Page 24 - Railways

Railways launch drive against inflammable items including firecrackers

To make the train journey safer, Railways urged passengers to be careful and not carry or let their co-passengers carry inflammable objects while travelling on trains

Rail stocks in demand: Titagarh, IRCON, RailTel, RVNL rally up to 19%

The Indian Rail Freight Industry is experiencing significant growth and improvements, with ambitious plans and increased investment aimed at enhancing capacity, efficiency, and sustainability

Indian Railways plans to eliminate waiting lists in 4-5 years: Report

In comparison to pre-COVID days, an additional 562 trains are now operational on a daily basis across the IR network.

95.3% railway passengers between April-October were in non-AC classes

As much as 95.3 percent of the total 390.2 crore railway passengers between April and October 2023 travelled in general and sleeper classes, while just 4.7 percent were in AC coaches, officials said on Wednesday. The railways registered a significant increase in the number of general and sleeper class passengers between April and October this year compared to the corresponding period last year. The Railways said in a press release that it received a total of 390.2 crore passengers across categories in these seven months this year, which is 41.1 crore more (11.7 percent up) than 349.1 crore passengers during the corresponding period of 2022. Out of these 41.1 crore passengers, 38 crore (92.5 percent) travelled in non-AC classes (general and sleeper classes) and the remaining 3.1 crore preferred the air-conditioned coaches. The break-up of AC and non-AC travellers from the total number of passengers, ie, 390.2 crore reflects the similar trend as 372 crore travelled in non-AC coaches

Capacity constraint

Railways should address demand-supply mismatch

IRCTC Q2 results: Profit rises 30% to Rs 295 crore, revenue up 23%

State-owned IRCTC on Wednesday reported 30.36 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 294.67 crore for September quarter 2023-24. The company had logged a net profit of Rs 226.03 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing. Total revenue increased 23.51 per cent to Rs 995.31 crore in comparison to Rs 805.80 crore in Q2FY23, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said. The company said its board has declared an interim dividend of Rs 2.50 per equity share. IRCTC was conceived as an extended arm of Indian Railways with an aim to upgrade, professionalise, and manage catering and hospitality services at stations, on trains, and other locations. Additionally, it has been instrumental in promoting both domestic and international tourism. The company comes under Ministry of Railways.

Indore to be railway hub with projects worth thousands of crores: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that Indore, the financial capital of Madhya Pradesh, is being turned into a major hub of railways with projects worth thousands of crores of rupees. He made the statement on Friday after inaugurating the main election office of Ramesh Mendola, sitting BJP MLA from Indore-2 and the party's candidate from the same seat for the upcoming assembly elections. To make Indore a major centre of railways, work is underway on projects worth thousands of crores of rupees for laying new rail lines in six directions of the city, doubling of railway line and gauge conversion. These projects include Ratlam-Indore-Mhow-Khandwa-Akola rail line, Indore-Manmad rail line, Indore-Dahod rail line and Indore-Jabalpur rail line. Vaishnaw said that apart from making Indore's main railway station and Laxmibai Nagar railway station world-class, work is also going on for a multi-modal cargo terminal. The BJP has appointed Vaishnaw the joint in-charge for the ...

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