon the receipt of final documents conforming to information already received.

IRFC was incorporated to raise funds from debt capital markets to finance the acquisition of new rolling stock to meet the developmental needs of the Indian railway system administered by the Ministry of Railways.

Established in 1986, IRFC is registered as a notified public financial institution under the Companies Act, 1956 and as a non-banking finance company and asset finance company under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.

Source: Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/idUSWLA425120121003)

rupakd

October 4th, 2012, 07:41 AM

Hatia Express passengers to be felicitated to celebrate 25 years of passenger reservation system

Passengers of the 18615 Howrah-Ranchi Hatia Express will be felicitated by the South Eastern Railway as part of its celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) in Kolkata. This train was the first one under SER to be linked to the Kolkata PRS in 1987 when this facility was only available from four counters (two each of SER and Eastern Railway) at the New Koilaghat Street booking office. SER has also managed to track down 4-5 commercial clerks who were among the first to receive training and start issuing tickets through the PRS. They will be felicitated as well by SER general manager A K Verma.

After all, it wasn't an easy task for the booking clerks to shift from manual ticketing to the PRS. The two systems were completely dissimilar. Added to this was the opposition to computerization that was launched by the Left government in power in West Bengal at that time. There were regular demonstrations outside offices where computers were introduced.

"Today, there are five PRS centres across the country at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad. The Kolkata PRS now handles 700 trains of six zonal railways. It is connected to 1,000 PRS locations which have 2,500 booking counters. We are celebrating the silver jubilee celebrations of the PRS is a big way as it completely revolutionized railway booking. On Tuesday morning, our general manager even led a rally of 250 officers and employees to Howrah station to celebrate this occasion," an SER official said.

At first, the PRS counters could only issue outgoing tickets. It was in 1999 that all PRS centres got amalgamated and people could purchase tickets from any location to another from every counter. It was much later that the PRS was interlinked to the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) and tickets started being issued online. Recently, it was through the PRS that tickets started being issued through mobile phones.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Hatia-Express-passengers-to-be-felicitated-to-celebrate-25-years-of-passenger-reservation-system/articleshow/16658598.cms

adam_india

October 4th, 2012, 11:36 AM

^^ ridiculous, celebrating some reservation system. What's even more ridiculous is such stuff is picked up by the media.

chennaidesi

October 5th, 2012, 08:04 PM

Indian railways passenger traffic reserved and un-reserved traffic

TABLE 4.9: PASSENGER FLOWS BETWEEN TOP 25 PAIRS OF STATIONS - NON-PRS
SN Origin Destination No. of
Passengers
1 GORAKHPUR DELHI/NEW DELHI 2,588,061
2 KANPUR CENTRAL DELHI/NEW DELHI 1,872,027
3 DELHI/NEW DELHI KANPUR CENTRAL 1,852,228
4 ALLAHABAD KANPUR CENTRAL 1,618,356
5 KANPUR CENTRAL ALLAHABAD 1,450,609
6 DELHI/NEW DELHI ALLAHABAD 1,258,267
7 DELHI/NEW DELHI GORAKHPUR 978,922
8 ALLAHABAD DELHI/NEW DELHI 966,383
9 CHENNAI CENTRAL BANGALORE 781,293
10 BANGALORE CHENNAI CENTRAL 755,791
11 COIMBATORE JN. CHENNAI CENTRAL 722,070
12 CHENNAI CENTRAL MADURAI JN 708,050
13 MADURAI JN CHENNAI CENTRAL 634,073
14 CHENNAI CENTRAL COIMBATORE JN. 622,576
15 DELHI/NEW DELHI HOWRAH 428,271
16 MUMBAI CENTRAL MUMBAI CST 420,764
17 GORAKHPUR ALLAHABAD 394,130
18 GORAKHPUR KANPUR CENTRAL 387,587
19 DELHI/NEW DELHI MUMBAI CENTRAL 357,608
20 GORAKHPUR BANGALORE 284,805
21 ERNAKULAM COIMBATORE JN. 202,354
22 DELHI/NEW DELHI NAGPUR 187,744
23 COIMBATORE JN. ERNAKULAM 186,061
24 COIMBATORE JN. BANGALORE 182,305
25 GORAKHPUR HOWRAH 174,836
Total 20,015,171

Total

TABLE 4.10: PASSENGER FLOWS BETWEEN TOP 25 PAIRS OF STATIONS – PRS & NON-PRS
SN Origin Destination No. of
Passengers
1 GORAKHPUR DELHI/NEW DELHI 2,995,857
2 DELHI/NEW DELHI KANPUR CENTRAL 2,616,491
3 KANPUR CENTRAL DELHI/NEW DELHI 2,575,539
4 CHENNAI CENTRAL BANGALORE 2,554,496
5 BANGALORE CHENNAI CENTRAL 2,452,573
6 DELHI/NEW DELHI ALLAHABAD 1,893,316
7 CHENNAI CENTRAL MADURAI JN 1,789,143
8 COIMBATORE JN. CHENNAI CENTRAL 1,733,772
9 CHENNAI CENTRAL COIMBATORE JN. 1,670,382
10 MADURAI JN CHENNAI CENTRAL 1,666,970
11 ALLAHABAD KANPUR CENTRAL 1,618,356
12 ALLAHABAD DELHI/NEW DELHI 1,539,652
13 KANPUR CENTRAL ALLAHABAD 1,450,609
14 DELHI/NEW DELHI GORAKHPUR 1,375,712
15 LUCKNOW JN. DELHI/NEW DELHI 1,152,189
16 DELHI/NEW DELHI HOWRAH 1,144,530
17 JAMMU TAWI DELHI/NEW DELHI 1,037,117
18 TIRUCHIRAPALLI JN. CHENNAI CENTRAL 769,497
19 DELHI/NEW DELHI MUMBAI CENTRAL 747,414
20 AHMEDABAD JN MUMBAI CENTRAL 744,732
21 HOWRAH DELHI/NEW DELHI 700,073
22 PUNE JN. MUMBAI CST 653,581
23 AMRITSAR JN. DELHI/NEW DELHI 647,585
24 CHENNAI CENTRAL HOWRAH 631,213
25 MUMBAI CST HOWRAH 602,610
Total 36,763,409

