Page 6 - Railway Ministry

Ten wagons of goods train derail, overturn near Zakhira flyover in Delhi

Around ten wagons of a goods train derailed and overturned on the Patel Nagar-Dayabasti section in the Delhi area on Saturday morning, officials said

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

Freight target miss in FY24 set to dent Railways' ambitious growth plan

Grappling with capacity concerns, this is the first post-pandemic Budget where the railways will miss its targets set at the beginning of the financial year

5 of 14 rail projects taken up to boost coal evacuation, commissioned: Govt

Of the 14 rail projects taken up for implementation to boost coal evacuation, five have already been commissioned and the remaining are at different stages of construction, Parliament was informed on Monday. In addition, coastal shipping and inland waterways are also being promoted for evacuation of coal, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to a query, Joshi said, "14 rail projects have been taken up for implementation for improving coal evacuation... Of these, five rail lines have already been commissioned and others are at various stages of construction." "In addition to the above, the Ministry of Railways has planned several rail projects under Green Energy Corridor Projects, High-density Network Projects and Rail Sagar Projects," the minister said. The coal ministry recently launched a coal logistics policy and integrated coal evacuation plan to address the issue of coal transportation amidst rising demands.

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

New Trai chief A K Lahoti has work cut out as issues pile up with regulator

A former Railways board CEO, he is an unconventional choice to lead the regulator

Train services affected as protestors block railway tracks in Jalpaiguri

Train services were affected as members of the All Kamtapur Students' Union (AKSU) blocked the railway tracks in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Friday morning to press for their demand for a separate state. The blockade at the Betgara station in the New Jalpaiguri-New Bongaigaon section of the Northeast Frontier Railway began at 7 am, officials said. The blockade has disrupted train services on the all-important route. Among the trains affected were the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati Vande Bharat Express, they said. Officers of the RPF and the state police were talking to the protestors, and trying to persuade them to remove the blockade, they added. The protesters said the blockade would continue till 7 pm, but railway officials said they were hopeful of an earlier resumption of services. The protesters raised slogans against both the TMC and BJP for not fulfilling their demand. The AKSU is the students' wing of the Kamtapur People's Party United, which is agitating for a separat

Revamped stations will reflect, promote cultural heritage of city: Vaishnaw

Railway stations are an integral part of culture and people's day-to-day life and these should reflect, protect and promote an area's cultural heritage, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, citing redevelopment projects in Ayodhya and Puri. While the architecture of the facade of the redeveloped station in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh embraces tradition in a line with the upcoming Ram temple there, the redeveloped Puri station will reflect the traditional architectural features of the famed Jagannath Temple. "The more you gel a railway station with a city the better it is. Development should be such that cultural heritage should get a place in it. It should be protected and reflected significantly," the minister told PTI in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. He was in the city to review its station's redevelopment. In 2021, the Railway Ministry had launched the Amrit Station Scheme. Under it, 1,309 railway junctions are being redeveloped with a special focus on safety and amenities for ...

Every passenger gets 55% concession on train journeys, says Vaishnaw

Every passenger gets 55 per cent concession on train journeys, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said regarding demands to restore pre-Covid fare concessions for senior citizens and media persons. Without giving any direct reply to questions by media persons on the restoration of concessions, Vaishnaw said, "The Indian Railway is already offering 55 per cent concession on train fares to every train passenger. Vaishnaw was in Ahmedabad to review the progress of the ongoing bullet train project among other things. Before the COVID-19 lockdown imposed in March 2020, the Railways offered 50 per cent concession on train fares to senior citizens and government-accredited journalists. Railway operations were completely shut down during the lockdown but when its full-fledged resumption in June 2022, the Railway Ministry didn't restore these concessions and since then the issue has been raised on various platforms, including in both houses of parliament. Vaishnaw maintained a similar stand

Electrification of railways on the slow track, 41% of FY24 target met

Centre had planned 100% electrification by 2023, nearly there at 94%

93.83% of total 65,556 km broad gauge route electrified: Railways

Out of the total 65,556 km of the broad gauge route, 61,508 km or 93.83 per cent has been electrified, the Ministry of Railway said on Monday. During the calendar year 2023, the Indian Railways has achieved 6,577 route km electrification, it said in a statement. With a vision of providing an eco-friendly, faster and energy-efficient mode of transport, the railways is marching ahead towards 100 per cent electrification of broad gauge tracks, the statement said. "Until 2014, 21,801 km of the broad gauge network was electrified," it said. Highlighting the benefits of electrification of tracks, the ministry said it reduces operative cost and makes the railway an environment-friendly mode of transport. Electrification also improves movement of heavier freight and longer passenger trains because of better working capacity of electric locomotives, it added. The ministry is of the view that electrification reduces "dependence on imported crude oil, thereby saving precious foreign currenc

