Page 20 - Indian Railways

Ashwini Vaishnaw issues stern warning amid rise in train derailment efforts

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement follows a series of train accidents, many of which are suspected to be part of a 'coordinated sabotage' to cause derailments

India's first Vande Metro between Bhuj, Ahmedabad to transform travel: Rlys

India's first Vande Metro, which will be virtually flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in Gujarat is poised to transform inter-city travel with its advanced medium-distance capabilities, the Railway Ministry said. While PM Modi will be in Ahmedabad, the train will start from Bhuj and reach Ahmedabad covering 359 km of distance in 5.45 hours. For passengers, its regular service will start from September 17 from Ahmedabad and the total journey will cost Rs 455. While the other metros cover only short distances, Vande Metro trains will connect cities from the heart of the city to the peripheral cities," the ministry said. It added that the word metro' gives an impression of urban landscape, however, Vande Metro was conceptualised by incorporating numerous advancements. Giving a comprehensive overview of the Vande Metro and other Metros being operated in the country, the ministry said, "Vande Metro operates at a maximum speed of 110 km/h, offering faster acceleration

Urgent need of staff to manage assets, train ops: Railway Board Chairman

There is an urgent requirement for additional manpower to maintain the railways' ever-increasing assets and safe train operations, Board Chairman Satish Kumar has said, urging the Finance Ministry to give the board the power to create non-gazetted posts in safety and essential categories. In a letter to Manoj Govil, the Secretary (Expenditure) in the Finance Ministry, Kumar said the Railways has over the last few years witnessed a significant increase in capital expenditure -- from Rs 1.48 lakh crores in 2019-20 to 2.62 lakh crores in 2023-24. "This capital expenditure is resulting in significant increase in assets for which adequate manpower is required for Reliable and Safe Train Operation," Kumar said. "These assets will further increase in coming years considering Railways target of Mission 3,000 MT (by 2030) from current level of 1,610 MT," he said. Kumar argued that for achieving this objective, more trains will have to be run which requires increased manpower for both train

All about Indian Railways' health cards for free treatment of employees

Unique Medical Identification cards can be made at a cost of Rs 100

Railways accepts Phogat, Bajrang Punia's resignation effective immediately

The Railways on Monday accepted the resignations of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, officials said. In separate notices issued on Monday, the Northern Railway said their resignations tendered on September 6 were "accepted by the competent authority with immediate effect." Both Punia and Phogat joined the Congress recently. Phogat has been given a party ticket to contest the Haryana assembly polls from the Julana constituency. The Northern Railway relaxed the provision of three-month notice period in their cases. Speculations were rife that Phogat might not be able to contest the elections in view of the notice period norm. According to election rules, she needed to get officially relieved from the Railways to be eligible to contest the October 5 polls. Now, since the Railways has relieved the two Olympians from their service, Phogat can contest the elections. The NR had earlier issued show cause notices to them after they met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi before joining

Railways served show cause notice to Vinesh Phogat on Sept 4: Officials

Northern Railway officials have confirmed that wrestler Vinesh Phogat was served a show cause notice on September 4, 2024 in which she was asked to clarify her position regarding joining a political party. When media reports came saying that Phogat would join the Congress party as she met Rahul Gandhi, a notice was issued to her on September 4," an official said. "She was asked to clarify her stand because being a government employee, joining a political party amounts to the violation of service rule, he added. Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday alleged that Phogat was served a show cause notice after she resigned from the Railways, to which Himanshu Upadhyay, CPRO, Northern Railways, denied. She was not given any notice after she resigned, Upadhyay told PTI.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat resigns from her post in Indian Railways

Former India wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Friday resigned from the Indian Railways citing personal reasons amid speculations that she would be joining the Congress party. "Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life," she posted on X with a picture of her resignation letter. She was employed as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with Northern Railways. "At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation," she added. The 30-year-old wrestler had quit wrestling following her disqualification from the 50kg gold medal match in the Paris Olympics. She had appealed against the decision which was rejected by Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Cabinet approves Rs 18,036 cr railway line connecting Manmad and Indore

309-km rail line will give connectivity for 3 million people, add 26 MT freight

RRB NTPC 2024 notification out for 11,558 posts, registration to begin soon

The Railway Recruitment Board has released the official notification for the RRB NTPC Recruitment 2024. The recruitment drive aims to fill 11,558 vacancies

Govt greenlights Rs 18,036 crore for 309 km Mumbai-Indore rail line

Spanning 6 districts, the project will be the shortest rail line between Mumbai and Indore, expected to create direct employment for about 10.2 million man-days during the construction phase

Indigenous Kavach will be implemented in mission mode in country: Vaishnaw

Modern technology like Kavach that was developed in the country will now be implemented in a mission mode, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said. The minister stated this in his welcome address before the flagging-off of three Vande Bharat trains by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. Vaishnaw that India has elected the leadership of PM Modi for the third time that is decisive, visionary and forward-looking and its impact is visible in every aspect of life including in Railways. "It always lacked technology and investment and nothing changed for decades," Vaishnaw said alleging that a technical organisation like the Railways was politicised. "PM Narendra Modi brought extensive changes to it. Investment in Railways was ten times enhanced. He encouraged us to adopt new technologies. And above all he changed our mindset," Vaishnaw said. The minister referred to various initiatives like the electrification of tracks, the introduction of Vande Bharat trains, the trial of Van