http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/trans/Chapter_4.pdf

Bombay2Calcutta

October 5th, 2012, 11:24 PM

HT (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Railways-seeks-info-on-money-spent-for-inaugural-functions-in-state/Article1-940517.aspx)
Railways seeks info on money spent for inaugural functions in state

Within two weeks of the Trinamool giving up the railway ministry, the latter has sought details of the expenditure on the inaugural functions of railway projects in West Bengal since April 2010.
That was the time when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and her two party colleagues were ministers.

Last week the Railway Board sent letters to the South-Eastern Railways (SER) and Eastern Railways (ER), both headquartered in Kolkata, directing top commercial section officials to submit a report detailing the expenditure on foundation stone-laying programmes and flagging off of trains.

The Railway Board wants to know how much was spent on setting up the stages, loudspeakers, food packets, singers, etc.

“We have started the process of obtaining detailed reports on expenditure made during foundation stone-laying and flagging off functions of different projects since April 2010 in West Bengal. We have directed our divisions in Kharagpore and Adra in this regard,” SP Ghosh, deputy chief commercial manager (passengers marketing), SER, told HT.

Between May 2009, when the party got charge of the ministry, and September 2012, the Trinamool ministers started a large number of projects such as computerised ticket reservation counters, conversions of gauge-lines, setting up coach factories, nursing colleges, railway stadiums, museums and theatre halls in different parts of the state.

Between them, the three railway ministers started more than 130 railway projects, coming under both the SER and ER.

The trend peaked before the assembly polls in 2011. Banerjee herself inaugurated or flagged off 104 projects in the state from April to September in 2010.

Sixteen rail projects, worth about Rs. 40,000 crore, were announced for West Bengal during the period.

Bombay2Calcutta

October 6th, 2012, 04:48 AM

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Congress-ministers-ask-for-panel-to-check-rail-fares/articleshow/16692278.cms)
Congress ministers ask for panel to check rail fares

MUMBAI: Some senior Congress cabinet members has recently urged the Centre to set up a rail tariff regulatory commission that will take stock of fares.

Their request was placed even before a panel, headed by businessman Deepak Parekh, recommended that the Centre should increase passenger train fares to help mobilize funds for infrastructure plans. Even before a high level panel headed by leading businessman Deepak Parekh recommended to the centre to hike passenger fares for mobilising funds for infrastructure projects, a section of senior Congress cabinet members have urged the centre to set up a rail tariff regulatory commission to take stock of the existing fare deciding system.

According to a senior Congress minister, the idea of setting up a commission was mooted by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan during his meeting with Railway Board chairman Vinay Mittal here. "Chavan said sooner or later, the Centre would have to set up a rail tariff regulatory commission to take a professional decision on fares,'' he said.

The minister said ever since the railway portfolio was entrusted with Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, populist decisions, particularly on fares and freight charges, were taken without considering the adverse impact on economy. "In the past seven to eight years, Trinamool never agreed to raise passenger train fares, and so the Railway Board faioled to mobilize funds even for routine work. Several projects, particularly those in rural areas, had to be abandoned," he said.

Echoing him, a senior bureaucrat said if a rail tariff regulatory commission came into force, the members would take a realistic view of the existing structure and hike fares if needed. "At the moment, even if fares are fixed by the administration, final decision is taken by political heads," he said.

According to the cabinet member, the Centre has set up commissions to regulate power, water, telecommunication, aviation and insurance sectors. In the state, there are panels for the state has set up an power and water commission and is in the process of appointing a regulator to tackle the housing sector.

"The commissions appear to have brought in some kind of a check on largesse being extended by the state," he said.

Bombay2Calcutta

October 6th, 2012, 05:21 AM

Pune may soon have its first direct train to Navi Mumbai

IF the plan of Central Railway (CR) materialises, the city will soon have a direct train to Navi Mumbai. As per the plan, the train will run on the suburban tracks of the Harbour Line from Kurla to Panvel after which it will be diverted to the line going to Pune via Karjat.

After Pragati Express, which was recently started from the Panvel-Karjat route instead of the regular Kalyan-Karjat route, got an encouraging response from commuters, the CR is now contemplating to run more trains to Pune via Panvel.

The railways has planned to run the train from Kurla with halts at Vashi, Belapur, Panvel, Karjat and Lonavala. The travel time is expected to be around 2 hours 50 minutes.

At present, 33 train services run between Mumbai and Pune, of which 21 are daily trains.

“A crossover would be needed from Panvel and the suburban line will be linked to the present line connecting Pune. The plan is to terminate the train at Shivajinagar which is well connected to all parts of Pune,” a senior CR official said.

