Kolkata-Howrah Suburban, Kolkata Circular, West Bengal Railways

[SamitB]

Authority for HIGH-SPEED CORRIDOR on the anvil.6 projects' feasibility study on the anvil.

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by SamitB

Authority for HIGH-SPEED CORRIDOR on the anvil.6 projects' feasibility study on the anvil.

dude, you gotta translate some of the content. Which are the six projects?

[Bombay2Calcutta]

Sankrail probe: Motorman blamed
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Kolkata: The South Eastern Railway (SER) has completed its probe into the near-collision between a Panskurabound local train and the East Coast Express near Sankrail station on Sunday. In its report, the inquiry team has held R Khan, motorman of the local train, responsible for overshooting the home signal of Sankrail station.
“We shall send this report to the Railway Board and disciplinary proceedings will start against the motorman. He has admitted that he overshot the red signal. He stopped only after reaching the ‘point’ through which the East Coast Express was to cross over to the Down track. Had it not been for the quick reaction of the express train driver, there may have been a major accident,” an SER official said.
Khan may have to pay a heavy price for his act of negligence. According to safety directorate rules of the ministry of railways, the motorman may be removed from service or forced to take compulsory retirement as he has been marked as ‘D’ staff or someone directly responsible for the incident.
The punishment can be reduced to ‘demotion’ if it can be ascertained that there was loss of brake power on the run that the motorman could not have detected when he took charge of the train.
“In this case, he will be charged for both collision avert and signal overshooting. There is little possibility of a lenient view as his action could have resulted in loss to life and railway property,” the official said.
Khan’s colleagues, meanwhile, stuck to their view that overshooting is not the same as signal passing. A senior motorman said the authorities should take a lenient view if a motorman stops immediately after realising his mistake and no damage is caused.

[Bombay2Calcutta]

STATESMAN
Consultation for non-starter project costs state 6.2 cr
28 August 2010

KOLKATA, 28 AUG: The state government has been served a bill amounting to a whopping Rs 6.2 crore as consultation fees for a non-starter project, the proposed light rail transit system (LRTS) between Panihati and Joka.
The project has little chance of being seen through
since the railway budget features an alternative project, extending circular railway from Joka to BBD Bag via Majerhat along the same alignment. Railway authorities have already started work on the project.
The state government which is yet to abandon its pet project formally, is in a soup over payment of fees since the cost was to be recovered from BOT (built-operate-transfer) operator but the project is far from being implemented.
The foundation stone of the LRTS project, proposed to be built on a public-private-partnership basis was laid down in a five star hotel by the chief minister ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 but the project did not progress beyond it. According to sources the project was announced even before deciding on the funding pattern which made it a non-starter from the very beginning.
According to the transport department, Consultant Engineers Services (CES) was engaged by the state government as a consultant in 2004 to evaluate the tenders for engaging the BOT partner. The consultants also prepared a detailed project report to submit to the ministry of urban development under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal scheme (JnNURM). However, the project was not sanctioned and instead the state government was advised to take up the project under viability gap finding. The state government later decided to build the project on PPP and BOT basis. But a source at Writers’ Buildings pointed out “no formal process was followed in the appointment of the consultants and hence the state government is finding it difficult to quantify the work and fix remuneration for the consultants.”
The beleaguered state government has also come under fire recently from railway authorities for not cooperating in implementing the circular railway project which plans to use the same median on the Diamond Harbour road as LRTS.

[SamitB]