REC Ltd, RVNL sign Rs 35,000 crore MoU to finance infrastructure projects

REC will be financing diverse projects including logistics hubs, rail, road, port, and metro over the next 5 years

Investments worth Rs 14 trillion in the works for rail overhaul: Vaishnaw

We are increasing the passenger capacity to 10 billion. By 2030, waiting lists will not exist, said Ashwini Vaishnaw

Texmaco Rail & Engineering secures Rs 1,374 cr order from Indian Railways

Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd on Wednesday said it has secured an order worth Rs 1,374.41 crore from the Ministry of Railways for manufacture and supply of 3,400 wagons. The order is to be executed in three tranches by December 2025, the company said in a regulatory filing. "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) vide its Letter of Acceptance has awarded an order to the company for manufacture and supply of 3,400 BOXNS wagons," it said. The first tranche of 1,133 wagons is to be delivered by December 31, 2024 while the second tranche of 1,133 wagons is to be delivered by June 30, 2025. The last tranche of 1,134 wagons is to be delivered by December 31, 2025. The total value of the order is about Rs 1,374.41 crore, the company said.

Railways give thumbs up to Rs 1 trn plan to do away with waiting lists

The Indian Railways plans to procure 7,000-8,000 new train sets over the next 15 years to make train travel more efficient and eliminate waiting lists

Rail would need over 30 bn units of power after full electrification: Govt

The railways would require around 30.13 billion units of electricity after 100 per cent electrification of its broad gauge lines, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed the Lok Sabha. In a written reply on December 13 to a query by BJP MP Rajesh Chudasama who wanted to know the electrification status, he said the railways is progressively procuring renewable energy from different sources for its present and future requirements. Chudasama also sought to know the expected consumption after 100 per cent electrification and "the manner in which Railways is likely to ensure that the increased electricity demand is met through renewable sources". In his reply, Vaishnaw said, "Based on the present electricity consumption for traction purposes of Indian Railways, the expected increase in electricity consumption after 100 per cent electrification is estimated to be about 30.13 billion units. The actual demand will depend on the future passenger and goods traffic over Indian ...

Railways filled up over 294,000 vacancies in last five years: Vaishnaw

More than 90% of the candidates recruited are in safety and operational categories, he added

RBI authorises Bandhan Bank to disburse pension to retired railway workers

City-based private lender Bandhan Bank on Wednesday said it has been authorised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to disburse pension to retired railways employees. In a statement, the bank said the lender will shortly integrate its system with the railways ministry to operationalise the pension disbursement process. The mandate will give the bank access to around 50,000 retirees each year across 17 zonal offices and eight production units of the railways across the country. Debraj Saha, head (government business), Bandhan Bank, said, "Indian Railways is one of the largest employers in the country. This will help pensioners to get access to competitive rates offered by the bank and other products of the lender.

Western Railway collects Rs 115.71 crore during ticket checking drives

In November 2023, the highest ever monthly ticket checking revenue of Rs 21.20 cr in the financial year 2023-24, was recovered through the detection of 2.94 Lakh ticketless and irregular passengers

Railways decides to stop engine compartment inspection by assistant drivers

To ensure safe operations, the Railway Board has decided to stop the age-old practice of engine compartment inspection by the assistant driver leaving the driver alone in a running train. Train drivers, also called loco pilots or LPs, have welcomed the decision, saying in view of the upgraded and modern cabin (engine), which triggers safety indication for any machine fault, manual inspection of various machine compartments inside the engine has become a redundant practice. "Taking safety as paramount into consideration, it has been decided by the competent authority that inspection of machine room/HT (High Tension) compartment after every neutral section by ALPs/Co LPs on run may be stopped, the board said in a letter addressed to the general managers of all railway zones. Loco pilots said that when engines that run on electricity with the help of overhead equipment (OHE) shift from one phase of electricity to another, they pass through a neural section where there is no power ...