Page 13 - Indian Railways

Holi special trains 2025: Indian Railways launches 62 trains to ease rush

Indian Railways has announced special Holi trains to avoid the high passenger demand during the festival. Holika Dahan will be on Mar 13, followed by Holi on Mar 14, and a weekend on Mar 15 and 16

Parl passes Railways (Amendment) Bill; Vaishnaw highlights infra, safety

Parliament on Monday passed a bill aimed at streamlining and modernizing railway operations in India with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stating that the government was laying thrust on infrastructure development, safety and technology.Rajya Sabha passed the bill, which had earlier been passed by Lok Sabha.In his reply to the debate, Vaishnaw, who is Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics & IT, emphasized the bill's role in empowering field offices, enhancing efficiency, and reinforcing cooperative federalism.He said the bill is designed to simplify existing laws and does not diminish the powers of state governments. Instead, it promotes decentralization by granting full authority to general managers in railway zones to approve projects up to Rs 1,000 crore.Highlighting the government's commitment to railway development, Vaishnaw cited substantial budget allocations in states where the ruling party is not in power. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal ...

Focus on automatic train protection system: Parl committee to Railways

Improving crowd management, adopting energy-efficient technologies, and enhancing onboard amenities are some of the suggestions

Opposition accuses govt of trying to control Railway Board via new Bill

Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Monday accused the government of trying to take control of the Railway Board through the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and alleged that it was avoiding scrutiny by a parliamentary panel. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw moved the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, for consideration in the Upper House. The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year, seeks to enhance the functioning and independence of the Railway Board. With the inclusion of the Railway Board under the 1989 Railway Act, the appointment, qualifications, tenure and criteria for the Chairman and members of the Board will be the responsibility of the central government. The Bill also includes provisions to appoint an independent regulator that will oversee matters like fare determination and ensure the competitiveness of the Railways. "You have just gone for 'governmentalisation' of the Railway Board," Congress member Vivek K Tankha said while initiating ...

Women loco pilots increase fivefold on Indian Railways in 10 years

Indian Railways has traditionally been a male-dominated sector, with long working hours, challenging terrain, solitary work, and extended duty periods-sometimes stretching 40 to 60 hours

Indian Railways to implement new crowd control measures at 60 busy stations

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announces permanent waiting areas, wider FOBs for passenger safety. New cameras will be installed in stations and nearby areas for better crowd control

Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor: NCRTC invites bids from consultants

The deadline for bid submissions is March 20, following which the consultant will be appointed to oversee the strategic implementation

East Coast Railway starts Rs 1,000 cr fencing project to boost train speed

In a bid to enhance railway safety and facilitate increased train speed, East Coast Railway (ECoR) has initiated a more than Rs 1,000 crore fencing project along the tracks in various sections across its jurisdiction. A total of 2,792 kilometres of safety fencing work at a cost of Rs 865 crore has been undertaken to enhance safety, the ECoR said in a statement. This apart, Rs 207 crore was under sanction for track safety fencing works between Titilagarh & Lakholi and between Balangir-Theruvali-Singapur Road rail sections. These works aim to ensure safe train operations, prevent trespassing, and restrict the movement of cattle and wild animals near railway tracks, an official statement said. The ECoR has three divisions - Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair. Under Khurda Road Division, the railways sanctioned Rs 388.85 crores for track safety fencing works for 1025.3 km stretch. In the next phase, a proposal is in place for safety fencing in the Jakhapura-Kendujhargarh-Nayagarh ...

Indian Railways' slow growth in container volume raises concerns for Q4FY25

Despite Indian Railways reporting a 3.1 per cent Y-o-Y rise in container volumes for the nine months, this growth lags behind the 10 per cent Y-o-Y increase in total Indian port volumes

Favouritism driving railway promotions, employee union tells Vaishnaw

The Indian Railway Signal and Telecom Maintainers' Union (IRSTMU) has alleged that promotion in Railways comes with almost mandatory transfer and favouritism plays a crucial role in it. The IRSTMU, in a letter dated February 27 and written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted these anomalies and suggested that employees should be allowed to give their preferences for vacant positions and decisions should be taken keeping that in mind. IRSTMU general secretary Alok Chandra Prakash in the letter said though promotion norms are well-settled in railways, a lot of employees refuse to get promoted because they are aware that they would be transferred to far off places and undesirable destinations. "Only those who are in the good books of their seniors get desirable places while the rest are sent to distant places which disturb and sometimes destroy their family lives," Prakash told PTI. The IRSTMU believed that the employees who suffer mental and physical pain due to such ..