Titagarh Wagons plans infra SPV with Japan co

ET KOLKATA
TITAGARH Wagons (TWL) plans to float a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with a Japanese company to foray into infrastructure projects relating to construction of steel bridges.It is already in talks with a few Japanese firms for the tie-up.
TWL chairman JP Chowdhary told reporters after the companys annual general meeting held in Kolkata on Friday that the SPV will be in place within a month or two.There is huge scope for construction of steel bridges to support the countrys infrastructure developments.We would like to tap the opportunity.The SPV will either be a subsidiary or an associate of TWL, he said.
Incidentally,TWL has five divisions.These are wagons,heavy earth moving equipment,steel castings,special projects and rail coaches.
Elaborating on its growth plans,TWL vice chairman Umesh Chowdhary said it is keen to set up a modern aluminium wagon unit in the state once the railway ministry takes a decision on the use of lightweight high productivity aluminium wagons.
It may be noted that TWL has a JV with FreightCar America for manufacturing state-of-the-art wagons.FreightCar has the expertise to manufacture aluminium wagons.We hope there will be some policy decision in this regard soon.The cost of acquisition of aluminium wagons may be more,but a life-cycle cost-benefit analysis indicates it will be much ahead compared to conventional wagons, he added.
The company may have to invest some $20-30 million to set up the aluminium wagon facility.
About group firm Cimmco a JV between TWL and SK Birla group Mr Chowdhary said the facility at Bharatpur in Rajasthan is ready to start production.Cimmco has doubled the groups wagon manufacturing capacity to 10,000 per annum.Meanwhile,the promoters of TWL have invested 48 crore in the company through preferential allotment of warrants,taking its holding to 52% from 49% now.

[SamitB]

Originally Posted by arijeetb

dude, you gotta translate some of the content. Which are the six projects?

1>Howrah-Haldia
2>Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad
3>Delhi-Chandigad-Amritsar
4>Delhi-Agra-Lokhnou-Venaras-Patna
5>Hyderabad-Dorkanal-Chennai
6>Chennai-Ernakulam

[SamitB]

Howrah-Digha Duronto Before Durga-Pujo
Rail Wagan facrory in Haldia will start soon
Laying down Rail line between Digha-Jaleswar will start soon

[skyscrapercity101]

Chitpur Terminal at Kolkata Station
image hosted on flickr

cc:Koustuv Sinha

[Bombay2Calcutta]

TELEGRAPH
Trains flagged off
A STAFF REPORTER
Railway minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off 17 new pairs of suburban trains, which would ply in the Howrah and Sealdah sections of Eastern Railway, at Howrah station on Sunday.

The trains include the Howrah-Seoraphuli, Howrah-Baruipara, Howrah-Serampore, Howrah-Bandel and the Bandel-Memari locals in the Howrah division and the Sealdah-Barrackpore, Sealdah-Naihati, Sealdah-Habra, Sealdah-Dankuni, Sealdah-Krishnagar, Naihati-Ranaghat and the Canning-Sonarpur locals in the Sealdah division.

After flagging off the trains, Mamata announced that the railways would offer a job to anyone who provides information about an attempt to disrupt trains. She said she apprehended attempts to sabotage train services before Puja. About the large number of vacancies in the railways, she said: “The process for recruiting 24,000 railway personnel is underway.”

[Bombay2Calcutta]

Sabotage informers to get railway jobs: Mamata
Minister flags off 17 pairs of suburban trains
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: The railways will give jobs to those who provide information on possible attempts to sabotage movement of trains, railway minister Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday. Earlier, she had promised jobs to people who would inform railway staff about track-related problems.
Dwelling on the issue of sabotage, she said: “Political parties may ask you to do wrong things. Don’t do anything of that kind even if they tell you to do so. Remember, politicians will come and go but the railways will continue to exist as an institution.”
Announcing a reward of Rs 50,000 for a driver of the Rajdhani Express who successfully stopped his train at Baruipara recently, thereby preventing an accident, the railway minister said: “We will award railway staff who perform well and stay away from instigation.”
Mamata warned that strict action would be taken in case somebody was found involved in an act of sabotage. “If you can catch people involved in sabotage, inform us. We will immediately provide jobs to you,” she appealed to the people.
Sabotage was involved in the Jnaneswari Express disaster and the main accused (Umakanta Mahato) was later murdered to suppress evidence, said Mamata. “Don’t kill people for political interests. If you have to compete, do so through development,” she added.
Mamata also took on her critics on the issue of vacancies in the railways. According to her, 2 lakh posts have been lying vacant for 10 years. “Why were they not filled up before I became the railway minister? After taking over, I have started the process of recruiting people,” she said.
During the day, Mamata flagged off 17 pairs of suburban trains — eight in the Howrah division and the rest in Sealdah. She also said the circular railway track doubling project would start soon. A sum of Rs 150 crore had been allotted in the supplementary budget for this.
Funds had also been allocated for an axle factory in New Jalpaiguri, a wagon factory in Haldia, a DMU unit in Sankrail and a coach rehabilitation unit at Anara in Purulia.
Mamata said Duranto Express from Howrah to Pune and Digha would be flagged off before Puja.

