Page 6 - Indian Railways

74,000 rail coaches to be equipped with CCTV cameras: Indian Railways

Indian Railways will install CCTV cameras in all 74,000 coaches and 15,000 locomotives, with a focus on improving passenger safety and reducing incidents of crime

Free power, subsidised rail transport fail to benefit the poor meaningfully

But the problems remain at the distribution end, where state-owned distribution companies or discoms dominate

Tata AutoComp, Skoda Group form JV to make rail propulsion systems in India

Tata AutoComp and Skoda Group form a joint venture to manufacture propulsion systems and components for trains, metros, and light rail vehicles, with production based in India

Datanomics: Serious rail accidents decline, safety spending inches up

Data suggests the overall number has been declining, from 55 in 2019-20 to 31 in 2024-25

Railways building AI-based integrated security centre, analytics platform

Railways should leverage AI for dynamic freight pricing, suggests Vinod Dham

All about RailOne, one-stop super app for various railway services

Platform will end the need for passengers using multiple apps to book tickets, check train status, give feedback

East Coast Railway sees 9.69% growth in freight loading in Q1FY26

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) loaded a total of 68.19 million tonne of freight from April to June 2025, compared to 62.2 million tonne during the same period last year, a growth of 9.69 per cent, an official said. In the month of June this year, freight loading reached 23.15 million tonne, an increase of 7.72 per cent compare to over 21.49 million tonne loaded in June 2024. The daily average freight loading by East Coast Railway currently stands at 0.75 million tonne, keeping the zone on track to achieve its annual target for the fiscal year 202526, the official said. This consistent growth is attributed to efficient planning, improved operational management, and proactive coordination with freight customers across sectors like coal, iron ore, cement, and fertilizers, the official added.

RailOne app launched to consolidate all passenger services on one platform

Ashwini Vaishnaw unveils RailOne, a unified railway app integrating bookings, live tracking, catering, grievance redressal and more with 10x backend upgrade

Railways revises passenger train base fares effective July 1: Check here

Revised fares for passenger, express, and premium trains take effect from 1 July; suburban fares and other charges remain unchanged as Railways updates ticketing systems

Railways to prepare reservation charts 8 hours in advance: 5 things to know

Indian Railways will prepare reservation charts 8 hours before departure; the upgraded system can handle 150,000 bookings per minute, up from the current 32,000

Hind Rectifiers share zooms 10% on multiple orders from Indian Railways

The uptick in Hind Rectifiers share price came after the company secured multiple orders from the Indian Railways

Experts flag delay in railway postings as GMs given 2 zones for 3 months

The general managers of Central and South Coast Railway Zones have been given additional charge by the Ministry of Railways to look after the affairs of Western and South Central zone, respectively, for three months. The GMs of these two zones are superannuating on June 30, 2025. However, the ministry, according to a section of experts, failed to complete the selection process on time. Ministry officials, meanwhile, said the selection process is going on and it is not for the first time that GMs of one zone have been given additional charge of other zones. "It doesn't hamper any work, implementation of plans or decision-making process in any zone," a railway official said. "The Ministry of Railways has decided that Sandeep Mathur, general manager, South Coast Railway, should look after the duties of the post of general manager, South Central Railways, in addition to his own for a period of three months or till posting of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is the

Best of BS Opinion: Trump's citizenship rules may upend world order

Two of today's pieces weigh in on President Trump's proposed ban on birthright citizenship and its wider consequences.

Fare track: Latest hike in railway tariff seems a modest proposal

The fare increase is expected to generate revenue of ₹700 crore in FY26 over a Budget estimate of ₹92,800 crore

Railways may waive off clerkage charge on waitlisted ticket refund

With millions of tickets cancelled every year, the charge forms a large sum for the railways

Railways to release the reservation chart 8 hours before departure

To reduce uncertainty for waitlisted passengers, Indian Railways will now prepare charts 8 hours ahead of train departure with phased rollout starting this week

Centre committed to invest in Bengal's railway infrastructure: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the Centre is committed to investing in the railway sector in West Bengal and has significantly increased allocations as part of its broader push to boost connectivity, cargo movement and support micro and small enterprises in the state. Speaking at the inauguration of the Udyami Sammelan Mela 2025 at the National Library in Kolkata, Vaishnaw said the railway budget for Bengal has seen a sharp rise from around Rs 3,000 crore under the previous regime to around Rs 14,000 crore now. The minister outlined upcoming projects, including the development of the New Jalpaiguri-Kolkata Rail Corridor to world-class standards, a statement said. "A master plan has been prepared for new railway lines, Gati Shakti cargo terminals, and the upgradation of the chicken neck corridor to a four-line network," he said, adding that the Sivok-Siliguri-New Mal Junction section will also be linked to the main corridor. Vaishnaw, the railway minister, said tha

Experts call 25% cap on railway waiting list 'uneconomical, impractical'

The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25 per cent of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for travellers. The ministry, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25 per cent cap has been placed in view of that. "The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern," said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. "It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation." Refuting the charge, Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger ..

Rail network to reach Naxal-hit Bastar, location survey in concluding stage

A railway line in Naxal-affected Bastar in Chhattisgarh is on the verge of becoming a reality after the final location survey was conducted for the proposed 160-km railway track connecting the remote region in Chhattisgarh with Telangana. This ambitious project will bring the Naxal-affected districts of Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur into the railway network for the first time, officials said on Friday. The final location survey for the proposed 160 km-long railway line from Kothagudem (Telangana) to Kirandul (Chhattisgarh) has entered its concluding stage. The Indian Railways is conducting the survey using cutting-edge LiDAR technology, and the entire process is being closely monitored by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, given its immense significance for both national security and regional development, officials said. With strong support from the Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai-led state government, the survey work has gained momentum once again. The project aims to open new path

Train controllers say railway reforms leave crucial issues unaddressed

Days after the Ministry of Railways introduced crucial reforms to enhance the working conditions of the train control department and bring it at par with the world class standard, a section of controllers have expressed disappointment for "leaving several important issues unaddressed". On June 25, the ministry announced a slew of reforms for train control department, prominent among them are filling up of 60 per cent post through direct recruitment and 40 per cent from other railway departments through departmental promotional examinations. Besides, the ministry also introduced three-year fixed tenure, better selection criteria, regular performance analysis and several other welfare measures for controllers. However, a section among them felt dissatisfied. "The ministry hasn't given any thought on issues like enhancement of stress allowance and night duty allowance which were very much among important agendas," Servjeet Singh, general secretary of Indian Railway Employees Federatio