Page 20 - Railways

Railways laid on 7.41 km tracks daily in 10 years, reveals RTI response

The Indian Railways has laid on an average 7.41 km of tracks, which include new line construction as well as doubling, tripling and gauge conversion of existing lines in the past ten years, a response of an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Railways Ministry revealed. According to data provided by the ministry, it laid a total of 27057.7 kms of railway tracks in ten years from 2014-15 to 2023-24 which covers construction of new lines, doubling as well as tripling of existing lines and conversion from meter gauge to broad gauge. When I calculate the data, the daily average km of track-laying work in ten years comes around 7.41 km, said Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur, who had filed the application. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during recent press briefings said the Indian Railways is currently adding about 15 km of new tracks every day. "Last year, the Railways added 5,200 km of new tracks which is equivalent to the entire network of ...

Rail freight grows at 1.4% in April; coal cargo rises by 6.3%

Coal cargo falls by nearly 8 per cent on cooler April in north, west India

NCRTC's 1st electric vehicle charging station operational at Sahibabad RRTS

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation's (NCRTC) first Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station at Sahibabad RRTS station in Ghaziabad has been made operational, a statement said on Sunday. Situated at gate number 1 of the Sahibabad Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station, the newly operational EV charging station boasts a comprehensive array of charging units catering to various electric vehicle models, it said. This step is one of the many measures for ensuring last-mile connectivity, the statement stated, adding that it will allow people to charge their four-wheelers in just one hour using the fast charging facility. According to the statement, they could also use the slow charging facility at the station to charge their four-wheelers in three hours and two-wheelers in one and a half hours. Furthermore, users will have the convenience of paying for the electricity consumed per unit-wise through the same mobile application, with the added flexibility of online payme

RailTel signs MoU with tech firm for KAVACH implementation projects

The railways on Wednesday inked an agreement with a tech firm for "exploring and delivering" train collision avoidance system KAVACH implementation projects in India as well as other countries, according to a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this purpose was signed between RailTel Corporation of India Limited and Quadrant Future Tek Limited. In the statement, RailTel said the agreement with the tech firm is for "exploring and delivering KAVACH (train collision avoidance system) implementation projects in India as well as other countries". "The MoU lays out a framework for Quadrant to partner exclusively with RailTel on delivering the specific targeted opportunity related to KAVACH," it said. KAVACH is an indigenously developed automatic train protection (ATP) system of the Indian Railways. It is a highly technology intensive system that requires safety certification of the highest order, the statement said. The Indian Railways is also marketing the system in oth

BHEL partners HIMA West Asia FZE, Dubai for railway signalling business

State-owned engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) on Tuesday announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with HIMA Middle East FZE, Dubai for railway signalling business. HIMA is the world's leading solution provider for safety-related automation in the railways and process industries, a regulatory filing said. According to the filing, the BHEL has entered into a strategic partnership agreement for the railway signalling business with HIMA Middle East FZE, Dubai (A wholly owned subsidiary of HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH, Germany). The BHEL has been supplying locomotives, electrics for EMU/MEMU, propulsion systems, traction motors, traction alternators, traction transformers, etc. to Indian Railways. The partnership with HIMA will further enhance BHEL's offerings to Indian Railways, it said.

Best of BS Opinion: Behind Crotonville's demise, Building capacity & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Private investment push: 200 more Gati Shakti terminals on the cards

77 of the first 100 GCTs announced have already been commissioned at a cost of Rs 5400 crore, says official

Vande Bharat Metro: Ministry of Railways prepares for trial runs in July

Vande Bharat sleeper trains are slated to be introduced within 100 days of the new government, says railway official

Railways offers meals at affordable price for general class passengers

These meal counters are operational at over 100 stations and nearly 150 counters across Indian Railways, and the facility will be expanded further

73 trains on Ambala-Amritsar route cancelled as farmers block tracks

As many as 73 trains on the Ambala-Amritsar route were cancelled on Sunday as farmers continued to squat on tracks at the Shambhu railway station in Punjab's Patiala district for the fifth day, officials said. The protestors have been demanding the release of three farmers arrested by the Haryana Police during the ongoing stir. A total of 73 trains were cancelled on Sunday, the railway officials said. The cancellation of trains over the last five days was causing financial losses, besides inconveniencing passengers, they said. Many trains were also being diverted due to the farmers' protest, they added. The farmers have been protesting under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in Patiala district's Shambhu. They began their protest for the release of arrested farmers on Wednesday by squatting on the tracks on the Ambala Ludhiana-Amritsar route in Shambhu near the Punjab-Haryana border. Farmer leaders have said the protest will .

