Page 20 - Railways

Reduce unnecessary paperwork of drivers during train ops: Railway Board

The Railway Board has asked all its zones to reduce paperwork of drivers and assistant drivers while they are operating trains so that they can focus more on safety aspects and signals. "Loco pilot and assistant loco pilot have to maintain a memo book and an engine log book. While the memo book is a personal diary in which they note down details such as arrival-departure of each station, speed restrictions at various points, guards' details and all other things which they feel like while operating the train," a senior railway official said. "The engine log book is an official record which they fill at the time of relieving from the shift. Here, they mention their shift timings and all other issues which come across during operating the train," the official said. Loco pilots say that they have to maintain these personal records so that if any dispute comes up later on regarding any issue they can refer to their personal notebook to support their version. "So many things happen durin

Centre plans to introduce 50 additional Amrit Bharat trains in 2024-25

ICF and RCF will manufacture 492 Amrit Bharat coaches each, while MCF will manufacture 246 coaches

Railways on track to record best-ever freight business, track laying: Govt

The Ministry of Railways on Friday said it is on track to register its best-ever performance in terms of freight loading, overall revenue collection and track laying in the financial year 2023-24. In a press statement, the ministry said, "As per the preliminary data, IR (Indian Railways) has crossed an originating freight loading of 1500 MT today on 15th March, 2024. Previously, IR had achieved the best ever freight loading of 1512 MT during FY 2022-23. "During FY 2023-24, total revenue of Indian Railways stands at Rs 2.40 lakh crore as on date. Last year on 15th March, total revenue was Rs 2.23 lakh crore, an increment of Rs 17,000 crore. Total expenditure of Indian Railways stands at Rs 2.26 lakh crore in FY 2023-24," it stated. According to the ministry, the number of passengers during FY 2023-24 stood at 648 crore, an increment of 52 crore compared to the figures of the same period of last year. Last year, the total number of passengers travelled was 596 crore, it said. So far

India set to become exporter of forged wheels used in railways: Vaishnaw

Sixty to seventy years after being an importer of forged wheels used in the railways, India is all set to become an exporter of the train component, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Thursday. The minister, who also holds the portfolio of Electronics and Information Technology, was here to inaugurate the Chennai Design Centre of US-based semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, when he said that construction activities for setting up a plant to produce forged wheels for the railways has commenced in Tamil Nadu. The railways has entered into a joint venture with Ramakrishna Forgings Ltd to set up the manufacturing facility at Gummidipoondi near Chennai, at an outlay of Rs 650 crore in the first phase. "As you are aware, Vande Bharat trains have been very successful. The wheels that are used in Vande Bharat trains are of special quality. They undergo a special manufacturing process. The wheels that we use in the wagons undergo a casting process," he told ...

PM inaugurates Marathwada Rail Coach Factory, launches various projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory and launched various other railway projects in Maharashtra, officials said. As part of launch of the projects via video conference from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, he also inaugurated five Jan Aushadi Kendras (for affordable and quality generic medicines) at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai), Manmad (Nashik), Pimpri, Solapur and Nagbhir (Chandrapur). He also inaugurated four rail coach restaurants at Nashik Road, Akola, and Mumbai's Andheri and Borivali stations, the railway officials said. The PM inaugurated and dedicated to the nation 506 projects, including the Latur-based Marathwada Rail Coach Factory, a wagon repair workshop at Badnera and Vande Bharat chair car maintenance-cum-workshop depot in Pune, they said. The Marathwada Rail Coach Factory will ensure supply of the Vande Bharat Train sets (16 car formation) to the Indian Railways in co-ordination with its technology partners, t

Prime Minister Modi flags off 10 new Vande Bharat trains, extends 4 routes

There are now more than 50 Vande Bharat trains, covering 45 routes nationwide. Check new routes and extensions here

PM inaugurates, lays foundation stone of Rs 85,000 cr railway projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of Rs 85,000 crore railway projects, including the launch of 10 new Vande Bharat trains. The PM launched the projects from Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad in Gujarat after visiting the Dedicated Freight Corridor's (DFC) Operation Control Centre here. He laid the foundation stone of railway workshops, loco sheds, pit lines/ coaching depots, Phaltan-Baramati new line; electric traction system upgradation work and dedicated to the nation two new sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridor between New Khurja to Sahnewal (401 Rkm) section of the eastern DFC and New Makarpura to New Gholvad section (244 Rkm) of the western DFC; western DFC's Operation Control Centre (OCC), Ahmedabad. The PM flagged off 10 new Vande Bharat trains between Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Mysuru-Dr MGR Central (Chennai), Patna- Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri-Patna, Puri-Visakhapatnam, Lucknow-Dehradun, Kalaburagi-Sir M

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