At present, passengers have to opt for road transport to reach Pune from Navi Mumbai.

Officials said the project cost is not eXpected to be very high. The railways, after conducting a feasibility study, will submit a proposal to the railway board. If approved, the train will see the light of the day very soon.

aam admi

October 6th, 2012, 10:57 AM

Rly unions want fare hike to offset diesel price rise

In a bid to buffer the railways from the shock of the recent increase in diesel price, its 14 lakh employees, under the aegis of various unions, have decided to press for a fare hike.

With the Trinamool Congress no longer in charge of the ministry and the Congress making an all out effort to revive the flagging economy, the unions feel it is the apt time to put forward their demand. Surprisingly, the unions are demanding a fare hike that is even more than what former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi had proposed in the rail budget earlier this year.

The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen is gearing up to pass a resolution for a fare hike at its 207th working committee meeting to be held from October 7 to 9 and present it before Railway Minister C P Joshi. “This is the appropriate time to raise the demand again because a new political dispensation has arrived. Since the price of diesel has increased manifold, the hike should be linked to that. We are going to pass this resolution and press for it,” said M Raghavaiah, general secretary of NFIR.

Meanwhile, the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), the biggest umbrella body of all unions in the railway network, will send a memorandum to Railway Minister next week seeking a new fuel adjustment component in the fares. “What Dinesh Trivedi had proposed was reasonable. Even if the fares could be at least de-linked from the fuel component, the savings would be huge,” said Shiv Gopal Mishra, secretary general of the AIRF.

The union is also planning to go for a nationwide token hunger strike next week pressing for its various demands, including the financial reform of the national transporter.

After Trivedi’s successor Mukul Roy rolled back the various fare-hike related decisions in the Rail Budget, Railways’ passenger earnings projection dropped by a whopping Rs 4,027 crore. The Ministry has in fact revised its plan size for this year. There is a shortfall in earnings by Rs 1,783.09 crore and an excess in its ordinary working expenses of Rs 239.48 crore, a 24 per cent increase from the target. Unions fear that a financially sick railways will push the national transporter to go the ‘Air India way’.

Railway mangement, labor union and public at large want the unreasonably low fares to be raised. But Mamata thinks otherwise, in the name of aam admi she wanted to keep it unchanged. If aam admi is ready to pay few bucks extra in return of good services, why does Mamata wants to push railways into red. But then we get the leaders as we deserve.

Bombay2Calcutta

October 6th, 2012, 06:50 PM

Rs.900cr rail project gets nod Once completed, it’ll connect Konkan to all ports in state

The state government on Thursday approved the Rs900crore Konkan railway project, which will connect
to all the important ports in the state.
State industries minister Narayan Rane, who has been pursuing the project in his home turf Konkan, said, “The state government will invest Rs450 crore and the remaining Rs450 crore will be allocated by the Centre.”
Rane has indicated that they will also work out an alternative means to raise funds if the Centre fails to provide the 50% allocations within the next three years. The state government will rope in private companies associated with the port development authority to raise the equity to fund the project. However, the Centre has begun the process of conducting survey to outline the details and feasibility of the project.
The railway line, which stretches between Karad and Chiplum, has been on the state agenda for the past several years. After the railway lines are connected with ports, it would bring massive business and economic prosperity to the region. The entire region, which has been declared ecologically sensitive by an environment study group under Union government, has been struggling to set its industrial policies on fast track. All the mining projects in pipeline have been put on hold. The state government is closely scrutinising every project in this region to ensure that it does not land in any kind of trouble because of environment clearance.
Another interesting project long envisaged relates to construction of a terminal in village Madure in Sawantwadi. Rane wrote a letter to the chief minister urging him to allocate Rs250 crore for the terminal. In principle, the chief minister has agreed for the funds. The process of land acquisition is underway and the project is expected to be complete by 2014.
The Rs1,200 crore Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway link project is also high on state government’s agenda. Sources said the details related to funds and other aspects have to be worked out and will take some time before going ahead

Toothgrass

October 7th, 2012, 10:03 AM

C P Joshi takes charge of Railways, hints at reforms (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/280933/c-p-joshi-takes-charge.html)
New Delhi, September 24, 2012, DHNS:
Conducts high-level meeting of rail and transport officials

C P Joshi, who took charge of the Railway Ministry on Monday, gave clear signals of initiating reforms in the Railways.

Joshi declared that safety and modernisation will be prioritised. He also held a high level joint meeting of transport and railway officials to chart out a road map for convergence of Railways and road transport, considered to be one of the pivotal aspects of reforms.

Joshi is the minister of Road Transport and Highways and was bestowed the additional responsibility of the Railways. He indicated that infrastructural convergence among different modes of transport- rail, air, water and road-suggested by the Planning Commission, will be given top priority and changes in the Railways will be done accordingly.

“The first priority is that of safety, then improvement in passenger amenities and the most important is modernisation, so that the Railways have an active role in India’s economic growth,” he told media persons here soon after taking charge.

“It is too early to talk about this. I will discuss these issues with my officials. Let me first understand the ministry. Then, I will respond to all the queries,” he added.

The joint meeting of rail and road transport ministries resolved to undertake the issue of completion of rail over bridges (ROB) at railway crossings on priority. According to sources, the meeting also discussed issues including road connectivity where rail links are not possible, besides feeder roads to important rail routes and their maintenance.

