Page 3 - Railway Ministry

Railways caught 21.6 mn ticketless passengers, earned Rs 562 cr: Vaishnaw

The Indian Railways has caught about 2.16 crore passengers travelling without ticket in 2023-24 and an amount of approximately Rs 562.40 crore as excess charges was realized from these travellers, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this in a written reply while responding to questions raised by some members regarding the number of passengers caught without ticket during 2023-24 and other related issues. "During the year 2023-24 a total of approximately 2.16 crore passengers were detected travelling without ticket across the Indian Railways and an amount of approximately Rs 562.40 crore as excess charges (excluding fare) was realized from these passengers," Vaishnaw said When asked to provide statewise/station-wise data of ticketless travellers, Vaishnaw said that it is not maintained that way. "Special ticket checking campaigns are undertaken by zonal railways from time to time keeping in view the local conditions or as per directions ..

Lok Sabha to discuss demands for grants under Railway Ministry, Jal Shakti

Congress leaders also submitted a motion for adjournment to discuss the "affordable quality of medicines for a healthier future" and "Impact of new RBI rule on Jewel loans"

East Coast Railway starts Rs 1,000 cr fencing project to boost train speed

In a bid to enhance railway safety and facilitate increased train speed, East Coast Railway (ECoR) has initiated a more than Rs 1,000 crore fencing project along the tracks in various sections across its jurisdiction. A total of 2,792 kilometres of safety fencing work at a cost of Rs 865 crore has been undertaken to enhance safety, the ECoR said in a statement. This apart, Rs 207 crore was under sanction for track safety fencing works between Titilagarh & Lakholi and between Balangir-Theruvali-Singapur Road rail sections. These works aim to ensure safe train operations, prevent trespassing, and restrict the movement of cattle and wild animals near railway tracks, an official statement said. The ECoR has three divisions - Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair. Under Khurda Road Division, the railways sanctioned Rs 388.85 crores for track safety fencing works for 1025.3 km stretch. In the next phase, a proposal is in place for safety fencing in the Jakhapura-Kendujhargarh-Nayagarh ...

Collective efforts helped us run over 16k trains for Mahakumbh: Vaishnaw

The 45-day-long religious gathering, Mahakumbh 2025, concluded on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, yet devotees continue to arrive at Prayagraj's Triveni Sangam for a holy dip

Ashwini Vaishnaw outlines steps to prevent stampedes, improve crowd control

Creating holding area at 60 stations experiencing high footfalls, a separate crowd management manual and raising awareness among passengers to not sit at stairs are among the measures being taken to prevent untoward incidents, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. These initiatives are being taken in the wake of a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station Saturday evening which killed 18 passengers, according to official figures, and left several injured. Interacting with mediapersons at the Rail Bhawan here, Vashnaw said the Railways has identified 60 stations which normally receive a high footfall and decided to make permanent or temporary holding areas outside the platforms to regulate the flow of passengers to the stations. "Sixty stations such as New Delhi, Patna, Surat, Bengaluru, Coimbatore have been identified for creating a holding area to manage the flow of passengers inside the station. They will be allowed to enter the platform according to departure of their

Centre probing if fake news caused Delhi stampede: Sukanta Majumdar

The Indian Railways announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for the seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries

On moral ground: Railway ministers who resigned after train tragedies

Here's a list of railway ministers who resigned, or offered to resign, following major train tragedies, taking moral responsibility for the incidents

Stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, at least 15 killed, many injured

A stampede-like situation broke out at the New Delhi railway station late on Saturday evening, triggering a chaos on platform number 14 and 15, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. Sources said three women were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident occurred around 9:55 pm, prompting an emergency response. Authorities immediately dispatched rescue teams and four fire tenders were rushed to the site to assist in the relief efforts, DFS chief Atul Garg said. The exact cause of the stampede remains unclear, but initial reports suggest overcrowding due to train services for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

Railways' capex meets targets, likely to remain at the same level

Despite not getting any additional outlay in the Budget 2025, Railways officials are not worried since their spending numbers sit well with Budget Estimates (BE) for FY25

Mission 3000 still on track: Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on freight growth

