Page 8 - Indian Railways

Candidates need not remove religious symbols during exams, says Rly dept

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu organisations on Monday strongly objected to an instruction asking for the removal of religious symbols worn by candidates appearing for the Railway Department's Nursing Superintendent examination, and it was withdrawn immediately. Following widespread protests, the railway authorities have now clarified that candidates will not be required to remove religious symbols such as the mangalsutra (a sacred necklace worn by married Hindu women) and janivara (sacred thread worn by Brahmins) before entering the exam hall. Amidst the growing outrage, Minister of State for Railways, V Somanna, intervened in the matter and clarified that candidates appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board's Nursing Superintendent exam would not be required to remove any religious symbols or mangalsutras. He further instructed officials to ensure that religious sentiments are respected during the examination process. According to the officials, the examination

WR announces 35-hour mega block at Kandivali, train services to be affected

Western Railway on Thursday announced a 35-hour mega block on its suburban corridor for regirdering work of a bridge between Kandivali and Borivali. The block over the weekend will affect running of suburban and long distance trains, an official said. In a release issued this evening, WR said the block was for regirdering work of bridge number 61 on the 5th line, Carshed line and Kandivali Traffic Yard line. "The mega block is commence at 1 pm on April 26 and end at midnight in the intervening night of April 27 and 28," it said. Vineet Abhishek, chief public relations officer of Western Railway, said during the block period, suburban services and Mail/ Express trains running on the 5th line will be operated on fast lines. "Also, a few Mail/ Express trains will be affected while some suburban services will remain cancelled. Around 73 suburban services will remain cancelled due to the block on Saturday, while around 90 suburban services will remain cancelled on Sunday," he said. Tw

Railways ramps up speed mission with track upgrades, fencing drive

Two months after the Union Budget and following consultations with all railway zones, the ministry has finalised its performance targets for tracks and track-related works

Deoband-Roorkee rail line approved, cuts Delhi-Dehradun distance by 40 km

According to a press release from the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office (CMO), a successful speed trial was recently conducted on this section at 122 kmph

Loco pilots seek to lift night curbs on speed control in high-speed trains

Loco pilots and their unions have demanded the lifting of restrictions on the use of a push-button constant-speed control system that allows the loco pilot to fix a desired speed of the train at night in certain railway zones in the country. Loco pilots said 'Button Push Constant Speed' (BPCS) is a computerised system available in all high-speed train engines to help them fix the train speed at a particular point. "Certain sections in a train route are such where the permanent speed restriction is over 130 kmph for a good while of time. In such a case, the loco pilot can set the speed at 130 kmph and focus on safety issues such as signal aspects and other vital parameters," a loco pilot said, requesting anonymity. "The concerned research and safety authorities such as the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) have never imposed any restrictions on its use at night. However, certain railway zones like North Central Railway have imposed restrictions on its night use. This

₹1.73 trn in rail projects sanctioned for Maharashtra: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Talking about the 2025-26 union budget, he informed everyone that more than ₹23,000 crore had been allocated for the state of Maharashtra

Railways gained ₹8,913 cr in 5 years after ending seniors' concession: RTI

The Indian Railways has earned an additional revenue of approximately Rs 8,913 crore in five years by withdrawing concessions for senior citizens, according to replies from the Centre for Railway Information Systems on a Right to Information Act applications. CRIS functions under the Railway Ministry and develops as well as maintains ticketing and passengers data besides offering various other services. The question of restoring concessions on train tickets for senior citizens was raised in the parliament by members on several occasions, however, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the Railways already pays 46 per cent concession on an average to every passenger. Males and transgenders over the age of 60 and females over the age of 58 used to avail 40 per cent and 50 per cent discounts respectively on train tickets for all classes before March 20, 2020, when the Railway Ministry withdrew it due to the onset of the Covid pandemic. The data of passengers as well as revenu

Railways rejects loco pilots' demand for meal and toilet breaks on duty

Railway Board rejects loco pilots' plea for meal and toilet breaks, calls it operationally unfeasible; staff body slams move, raises safety and privacy concerns

Western Railway plans mega block for bridge repair between Mahim, Bandra

A large number of suburban and long-distance trains will be affected on the intervening nights of April 11 and12 and April 12 and 13 due to a mega block for the "re-girdering" of a bridge between Mahim and Bandra stations in the city, the Western Railway said on Wednesday. The duration of the block on each night will be 9.30 hours, it said in a release. On April 11, the block will start (train traffic will stop) at 11 pm and end at 8.30 am next day. On April 12, the block will start at 11.30 pm and conclude at 9 am next day. However, the exact block timings will vary for fast and slow lines. "During the execution of the work, a few suburban services as well as Mail/Express trains will be affected," said Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of the WR. As many as 334 trains will be fully cancelled -- 132 on the first day and 202 on the second day, while 185 services will be partially cancelled -- 68 on the first day and 117 on the second day. The WR has planned to opera