Officials resolved their differences over finalising proposed ROBs and RUBs. There are 85 ROBs proposed at level crossings through national highways. They could not be finalised for the last 18 months because of differences over design. The joint meeting decided to clear 46 out of these.

“The designs should be finalised before awarding the contracts. There should be a time frame for finalising designs and completion of work as these are important public utility projects. Railways and NHAI should work together to evolve a system for it,” said Joshi.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also criticised the delay in construction of ROBs and RUBs as most of the accidents occur at unmanned level crossings.

The joint meeting was attended by Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal, the Chairman of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and other high level officials of both the ministries.

infra desperados

October 7th, 2012, 08:10 PM

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels: Indian Railways launches new luxury train (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Royal-Rajasthan-on-Wheels-Indian-Railways-launches-new-luxury-train/articleshow/16712684.cms)

http://www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Royal-rajasthan-on-wheels.jpg

NEW DELHI: A new luxury train, which will cover tourist destinations in three states, started its maiden journey from Safdarjung railway station in the capital on Sunday.

'Royal Rajasthan on Wheels' — touted as India's most luxurious train — is a joint venture between Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (RTDC) and the Indian Railways.

The train will run every Sunday between October and April from Delhi. It will travel across three states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

"The train will go to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Khajuraho and Agra. And the journey will culminate in Varanasi," RTDC chairman Pramod Sharma said. The entire journey would be completed in seven days.

Consisting of 35 coaches, the train has a ferrying capacity of 82 passengers in one trip. The train has on board a spa, gymnasium, specials suites, deluxe saloons and two restro-lounges which make the journey truly a 'royal experience'.

"This train is better than 'Palace on Wheels' as it is more spacious and grander. It has every luxury which anyone would want," said Sharma.

While the journey will cost $4,130 (Rs 2,14,760), one will have to shell out $1,600 (Rs 83,200) per day more if one travels in the special suite.

On Sunday, as the train started its maiden trip, there were 61 foreign tourists on board.

"So far, the service has been really good and the crew is really hospitable. It would be too early to say anything about the train as the journey has not even started yet," an Australian tourist Kent Vodan told IANS while the train was at Safdarjung station.

http://media2.intoday.in/btmt/images/stories/royal-rajasthan-on-wheels_5_100712091118.jpg

http://www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2.jpg

http://rajasthantourismbuzz.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/royal-rajasthan-on-wheel1.jpg

http://www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com/gallery/plog-content/images/rrow/interior/image-18.jpg

http://www.udaipurtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/super-deluxe-saloon.jpg.png

http://www.traveldealsfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Royal-Rajasthan-on-Wheels.jpg

MxC

October 7th, 2012, 08:51 PM

^^
Looks fab!

wO_Ow

October 8th, 2012, 08:17 AM

Government drawing up plans to make Indian Railways financially viable (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/government-drawing-up-plans-to-make-indian-railways-financially-viable/articleshow/16716208.cms)
NEW DELHI: The government is readying a blueprint to rescue the railways from long years of rampant populism by successive ministers, lining up measures to push stalled investments and increase revenues.

A senior official told ET the finance and railways ministries and Planning Commission are working on a plan that could include measures such as benchmarking fares to inflation, public-private partnerships to bring in investments and monetisation of land to generate funds. A freight network on the lines of the Golden Quadrilateral is also being considered, said the official, who did not wish to be named.

"Turning around railways is next on the agenda," the official said, without giving a deadline. "A plan will be drawn up soon to re-energise the organisation to put it back on track."

Talks have begun to help revive the government-run entity that has seen its operating ratio, the money spent on ordinary expenses to earn every Rs 100, rise from Rs 91 in 2004-05 to Rs 95 in 2011-12.

This means, after meeting interest costs, the railways does not have enough surplus to plough back into investments. On a turnover of Rs 1.03 lakh crore in 2011-12, the surplus was just Rs 1,500 crore, leaving it with about Rs 9,100 crore of internal resources to fund its plan in the year.

"The immediate priority is to make the organisation financially viable and make it efficient enough to enable it to attract private sector investments," said another senior government official.

The blueprint could include creation of an independent rail regulatory authority to fix tariffs, a railway modernisation fund and setting up two boards, one for operations and another for governance, with independent directors. One option is to link fares to inflation, the official said, adding that 60% of increase in the wholesale price index could be passed on to passengers, for example.

"There are a number of prescriptions available to turn around the organisation, including reports by Rakesh Mohan, Sam Pitroda and, recently, Deepak Parekh...The plan would draw from these reports," said the official.

An expert group set up under Pitroda had in its report earlier this year said the railways needs Rs 8.39 lakh crore of investments in the next five years, pointing to the large cost to the country from "a severe and chronic under-investment in railway infrastructure".

A beginning has been made in the form of implementing service tax that had been put on hold to appease Trinamool Congress, which held the railways portfolio and was the Congress' biggest partner in the ruling coalition before it parted ways over the recent push to reforms, including the nod to foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.

Passenger fares have not risen since 2004, when the Congress-led UPAfirst came to power and offered the portfolio to its alliance partners until recently, when CP Joshi took over. In fact, Dinesh Trivedi of Trinamool Congress had to resign after he raised fares against the wishes of his party chief Mamata Banerjee.

Freight carriage has, however, become more expensive than warranted, causing the railways to lose market share to road transport. The public-private partnership initiatives launched by the railways are yet to attract private sector investments. Critical areas of IT and safety infrastructure in the railways have not seen funds inflow either.

