Page 49 - Indian Railways

Indian Railways to operate freight version of Vande Bharat trains

The Railways has decided to introduce a freight version of the semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express, the first service of which will be operated between the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai regions. Christened "Freight EMU", these trains will serve as a superfast parcel service aimed at capturing high-value and time-sensitive cargo consignments currently being moved via other forms of transport, according to a letter from the Railway Board to general managers of zonal railways on October 11. Vande Bharat freight trains have been designed for palletised container transportation at a speed of 160 km/hour. The 1,800-mm wide rakes with automatic sliding doors would have provisions to load reefer containers for temperature-sensitive cargo, a pneumatically retractable roller floor system with locking facility for easy handling of pallets, and a total payload of 264 tonnes. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, which is manufacturing the bulk of the Vande Bharat trains, is expected to roll out the ..

Cabinet approves payment of productivity linked bonus to railway employees

In what can be termed as a Diwali bonanza for lakhs of railway employees, the Union Cabinet approved payment of productivity linked bonus equivalent to 78 days to them for financial year 2021-22

Southern Railway division introduces QR-based booking system at 61 stations

The Palakkad division of Southern Railway has introduced QR code-enabled unreserved ticket booking system through the Railway UTS App at all its 61 stations, including Mangaluru central and Mangaluru junction. An option for QR code booking has been enabled in the app under the book ticket' menu. The feature will not be available for the halt stations managed by private agents in the Southern Railway routes, a railway release here said. By scanning the QR code at the station, passengers may enter the ticketing system and select their destination to proceed to payment, which may be made through railway wallet, UPI, debit or credit card or net banking. Platform ticket and renewal of season ticket, too, is possible through the QR code system, the release said.

Indian Railways may blacklist Oracle Corp if bribery claim proved

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a September 27 order, slapped Oracle with a fine of $23 million for breaking the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that Indian Railway is investigating

How did railways turn around the freight train?

The revenue of Railways from freight transport jumped by 24% last fiscal. And the government has lined up a host of measures to transform the freight service. Let us find out how

Railways' passenger revenue in April-Oct 8 period up by 92% at Rs 33,476 cr

The railways' passenger revenue in the period between April 1 and October 8 was around Rs 33,476 crore, an increase of 92 per cent over the corresponding period last year, the national transporter said in a statement on Tuesday. The Indian Railways' passenger revenue on originating basis during the April 1-October 8 period last year was Rs 17,394 crore. In the reserved passenger segment, the total approximate number of passengers booked during the period is Rs 42.89 crore as compared to 34.56 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 24 per cent, it said. The revenue generated from reserved passenger segment during the period from April 1 to October 8, 2022 is Rs 26,961 crore as compared to Rs 16,307 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 65 per cent. In the unreserved passenger segment, the total approximate number of passengers booked during the period is Rs 268.56 crore as compared to Rs 90.57 crore during the same period last year, .

Railways plans to set up EV charging points at major stations in 3 years

Over the next three years, the Indian Railways will install EV charging points at all major stations across the country under a new policy

Is the Vande Bharat Express ahead of its time?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the third Vande Bharat train on September 30. We ask today if our rail tracks and other infrastructure are ready for such a speed upgrade

Railways to bid out 16 stations via PPP route for redevelopment purposes

The railways will bid out 16 stations, including the Anand Vihar Terminal, under the public private partnership (PPP) model for redevelopment purposes with a tender being floated over the next two months, sources said on Friday. The other stations to be redeveloped are Tambram, Vijayawada, Dadar, Kalyan, Thane, Andheri, Coimbatore Jn, Pune, Bangalore City, Vadodara, Bhopal, Chennai Central, Delhi Hazrat Nizammuddin and Avadi. The railways plans to bid out these stations within the current year itself. These railway stations will be upgraded to ensure improved basic facilities and accessibility for passengers. Various monetisation models are being examined to encourage the private sector. As many as 199 stations with a footfall of 50 lakh per day are planned to be redeveloped in the first phase. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at a press briefing earlier this month had said that the designs of the redeveloped stations will include a spacious roof plaza with all passenger ameniti

Vande Bharat takes a hit with frequent mishaps, Railways keeps its chin up

Beyond the pit-stop measures of spare cones, the Indian Railways is also planning to put fences along the railway tracks on VB routes to avoid recent incidents

Railways ministry launches probe into Oracle India corruption case

Oracle was fined $23 million by US SEC for paying bribes to officials of railway-owned PSU

Railways set out special trains to manage extra rush till Chhath Puja

Major destinations throughout the country would be connected by 179 pairs of special trains on rail routes including Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Bhagalpur, Delhi-Muzaffarpur, and Delhi-Saharsa

16 railway stations to soon be revamped under PPP model, 3 in Delhi

The decision has been taken following the plan to revamp the New Delhi and CST stations under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model

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India to get 400 'Vande Bharat' trains, 200 revamped stations: Vaishnaw

As many as 200 railway stations across the country will get a facelift with modern amenities, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Monday. He attended the foundation stone laying ceremony for a coach maintenance factory at the Aurangabad railway station in central Maharashtra. "Tendering process for 47 railway stations is completed while physical work has started at 32 stations," he said. He said the railways is being transformed. "The government has prepared a master plan to revamp 200 railway stations. Overhead spaces will be created on the stations which will have world-class facilities including waiting lounges and food courts, besides amusement facilities for children," the minister said. Vaishnaw also said that railway stations will act as the "platform" for the sale of regional products. Speaking on the contribution of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra in the making of Vande Bharat trains, the minister said, "The country will have 400 'Vande Bharat' trains ..

500 Mail Express trains speeded up in new Railways timetable: Ministry

In the Railways' new timetable, about 500 Mail Express trains have been speeded up, the Railway Ministry said on Monday. In addition, 130 services (65 pairs) have been converted to 'superfast' category, it said. Overall, the average speed of all trains has increased by about 5 per cent leading to availability of nearly 5 percent additional paths for operation of more trains, a statement from the ministry said. The Indian Railways released its new All India Railway Time Table known as "Trains At A Glance (TAG)" on its official website -- indianrailways.gov.in -- that came into effect on October 1. In the new time table, a slew of premium trains like the Vande Bharat Express between New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Katra, have also been introduced, the statement said. Another Vande Bharat Express train has also been introduced between Gandhinagar and Mumbai, it said. The punctuality of Indian Railways for Mail Express trains during the year 2022-23 is about 84 per cent which is abo

The hurdles delaying India's high-speed trains from running on fast track

The speed of Vande Bharat trains has been restricted to 160 kmph for now as the Railways has to upgrade the tracks and also build fences on both sides of the tracks to prevent trespassing

Iron ore, coal transport push Sept Railway freight up 9.7% to 116 mn tonnes

FY23 auto freight grows 72% as automakers switch to rail

Govt approves productivity-linked bonus to railway employees for 2021-22

The government has given approval to Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days wage to eligible non-gazetted railway employees for the financial year 2021-22, an official statement said on Saturday. The decision is likely to benefit around 11.27 lakh non-gazetted railway employees. This, however, excludes RPF/RPSF personnel, it said. This payment will be made before Dussehra/puja holidays, bringing smile to lakhs of families ahead of the festive season. The financial implication of payment of 78 days' PLB to railway employees has been estimated to be Rs 1,832.09 crores. The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB is Rs 7,000 p.m. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days, the statement said. The payment of PLB would serve as an incentive and result in motivating a large number of railway employees, particularly those involved in execution and operations of railways, to improve their productivity and ensure safety, .