Page 23 - Railways

Railways earns freight revenue of nearly Rs 96,000 cr so far in FY24

Indian Railways on Wednesday said it hauled 887.25 metric tonnes of freight between April and October this year, an increase of 31.61 MT over the same period last year. According to an official statement, the national transporter earned Rs 95,929.30 crore freight revenue during the period as against Rs 92,345.27 crore in the same period last year, an improvement of approximately Rs 3,584.03 crore. During the month of October, an originating freight loading of 129.03 MT has been achieved as against 118.95 MT in October last year, an improvement of approximately 8.47 per cent. Freight revenue of Rs 14,231.05 crore was earned in October this year as against Rs 13,353.81 crore last year, an improvement of about 6.57 per cent, it stated.

Central Railways commissions BPAC system in Vasind-Asangaon section

The Central Railway has commissioned the block proving by axle counter (BPAC) system in the Vasind-Asangaon section of Mumbai Division, an official said on Tuesday. As per a release issued by the Central Railway, the BPAC system plays a pivotal role in maintaining the utmost safety of train operations. Specifically, it meticulously examines the last vehicle of a section, subsequently confirming the section's clearance before granting authorization for another train to enter. Earlier, the BPAC system was exclusively deployed up to Vashind railway station within the Kalyan-Igatpuri section. However, the Railway Board has sanctioned the extension of BPAC operations from Khadavli to Igatpuri, and the work is in progress and will be completed soon, it stated. The Mumbai division has a BPAC system installed on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to KALYAN section, CSMT-PANVEL Harbour line, CSMT-Goregaon line, Kalyan-Karjat section and Vasai-Panvel-Roha section. The BPAC syste

Andhra Pradesh train accident: Odisha Cong demands Vaishnaw's resignation

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the wake of the train accident in Andhra Pradesh where 14 people were killed and 50 others injured. OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak said Vaishnaw should resign from the post on "moral grounds due to frequent train accidents" during the NDA regime at the Centre. "The prime minister should drop Vaishnaw from the Railway Ministry if he is not effectively managing affairs. Otherwise, Vaishnaw should resign from the post on moral grounds," the Congress leader said. He alleged that the "people of Odisha are ashamed over Vaishnaw's inability to handle the Railway Ministry affairs". Vaishnaw was elected to Rajya Sabha from Odisha, and all in the country have witnessed how frequently train accidents are taking place during his tenure as the railway minister, Pattnayak said. "He should accept the responsibility and remain accountable for the accidents. This is not a lone tr

PM Modi, Hasina to inaugurate cross-border rail project on Wednesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate a key cross-border railway project on Wednesday, officials said. The prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries will launch the Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project at 11 am in a virtual ceremony, they said. The 15-km rail link (5 km in India and 10 km in Bangladesh) will boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, the officials said. The trial run of the project was successfully completed on Monday, after a locomotive engine attached with four wagons entered Tripura, stopping at Nischintapur, a newly built railway station here. The rail link encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges. At present, it takes about 31 hours to reach Kolkata from Agartala by train, which will be reduced to just 10 hours, an official said. The Indian Railways had allocated Rs 153.84 crore from its budget to expedite

Andhra accident: PM condoles loss of lives, announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condoled the loss of lives in the train accident in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh and spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take stock of the situation. At least eight persons died and around 20 were injured in the accident involving two trains, according to officials. The prime minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased due to the train derailment between Alamanda and Kantakapalle section. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the Prime Minister's Office posted on X. "PM Narendra Modi spoke to Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and took stock of the situation in the wake of the unfortunate train derailment...," the PMO said. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected, it said. "The prime minister extends condolences to the bereaved families and prays that the injured recover soon," the PMO said.

Andhra accident likely due to human error, overshooting of signal: ECoR

East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Sunday said a human error could have resulted in the collision of two trains in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district. At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured in the collision of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Passenger train with the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Passenger Special this evening, according to officials. Likely reason: Human error. Overshooting of the signal by Visakhapatnam- Rayagada passenger train, ECoR CPRO Biswajit Sahoo told reporters here. While explaining the term overshooting, the CPRO said it occurs when a train, instead of stopping at a red signal, moves on. Two coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Passenger train from the rear and the loco of Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Passenger were derailed as a result of the accident, the railway official said, adding that rescue operations are underway. Accident relief trains and other rescue equipment have been engaged and helpline numbers have been issued, he said. The CPRO said around

AP train accident: PM Modi calls Ashwini Vaishnaw, takes stock of situation

At least six people died and 18 were injured when coaches derailed after Visakhapatnam-Ragada passenger train hit a Visakhapatnam-Ragada train

6 dead, 25 injured in train accident in Vizianagaram district of Andhra

It is suspected that some deaths have occurred in the accident as well, an official said but could not immediately confirm the information

Centre looks to meet freight corridor cost escalation from its own pockets

The executive added that the final cost structure will be ratified when the Union Cabinet approves the revised cost estimate

Western Railway cancels 2525 train services for a week, here's why

Western Railway (WR) has cancelled 2525 train services between October 26 to November 6, 2023, as an 8.8 km addition line between Khar and Goregaon station is under construction