Experts paint a grim picture.

"It's time to wake up and revamp the administrative, governance and management functioning," said Vinayak Chatterjee, chairman, Feedback Infra.

Indian Railways has the world's third-largest rail network and transports 2.65 million tonnes of freight traffic and 23 million passengers every day.

wO_Ow

October 8th, 2012, 12:38 PM

Indian Railways Adopting a Multi Pronged Strategy to Provide Faster and Safer Train Journeys

Indian Railways Plan to Introduce Most Modern Emu Train Sets for Existing Rajdhanis/Shatabdis

The Proposed Train Sets to Increase Passenger Carrying Capacity, Reduce Run Time Between Destinations and Consume Less Energy

Indian Railways is adopting a multi pronged strategy to provide a safer, faster, cleaner, and comfortable passenger trains. As announced in the budget, seven corridors have been identified for conducting pre feasibility studies for running high speed trains(popularly referred as Bullet trains) at speeds above 350 kmph. These corridors will be set up through PPP route. A study is also being done on Delhi Mumbai route with Japanese help to raise the speed of passenger trains from 160 kmph to 200 kmph being referred to as Semi-High Speed.

In addition, Indian Railways is working on the concept of acquiring Electrical Multiple Units (EMU) Train sets for intercity journeys for operating speed ranging from 130-160 km/hour. The adoption of train sets technology was announced in this year’s Railway Budget also. Indian Railways proposes to introduce in near future such modern EMU train Sets designed for operations at maximum speed of 130 kmph/150 kmph for running premium Shatabdi/Rajdhani trains, without any additional expenditure on existing track and signalling infrastructure. Existing Railway track on Rajdhani route is fit for running trains up to a speed of 150 kmph, but average speeds of Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains is less than 90 kmph due to large number of speed restrictions and poor acceleration and deceleration characteristics of existing loco hauled trains. The proposed modern distributed powered EMU train sets will be free from these bottlenecks and provide faster and safer movement and will substantially reduce run time. The plan is also in line with the international trend wherein most advanced countries in the world have progressively switched over its locomotive hauled conventional intercity trains to distributed powered Electrical Multiple Train sets.

The proposed EMU Train sets may consist of 21 cars (coaches). EMU Train sets are highly energy efficient, aerodynamically designed light weight, distributed powered trains with driving cabs at both ends like suburban trains and have following advantages over conventional loco hauled trains operating at similar speeds:

Ø Propulsion equipment is mounted on the coaches, hence locomotives and Power cars in conventional loco hauled trains get replaced by additional passenger coaches in train sets, thereby increasing the passenger carrying capacity by 25-30% for the same length of a train.

Ø EMU Train sets have very high acceleration and deceleration due to which it takes much less time in negotiating speed restrictions and achieving maximum permissible speed and it is possible to reduce the rune time between Howrah and New Delhi by 2.5 to 3.0 hours by operating train sets at existing speed of 130 kmph without any additional expenditure on track and other infrastructure.

Ø Train sets provide improved safety due to reduced braking distance because of higher deceleration caused by regenerative and electro-pneumatic braking and cause very less wear and tear to the track due to its light weight. Distributed powering also reduces jerks.

Ø Modern train sets are eco friendly, noiseless, consume 30% less energy and do not pollute the environment as in case of conventional loco hauled trains with diesel power cars.

Ø Train sets are equipped with the three phase modern IGBT technology and require very less maintenance. Further with cabs at both ends, turn round time required at terminal stations is less than 15 minutes, leading to improved utilization. A train set can do extra trip/day for inter city travel like Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Amritsar or Mumbai-Ahmedabad.

Ø Per passenger cost of train sets is only marginally higher (at approximately Rs. 200 crore per train set of 21 cars) as compared to conventional loco hauled trains for speeds up to 130 kmph/150 kmph and that too gets returned in less than 3 years owing to high rate of return due to substantial increase in revenue because of extra carrying capacity, better utilization and higher energy efficiency.

PIB Release ID:88225

hakindian1984

October 8th, 2012, 01:55 PM

NEW DELHI: Aiming at reducing travel time in train journey, Railways is acquiring Electrical Multiple Units (EMU) train sets for premier services like Rajdhani and Shatabdi Expresses for operating at a higher speed of 130-150 km per hour.
The decision to adopt train sets technology was announced in the 2012-13 Railway Budget.

"We are working on introducing modern EMU train sets designed for operations at maximum speed of 130-150 kmph for running premium Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, without any additional expenditure on existing track and signalling infrastructure," said a senior Railway Ministry official.

According to the official, existing rail tracks on Rajdhani routes are fit for running trains up to a speed of 150 km per hour, but average speeds of Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains is less than 90 km per hour due to large number of speed restrictions and poor acceleration of existing loco hauled trains.

The Railways are expecting that the proposed modern distributed powered EMU train sets will be free from these bottlenecks, provide faster and safer movement and will substantially reduce running time.

The proposed EMU train sets consist of 21 cars (coaches) and are estimated to cost about Rs 200 crore per train.

The Railways claim modern train sets are eco friendly, noiseless, consume 30 per cent less energy and do not pollute the environment as in case of conventional loco hauled trains.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/High-speed-train-sets-for-Rajdhani-and-Shatabdi/articleshow/16724377.cms

Bombay2Calcutta

October 8th, 2012, 04:54 PM

Zee News (http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/companies/railway-to-set-up-tariff-authority-on-passenger-fare-freight_61934.html)

Railway to set up Tariff Authority on passenger fare, freight

New Delhi: A proposal to constitute a Rail Tariff Authority (RTA), which was apparently in cold storage during the tenure of Mukul Roy as Railway Minister, is being revived after the exit of Trinmool Congress from UPA government.