[sidney_jec]

this should give a fair idea about how efficient our railway system is

[Bombay2Calcutta]

Kolkata’s Circular Railway to be extended
India Blooms News Service

Kolkata, Sept 9 (IBNS) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that the Circular Railway of Kolkata will be extended upto Budge Budge of West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district.

She was addressing at the foundation stone laying ceremony of construction of double line between Princep Ghat and Tala stations of Circular Railway here on Thursday.

Banerjee said that the double line project will now be extended upto Majherhat and a new line will be constructed from Majherhat to Budge Budge.

The present Princep Ghat-Tala double line project will cost approximately Rs.150 Crore, she stated.

On this occasion, Banerjee also announced ‘Sukhi Grihokon’ – a pilot project for all railway zones. Under this project shanty dwellers along the railway lines will be provided with 1 room flats in the vacant land available nearest to the stations.

The project will be done in collaboration with Corporations or Municipalities of private companies etc.

The Railway Minister also announced that ‘Safety Category’ staff of railways will now be able to take voluntary retirement after completion of 20 years of service and in his/her place their son/daughter will get the job. She termed it as ‘Guaranteed Retirement Scheme’.

This scheme is being implemented from today. The Railway Minister also informed that railways is considering introduction of a new category of workers under ‘Rail Sevak’ scheme.

Rail Sevaks will provide porter facility against payment. The modalities for this scheme are being worked out, the minister informed.

Banerjee underlined that all her announcements made in the Railway Budget 2010 have thus been implemented. She assured railway employees that from now on all railway employees will get housing facilities.

[SamitB]

Kulti wagon unit partners set to ink deal
On track

New Delhi, Sept. 13: Mamata Banerjee’s dream of a greenfield railway coach factory in Bengal is set to become a reality.

Steel Authority of India Ltd and RITES will sign an agreement tomorrow to form a joint venture firm called Bengal Wagons, which will set up the Rs 205-crore wagon factory at Kulti, near Durgapur.

SAIL has an alloy steel plant in Durgapur that can supply raw material to the factory, which is expected to have an initial annual output of 1,200 wagons. The factory will also refurbish 300 wagons in a year.

SAIL chairman C.S. Verma had earlier promised officials close to railway minister Mamata Banerjee to expedite the project.

Sources close to steel minister Virbhadra Singh told The Telegraph that the deal would have been signed on September 3, but railway board chairman Vivek Sahai was away from Delhi.

“Virbhadraji will be present tomorrow when it is finally signed to show that the Manmohan Singh government is firmly behind Mamata Banerjee in this and other railway ventures,” sources said.

Sources said finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had been monitoring most projects in Bengal and had asked departments to speed them up.

SAIL alone will invest nearly Rs 20,000 crore in Bengal for its expansion and modernisation drive. It will spend Rs 14,443 crore to build a 2.3-million-tonne steel plant at Burnpur.

SAIL is keen on the wagon unit as it wants to increase its share of value-added products. At present, value-added products account for 37 per cent of SAIL's output. The company wants to increase this to about half over a period of time.

The railways want to replace cast iron wagons — that are used for coal — with stainless steel coaches as they last longer, while their design makes loading, unloading easier and theft difficult.

Stainless steel wagons are lighter than cast iron wagons, which implies that goods trains using stainless steel wagons can run on less fuel.

SAIL plans

The steel maker is expanding capacity at three steel plants in Bengal. It is also investing in a number of projects at Kulti, the site of India’s oldest steel plant, which will manufacture value-added products.

SAIL will set up another wagon making unit in Bangalore in collaboration with Bharat Earth Movers Limited.

