Page 18 - Indian Railways

136 Vande Bharat train services operational across railways network: Govt

As many as 136 Vande Bharat train services were operational with enhanced safety features and modern passenger amenities as on November 21, the government has informed the Lok Sabha. In a written reply on Wednesday, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said these safety features and modern passenger amenities were automatic train protection system KAVACH, faster acceleration, fully-sealed gangway, automatic plug doors, better ride comfort, mini pantry with provision of hot case, bottle cooler, deep freezer and hot water boiler, among many others. The minister was responding to questions raised by nine MPs from various political parties who wanted to know the rationale behind launching the Vande Bharat Express, their occupancy, amenities, passenger feedback and services in Maharashtra as well as on the New Delhi-Kathgodam route. Vaishnaw said, "Presently, 22 Vande Bharat services, on originating or terminating basis, are catering to the needs of stations located in the state of ...

Safety initiatives lead to 70% fall in train accidents since 2014: Vaishnaw

Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,619 stations up to October 31 this year, he added

Railways achieve 97% electrification, targets 100% green rail network: Govt

Indian Railways is advancing the electrification of Broad Gauge railway lines at a mission-driven pace, achieving approximately 97 per cent electrification of its total Broad Gauge network, Union Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.Vaishnaw noted that around 45,200 route kilometres of the Broad Gauge network have been electrified since 2014-15. He highlighted a significant increase in the pace of electrification, from approximately 1.42 km per day during 2004-14 to about 19.7 km per day in 2023-24.He further emphasised that electric traction is not only more environmentally friendly but also approximately 70 per cent more economical compared to diesel traction.The Union Minister stressed the importance of a reliable power supply for electric train operations. The system incorporates multiple safeguards, including connections to the national grid through state and

Railway properties worth Rs 313 cr damaged due to train accidents in 5 yrs

Railway properties worth Rs 313 crore were damaged due to several train accidents in the past five years, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. "Total cost of damages to railway property such as rolling stock/tracks etc, in consequential train accidents during the past five years (from April 2019 to March 2024) have been assessed as Rs 313 crore," Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply. The minister was responding to questions on the total financial loss incurred by the government due to train accidents raised by five MPs -- S Venkatesan, K Subbarayan, PC Gaddigoudar, Selvaraj V and Balwant Baswant Wankhade -- from different political parties. Responding to questions regarding the number of victims who had availed of insurance through e-tickets, Vaishnaw said 22 claims were registered under the Optional Travel Insurance Scheme during the period from November 1, 2019, to October 31, 2024. "No death claims were registered during the period from ...

G G Tronics bags Chittaranjan Locomotive order to supply KAVACH equipment

G G Tronics India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd, has bagged an order from Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in West Bengal for the supply and installation of KAVACH equipment, the company said. G G Tronics India Pvt Ltd is a developmental vendor and specialises in designing, manufacturing, installing Electronic Safety Embedded Signalling Systems for the Railways. It also provides the Train Collision Avoidance System, also referred to as Automatic Train Protection Systems or 'KAVACH', a company statement here said. "..the company has secured a prestigious KAVACH order from Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, West Bengal. The scope of the order comprises Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of on-board KAVACH equipment as per RDSO (Research Design and Standards Organisation) specifications including maintenance for 11 years," the statement said on Wednesday. The order value is between Rs 500 crore to Rs 600 crore and execution time for this order is

Railways recruited 500,000 employees since 2014: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the department recruited five lakh employees in the last decade a number slightly higher than the previous decade. He made the statement at the national convention of the All India SC/ST Railway Employees Association, held on Ajani Railway Ground in Nagpur. The minister said the recruitment number between 2004 and 2014 was 4.4 lakh. He also highlighted the introduction of an annual recruitment calendar for the first time in Indian Railways' history. According to a press release, the event was attended by the association president B L Bhairava, Central Railway General Manager Dharamveer Meena, and South East Central Railway General Manager Neenu. It said Vaishnaw also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gesture of giving a bow to the Constitution before entering Parliament. "Respect for the Constitution goes beyond symbolism; it is reflected in action," he said ahead of the Constitution Day on Tuesday. The minister said 12

RRB RPF SI Admit Card 2024: Exam city intimation slip out, details here

RRBs have announced exam city intimation slip for the Sub-Inspector (Executive) in the Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special Force recruitment exam from the official website

Indian Railways plans 23 new container terminals to enhance cargo movement

The container terminals will be spread across various states, including five in Maharashtra, four in Tamil Nadu, three in Rajasthan, and two each in Delhi and Haryana

East Coast Railway to install train collision avoidance system 'Kavach'

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) plans to install the Kavach, train collision avoidance system, an official said. The Kavach system will be installed between Ranital (Bhadrak) in Odisha and Duvvada (Visakhapatnam) in Andhra Pradesh, a vital section of the Howrah-Chennai main line covering a distance of 595 km. "Tender has been notified for the survey, design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of Kavach equipment, as well as other associated works, with an estimated value of about Rs 280 crore," an official statement said. The installation of Kavach, the indigenous train collision avoidance system, is a top priority set by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to enhance safety on busy and critical rail corridors. "A detailed estimation is underway for installing Kavach in the remaining sections of ECoR. It is also focusing on modern signalling and interlocking systems to minimize human error," it said. Kavach, an indigenously developed automatic train protection (ATP) sys

