Page 3 - Railway Minister

'Railways adds 14.5 km of new tracks daily': Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Ashwini Vaishnaw made the remarks during a Cabinet briefing in New Delhi and highlighted that a decade ago, the average construction pace in Railways was 4 km per day

Railways: Hygiene-related issues up 500% in 2 yrs; complaints per meal down

In light of these complaints, IRCTC has issued 68 showcause notices, and three contracts were cancelled between January 2021 and March 2024

Unified train operation safety norms to be issued in next 10 days: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that for signal failure, a unified train operation safety norm applicable to all railway zones will be issued in the next 10 days. Talking to media persons here, Vaishnaw said the ministry initiated the process of bringing uniformity in subsidiary rules (SR) of all 17 railway zones after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) flagged contradictions in these norms in its investigation report in the Kanchanjunga train accident that took place on June 17. A goods train had hit the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express in the rear killing 10 people including the loco pilot of the goods train in West Bengal. The CRS had said that differences in subsidiary rules of various railway zones regarding speed restriction during automatic signal failure led to confusion. "We constituted a committee after discussing the matter with the CRS and initiated the work of reviewing all the subsidiary rules of all 17 zones to bring uniformity

After 'derailment min' jibe, Vaishnaw says focus is on railways, not reels

Ashwini Vaishnaw's strong response came after Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised him for not taking moral responsibility for train accidents and called him the 'derailment minister'

9,784 railway bridges sanctioned for repairs, rebuilding: Vaishnaw in LS

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday that the Indian Railways sanctioned 9,784 railway bridges for repairs, strengthening, rehabilitation or rebuilding. Vaishnaw responded to questions raised by nine MPs on whether the government has identified old railway bridges in Maharashtra which are in dilapidated conditions and the details of the repair work undertaken in the last three years. These members were concerned about the status of collapse of railway bridges in the last three years and the number of persons killed and injured as a result of that. They also wanted to know the steps taken by the government to repair all the old railway bridges across the country. "There is a well established system of inspection of railway bridges on Indian Railways. All the railway bridges are inspected twice a year, one before the onset of monsoon and one detailed inspection after the monsoon," Vaishnaw said. "In addition, certain railway bridges a

Ashwini Vaishnaw allocates Rs 70 cr for Odisha's Rayagada Railway Division

The railway ministry has allocated Rs 70 crore for the Rayagada Railway Division in Odisha under the East Coast Railway Zone, officials said Friday. The establishment of the Rayagada Railway Division is poised to bring significant benefits to the region, enhancing connectivity and fostering economic growth, they said. The allocation to the state was informed to Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, who met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi. "I thank the railway minister for addressing the much-awaited and public-centric Rayagada Railway Division issue. We have had thorough discussions with the minister and I am pleased to announce that most of the formalities for the formation of the Rayagada Division is going to be completed. The work will be started soon once the tenders are in place," Majhi said in a statement. The ECoR zone presently has three divisions at Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair. The new Rayagada division will be created by bifurcating Waltair.

Train travel woes to ease: Railways to add 10k non-AC coaches in two years

In FY25, 4,485 coaches will be produced, including 2,605 general coaches, 1,470 non-AC sleeper coaches, 323 SLR coaches, 32 high-capacity parcel vans, and 55 pantry cars, featuring Amrit Bharat models

Railways to invest Rs 1 trn in Odisha over next 5 years, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said new railway projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years. Vaishnaw said this while addressing a felicitation programme organised by Odisha BJP here to felicitate the party's 20 MPs and 78 MLAs elected in recently held Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state. The Congress government and then the BJD government have neglected the development of the railway sector in Odisha. So, with the formation of a double-engine government of BJP in Odisha and Centre, now, the gap created during the past years, will be met by creating a new record in these five years, he said. Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government, said Vaishnaw, adding, "Now double engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated." The Union minister said the allocation to Odisha in the railway budget has b

Vaishnaw reviews advanced version of Kavach, directs speedy installation

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reviewed the progress of the advanced version of the Automatic Train Protection System (ATP) Kavach 4.0 at the Rail Bhawan here, officials said on Monday. Kavach 3.2 version is being installed on approved high-density routes, the railway officials said, adding that upgrading and installation of the latest version on new routes will go on simultaneously to cover a wider railway network in a shorter period. They said Vaishnaw reviewed the progress of Kavach 4.0 on June 22. "The three manufacturers of Kavach who are in the advanced stage of testing version 4.0 presented its progress report to the minister," a senior railway official said. After reviewing it, the minister directed that Kavach installation be taken up in a planned manner in mission mode as soon as it is ready, he added. The railway ministry maintains that the development of Kavach is a significant milestone in railway safety. In the past, Vaishnaw stated on several occasions durin

Railway min urged to introduce train services on Agartala-Kolkata route

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting him to introduce train services from Agartala to Kolkata via Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. He also urged the central minister to commence train services from Agartala to Chittagong in the neighbouring country through the railway tracks between the capital of Tripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina had virtually inaugurated the Agartala-Akhaura railway link in November last year. However, train services on this route have not been introduced till now, Chowdhury said. "Under your stewardship, we have witnessed significant strides in enhancing the efficiency, safety and reach of our railway network. I request you to introduce the passenger and goods train service from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka and Agartala to Chittagong through the newly inaugurated railway track between Agartala and Akhaura (Bangladesh)," ...