The unit will make stainless steel wagons for the dedicated freight corridor and source stainless steel from SAIL’s Salem plant.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/110091...y_12934117.jsp

[Bombay2Calcutta]

Didi, govt join hands on stn upgrade
Howrah, Sealdah & Chitpore Revamp: Railways Banking On State Govt For Cooperation
Ajanta Chakraborty | TNN



Kolkata: Cooperation, coordination and coherent action — three Cs that are absolute necessities for implementing projects. Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has learnt this the hard way while tackling one of the most complex projects announced by her so far. Thus, the railways has approached the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government for the three “Cs”. Writers’ has responded by forming a committee with the railways.
Even as the government on Tuesday alleged non-cooperation by the Trinamool supremo’s ministry on construction of the East-West Metro, here is an instance where the two rivals have come together to turn Howrah, Sealdah and Kolkata (Chitpur) into world-class railway stations. The railways, in fact, has formed a committee with officials from Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and the transport department so that the ambitious plans for upgradation of the three stations can be executed.
The world-class station project was first announced by former railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. Mamata took it forward and was extremely serious about implementation even as she announced all over again in this year’s railway budget about turning stations like Secunderabad, Howrah, Kolkata, Sealdah, Chennai Central, Anand Vihar, CST (Mumbai) and Patna into world-class venues. On August 5, railways initiated the process of appointing consultants for Howarh, Sealdah and Kolkata. On the cards are calls for technical and financial bids.
A meeting was recently held by state government and railway officials where it was decided that the state government would offer the right guidance for carrying out the project.
The moot point of the meeting were the handicaps in the stations. They included congestion, stalls (authorised and unauthorised), encroachment, inadequate drainage etc. The major problem for implementing the project at Howrah is its chicken-neck entry.
To make way for development in the station, the railways are banking on cooperation from the state agencies, including the police.
A senior official at Writers’ said, “They (railways) said the bidding process for world-class stations in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode would be initiated after the master plan and feasibility report is prepared and in-principle approval of the local agencies is obtained. The railway minister feels that it will take at least six to seven years to implement the entire project.”
He said, “The Railway Board has issued guidelines to zonal railways for developing the three stations into world class stations.” As per the guidelines, the proposed world class stations would broadly have state-ofthe-art station building provided with all modern passenger amenities like food plazas, currency exchange counter, hotels, retail outlets ATM facilities etc. The stations will have separate departure and arrival arenas to streamline passenger movements with proper connectivity to other transport modes, well-illuminated circulating areas, adequate singes, inter platform transfer through elevators, barrier-free excess for physically challenged persons etc. The funds will be mobilized by the selected developers by leveraging the available land/air space. In the first phase, Howrah will have 30 platforms, Sealdah 16 and Kolkata (Chitpur) seven. The project will be carried out with an idea of upgradation that will cater to the crowds in 2050. For instance, the projected crowd at Howrah will be 23.4 lakhs (now 9.10 lakh) — 130 pairs of mail trains will run through it (now 87 pairs) — and 336 pairs of suburban trains (now 224 pairs).

[sidney_jec]

Steel Authority of India Ltd and RITES will sign an agreement tomorrow to form a joint venture firm called Bengal Wagons, which will set up the Rs 205-crore wagon factory at Kulti, near Durgapur.

is this any different from the one for which Bombardier, ABB etc were in fray? i hope it is.

[SarafIndian]

There are probably 10-20 rail factories coming up in Bengal. Almost every months we see some "new" railway factory news on the leading news papers. We can not even keep a track..

Anyway, can someone make a list of "future" railway factories in Bengal??

[sidney_jec]

God help us

[debayanlahiri]

Originally Posted by sidney_jec

is this any different from the one for which Bombardier, ABB etc were in fray? i hope it is.

Yes it is. The one you are talking about is at Kanchrapara in the North 24 Parganas district, whereas the said factory is at Durgapur in Burdwan district.

[sidney_jec]

so we have a total of how many factories in Bengal?...forget it thats something that even maths cant do

[SamitB]

Originally Posted by SarafIndian

There are probably 10-20 rail factories coming up in Bengal. Almost every months we see some "new" railway factory news on the leading news papers. We can not even keep a track..

Anyway, can someone make a list of "future" railway factories in Bengal??

I agree with you.
For the sake of politics, this also can happen in bengal
Every place everyday a new factory is being promised