Page 32 - Indian Railways

Indian Railways plans to eliminate waiting lists in 4-5 years: Report

In comparison to pre-COVID days, an additional 562 trains are now operational on a daily basis across the IR network.

Three-fold increase in special train trips this festive season: Vaishnaw

Dismissing reports of a shortage of berths for passengers opting for non-AC coaches, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said there has been a nearly three-fold increase in the number of special train trips this festive season as compared to last year. The railways is operating 6,754 additional train trips this festive season between October 1 and December 31 to clear the rush of passengers as compared to 2,614 in the same period last year, he said. Till date 2,423 trips have been completed and the remaining trips will be made in the coming days, the minister said. "Every year we do a very serious planning to make arrangements for passengers for Diwali and Chhath. We monitor the reservation and waiting list trends three months before the beginning of the festive season and take a call on making arrangements for the additional train trips," Vaishnaw said during an interaction with journalists. The railways also takes into account last year's passenger figures in the planni

95.3% railway passengers between April-October were in non-AC classes

As much as 95.3 percent of the total 390.2 crore railway passengers between April and October 2023 travelled in general and sleeper classes, while just 4.7 percent were in AC coaches, officials said on Wednesday. The railways registered a significant increase in the number of general and sleeper class passengers between April and October this year compared to the corresponding period last year. The Railways said in a press release that it received a total of 390.2 crore passengers across categories in these seven months this year, which is 41.1 crore more (11.7 percent up) than 349.1 crore passengers during the corresponding period of 2022. Out of these 41.1 crore passengers, 38 crore (92.5 percent) travelled in non-AC classes (general and sleeper classes) and the remaining 3.1 crore preferred the air-conditioned coaches. The break-up of AC and non-AC travellers from the total number of passengers, ie, 390.2 crore reflects the similar trend as 372 crore travelled in non-AC coaches

Your train journeys may have become slower and longer

If you often travel on Indian Railways, you may have noticed that your journeys are now taking more time. This year, the average speed of passenger trains in the country has decreased

Passenger trains in India are getting slower, and your trips longer

The biggest drop in speed was recorded in Northern Railway, where trains slowed by 4.9 kmph as compared to last year

Special trains to run on the eve of Chhath Puja; see complete schedule

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has announced a special train service between Puri and Patna fully expecting the surge of passenger interest during Chhath Puja

Capacity constraint

Railways should address demand-supply mismatch

Gujarat to get two semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains, trial to begin soon

Gujarat is expected to receive two more Vande Bharat trains, and the trial is expected to start soon. The average daily ridership in the first Vande Bharat train is 142 per cent

Railways run special trains between Puri-Patna in run-up to Chhat Puja

In other news, the sale of platform tickets at New Delhi and Anand Vihar railway stations has been suspended temporarily, in order to control the extra rush of passengers

Indian Railways cancels train operations on Nilgiri Mountain Rail route

In NMR, services between Mettupalayam and Coonoor have been suspended till November 16, 2023, services among Udhagamandalam and Coonoor will stay suspended till November 13

Railways ply 1,700 special trains to ease Diwali, Chhath festival rush

In a bid to ease travel during the festival season, the Railways have pressed into service 1,700 special trains, making available 26 lakh additional berths. A Railways official said these additional services are being operated to ease the heavy rush of passengers on account of Diwali and Chhath Puja. "Approximately 26 lakh extra berths have been added for the convenience of passengers," the official said. He said these are extra berths in addition to those available on regular trains across the network. The demand for train reservations is so high that it is becoming difficult for the people planning to head home for the festivities to get a reserved berth.

