Page 18 - Railways

PM Modi unveils infra projects worth Rs 4,500 cr in northern West Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 4,500 crore in northern West Bengal on Saturday. The PM unveiled the projects at a programme in Siliguri, the region's largest city, during his third visit to the state this month. Governor CV Ananda Bose was among those present at the programme. Addressing the function, Modi said eastern India was ignored after Independence but his government considers it as the growth engine of the country. "Over the last 10 years, the development of Bengal, especially North Bengal, has been a priority for our government," he said. The PM inaugurated multiple projects of railway line electrification that will benefit the people of northern West Bengal and nearby areas, an official statement said. These railway lines are the Eklakhi-Balurghat section, Barsoi-Radhikapur section, Raninagar Jalpaiguri-Haldibari section, Siliguri-Aluabari section via Bagdogra, and the SiliguriSivokAlipurduar JunctionSamuktala section, it

Jupiter Wagons secures manufacturing order worth Rs 957 crore from Railways

Jupiter Wagons on Wednesday said it has secured an order of about Rs 957 crore from the Railways for the manufacture and supply of 2,237 wagons. The offer letter has been received from the Ministry of Railways, the wagon manufacturer said in an exchange filing. "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) vide its letter dated March 6 has placed an offer to the company for manufacture and supply of 2,237 numbers of BOSM wagons for a contract value of Rs 956,87,67,500," the company said. West Bengal-based Jupiter Wagons manufactures all types of railway wagons and accessories. The company also manufactures containers, commercial vehicle load bodies and commercial electric vehicles. Jupiter Wagons shares dropped by 4.21 per cent to settle at Rs 361.90.

Railways' policies being framed keeping only rich in mind: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that policies for Indian Railways were being framed by the government keeping only the rich in mind, and claimed that trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "guarantee of betrayal". In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi alleged that by showing the dream of making those wearing "hawai chappal" (slippers) travel by "hawai jahaz" (airplane), Prime Minister Modi is even distancing them from "gareebon ki sawari" (vehicle of the poor) railways. "Amidst a 10 per cent increase in fare every year, loot in the name of dynamic fare, rising cancellation charges and expensive platform tickets, people are being lured by showing them a picture of an 'elite train' that the poor cannot even set foot on," the former Congress chief said. The government has collected Rs 3,700 crore from senior citizens in the last three years by "snatching away" the exemptions given to them, he claimed. Common persons' trains are made to languish to give precedence to the .

Over 1,000 Amrit Bharat trains to be made in coming years: Vaishnaw

India will manufacture at least 1,000 new-generation Amrit Bharat trains in the coming years and the work to make trains that can run at a speed of 250 kmph was on, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. In an exclusive interview to PTI Videos, Vaishnaw also said the Railways has already started working on the export of Vande Bharat trains and the country should see the first export in the coming five years. While speaking on the transformational initiatives taken by the Railways in the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government, he said the world's highest railway bridge -- Chenab bridge -- and the first under-river water tunnel for Kolkata metro are some of the significant technological advancements that happened in the rail sector. "The railways has a huge social obligation. We carry about 700 crore people every year. Two and a half crore practically every day. The fare structure is such that if the cost of carrying a person is Rs 100, we charge Rs 45. So we give

Strong Q4 powers ABB India, but near-term positives seem priced-in

ABB India (ABB) has leveraged demand from quality players to manage deeper penetration across market segments and localisation has helped cut costs, leading to better margins

PM lays foundation stones for redevelopment of 45 rail stations in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually laid foundation stones for redevelopment of 45 rail stations in the southern parts of West Bengal under the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.' While foundation stones were laid in 22 stations under South Eastern Railway jurisdiction, the same was done for 23 stations under Eastern Railway limits, railway officials said. These are among the over 550 stations for which the PM laid the foundation stone all over the country for improvement of facilities under the scheme, which aims to modernise railway stations throughout the country, the official said. West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, accompanied by the Eastern Railway general manager, attended the programme at Bandel station. Bandel will get Rs 307 crore for transforming it into a world-class station. Kharagpur Junction is another station in the state where the foundation station was laid, a South Eastern Railway spokesperson said. The prime minister's address was streamed on a gian