Railways to start exporting locomotives from Dahod in next 3 yrs: Vaishnaw

The electric locomotive manufacturing unit at Dahod in Gujarat will start producing a sufficient number of high-speed freight train engines in another three years so that India can export them, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Saturday. Vaishnaw, who was on a day-long visit to Gujarat, went to Dahod to review this yet-to-be fully functional manufacturing unit as well as the production status of the first 9000 horsepower (HP) engine from here. He inspected the engine and said it will be ready to serve the Indian Railways in another few months. The foundation stone of the unit at Dahod was laid in April 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore. According to the railways, increasing the speed of freight trains is a vital concern for which high horsepower and high-speed locomotives are required to be inducted. "Hence, the Ministry of Railways had decided to manufacture 9000 HP high-speed freight locomotives, at Rolling Stock Workshop

T'gana tunnel: South Central Railway joins rescue teams with metal cutters

South Central Railway has joined the rescue teams that are engaged in locating the eight persons who remain trapped in the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel for the past six days, with necessary equipment, a senior official said on Friday. Railways has the expertise in cutting heavy metals using equipment such as plasma cutter and Brocho cutting machine, South Central Railway (SCR) Chief Public Relations officer A Sridhar said. "District Collector, Nagar Kurnool sought the help of South Central Railway in rescue operation by clearing iron and steel debris that have been hindering the rescue works at the site, A Sridhar told PTI. He further said that the SCR quickly responded to the call and deployed two teams of metal cutting experts in the rescue mission. The first batch led by S Murali, Divisional Mechanical Engineer, consisting a senior Section Engineer, 13 Welders and two technicians from Secunderabad have reached the site and have taken up the required works. The second batch o

Railway's 2-day block for CSMT platform extension to affect several trains

Central Railway on Thursday announced a two-day special mega block from Friday night to carry out extension of a platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to accommodate 24-coach trains. Many suburban and long distance will be affected by this work, an official said. "The special block is planned for pre and post non-interlocking works and will be carried out in two phases of 5 hours and 10 hours from Friday night onwards. The first phase will start from Friday night at 11.30 pm and end on Saturday at 4.30 am. The 10-hour phase will be from 11:15pm on Saturday to 9:15am on Sunday," said CR chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila. The special block is necessary to extend platforms 12 and 13 to accommodate 24-coach trains, enhancing capacity and improving passenger convenience, he added. The work involves extending island platform 12 and 13 to 690 metres from 510 metres and will see the shifting of 31 overhead cables, connecting of 34 signal systems, and laying 500

Semiconductor plant created an entire ecosystem in Assam: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the semiconductor plant in Assam's Morigaon district has created an entire ecosystem, attracting investment interest from multiple countries. Speaking at a session on semiconductors, the minister for railways, electronics and information technology said the setting up of the semiconductor assembly unit at Morigaon will position Assam as a major hub and very soon, another such unit will be set up in the state. Several companies from Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan are expected to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and set up offices near the semiconductor plant, he added. "Apart from semiconductors, Assam will soon have manufacturing units for mobile phones and electronics, further boosting the state's industrial landscape," he said. The decision to set up the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) University was taken a few months ago at Jagiroad on encroached railway land, the minister said. "The

Global Investors Summit 2025: Railways signs 170 MW solar PPA with MP

Cheapest solar procurement in India, focus on wind and nuclear too, says Vaishnaw

Railways will achieve 100% electrification in FY26: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railways will achieve 100 per cent electrification in the next fiscal year and is making rapid progress in the usage of renewable energy as well, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. In a virtual address at the MP Global Investors Summit (GIS) 2025 after the signing of a power purchase agreement with the state, Railways Minister Vaishnaw said the government has set a target of making railways net zero by 2030. As of date, over 97 per cent electrification of Railways has been achieved and by FY 2025-26, it will achieve 100 per cent electrification, he added. On drawing power from renewable energy sources, the minister said 1,500 MW or 1.5 GW capacity has already been tied to be supplied to Railways as of date. "The 170 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Madhya Pradesh today is an important step in this direction," he added. The PPA has been signed between Railways, Waree Energies and Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL). The minister assured that Railways is rea

Railways operates 14,000 trains to facilitate pilgrims for Maha Kumbh Mela

In total, an estimated 12 to 15 crore devotees travelled by train over the course of one and a half months

RailTel secures Rs 288 cr tender to instal Kavach at 71 railway stations

Railway Ministry's public sector undertaking RailTel Corporation of India Ltd has been awarded the Kavach tender for 71 stations over a 502-km route under Danapur and Sonpur divisions of East Central Railway, a company's press statement said on Saturday. "This significant achievement underscores RailTel's commitment to enhancing railway safety and operational efficiency through cutting-edge technology. The Kavach tender, valued at approximately Rs 288 core, is one of RailTel's largest signalling projects. Implementing this system will enhance safety and improve the East Central Railway's overall operational efficiency," the statement added. The Kavach, an indigenous automatic train protection system, is designed to prevent train collisions by automatically applying brakes when loco pilots fail to do it. It is crucial for safe train operations as it can prevent red signal overshoots and train collisions. According to RailTel, this advanced technology will be implemented across the Ea

Railways on high alert as devotees flock to Prayagraj for final Amrit Snan

Railways on high alert as thousands of devotees arrive in Prayagraj for the final Amrit Snan on February 26, with strict security, crowd control, and surveillance in place

RRB Group D 2025: Registration deadline for 32,438 vacancies extended

The Group D Recruitment 2025 application deadline has been extended by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB). Now, it will conclude on March 1, 2025. Earlier, it was scheduled on Feb 22, 2025