Indian Railways to add new 'anti-injury' feature to passenger coaches

Indian Railways is looking to replace its ICF-design with German LHB that comes with a feature to prevent trains from piling up on each other in case of accidents

TMS Ep557: Human error in railways, alcobev sector, Ethics Committee & more

How can railways eliminate human error? Why are Indian liquor firms in high spirits? What do Q2 results reveal about India Inc's health? What is the Parliament's Ethics Committee? All answers here

ECoR advises train passengers against carrying crackers during Diwali

"Co-passengers are also requested to inform on-duty railway staff in case they find any passenger carrying inflammable items in the train," the statement added

Indore to be railway hub with projects worth thousands of crores: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that Indore, the financial capital of Madhya Pradesh, is being turned into a major hub of railways with projects worth thousands of crores of rupees. He made the statement on Friday after inaugurating the main election office of Ramesh Mendola, sitting BJP MLA from Indore-2 and the party's candidate from the same seat for the upcoming assembly elections. To make Indore a major centre of railways, work is underway on projects worth thousands of crores of rupees for laying new rail lines in six directions of the city, doubling of railway line and gauge conversion. These projects include Ratlam-Indore-Mhow-Khandwa-Akola rail line, Indore-Manmad rail line, Indore-Dahod rail line and Indore-Jabalpur rail line. Vaishnaw said that apart from making Indore's main railway station and Laxmibai Nagar railway station world-class, work is also going on for a multi-modal cargo terminal. The BJP has appointed Vaishnaw the joint in-charge for the ...

IRCTC is set to operate Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC tourist train; details here

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is all set to operate Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC tourist train for the upcoming 'North East Discovery' tour package

Railways earns freight revenue of nearly Rs 96,000 cr so far in FY24

Indian Railways on Wednesday said it hauled 887.25 metric tonnes of freight between April and October this year, an increase of 31.61 MT over the same period last year. According to an official statement, the national transporter earned Rs 95,929.30 crore freight revenue during the period as against Rs 92,345.27 crore in the same period last year, an improvement of approximately Rs 3,584.03 crore. During the month of October, an originating freight loading of 129.03 MT has been achieved as against 118.95 MT in October last year, an improvement of approximately 8.47 per cent. Freight revenue of Rs 14,231.05 crore was earned in October this year as against Rs 13,353.81 crore last year, an improvement of about 6.57 per cent, it stated.

Central Railways commissions BPAC system in Vasind-Asangaon section

The Central Railway has commissioned the block proving by axle counter (BPAC) system in the Vasind-Asangaon section of Mumbai Division, an official said on Tuesday. As per a release issued by the Central Railway, the BPAC system plays a pivotal role in maintaining the utmost safety of train operations. Specifically, it meticulously examines the last vehicle of a section, subsequently confirming the section's clearance before granting authorization for another train to enter. Earlier, the BPAC system was exclusively deployed up to Vashind railway station within the Kalyan-Igatpuri section. However, the Railway Board has sanctioned the extension of BPAC operations from Khadavli to Igatpuri, and the work is in progress and will be completed soon, it stated. The Mumbai division has a BPAC system installed on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to KALYAN section, CSMT-PANVEL Harbour line, CSMT-Goregaon line, Kalyan-Karjat section and Vasai-Panvel-Roha section. The BPAC syste

Andhra Pradesh train accident: Odisha Cong demands Vaishnaw's resignation

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the wake of the train accident in Andhra Pradesh where 14 people were killed and 50 others injured. OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak said Vaishnaw should resign from the post on "moral grounds due to frequent train accidents" during the NDA regime at the Centre. "The prime minister should drop Vaishnaw from the Railway Ministry if he is not effectively managing affairs. Otherwise, Vaishnaw should resign from the post on moral grounds," the Congress leader said. He alleged that the "people of Odisha are ashamed over Vaishnaw's inability to handle the Railway Ministry affairs". Vaishnaw was elected to Rajya Sabha from Odisha, and all in the country have witnessed how frequently train accidents are taking place during his tenure as the railway minister, Pattnayak said. "He should accept the responsibility and remain accountable for the accidents. This is not a lone tr

3rd train mishap in 4 months: Rail safety in question as 14 dead in Andhra

Human error led to overshooting of signal by loco pilot: Railways