Page 6 - Indian Railways

Vande Bharat Sleeper debut likely from New Delhi; routes under review

Indian Railways prepares to launch the first Vande Bharat Sleeper with 24 coaches, offering overnight travel comfort, safety features, and a top speed of 180 kmph

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urges toilet facilities on 9 Sealdah-Lalgola trains

Chowdhury said passengers, especially from Murshidabad, face severe hardships as EMU-MEMU trains lack toilets, calling it an "egregious act of inhumanity" by railway authorities

Rahul writes to railway minister, seeks Rajdhani Express halt at Rae Bareli

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking a halt for the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express at Rae Bareli junction. In his letter, Gandhi pointed out that while the train already passes through Rae Bareli, passengers from his constituency have long been requesting a halt at the station to ease their travel, especially towards the national capital. He urged the railway minister to consider the demand for halts of train numbers 20503/20504 and 20505/20506 at Rae Bareli junction. "The people of my parliamentary constituency have repeatedly requested for a brief halt, particularly to facilitate travel to New Delhi," Gandhi wrote in the letter dated September 3. The MP added that the demand has been pending for a long time and fulfilling it would address a pressing need of the people of his constituency. Gandhi's close associate and Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma on Friday also confirmed to PTI that the former Congress president has written

Railway staff with SBI salary accounts to get ₹1 cr accidental death cover

The Indian Railways on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State Bank of India to provide significant insurance cover for its employees and their families, an official statement said. Under the MoU, signed in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, employees who maintain salary accounts with SBI will get accidental death insurance of Rs 1 crore, a press noted issued by the Railways Ministry said. This is a significant increase from the current coverage of Rs 1.20 lakh, Rs 60,000 and Rs 30,000 for Group A, B, and C employees, respectively, under the Central Government Employees Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS). "Additionally, all railway employees holding only a salary account with SBI will now be eligible for natural death insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh without the need for paying any premium or undergoing any medical examination," the press note said. "With nearly 7 lakh railway employees maintaining salary accounts with SBI, this agreement marks a .

150 Puja special trains from Sept 21 to Nov 30 to handle passenger rush

The Railway Board has issued notifications regarding the operation of 150 Puja special trains from September 21 to November 30, which will make a total of 2,024 trips to handle the extra rush of passengers. Railway officials said that under the Puja special train series, South Central Railway will run the maximum number of 48 trains, completing 684 trips. "These trains will be operated mainly from major stations like Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Vijayawada," a press note from the Railways said. "East Central Railway has notified 14 trains which will pass through major stations of Bihar like Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur and will make a total of 588 trips." Officials said that Eastern Railway zone, which is among the busiest routes, will run 24 special trains from crowded stations like Kolkata, Sealdah and Howrah, managing 198 trips. "While Western Railway has announced 24 special trains from cities like Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara to operate 204 trips, Southern Railway has als

Multiple challenges to Indian Railways' financial sustainability, growth

Despite record capex and growth, the national transporter faces financial sustainability challenges with a precarious operating ratio and slowing incremental freight traffic

Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar gets one-year extension in tenure

The tenure of Railway Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satish Kumar has been extended by one year. His term was scheduled to end on August 31, 2025. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in tenure of Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (Retd), as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Railway Board, for a further period of one year with effect from 1.9.2025 on re-employment on contract basis, on existing term and conditions or until further orders, whichever is earlier," a government order dated August 27, 2025 said. Kumar's initial appointment on September 1, 2024 made him the first chairman and CEO from the scheduled castes category in the Board's history. Officials said that Kumar, a distinguished officer of the 1986 batch of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), has made significant contributions to Indian Railways throughout his illustrious career spanning over 34 years. "He began his career in Indian

Cabinet okays ₹12,328 crore railway expansion projects across states

Union Cabinet clears four railway projects worth Rs 12,328 crore to improve freight movement and passenger connectivity, benefitting over 47 lakh people across Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam

Train services restored from Jammu after suspension due to heavy rain

Train services were restored from Jammu on Wednesday after a day-long suspension, with six trains scheduled to leave for their destinations, officials said. Northern Railway on Tuesday night announced the cancellation of 22 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu and Katra railway stations, while 27 trains were short-terminated at various stations in the division due to heavy rain that lashed the region. Train services have been restored from Jammu. Six trains, which were either cancelled or short-terminated, will leave for their destinations today, a railway official said. According to the PRO of Jammu Division, the six restored trains include three that were earlier cancelled and three that were short-terminated at different stations. The trains scheduled to depart from Jammu are Jammu Tawi-Kamakhya Express, Jammu-Sambalpur, Jammu-Ambedkar Nagar, Jammu-Varanasi, Jammu-Bandra, and Jammu-Chhapra. On Tuesday, Northern Railway cancelled 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and ...

Indian Railways announces record 380 Ganpati Special trains in 2025

The detailed schedule of special trains is available on the IRCTC website, RailOne app, and computerised PRS

Travelling by train? Here's how much baggage you can carry under new rules

As part of a pilot project, passengers will face luggage weight checks, tagging, and fines for oversized bags. The move aims to enforce baggage rules and boost non-fare revenues at major stations

Jupiter Wagons shares rally 13% as unit secures ₹215 crore worth contract

Jupiter Wagons shares saw the biggest intraday rise since March 21 this year after its unit won orders to supply wheelsets for Vande Bharat train

Indian Railways to operate 392 special train trips for Ganesh Chaturthi

The service will run from August 21 to September 10, the Railways said in a post on X

Mamata to skip inauguration of Kolkata metro projects by PM Modi on Aug 22

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to skip the inauguration of three Kolkata metro projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22, a top state government official said on Monday. Banerjee, during her tenure as the railway minister, had planned these metro projects, he claimed. The decision to skip the inauguration of the metro projects was taken in the backdrop of alleged harassment of migrants from West Bengal in the BJP-ruled states, he said. "There have been charges of linguistic discrimination and the harassment of the Bengalis in several states, with the alleged support of the BJP and the central government. Protests are underway to oppose such discriminatory treatment being meted out to Bengali migrants. In such a situation, the chief minister does not wish to share the stage with officials from the central government," the top bureaucrat told PTI. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a letter dated August 14, invited Banerjee to the inauguration of

Festival bonanza: Railways offers 20% rebate on confirmed return tickets

Railway Board's August 8, 2025 circular offers 20% rebate on base fare for confirmed return tickets booked for the same passengers, class, and origin-destination pair

Rail unions flag fake breaks: What is driver fatigue and why rest matters

Unions say rail zones are manipulating CMS data to conceal overutilisation of loco pilots amid staff crunch

Cabinet clears ₹11,169 crore for railway multitracking across six states

The four projects span 574 km across 13 districts, enhancing freight movement, easing congestion, and benefiting over 4.4 million people in 2,309 villages

Railways rolls out Kavach 4.0 on Mathura-Kota section for safety boost

Kavach 4.0 deployed on high-density Delhi-Mumbai corridor to boost safety; nationwide expansion within six years, says Ministry of Railways

Mukul Agrawal portfolio stock zooms 45% in 3 days, hits new high

Shares of Hind Rectifiers hit a new high of ₹1,952.95, as they rallied 14% on the BSE in Wednesday's intra-day trade after the company reported 85.5% YoY jump in consolidated PAT at Rs 12.8 crore.

SAIL-Bhilai URM achieves milestone of 5 mt of prime rail production

The Bhilai Steel Plant is the exclusive supplier of rails to the Indian Railways, and the URM was set up to produce high-quality rails in this capacity