Rail Tariff Authority (RTA), which will suggest the level of passenger fares and freight rates, was first proposed in the rail Budget 2012-13 presented by Dinesh Trivedi before he was forced out as Railway Minister by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

"We have decided to constitute Rail Tariff Authority, a separate body, for suggesting the level of tariff for both freight and passenger fares, Railway Minister CP Joshi said at the Economic Editors' meet here on Monday.

However, he said, the authority would take a while to be constituted because it is still in initial stage and is being deliberated threadbare before it is placed before the Cabinet.

The constitution and composition and its terms and references are still being discussed, he said to a question.

Refusing to divulge further, he said the views of all stakeholders will be taken into account in formation of the committee.

Giving details about the RTA, Chairman Railway Board Vinay Mittal said "the cost of running trains is becoming higher and the aim is to insulate us from various hikes like fuel hike and eliminate uncertainties in tariff formulation

senthilkumark

October 9th, 2012, 06:35 AM

Rlys develops new system to prevent train accident (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3978850.ece)

Strengthening the safety infrastructure, the Railways has developed a new system to prevent train accidents.

The new system — Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) — is a fusion of Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) and Anti-Collision Device (ACD).

“Automatic braking system will be applied if two trains come closer on a same track with the TCAS in force,” said Vinay Mittal, Chairman, Railway Board.

TPWS and ACD are already operational on a trial basis on selected routes. As a pilot project, TPWS has been provided on Chennai suburban section and another pilot project is in progress on Nizamuddin—Agra section.

TPWS is also being provided on Dum Dum—New Garia section of Kolkata Metro.

As far as ACD, developed by Konkan Railway, is concerned, the system is operational as a pilot project on 1736 km in Northeast Frontier Railway.

“However, ACD witnessed operational problems in Southern Railway. So it can be extended only after resolving those problems,” Mittal said.

“Based upon experience gained from ACD and TPWS systems, we have now taken up the development of TCAS. TCAS is a fusion of functionalities of TPWS and ACD and prevent signal passing at danger as well as collisions,” he said.

Six firms have been short-listed for developing the system. One of the firms has developed the prototype which shall undergo field trials shortly in South Central Railway.

gentem

October 9th, 2012, 06:49 AM

Bangalore-Karwar night train service likely soon (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/bangalorekarwar-night-train-service-likely-soon/article3979841.ece)

Railway Board accepts High Court’s suggestion for bifurcating

Here’s some good news for those who have been demanding a night train service to reach Udupi, Kundapura, Bhatkal and Karwar from Bangalore.

The Railway Board has decided to bifurcate the existing Yeshwantpur-Mangalore-Kannur Express (train nos. 16517/16518) at Mangalore. So the same train will branch out into two and one will go to Kannur in Kerala while the other will go to Karwar. This would ensure direct night train connectivity between Bangalore and Karwar as per the demand of the people of the region.

The Railway Board on Monday submitted this information to a High Court Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B.V. Nagarathna. The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by advocates Shankar Bhat and others, who have sought night train service to Karwar from Bangalore.

During the hearing on September 17, the Bench had asked the Railway Board why it was not responding to the demand of the people for night train service between Bangalore and Karwar.

The Bench had made two suggestions: either to convert the existing Bangalore-Karwar day train into a night train or to branch out the existing Bangalore-Mangalore night train, so that one goes to Kannur, another to Karwar.

Appreciating the decision of the Railway Board, the High Court Bench said it would expect the decision to be implemented by November 1. On the issue of meeting passenger capacity, the Bench said: “We are informed that at present 17 coaches are being operated and it may be increased to 24, and therefore it appears that there is no difficulty in increasing the capacity to accommodate passengers.”

Further hearing of the case has been adjourned till October 17 to enable the Railways to inform the court about the date of commencement of night train service to Karwar, and bifurcation of the existing train at Mangalore.
high time railways is brought to book by courts.. PILs in high courts should ensure erratic behaviour of railway babus :banana:

hemanth1987

October 9th, 2012, 08:17 AM

http://www.deccanheraldepaper.com/pdf/2012/10/09/20121009aA001100005.jpg

Cosmicbliss

October 9th, 2012, 03:21 PM

http://www.deccanheraldepaper.com/pdf/2012/10/09/20121009aA001100005.jpg

What you need is a DERC/GERC like body that independently hikes fares, which are linked to hikes in diesel prices. So as and when diesel prices go up, rail fares rise automatically. You need to pay for good services; the current scenario is that we pay next to nothing and get next to nothing as services. Its easy to blame the Railways but given the pittances they charge, they do a pretty good job. :)

Bombay2Calcutta

October 9th, 2012, 04:37 PM

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3978850.ece
Rlys develops new system to prevent train accident

New Delhi, Oct 8: Strengthening the safety infrastructure, the Railways has developed a new system to prevent train accidents.

The new system — Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) — is a fusion of Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) and Anti-Collision Device (ACD).

“Automatic braking system will be applied if two trains come closer on a same track with the TCAS in force,” said Vinay Mittal, Chairman, Railway Board.