Under the mission, the government wants to achieve 3,000 million tonnes (mt) of cargo on railways by 2030

Budget 2025: Projects worth Rs 4.6 trn added to pipeline, says Vaishnaw

Work on 100 Amrit Bharat, 17500 general coaches, 200 Vande Bharat trains to start

Railway Ministry releases SuperApp 'SwaRail' for testing, prior to launch

The Railway Ministry has released an application called SuperApp, a one-stop solution offering multiple public-facing services, on Google Play Store for testing on Friday, an official said. "Only 1,000 users can download it. We will assess the response and feedback. After that, it will be made available for 10,000 downloads for further suggestions and comments," a Board official said. He added that the app provides easy access to services like reserved and unreserved ticket bookings, platform and parcel bookings, train inquiries, PNR inquiries, help through RailMadad and more. "The core emphasis of the app is to enhance user experience through a seamless and clean user interface. It not only combines all services in one place but also integrates several services to provide users with a complete package of Indian Railway services," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, said. He added, "The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), on

Budget 2025: Indian Railways subsidies and how they compare with Europe

Budget 2025: Indian Railways heavily subsidises train fares, particularly for senior citizens, students, and people with disabilities-but by how much?

Jalgaon train mishap: Toll rises to 13, ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh announced

The incident happened when passengers of the Pushpak Express had stepped outside their coaches due to a suspected fire on the train, and while outside Karnataka Express passed through adjacent track

Railways likely to receive Rs 3 trillion Budget boost on February 1

The government is likely to continue with a zero or minimal borrowing plan for the national transporter

LTC travel now has 385 premium trains for govt employees: Railway Ministry

The Ministry of Railways has made significant strides in improving the travel experience for government employees by expanding the number of trains available under Leave Travel Concession (LTC).According to a press release, government employees can travel on 385 premium trains, including 136 Vande Bharat, 97 Humsafar, and 8 Tejas Express trains, alongside 144 existing high-end trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto.The press release stated that government employees were already availing luxurious AC travel in 144 existing high-end trains in the category of Rajdhani, Shatabdi & Duronto series. With this decision, there will be a total 385 trains across all the regions of the country where they are operating in which tickets can be booked for LTC travel by the government employees.This expansion, announced by the Department of Personnel & Training, is aimed at providing all central government employees access to world-class travel options. Under the new guidelines, ...

Train services between Jammu and Kashmir will start very soon: Vaishnaw

Outstanding project to build a new railway route is a testament to engineering excellence and determination, overcoming significant geographical and climatic challenges, Vaishnaw added

Soon, a semi-high speed Vande Bharat train to connect Jammu with Srinagar

Most of the Katra-Banihal section is tunnels which have been constructed using the Himalayan tunneling method

No provision of free travel for Maha Kumbh Mela: Railways ministry

The Ministry of Railways on Wednesday dismissed as "baseless" claims that passengers would be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela, and said no such provision exists. "It has come to the attention of Indian Railways that certain media outlets are circulating reports claiming that passengers will be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela," it said in a statement. "Indian Railways categorically denies these reports, as they are entirely baseless and misleading," the statement said. "Travelling without a valid ticket is strictly prohibited under the rules and regulations of Indian Railways and constitutes a punishable offense. There are no provisions for free travel during Maha Kumbh Mela or any other occasion," the ministry added. It added that the Indian Railways was committed to ensuring seamless travel for passengers during the Maha Kumbh. "Adequate arrangements are being made, including the establishment of special holding areas, additiona

Railways Amendment Bill passed; won't lead to privatisation, says Vaishnaw

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to amend Railway laws with the government insisting that it will not lead to the national carrier's privatisation. Responding to a debate on the Railway Amendment bill, Railway Minister Ashiwni Vaishnaw said in the Lower House that a fake narrative was set afloat that the amendment would privatise railways. "Their (opposition) fake narrative on Constitution has failed... now this will also fall flat," he asserted. The Bill was passed by a voice vote after debate which could not be held earlier due to frequent disruptions of House proceedings during the last week. "A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways, an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed," Vaishnaw said. The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 which seeks to enhance the functioning and independence of the Railway Board was