Lodge FIR against reel creators if they pose safety threat: Railway Board

The Railway Board has asked all its zones to lodge FIR against reel creators if they pose threat to safe rail operations or cause inconvenience to the passengers in the coaches or on the railway premises. The Railway Board's instruction follows recent cases wherein people, mainly youngsters, compromised rail safety by filming stunt videos on railway tracks and in moving trains using their mobile phones. "People have crossed all limits for making reels. They not only risk their own lives, but also jeopardise the safety of hundreds of rail passengers by placing objects or running vehicles on the railway tracks or by performing life-threatening stunts on moving trains," a senior Railway Board official said. "Viral videos have shown people getting killed by approaching trains while taking selfies because they went too close to the track without realising how much area a train can cover at a short time. Many died on the spot after being hit by train," he added. According to Railway Boar

Biting the bullet: Will India's Bullet Train project become a reality soon?

A major cause of concern for the project is rising costs and the commissioning date. From Rs 1.10 trillion in 2017, the cost has been revised up to Rs 1.65 trillion, up 50 per cent

IRFC retains Rs 1,415 crore at 7.14% through 15-year maturing bonds

India's 10-year government security (g-sec) yield closed at 6.82 per cent on Monday

Rail freight grows 1.5% in October to 131 million tonnes, shows data

In contrast, the railways had achieved a cargo growth of 8.5 per cent in October 2023

Kerala CM writes to railway minister, cites 'safety violations' in jobs

Chief Minister Vijayan said that it was apparent that they had not got any training or imparted with awareness of safe working near railway tracks

Q2 results: IRCTC, IRFC and Raymond among 47 to post earnings on Nov 4

Q2FY25 results Nov 4: Patanjali Foods and Colgate-Palmolive announce dividend payouts

IRCTC website, app down: Outage leaves thousands of travellers frustrated

Users encountered various problems, with some unable to make payments or facing technical difficulties that hindered transaction completions

Over 1,400 male passengers held for travelling in women compartments: ER

More than 1,400 male passengers were arrested by RPF in the Eastern Railway zone in October for travelling in train compartments designated for women, an official said on Saturday. Urging male passengers not to travel in ladies' compartments or ladies' special trains, the official said that women passengers may dial 139 to get help from the railway authorities in case of any inconvenience. The Railway Protection Force in the ER zone registered more than 1,200 cases and arrested over 1,400 male passengers for travelling in train compartments designated for women only, he said. Among them, 262 passengers were arrested in Howrah division, 574 in Sealdah, 176 in Malda and 392 offenders in Asansol, the official said in a statement. The penal measures will be initiated against offenders, including both fines and imprisonment, for boarding train compartments designated for women only.

Indian Railway enhances security measures for passengers amid festive rush

Amid the festive rush, Indian Railways is making every effort to ensure safe travel for the passengers and avoid any untoward incidents, the Railway Ministry said on Wednesday. "Transporting people across India during Diwali and Chhath is a challenging task, but after successfully managing similar operations during Navratri and Durga Puja, Indian Railways is now fully prepared to help the commuters reach their native places for the ongoing Diwali and the upcoming Chhath celebrations," the ministry said in a press statement. It also urged the passengers that if they come across any suspicious substances on railway premises, they should inform it to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) using the designated helpline 139 and the RailMadad portal. "As Diwali approaches, bringing light, joy and a surge in travel across the country, the RPF has implemented strengthened safety measures to ensure secure and seamless train journeys for millions of passengers," the statement said. "To ensure sa

Penalty if passenger's luggage beyond permissible limit: Western Railway

Days after a stampede at the Bandra Terminus here, the Western Railway has said a penalty will be imposed if the luggage of passengers exceeds the permissible limit for their respective travel class and urged people not to overcrowd stations. Each passenger is permitted to carry a certain amount of luggage without charge, but items such as scooters and bicycles, as well as consignments exceeding dimensions of 100 cm x 100 cm x 70 cm do not qualify for the free allowance, the WR said in a release on Tuesday. "Western Railway urges all passengers to avoid overcrowding at stations and to enter premises only as necessary, in accordance with train schedules, while adhering to the established luggage limits," the release stated. The step has taken to reduce congestion on platforms and facilitate smoother movement for passengers within the station premises, it said. The Western Railway has appealed to all passengers to follow the rules pertaining to carrying the maximum limit of free ...

Railways renews MoU with Switzerland to boost technical cooperation

The Railways on Tuesday renewed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) of the Swiss Confederation to enhance technical cooperation between the two nations, an official statement said. The MoU, renewed and formalised through video conferencing, received approval from the ministries of Railways and External Affairs, it said. Addressing the MoU signing ceremony, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it will provide a comprehensive framework for collaboration to the Indian Railways in various areas, including technology sharing, track maintenance, management and construction, according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Railways said. This MoU also aligns with the government's commitment to modernise the Indian Railways, Vaishnaw said. Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal DETEC Albert Roesti said Switzerland's advanced railway technology will benefit the Indian Railways by improv