Railway ministry approves final location survey of Nashik-Dahanu new line

The railway ministry has sanctioned the final location survey for the Nashik-Dahanu new line via Trimbakeshwar and Vangaon, an official said on Friday. The 100-kilometre line will connect Nashik and Dahanu in Palghar districts and will reduce the travel time considerably between the two important places, a Central Railway spokesperson said. "Currently, to reach Dahanu from Nashik, trains travel via Kalyan-Bhiwandi-Vasai on the south side or Dhule-Nandurbar-Surat via the north side. The new link is expected to reduce travel time and distance between the two cities. It will boost tourism and provide rail transportation to devotees desirous of visiting Trimbakeshwar temple for darshan of one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and to Panchavati (where Lord Ram stayed during the exile) in Nashik," a Central Railway release stated. The new line will also provide connectivity from Deccan plateau to Vadhvan port in Dahanu, the foundation stone of which was laid during the day by Prime Minister Narendra

Railways, defence should be above politics, says Union Minister Vaishnaw

Facing political heat over railway accidents, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the national transporter should not be a subject of political blame game as it is the lifeline of the nation. Vaishnaw said some disturbing trends have emerged in some incidents and the railways was carrying out a detailed inquiry in each and every incident. He was responding to questions on incidents of derailment of trains due to placing of boulders and rods on the railway tracks. "There are some disturbing trends in some incidents, which should be taken seriously," Vaishnaw said. "Railways and defence are organizations which should be above politics. I don't believe that railways should be a subject of political blame game," the minister said in an interaction with reporters after the cabinet meeting. Vaishnaw said the railways was the lifeline of the country and if anything negative happens, every effort should be made to ensure that trains run in a very efficient manner. Respon

'Railways adds 14.5 km of new tracks daily': Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Ashwini Vaishnaw made the remarks during a Cabinet briefing in New Delhi and highlighted that a decade ago, the average construction pace in Railways was 4 km per day

Cabinet nod to Rs 6,456 cr multi-tracking project, two new lines across IR

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved three railway projects with a total estimated cost of Rs 6,456 crore, a statement from the Ministry of Railways said. According to the ministry, the approved projects will improve logistical efficiency by connecting the unconnected areas, increase the existing line capacity and enhance the transportation networks, resulting in streamlined supply chains and accelerated economic growth. The new line proposals will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for the Indian Railways. The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across the Indian Railways, the ministry said. The projects are in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji's vision of a New India which will make people of the region 'Atmanirbhar' by way of ...

Eight UP railway stations renamed; Akhilesh Yadav says 'halaat bhi badlo'

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the decision to rename eight railway stations in Lucknow division of Northern Railways

IRMS officer Satish Kumar becomes 1st Dalit chairman of Railway Board

Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) officer Satish Kumar has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, officials said Tuesday. This makes him the first chairman and CEO from the Scheduled Castes in the board's history, senior officials of the Railway Board said. Jaya Varma Sinha, who is the current chairperson and CEO of the board, is superannuating on August 31 and Kumar's appointment will be effective from September 1. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Shri Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board," a govt order said. It further added that his appointment is in the apex pay scale (pay level 17 as per the 7th central pay commission).

Railways delays ambitious PPP train plan due to capacity, land issues

The Railway Ministry's public-private partnership plan to offer 150 pairs of trains has been pushed further as safety, capacity challenges remain

Indian Railways pacing towards net zero emissions, says Railway Board

Indian Railways is rapidly progressing towards its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030, the Railway Board said on Tuesday. According to the Board, it is making efforts to grant net zero status to Railway premises across the country with a focus on meeting Railways' energy needs entirely through renewable energy sources. "The Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone by converting its buildings to net zero carbon emission structures. "The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power, has honoured six different buildings of the zone with the 'Shunya Label' recognition as Net Zero Energy Buildings," the Board said in a statement. It added, "Over the past decade, from 2014 to 2024, there has been a significant increase in renewable energy production capacity." As of June 30, 2024, Indian Railways' solar energy production capacity has exceeded 238 MW, and wind energy production capacity has surpassed 103 MW

To curb accidents, railways to install AI-enabled CCTV cameras on locos

To address the rising incidents of rail accidents across the country, the Railway Board will install CCTV cameras equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology on every locomotive and at key yards, according to officials. In a press briefing at Prayagraj Railway Junction, Railway Board Chairperson and CEO Jaya Verma Sinha said these cameras will help detect any unusual situations, "We are installing CCTV cameras with AI technology on every locomotive and at all significant yards," she said. Regarding railway track safety, Sinha said security agencies will continuously monitor the tracks during the Kumbh Mela to ensure no antisocial elements damage the tracks. Reviewing preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela, Sinha expressed confidence that infrastructure and capacity expansion projects will be completed before the event. She noted that during the last Kumbh Mela in 2019, around 530 special trains were operated. For the main bathing event in Kumbh 2025, approximately 900