TPWS and ACD are already operational on a trial basis on selected routes. As a pilot project, TPWS has been provided on Chennai suburban section and another pilot project is in progress on Nizamuddin—Agra section.

TPWS is also being provided on Dum Dum—New Garia section of Kolkata Metro.

As far as ACD, developed by Konkan Railway, is concerned, the system is operational as a pilot project on 1736 km in Northeast Frontier Railway.

“However, ACD witnessed operational problems in Southern Railway. So it can be extended only after resolving those problems,” Mittal said.

“Based upon experience gained from ACD and TPWS systems, we have now taken up the development of TCAS. TCAS is a fusion of functionalities of TPWS and ACD and prevent signal passing at danger as well as collisions,” he said.

Six firms have been short-listed for developing the system. One of the firms has developed the prototype which shall undergo field trials shortly in South Central Railway

wO_Ow

October 9th, 2012, 06:23 PM

Railway Revenue Earnings up by 19.78 per cent during April- September 2012
The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during first six months of the financial year 2012-13 i.e. 1st April to 30th September 2012 were Rs. 58649.83 crore compared to Rs. 48963.19 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.78 per cent.

The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 32425.41 crore during 1st April – 30th September 2011 to Rs. 40303.85 crore during 1st April – 30th September 2012, registering an increase of 24.30 per cent.

The total passenger revenue earnings during first six months of the financial year 2012-13 were Rs. 15581.44 crore compared to Rs. 14017.76 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 11.15 per cent.

The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs. 1510.38 crore during April-September 2012 compared to Rs. 1377.58 crore during the same period last year, an increase of 9.64 per cent.

The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during 1st April - 30th September 2012 were 4274.87 million compared to 4121.99 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 3.71 per cent. In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the numbers of passengers booked during April-September 2012 were 2215.51 million and 2059.36 million compared to 2154 million and 1967.71 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 2.84 per cent and 4.86 per cent respectively.

Release ID :88274

senthilkumark

October 10th, 2012, 12:28 PM

Indian Railways allows users to track train info real-time (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/indian-railways-allows-users-to-track-train-info-real-time/190569/on)

The Indian Railways is done it again. After leading the foray in the online-ticketing segment, it is now allowing passengers to track trains on real-time basis.

RailRadar is an interactive map which allows users to watch movements of trains, which are currently running in India. The application was today announced at the Digital Conference held by Medianama.

This is the first time any of the public transport system can be tracked in real-time basis on the internet, and mobile.

RailRadar is a live tracker of Indian Railways passenger trains traffic in real time. This live tracker is shown on an interactive map and allows users to watch the movements of trains which are currently running in entire India. The application has been built by Indian Railways Center for Railway Information System (CRIS) and RailYatri.in.

The map has arrows in various directions and colours. A single yellow or red icon represents train currently running in India. A yellow icon represents a train which is currently expected to reach its next stop on time (typically with delays of 15 mins or less). A red icon represents a running train which is delayed by more than 15 minutes. The pointer of the icon represents the direction in which the train is traversing.

To be able to give information on real-time basis, the application extracts and harnesses volumes of data from the official Indian Railway’s train running operational information data. According to the official website (http://railradar.trainenquiry.com/), in terms of accuracy, the information is fairly accurate in the normal running scenarios.

Indian Railways has train passing monitoring points around the country at more than 6000 locations. These monitoring points in real-time mode communicate updates on train arrival, departure, or passing to a central headquarter server. In substantial cases these updates are automated however there are places/situations where this reporting is also done manually.

“There are several factors that can affect a train while it is on its route. Weather, breakdowns, congestion, local control-office directives, and more. RailRadar tries to continuously update this information. However, since the data on the Radar is displayed few minutes later than the actual, we encourage our viewers to double check train running information using the traditional train status search mechanism – also offered by TrainEnquiry.com,” explain the website.

At present, RailRadar is configured to update/refresh itself every 5 minutes. While the updates of the individual trains may vary based on the area where it is currently running. In any scenario, the location and status of the trains displayed on RailRadar will always be 5 or more minutes delayed.

“As the volume and complexity of information increases – we believe that new methods of information dissemination (associated with Trains and its running information) will be required. RailRadar is one such attempt on that line. We believe that value of information/directions can greatly be enhanced when presented graphically rather than just plain text,” explains the website.

MxC

October 10th, 2012, 01:06 PM

Did a quick random check ... looks interesting!

Indian Railways allows users to track train info real-time (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/indian-railways-allows-users-to-track-train-info-real-time/190569/on)

The Indian Railways is done it again. After leading the foray in the online-ticketing segment, it is now allowing passengers to track trains on real-time basis.

RailRadar is an interactive map which allows users to watch movements of trains, which are currently running in India. The application was today announced at the Digital Conference held by Medianama.

This is the first time any of the public transport system can be tracked in real-time basis on the internet, and mobile.

RailRadar is a live tracker of Indian Railways passenger trains traffic in real time. This live tracker is shown on an interactive map and allows users to watch the movements of trains which are currently running in entire India. The application has been built by Indian Railways Center for Railway Information System (CRIS) and RailYatri.in.

The map has arrows in various directions and colours. A single yellow or red icon represents train currently running in India. A yellow icon represents a train which is currently expected to reach its next stop on time (typically with delays of 15 mins or less). A red icon represents a running train which is delayed by more than 15 minutes. The pointer of the icon represents the direction in which the train is traversing.