PM lays foundation stone for redevelopment of 33 Bihar railway stations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of 33 railway stations and construction of 72 other projects in Bihar under the East Central Railway (ECR) zone. The PM laid the foundation stone of the railway projects in Bihar under the Amrit Bharat Stations scheme. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Ministers - Samrat Chudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, joined the PM's function virtually from the state capital. A statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office after the function said, "Thirty-three railway stations which will now be redeveloped in Bihar include: Barauni, Siwan, Munger, Thawe, Sabaur, Arariya, Shivnarayanpur, Dauram Madhepura, Dehri On Sone, Guraru, Karhagola Rd, Chausa, Laheria Sarai, Banka, Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Supaul, Nawadah, Raxaul, Motipur, Luckeesarai, Masrakh, Rafiganj, Mairwa, Piro, Bikramganj, Labha, Janakpur Road, Chakia, Nabinagar Road, Ghorasshan, Salmari, Ekma and Shahpur Patoree". "The project aims

PM Modi unveil projects worth Rs 41,000 crore for Indian Railways

The Amrit Bharat stations, spanning 27 states and Union Territories, will undergo redevelopment at a budget exceeding Rs 19,000 crore

How an unattended goods train travelled 70 km from J-K to Punjab on its own

The 53-wagon train loaded with chip stones travelled from Jammu-Kashmir's Kathua to Punjab's Hoshiyarpur between 7.25 am and 9 am without any drivers

India's longest rail tunnel opens in Jammu on Udhampur-Baramula rail link

The longest railway tunnel of the country on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as he flagged off the first electrified trains of the Kashmir valley. "Prime Minister Modi was present in Jammu and he virtually flagged off two electrified trains simultaneously -- one from Srinagar to Sangaldan in the down direction and the other from Sangaldan to Srinagar in the up direction," a railway official said. He added that the prime minister also inaugurated the 48.1-km-long Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section. "This longest tunnel, which is 12.77-km long and known as T-50, falls between the Khari-Sumber section," the official said. According to the Northern Railway (NR), trains can now run from Baramulla to Sangaldan via Banihal, which used to be the last or originating station earlier. T-50 is supposed to be the most challenging of the 11 tunnels in the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangadal section. According to railway offici

Dharmendra Pradhan flags off special train to Ayodhya from Sambalpur

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday flagged off a special train from here to Ayodhya. The Sambalpur-Darshan Nagar-Sambalpur Astha Special train carrying 1,512 devotees from the western region of Odisha left for Ayodhya. "There is a lot of enthusiasm among the devotees. The train was flagged off at Sambalpur station and it will have halts at Rourkela and Jharsuguda before entering neighbouring Jharkhand. The train will reach at Ayodhya on Wednesday and bring back the devotees to Odisha the next day", Pradhan told reporters. Pradhan thanked the railways for the train with 20 sleeper coaches, which will allow devotees from western Odisha to have darshan of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya. The Union minister is also scheduled to inaugurate the Robotics Centre at Vedic International School at Pabpali Sason and attend the inauguration of the Skill India Centre at Majhipalli here and other events.

100 farmers arrested at Thanjavur station for staging 'rail roko' protest

Around 100 farmers from different farmers associations were arrested at Thanjavur Railway station on Saturday when they tried to stage a 'rail roko' protest in front of the Cholan Express. The group was protesting the police action against the farmers' agitation in New Delhi. P R Pandian, Ayyakannu and Sundaravimalanathan, presidents of the various farmers associations, participated in the 'rail roko'.

IRCTC announces appointment of Sanjay Jain as CMD with immediate effect

Railway PSU IRCTC on Wednesday announced the appointment of Sanjay Kumar Jain as its Chairman and Managing Director with immediate effect. Prior to this role, Jain was Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM) of Northern Railway, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) said in an exchange filing. "...the appointment of Sanjay Kumar Jain has been approved by the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) for the post of CMD on immediate absorption basis...for a period with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post and till the date of his superannuation i.e. 31.12.2026 or until further orders, whichever is the earlier," IRCTC said. Jain has relinquished the charge of PCCM/Northern Railway on February 13, 2024 and has assumed the charge of the post of IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) on regular basis with effect from February 14, 2024. The official is an Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) Officer of 1990 batch. A qualified Charter