PM Modi inaugurates Pamban Bridge, India's first vertical lift sea bridge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also flagged off the Rameswaram-Tambaram (Chennai) express train from the new Pabman Bridge

IRCTC to operate 'North East Discovery' on Bharat Gaurav train from April

The Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC's) "North East Discovery" tour on the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train is set to kick off from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station on April 22, 2025.This 15-day journey will cover several North Eastern states, showcasing their natural beauty and cultural heritage. The program will commence from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway station. Interested tourists may choose this tour program from Delhi and other boarding points, including Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Tundla, Etawah, and Kanpur.The carefully curated itinerary will take you by Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train to five of the "seven sisters" of the lesser-travelled North Eastern region of India.The 15-day train tour starts on April 22, 2025, and covers Guwahati, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Kaziranga in Assam; Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh; Unakoti and Udaipur in Tripura; Dimapur and Kohima in Nagaland; and Shillong and Cherapunji in Meghalaya.The first stop of this train is ..

Pamban Bridge inauguration today: All about the vertical lift sea bridge

The bridge, built at a cost of Rs 550 crore, connects Rameswaram Island to the mainland, enhancing connectivity and boosting regional development

Railway projects to improve connectivity infrastructure, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his government's nod to four multi-tracking railway projects will improve connectivity infrastructure, boost convenience, reduce logistics costs and strengthen supply chains. He was reacting to the Union Cabinet's approval for four projects of the Ministry of Railways involving a total cost of about Rs 18,658 crore, a government press note said. The four projects covering 15 districts in three states of Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 1,247 km. PM Modi said the Cabinet's nod to Vibrant Villages Programme-II is an "exceptional news" for ensuring a better quality of life in border villages. He said, "With this approval, we are also expanding the scope of the villages covered compared to Vibrant Villages Programme-I." The objective of the programme is to create better living conditions and adequate livelihood opportunities to ensure prosperous and safe borders, contr

Cabinet approves four rail projects in three states worth Rs 18,658 crore

Projects will give rail connectivity for 4.7 million people, 88 million tonnes goods

Govt approves four railway ministry projects worth ₹18,658 crore

These four projects, spread across 15 districts in Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, will expand the Indian Railways network by approximately 1,247 km

PFC approves Rs 3.5 K cr loan for Chhattisgarh's East Rail Corridor project

State-owned PFC on Thursday said it has sanctioned Rs 3,517 crore worth of loan to Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited (CERL) for implementing the East Rail Corridor Project in Chhattisgarh. CERL is a joint venture of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), IRCON, and Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (CSIDCL), PFC said in a statement. The loan documents for a term loan amounting to Rs 3,516.68 crore were executed on March 28, 2025, PFC said. The under-construction railway project is being developed primarily for transporting coal from multiple coal mines in the vicinity and connecting them to thermal power plants. Under Ministry of Power, PFC is a nodal agency for development of Integrated Power Development Scheme, Ultra Mega Power Projects and Bid Process Coordinator for Independent Transmission Projects.

Railway accidents drop to 81 from 400 in FY25, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway safety has improved with the number of rail accidents coming down significantly to 81 in the last financial year from the 400 earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted on Wednesday. During the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, he also said that continuous efforts are being made, including by way of technological and procedural changes and training methods, to further bring down the rail accidents in the country. Vaishnaw said there has been a very significant improvement in railway safety. "During Lalu ji time, there were around 700 accidents per year, during Mamata Ji's time, there were around 400 accidents, during Kharge ji's time, there were around 385 accidents...In the just closed financial year (2024-25), the number has reduced from 400 to 81, there has been a very significant improvement," he said. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and Mallikarjun Kharge had served as railways ministers. To a query about instances of delay in filing of FIRs for crimes relat

Rail passengers pick other options as space crunch hobbles ease of travel

The Railways has an ambitious plan to use land parcels to create holding areas for passengers but many of those spaces have been encroached upon, putting pressure on platforms and leading to stampedes

Fix liability for loss in electrification contracts: Parl panel to Railways

A parliamentary committee has directed the Railway Ministry to fix responsibility of officers for a financial loss of Rs 9 crore in electrification work contracts in the South East Central Railway Zone in 2017-18. It has also favoured bringing in a provision for the recovery of financial loss to the exchequer along with penal interest consequent to the fixing of responsibility. The matter pertained to the execution of Overhead Equipment (OHE) work in the SCR zone, for which two contracts were awarded worth Rs 35.36 crore in 2017-18. However, the audit report found that the prerequisite civil works were not ready before awarding the contract because of a lack of coordination between the civil and electrical departments of the SECR, leading to inefficiencies and financial losses. It noticed that the contractors supplied materials worth Rs 9.0 crore during the contract period (2017-18) but could not execute works due to the non-availability of a clear worksite. "This led to the short

Centre plans to evacuate more thermal coal through coastal shipping

Plan to evacuate more thermal coal via coastal shipping as Railways faces network congestion woes