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

No food, no water: Video shows ticketless travel chaos on Kashi Express

Passenger's video of overcrowded Kashi Express goes viral, showing lack of amenities and ticketless travellers, sparking a response from Railway Seva for action

Railways to operate highest ever summer train trips to manage travel surge

The Railway Ministry will operate 43 per cent more train trips this summer as compared to the last year to ensure that more passengers can travel to their desired destinations. To ensure the convenience of passengers and manage the anticipated surge in travel demand during summers, the Indian Railways is operating a record-breaking 9, 111 trips during the summer season, a press statement from the Railway Ministry said. This marks a substantial rise compared to the summer of 2023, where a total of 6,369 trips were offered. This translates to an increase of 2742 trips, demonstrating the Indian Railways' commitment to meeting passenger demands effectively, it added. According to the ministry, the additional trains have been meticulously planned to connect key destinations across the country, ensuring seamless travel on major railway routes. Out of these 9,111 train trips, the Western Railway will operate the highest number -- 1,878 -- followed by the North Western Railway with 1,623 .

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Tracking voter pulse, one station at a time

Each train carriage became a microcosm of democracy, echoing with the voices of passengers from all walks of life - and trains of thought

Over 20 mn travelled by Vande Bharat trains since launch in 2019: Railways

Vande Bharat trains, India's maiden semi-high speed rail service, have carried more than two crore passengers till March 31 this year since the first set of two trains was flagged off between Delhi and Varanasi on February 15, 2019, officials said Monday. The railways on Monday celebrated 171 years of existence as the first train ran on this day in 1853 between Mumbai and Thane. The officials said the railways' journey over the years has been stupendous as it successfully expanded its network to cover almost every nook and corner of the country and, today, Vande Bharat has become a new identity of a modernizing network. Starting from two trains on one route five years ago, today 102 Vande Bharat trains are offering their services on 100 routes covering 284 districts in 24 states and Union Territories, according to data shared by the railways. "The distance that the Vande Bharat trains covered in the financial year in 2023-24 is equivalent to taking 310 rounds of our planet Earth. .

Eastern Railway earned highest freight revenue of Rs 7,774 cr in FY24

The Eastern Railway has earned its best-ever freight revenue of Rs 7,774.62 crore in the financial year 2023-24, an increase of 19.47 per cent over the previous fiscal, an official said here on Monday. The Kolkata-headquartered zonal railway recorded a growth of 8.91 per cent in passenger revenue, earning Rs 3,573.31 crore in 2023-24, he said. It achieved a freight loading of 86.87 metric tonnes in 2023-24, which is nine per cent more than the previous fiscal. Eastern Railway received Rs 7,774.62 from freight revenue in 2023-24, recording a 19.47 per cent increase over the previous fiscal 2022-23, the official said. It also achieved a best-ever scrap sale revenue of Rs 479.98 crore in the just concluded financial year, he said, adding that this demonstrates effective resource management and revenue optimisation strategies by the zonal railway.

168 roads closed as fresh spell of snow, rains lash parts of Himachal

Higher reaches and tribal areas received fresh spell of snow while low and middle hills were lashed by intermittent hail and rains on Saturday as the local MeT office predicted wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till April 4. A Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus turned turtle near Maling in the Kinnaur district after skidding on Saturday morning in the snow but no casualty was reported, an official said. Traffic came to a halt at the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang near Manali following heavy snow. Kalpa and Kukumseri received 5 cm of snow followed by Keylong with 3 cm of snow in the past 24 hours. A total of 168 roads, including three National Highways, were closed for vehicular traffic in the state on Friday night as per the data of the state emergency operation centre. Most of these roads are in a difficult terrain in Lahaul and Spiti, where 159 roads are still to be opened. Intermittent rains accompanied by lightning and gusty winds were witnessed in the state's capital Shiml

India will become a product nation in PM Modi's next term: Vaishnaw

At Business Standard Manthan, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Centre would create a policy framework for the Global Capability Centres

Indian Railways earned Rs 1,229 cr from cancelled waiting list tickets

Between 2021 and January 2024, more than 128 million waiting list tickets were cancelled

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