Unaffected coaches of Kanchanjunga Express reach Sealdah with survivors

The unaffected coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express, which was hit by a goods train near New Jalpaiguri, leaving 10 dead and several injured, arrived at Sealdah station here on Tuesday morning with nearly 850 passengers, according to an Eastern Railway official. At least four rear coaches of the train were severely damaged in the collision at Rangapani, about 10 km from New Jalpaiguri station, on Monday morning. "Around 800 to 850 passengers arrived at Sealdah at 3.16 am," ER spokesperson Kausik Mitra said. The unaffected coaches began their onward journey from the accident site on Monday afternoon. The passengers were provided with medical facilities, food, and water at various stations, including Malda Town and Sealdah, he added. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty, and Divisional Railway Manager of Sealdah Division Deepak Nigam were present at Sealdah station to help passengers reach home safely, Mitra said. Train 13174 Kanchanjunga .

Kanchenjunga train mishap: Railways to hold inquiry in Bengal on June 19

A passenger who was present on the train when it met with an accident expressed concern and fear as she recalled the tragic incident

Kanchanjunga express accident: 9 killed, 41 injured, says railway ministry

Seven passengers and two railway staffers were killed and 41 more injured in the Kanchanjunga Express accident in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Monday, according to figures released by the railway ministry. In a statement, the ministry said nine people suffered grievous injuries and 32 simple or minor injuries. The "Up line" has been cleared and train operations have started, it said and added that "the 'Down line' will also be cleared shortly". The Kanchanjunga express, going to Sealdah in West Bengal from Agartala in Tripura, was on the "Down line" and a goods train rammed into it from behind near the New Jalpaiguri station, around 600 km from Kolkata. According to initial ground reports based on the statements of the local police, 15 people were said to have lost their lives in the accident. However, the ministry clarified that the number of deaths is nine, so far. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reached the accident site in the afternoon, the ministry said.

Kanchanjungha Express accident: Signal was defective since 5.50 am

The automatic signalling system between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal, where a goods train hit Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express in the rear, was defective since 5.50 in the morning, according to a railway source. "Train No 13174 (Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express) departed Rangapani station at 8:27 am and stopped between Ranipatra railway station and Chattar Hat due to automatic signalling failure from 5:50 am," the source told PTI. According to another railway official, when the automatic signalling system fails, the station master issues a written authority called TA 912, which authorises the driver to cross all red signals in the section because of the defect. "The station master of Ranipatra had issued TA 912 to Train No 1374 (Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express)," the source said. He added, "Around the same time, a goods train, GFCJ, departed Rangapani at 8:42 am and hit 13174 in the rear portion resulting from the derailment of the guard's coach, two ..

'Utter mismanagement' of railway ministry: Kharge on WB train accident

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday slammed the Modi government for "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry as he condoled the loss of lives in the West Bengal train accident. "Extremely distressed by the Kanchanjunga Express train collision accident in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, where many people have lost their lives and several have been injured," he said. "The scenes of the accident are painful. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. In this hour of grief, we express our solidarity and condolences to each one of them. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Immediate and full compensation must be provided to the victims," he demanded. Kharge alleged that in the past 10 years, the Modi government has indulged in "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry. "As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Government has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of 'Camera-driven' self-promotion," the .

Railway Board to study to find out why drivers violate speed limits

The Railway Board has set up a committee to find out the reasons for the violation of speed restrictions by train drivers at various points between originating and destination stations which is detrimental to safe train operations. According to sources, the Board came into action after recent incidents in which two train drivers violated the speed restriction of 20 kmph at a river bridge, which was under maintenance and drove their trains at 120 kmph speed. In the first incident, the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the Gatiman Express, India's first semi-high-speed train which runs at 160 kmph speed between Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi and Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi Junction in Uttar Pradesh, violated the advisory speed restriction between Jajau and Mania railway station near Agra Cantt. Just a couple of days after the Gatiman incident, the drivers of another train Malwa Express, which runs between Katra (Jammu) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh), too committed a similar violation at

Rail ministry refutes mismanagement claims, warns against misleading videos

Ministry claims there is a malicious ongoing social media campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the Indian Railways

Land for job case: CBI gets 2 weeks' time to file conclusive charge sheet

During the hearing the counsel for CBI urged for granting seven to 10 days to file a conclusive charge sheet

2 Alternative alignments examined for Kerala Sabari rail project: Vaishnaw

The proposed Sabarimala railway project in Kerala has not made progress even after so many years of efforts due to lack of cooperation from the state government and two alternatives alignments are being looked at, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The project, also known as Sabari rail project, is aimed at providing connectivity for pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala temple in the state. The Railways Minister told the Lok Sabha that two alternative alignments are being looked at for the project. Sabari rail project is another classic case study in which despite so many years of efforts, it has not made the kind of progress it should have because of the lack of cooperation from the state government on the issue of land acquisition and giving matching funds, he said during the Question Hour. "Right now, we are working on two possible alternative alignments. One alignment will take the project line very close to the shrine and other alignment will terminate at around 25

Ashwini Vaishnaw shares video of train passing through snow in Kashmir

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a breathtaking video on X showing a train passing through the Baramulla-Banihal section of the Union Territory