To be able to give information on real-time basis, the application extracts and harnesses volumes of data from the official Indian Railway’s train running operational information data. According to the official website (http://railradar.trainenquiry.com/), in terms of accuracy, the information is fairly accurate in the normal running scenarios.

Indian Railways has train passing monitoring points around the country at more than 6000 locations. These monitoring points in real-time mode communicate updates on train arrival, departure, or passing to a central headquarter server. In substantial cases these updates are automated however there are places/situations where this reporting is also done manually.

“There are several factors that can affect a train while it is on its route. Weather, breakdowns, congestion, local control-office directives, and more. RailRadar tries to continuously update this information. However, since the data on the Radar is displayed few minutes later than the actual, we encourage our viewers to double check train running information using the traditional train status search mechanism – also offered by TrainEnquiry.com,” explain the website.

At present, RailRadar is configured to update/refresh itself every 5 minutes. While the updates of the individual trains may vary based on the area where it is currently running. In any scenario, the location and status of the trains displayed on RailRadar will always be 5 or more minutes delayed.

“As the volume and complexity of information increases – we believe that new methods of information dissemination (associated with Trains and its running information) will be required. RailRadar is one such attempt on that line. We believe that value of information/directions can greatly be enhanced when presented graphically rather than just plain text,” explains the website.

metrofreak

October 10th, 2012, 03:21 PM

HT today (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Railways-improve-security-system-put-400-CCTVs-at-10-stations/Article1-942288.aspx):

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2012/10/10-10-12-pg-04a.jpg

The Delhi division of Northern Railway has almost finished its projects to ensure better security and mobility at its stations. The authorities have completed the installation of 400 CCTVs at 10 stations. More than Rs. 20 crore have been spent on the project.

As many as 152 cameras and nine baggage-scanners have been installed at the New Delhi Railway Station as part of an integrated security system (ISS). Also, this will be the only station in the country to have more than 100 CCTV cameras — both fixed and operational.
Other stations where such cameras have been or are being installed include Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar, Sarai Rohilla, Delhi Cantt, Ghaziabad, Shahadra, Tilak Bridge and Shivaji Bridge.

“Control rooms have been set up. Even monitoring officers will also be kept under watch,” said Sudhir Garg, Delhi’s additional divisional railway manager.

“We’re also working on installing 12 escalators at four stations. We will install six more escalators at the New Delhi station, three at Old Delhi, one at Faridabad and two at Nizamuddin stations. We have finalised the sites and placed the order for six escalators,” Garg added.

He also added that by June 2013, the escalators will be installed at all the stations except the New Delhi station. “We will work on the remaining six at New Delhi after that for it already has three working escalators,” Garg added. All the six escalators at New Delhi will be installed near foot-over bridge (FoB) No. 3.

“The idea is to link this heavily crowded FoB on the Ajmeri Gate side with either lifts or escalator” he said.

New Delhi Railway Station handles over five lakh passengers and 275 trains every day. The cameras have been placed at vantage points to monitor unattended baggage and suspicious persons.

The railways have decided to implement the ISS — which will ensure surveillance, access control, personal and baggage screening, etc — at 202 stations across the country.

hemanth1987

October 10th, 2012, 04:02 PM

Introducing RailRadar, where you can Map Your Trains Live ! On RailRadar you can not only find the latest train status, but also find nearby trains, see routes on maps, stops, and much more... as our trains make their journey through various parts of our glorious nation.
https://m.ak.fbcdn.net/sphotos-h.ak/hphotos-ak-ash4/c0.0.815.389.61447212337/p843x403/317626_533064063373837_399260997_n.jpg
http://railradar.trainenquiry.com/

gentem

October 11th, 2012, 06:50 AM

Now, 6,500 trains can be tracked real time
TNN | Oct 11, 2012, 01.20AM IST
Railways has launched online application RailRadar, which is an interactive map on Google that can facilitate passengers to track movements of all trains running across the country.

NEW DELHI: Now, railway passengers can track trains on real-time basis.

Railways has launched online application RailRadar, which is an interactive map on Google that can facilitate passengers to track movements of all trains running across the country.

The passengers can locate the trains on real-time basis on both internet and their cellphones.

RailRadar, developed by a Railway PSU Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) in collaboration with RailYatri, is a live tracker of all passenger trains traffic in real time.

The interactive map will help users to find the exact geographical location of about 6,500 trains on a Google map on real-time basis, an official said.

The system enables a colour-coded method as trains highlighted in blue indicate those that are running on time, while the red markers indicate trains that are delayed or running behind schedule.

An official said if you click on a particular train, the map will show the exact route of the train including all the stoppages and the current location of the train on real-time basis.

RailRadar can be accessed through the railway website, trainenquiry.com.

To know the current status of the train, a passenger can enter a train name or number and the system will inform whether the train is delayed or running on time.

The interactive map zooms in and out to get train and station detail. Users can search for a particular station or train to get specific details of trains around the station or running status of a train, location, its route and stoppages. RailRadar gives an overview on train on time and delay status. In case of an accident or unplanned activity, the site would be able to provide users with an overview of situation and train status across the country.

"The live tracker is shown on an interactive map which permits users to watch the movements of trains running across the country," a railway official said, adding that the move is first for any major railway system in the world.

The tracker is already live and can be accessed by travelers at .
I think they use station info than using GPS. That is good move, as u already have that info using railway signalling. Scale of the op is 6500 trains that is too good. Buying that many gps equipment and maintaining would have been unnecessary extra expenditure and scams for railways :cheers: