Indian Railway

RailTel secures ₹455 crore Kavach project from West Central Railway

RailTel has a project valued at ₹454.95 crore for Survey, Design, Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of Trackside Kavach Systems across key routes of the Jabalpur Division of WCR

Triumphs and tragedies: The extraordinary journey of India's first railway

On August 15, 1854, a five-coach train pulled by a British-made locomotive left Howrah at 8:30 am for Hooghly without any fanfare -- signalling an engineering triumph and the beginning of eastern India's first railway. However, this historic milestone achieved by the then-East Indian Railway (EIR), whose massive network would eventually reach Delhi by the 1860s, was preceded by a series of unfortunate events that delayed its arrival on the country's landscape and in people's consciousness. A new book on the birth and evolution of the EIR and the East India Railway Company that established it, based on multiple 19th-century-era accounts drawn from a range of archives, has endeavoured to offer an "unbiased narrative" of this railway and the men who built it, brick by brick and steel by steel. "Before the inaugural run, the EIR had already stirred public curiosity in Bengal with its first locomotive-only trial on June 29, 1854, from Howrah to Pandooah, followed by an experimental run o

Rlys' financial health improved in last 10 yrs, surplus revenue: Vaishnaw

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the financial health of the railways department has improved a lot in the last 10 years and it now has a small revenue surplus after meeting all costs. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said 5.04 lakh jobs were generated during the 2014-24 period while another 1.5 lakh employment is being provided in the third term of the government. Vaishnaw said there have been concerted efforts in the last 10 years to increase freight traffic, enhance passenger revenue, besides controlling cost. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been a lot of improvement in the financial health of the Indian Railways in the last 10 years," he said while replying to a question by senior BJP member Laxmikant Bajpayee. Elaborating further, Vaishnaw said the railways staff cost stands around Rs 1.18 lakh crore for about 12 lakh employees while 18 lakh pensioners cost Rs 65,000 ..

Indian Railways' punctuality falls from 90% to 73.62%: Parliament panel

Parliamentary committee raised concerns over the Railways' method of measuring delays, stating that a 15-minute buffer allowance dilutes the accuracy of performance assessment

RRB Group D Admit Card 2026 out for Feb 2 exam; here's how to download

The RRB Group D Admit Card 2026 for the Feb 2 exam has been made available by the Railway Recruitment Board. On the regional RRBs' official websites, candidates can get their hall tickets

Eyeing cofinancing with multilateral agencies, says IRFC CMD Dubey

IRFC is reinventing itself as IRFC 2.0, eyeing co-financing with multilateral agencies and refinancing projects to tap a potential Rs 1 trillion annual infrastructure financing opportunity

Centrally funded infra projects saw cost overruns swell to 22% in Nov

Cost overruns in centrally funded infrastructure projects widened to 22.2% in November, pushing revised project costs to ₹29.55 trillion, Mospi data showed

Raipur among 48 cities to double train operating capacity over five years

The works for doubling the originating capacity by 2030 would include augmenting the current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and adequate shunting facilities

The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals

Slim, at just 130 pages, the book might be a bit of a disappointment for readers looking for an in-depth account of the history and socio-economic aspects of the Indian Railways

Railway Ministry notifies fare hike; new train ticket rates from Friday

The Railway Ministry on Thursday officially notified a hike in train ticket prices by 1 paise per km for ordinary class beyond a journey of 215 km, and 2 paise per km for non-AC classes of mail/express trains and AC classes of all trains. On December 21, the ministry announced its decision to increase the passenger fares from December 26. This is the second time in a year that the ministry has revised passenger train fares. The earlier fare hike was implemented in July. Justifying its decision, the ministry stated that the rationalising of fares has "the objective of balancing affordability for passengers and sustainability of operations". "Under the revised fare structure, there is no change in fares for suburban services and season tickets, including both suburban and non-suburban routes. For ordinary non-AC (non-suburban) services, fares have been rationalised in a graded manner across second class ordinary, sleeper class ordinary, and first class ordinary," the ministry said in

Train tickets to get costlier from December 26. Check revised fares

Railways says fare hike applies to longer journeys, suburban and short-distance travel spared

Railways hikes passenger fares for 2nd time in FY26; move may add ₹600 cr

'Modest' fare hike to have minimal impact on passengers while adding ₹600 crore to railway revenues, officials say, as costs rise and freight rates remain unchanged

Par Panel urges Railways to resolve crew crisis affecting DFC train ops

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

Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani mows down 7 tuskers in Assam, 5 coaches derailed

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).

Indian Railways sees increased fertiliser cargo due to record imports

Amid record imports, fertiliser cargo on rail grows 12%

IRFC scraps ₹5,000 cr 10-year zero-coupon bonds issue as cut-off rises

Sources said the state-owned institution was looking to raise funds at a similar level but investors wanted a higher cut-off. As a result, it decided to scrap the issuance

Kavach expansion puts ₹50,000 crore train protection market in play

In addition, the companies are targeting export markets, including Southeast Asia, Africa, and West Asia, that may boost their business in the long run

Railways to run 89 special trains for next 3 days amid flight cancellations

The extra trains aim to ensure smooth travel and provide adequate connectivity for passengers during the busy travel period

How Indian Railways plans to earn more from things usually thrown away

The Niti Aayog in July this year commissioned a study to analyse existing NFR sources, identify new areas of revenue generation, and propose actionable strategies for maximising NFR

RRB NTPC UG CBT 2 2025 exam schedule out: More on city slip and admit card

The RRB NTPC UG CBT 2 exam is scheduled to be conducted on Dec 20, 2025. Candidates can download the exam timetable online. The admit card will be out four days before the exam