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Indian Railways
The vision of fully electrified dedicated freight corridors with exclusive high-capacity tracks, aimed at significantly boosting freight movement efficiency, could face setbacks if operational bottlenecks, such as crew availability, are not addressed promptly, a parliamentary committee has warned. The committee's comments came after the Ministry of Railways acknowledged that "the biggest challenge faced by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) in running trains is the availability of crew." In a submission to the committee, the Ministry provided details regarding the number of employees in various categories involved in train operations on Indian Railways as of June 1, 2025. According to the Ministry, out of a sanctioned strength of 1,42,814 loco pilots, the actual strength stands at 1,07,928. Similarly, for goods train managers (guards), out of 22,082 sanctioned posts, only 12,345 are currently filled. The total sanctioned strength for all categories, includi
Eight elephants were killed and one injured after a herd was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district in the wee hours of Saturday, a forest official said. Five coaches and the train's engine were derailed in the incident, though no injuries to passengers were reported, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am. Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam told PTI that the incident occurred at Changjurai area of Hojai district. Kadam and other forest officials have reached the site. Trains scheduled to pass through the affected JamunamukhKampur section have been diverted through the UP line, and restoration work is underway, he added. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).
With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note. Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said. "Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said. The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts. "Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said. The Union minister directed officials to e
Rail ticket prices are most affordable in India as compared to neighbouring and developed countries, and the Indian Railways gave Rs 60,000 crore subsidy last year to keep the ticket prices low, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. Replying to a question by Congress member M K Vishnu Prasad in the Lok Sabha on whether the government plans to restore the rail ticket discount to senior citizens as it was before Covid, Vaishnaw said the prices of tickets in India are about five or 10 per cent of the prices in developed countries. "Even compared to neighbouring countries, the ticket is kept at a very, very affordable price," the minister said during the Question Hour. Last year, the Indian Railways gave about Rs 60,000 crore subsidy so that the passenger transport can remain affordable, he said. "Even compared to our neighbouring countries, India is providing the most affordable transportation to our citizens or passengers," Vaishnaw said.