Page 21 - Indian Railways

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

TN CM Stalin expresses disappointment over reduction in funds for railways

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday expressed disappointment over the reduction in central funds for railway projects in the state and said the move would drastically affect TN's progress. Taking up the issue with Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, regarding reduction in allocation of funds for Southern Railways in the regular railway Budget 2024-2025, he sought the Minister's intervention to ensure allocation of adequate funds earmarked for new lines, doubling and customer amenities projects in Tamil Nadu. I reiterate that these vital projects should not be delayed further due to shortage of funds. I look forward to your personal intervention in this regard, Stalin said in a letter addressed to the Central Minister. Drawing Vaishnaw's attention to the matter, the Chief Minister said the significant reduction in fund allocation has a resultant impact on the implementation of projects in Tamil Nadu. We are disappointed that the allocation of funds for the Southern

News updates: Madhya Pradesh HC asks protesting doctors to return to work immediately

Latest news updates: From Sabarmati train derailment to the doctors' ongoing protest, catch all the news developments from around the world here

20 coaches of Sabarmati Express derail near Kanpur, no injuries reported

According to the Railways, seven trains have been cancelled and three diverted due to the derailment and buses have been arranged to carry passengers from accident site to Kanpur Railway Station

Indian Railways cancels Rs 30,000 cr tender for 100 Vande Bharat trains

The cancellation of the tender comes after the railways found the price quoted by the lowest bidder, Alstom India, to be too high

Rs 10,100 premium tatkal ticket fee for B'luru-Kolkata train shocks public

The ticket normally priced at Rs 2,900 went up to more than Rs 10,000 after Indian Railways' new 'dynamic pricing system' was employed. User shared screenshots of the price breakup on Reddit

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gives nod to eight railway projects

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday gave its nod to eight new railway projects that the government said would provide connectivity, facilitate ease of travelling, reduce oil imports and lower carbon dioxide emissions. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Cabinet, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the proposed projects will improve logistical efficiency by connecting the unconnected areas and enhancing transportation networks, resulting in streamlined supply chains and accelerated economic growth. The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs 24,657 crore, he said. These projects will save 767 crore kg of CO2, which is equivalent to planting 30 crore trees, Vaishnaw underlined.

CAG flags financial loss of Rs 2,604 cr to Railways in 33 case studies

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged financial losses to the Indian Railways to the tune of Rs 2604.40 crore in 33 case studies of non-recovery of loans and GST, improper decision to generate non-fare revenues, ineligible grant of concession, and unfruitful expenditures. According to the CAG, the instances mentioned in the report are those which came to notice in the test audit for the period 2021-22 as well as those which came to notice in earlier years, but could not be reported in the previous Audit Reports. In one of these 33 cases, the CAG said that the Ministry of Railways suffered a loss of Rs 834.72 crore in interest it was forced to pay to a third party on a loan of Rs 3,200 crore it had extended to IRCON for development of a land parcel. IRCON paid the loan along with interest but no development of the land parcel was done, it said. It recommended the fixing of the responsibility for this huge loss and avoid "decisions for generating Non-Fare ...

Shortage of medical, para staff in test checked hospitals of Railways: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India said in its report that while carrying out an audit of Management of Health Services in Indian Railways' it observed the shortage of medical and para medical staff in test checked hospitals of the Zonal Railways. There was also shortage in availability of machines/medical equipment with reference to IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards) norms. Even the minimum requirement of machines/medical equipment as per clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 was not being met, the CAG said in its recent report. According to the CAG, the Indian Railways (IR) provide medical and health services to about one crore railway beneficiaries through 129 hospitals and 586 Health Units and the review on Management of Health Services in Indian Railways covered the issues for assessing the adequacy and quality of health services provided by it during the period 2017-18 to 2021-22. Audit examined the implementation of various policies and ..

5% of all Railway revenue from flexi, tatkal, others in last 5 yrs: Ashwini

Railways earned approximately 5 per cent of its total revenue from flexi fare, tatkal and premium tatkal tickets from 2018-19 to 2022-23, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Vaishnaw gave the information responding CPI (M) MP John Brittas, who wanted the details of revenue earned by Railways on account of flexi fare, tatkal, premium tatkal and cancellation of tickets during last five years till March 3, 2024 and for the first quarter of 2024-25. Brittas also asked, "Whether the whole amount paid by a person for booking an unconfirmed ticket will be refunded in case of automatic cancellation of ticket by Railways itself owing to unavailability of berths." "Revenue earned by Railways on account of flexi fare, tatkal and premium tatkal during 2018-19 to 2022-23 is approximately 5% of total revenue earned from passenger services. Moreover, amount credited on account of cancellation of tickets by passengers is not maintained separately,