Jupiter Wagons switching tracks: To expand rail supply chain beyond wagons

The company looks to capture the rolling stock replacement market, which it believes will supersede the original equipment manufacturing market in the future

Railways' mismanagement behind cost overrun in Hajipur-Sagauli project: Rpt

The Hajipur-Sagauli New Line project, sanctioned in 2003-04 at an estimated cost of Rs 24.66 crore, registered a huge cost escalation of Rs 2,066.78 crore in January 2019 due to indecisiveness of the Railway Administration, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report. Tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the report titled 'Loss due to indecision of Railway Administration in the matter of land acquisition: East Central Railway' was based on one of the findings of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2021. After carrying out a detailed examination, the PAC observed that the railways' lack of prudent decision-making and timely payments resulted in avoidable extra expenditure, underscoring the importance of meticulous financial planning and adherence to land acquisition policies. "The Hajipur-Sagauli New Line project, sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways in 2003-04, underwent a series of financial oversights and lapses in land acquisition processes, leading to

Railways mismanaged land purchase for Hajipur-Sagauli project: House panel

The Hajipur-Sagauli New Line project, sanctioned in 2003-04 at an estimated cost of Rs 24.66 crore, registered a huge cost escalation of Rs 2,066.78 crore in January 2019 due to indecisiveness of the Railway Administration, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report. Tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the report titled 'Loss due to indecision of Railway Administration in the matter of land acquisition: East Central Railway' was based on one of the findings of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2021. After carrying out a detailed examination, the PAC observed that the railways' lack of prudent decision-making and timely payments resulted in avoidable extra expenditure, underscoring the importance of meticulous financial planning and adherence to land acquisition policies. "The Hajipur-Sagauli New Line project, sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways in 2003-04, underwent a series of financial oversights and lapses in land acquisition processes, leading to

Railways made Rs 6.85 cr irregular payment to foreign vendor: House panel

The Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) of Indian Railways purchased equipment from a foreign vendor worth Rs 6.85 crore in 2017 for diesel locomotives whose production was already stopped, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report. The committee, which tabled its report in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, expressed surprise that the vendor had delivered the equipment beyond the delivery schedule in violation of the purchase agreement and BLW would have rejected the supply. However, it agreed to buy at approximately 36 per cent discounted price, the report said. The issue relates to the purchase of 660 channel air boxes in November 2018 for manufacturing diesel locomotives. According to the report, in view of increasing electrification of routes, the Railway Board decided in May 2016 to manufacture electric locomotives at BLW and this was started from February 2017. From 2019-20, the production of diesel locomotives at BLW was completely stopped. The committee said that in May 2016,

Trai seeks views on allocation of more spectrum to Railways for safety

Telecom regulator Trai on Wednesday sought stakeholders' views on the assignment of additional spectrum to Indian railways for safety and security applications. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in mid-2023 had informed Trai that Indian Railways has requested for an additional 5 MHz of paired spectrum in the 700 MHz band to be allocated for enhancing its safety and security systems. The DoT had requested Trai to examine and provide its recommendations on the matter. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has today released a consultation paper on the assignment of additional spectrum to Indian railways for its safety and security applications," the regulator said in a release. In the consultation paper, Trai sought stakeholder views on whether an additional 5 MHz (paired) spectrum in the 700 MHz band should be assigned to Indian Railways (IR) for its requirement related to safety and security applications, and whether spectrum harmonisation is needed to make the

82 Vande Bharat trains operational, work on to enhance speed to 160 kmph

The number of Vande Bharat trains has been increased to 82 and work is underway to increase the speed of these trains to 160 kilometres per hour on the New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah routes, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha to questions raised by 10 MPs regarding the services of the Vande Bharat trains, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "As on January 31, 2024, 82 Vande Bharat train services are operating across the Indian Railways, connecting states having Broad Gauge (BG) electrified network." "Besides, provision of stoppage of train services and introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat, are ongoing processes on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability etc.," he added. "Train-wise and state-wise revenue generated is not maintained," the minister said to questions on the state-wise average income generation from the Vande Bharat trains. Vaishna

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