Page 13 - Indian Railways

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

Railways asks X to remove stampede videos in 36 hrs, cites ethical concerns

The notice said that sharing such videos could lead to public unrest and disrupt railway operations, particularly during the current period of heavy train traffic

'Why sell excess tickets'? Delhi HC asks authorities over deadly stampede

On the day of the stampede, the chaos unfolded due to multiple factors. The primary cause was the station authorities continuing to sell tickets - issuing approximately 3,000 within just two hours

Texmaco to focus on non-wagon verticals: Executive Director & Vice-Chairman

Company expects wagon order growth to moderate in near term

Vaishnaw rules out conspiracy behind New Delhi Railway Station stampede

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Monday ruled out any conspiracy behind the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station and said there was also no extraordinary rush at the two platforms at the time of the incident. "No conspiracy looks at the moment," he said while interacting with mediapersons at Rail Bhawan here. He also said information available till now showed that there was no extraordinary rush at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday when the stampede happened. He dismissed platform change announcement as a cause of the stampede, saying, "The inquiry committee is looking into it deeply." Railway officials said the total capacity of all 16 platforms at the busy New Delhi station at any point of time is 48,000 passengers as each platform can hold 3000. "On February 15, the day of the incident, between 6 pm and 8 pm, around 12,208 unreserved tickets were sold while on other days, this number is usually around 9,600. Between 8 pm and 10 pm while on other days 8,900 unreser

East Central Railway takes extra steps to manage heavy rush at stations

These steps by ECR have been taken given several special trains running for Patna Junction, jam-packed with Kumbh Mela devotees

Kumbh devotees count their dead as crowd fails to reduce at NDLS

"If you think this is crowded, yesterday's sights would have horrified you," said a vendor at Platform 16 - first platform upon entry as one makes their way in through Ajmeri Gate complex of station

'Never seen such crowd': Eyewitnesses recount Delhi railway station horror

Eyewitnesses said a huge rush at the New Delhi Railway Station led to the stampede with several fainting because of suffocation

What led to stampede at New Delhi Railway Station which killed 18?

While the Railways has constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident, initial reports and eyewitness accounts revealed what led to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Statio

News updates: New India Cooperative Bank General Manager held for 'misappropriation' of Rs 122 crore

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Train connectivity from Bengaluru city to Airport soon, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that, in addition to road, metro rail, and suburban railway services provided by the state government, his ministry will also introduce a train travel option from Kempegowda International Airport to Bengaluru city. However, he noted that a few technical challenges need to be addressed before this can be implemented and the Railway team is working on resolving them. Addressing reporters, he said that people currently have access to Bengaluru airport via Metro Rail, road, and the suburban railway project managed by the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) (K-RIDE). K-RIDE, a joint venture between the Centre and the state, is under construction and aims to enhance urban rail connectivity. Apart from Metro Rail, road and K-RIDE, we are also creating a railway connectivity option to the airport, Vaishnaw said. He recalled that during his last visit, he travelled by train from the airport to the city. I realised it was a

Northern Railways to run special Vande Bharat via Prayagraj for Mahakumbh

For the convenience of devotees intending to visit the Maha Kumbh Mela, Railways will run Vande Bharat Special train No. 02252/02251 on February 15, 16 and 17 between New Delhi and Varanasi

Maha Kumbh: Vaishnaw reviews crowd management, ensures train services

Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw reviewed crowd management situation at eight railway stations of Prayagraj in the war room at the Rail Bhavan on Wednesday. Vaishnaw instructed the officials to ensure that trains are made available for pilgrims in all directions, according to a press statement released by the ministry. "He also mentioned that the Prayagraj division has been directed to run extra trains as needed to ease passenger congestion while ensuring passenger comfort in the holding areas," the statement said. It added that by 6 pm on February 12, 2025, 225 trains were operated for the convenience of passengers, with over 12.46 lakh passengers having travelled. On Tuesday, 343 trains were operated, carrying more than 14.69 lakh passengers, the press note said. The ministry maintained that information related to trains is continuously being provided by the Indian Railways through various channels, including special bulletins, the Mahakumbh area holding zones, railway stations