Railway Board announces 4% hike in dearness allowance for employees

The Railway Board has revised the dearness allowance for its employees from 42 per cent to 46 per cent of the basic pay effective from July 1, 2023. The Board circulated a written communication dated October 23, 2023, to the General Managers and Chief Administrative Officers of All India Railways and Production Units stating, "...the President is pleased to decide that the Dearness Allowance payable to Railway Employees shall be enhanced from the existing rate of 42% to 46% of the Basic Pay with effect from 1st July, 2023." It defined the 'Basic Pay' as the pay drawn as per 7th CPC recommendation accepted by the government, "but doesn't include any other time of pay like special pay etc." The Board's announcement comes five days after the Union Cabinet approved an around Rs 15,000 cr bonus, that included a 4 per cent hike in DA for government employees. The employees will get the enhanced DA with arrears from July in their next salary. Railway employee unions welcomed the announce

Namo Bharat ridership to cross 10,000-mark on inaugural day: NCRTC

Services on a priority section of India's first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor began on Saturday and the ridership is expected to cross the 10,000-mark on day one, a senior official of the NCRTC said. The much-anticipated commencement of commercial operations on the 17-km section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor began amid excitement among passengers. The inaugural 'Namo Bharat' train journey kicked off at 6 am, and the services received an "overwhelming response" from commuters, some of whom had arrived as early as 4.30 am, eager to be a part of this historic journey, even from nearby areas like Muradnagar and from far-off areas in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, a senior official of the NCRTC said. Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) also took a ride on the inaugural day of the 'Namo Bharat' train services. He welcomed the first set of passengers of India's first 'Namo Bharat' train in the morning, and a

Namo Bharat: PM Modi flags off India's first regional rapid transit system

17-km stretch connects Sahibabad and Duhai Depot

CCTV cameras, emergency door-opening mechanism: RAPIDX trains features

CCTV cameras, an emergency door-opening mechanism and a button to communicate with a train operator are among the safety features in trains that will ply on the soon-to-open Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor. A media preview of the RAPIDX trains was held on Wednesday ahead of the inauguration of the 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor. The under-construction Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor, being built for a semi-high-speed regional rail service named 'RAPIDX' by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), is a joint venture company of the Centre with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. These trains are equipped with several safety features besides passenger amenities such as overhead luggage racks, Wi-Fi, and a mobile and laptop charging outlet at every seat. Every coach has about six CCTV cameras, a senior official said, adding, the safety of passengers is a priority on this corridor. Oth

Passenger opens fire inside Sealdah-Rajdhani Express in Jharkhand, arrested

A 41-year-old man allegedly opened fire inside the Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express over an argument with a coach attendant for a seat, a railway official said on Friday. There was no report of any casualty in the incident. The accused, a retired Army personnel, has been arrested following the act that took place around 9.45 pm on Thursday inside the B-7 coach between Dhanbad and Gomoh stations under the Dhanbad division of East Central Railway (ECR), he said. The man, identified as Harvinder Singh, is being interrogated. Prima facie, it appears that he was in an inebriated state when he opened fire, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Dhanbad rail division), Amresh Kumar, told PTI. Singh had a ticket for the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, but he boarded the Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express on Thursday evening at Dhanbad railway station by mistake, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) official said. After he boarded the train, Singh had an altercation with the coach attendan

Four killed and 30 injured in train crash in Bihar, says Railways

Second major rail accident in 4 months, Commissioner of Railway Safety to conduct probe

Bihar train crash: Fault in tracks likely cause, suggests initial report

Citing a preliminary investigation report, news agency PTI reported that fault in tracks was the possible cause of derailment of the Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express

Railway Board examining demand for giving one-time option to women

The Railway Board is examining the demand for giving a one-time option to women drivers and track maintainers to change their job category, and has asked its zones to share the numbers of such employees and pending applications. The board, in a communication to all railway zones on October 4, said the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) had requested for giving women track maintainers and running staff a one-time option to change their job category. "The matter is under examination in board's office and in this regards all zonal railways are requested to provide the number of female track maintainers and ALPs...and the number of requests pending as on date from female track maintainers or female running staff or female staff working in other categories for change of their assigned categories," the board's communication, accessed by PTI, read. Assistant train drivers are also known as assistant loco pilots (ALPs). Women track maintainers and ALPs seek to change their job

Agile policy helped increase freight earnings by Rs 2,706 cr: Railways

The Indian Railways achieved freight loading of 758.2 MT between April and September as against the 736.68 MT recorded in the corresponding period last year, which is an improvement of 21.52 MT. "Railways have earned Rs 81,697 crore against Rs 78,991 crore over the last year, which is an improvement of approximately Rs 2,706 crore as compared to the same period of the last year," the railway ministry said in a statement. "During the month of September 2023, originating freight loading of 123.53 MT has been achieved against loading of 115.8 MT in September 2022, which is an improvement of approximately 6.67 per cent over the last year," it added. The increase in freight loading has translated into an increase in the railways' revenue as it achieved freight revenue of Rs 12,956.95 crore in September 2023 as against the Rs 12,332.7 crore freight earnings in September 2022, thereby showing an improvement of about 5.06 per cent. "Indian Railways achieved loading of 59.7 MT in coal, 14.2

Railways moving towards 100% electrification in few months: PM Modi

The Indian Railways is moving forward with the aim of 100 per cent electrification of all rail lines in the next few months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Tuesday. He was speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 8,000 crore at Nizamabad in Telangana. "Indian Railways is moving forward with the aim of 100 per cent electrification of all rail lines in the next few months," Modi said. Among others, Modi inaugurated the first 800 MW unit of phase 1 of the Telangana Super Thermal Power Project of the NTPC. "Today in Peddapalli district, NTPC's super thermal power plant's first unit was dedicated to the nation. Very soon its second unit will also be operational. After the first and second phases are completed, the plant's installed capacity becomes 4.000 MW," Modi said. "I am happy to note that this plant is the most modern plant of NTPC in the whole country," Modi further said. Telangana will be immense