Page 27 - Railways

Balasore tragedy: Level crossing repair done without approval, says CBI

Repair work at a level crossing near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha's Balasore where the June 2 train crash took place was allegedly conducted without the approval of senior divisional signal and telecom engineer and without an approved circuit diagram. The CBI made the submission before a special court in Bhubaneswar alleging that one of the reasons behind the accident was the repair work at level crossing (LC) gate number 94 near Bahanaga Bazar station done by Senior Section Engineer (Signal In-charge) Arun Kumar Mahanta using the circuit diagram of another LC gate no. 79, officials said on Thursday. The allegations were refuted by Mahanta claiming that LC gate no. 94 at KM 255/11-13 had not been working properly, but the higher officials did not take "active action" for the same. He had said that the supervision work in question was entrusted to some other persons, hence he was not responsible for the accident. The CBI had arrested Mahanta and two other railway officia

Railway calls for speedy disposal of transfer requests on spouse ground

The Railway Board has directed the zonal railways to expeditiously dispose of pending requests of employees for transfer to the station or place of posting of their respective spouses. The communication to the principal chief personnel officers of 15 zones on August 17 came after the board received a number of representations from railway employees and their associations about delays or denial on their spouse ground transfer requests despite having a laid down policy. "It is requested that all such pending requests may be examined and disposed of in terms of laid down policy, the letter stated, adding that the respective zones should apprise the board a summary of all pending and cleared requests along with reasons for the delay. The board is of the view that after the digitisation process of Human Resource Management System (HRMS), such requests should not be pending for long. On August 20 last year, the board issued a similar direction asking for "information pertaining to dispos

Mizoram incident due to collapse of gantry launched on bridge: Railways

The bridge sagging incident in Mizoram which has claimed 17 lives was due to the collapse of a gantry which was being launched on the under-construction bridge over Kurung river, the Railways said Wednesday. The Railways has constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident involving the under-construction bridge, one of the 130 bridges in the Bhairavi-Sairang New Railway Line project. A Railways spokesperson said the gantry which collapsed was designed by STUP Consultant and proof checked by IIT Guwahati. "High level enquiry committee has been constituted to investigate into the matter," the spokesperson said. Gantries are heavy steel structures used to lift and support bridge segments or girders as they are placed while being supported by the bridge piers instead of the ground. "The bridge did not collapse. It was a gantry which fell while it was being launched on the under-construction bridge," the spokesperson told PTI. While Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga referred

TATA AutoComp signs pact with Skoda group to make transportation components

TATA AutoComp Systems on Wednesday said it has signed an initial pact with Skoda Group for a strategic partnership to jointly produce components for the railways, metro and bus segments. The company in a statement said it has significant play in providing systems and components for electric vehicles and the association with Skoda Group will further strengthen its presence by bringing the latest electrical equipment and components for the three segments. Tata AutoComp is into manufacturing of multiple components, systems and aggregates for passenger and commercial vehicles, two and three-wheelers as well as for farm and off-road equipment, among others. It provides these products and services to domestic and global automotive OEMs as well as Tier 1 suppliers. The agreement with Skoda Group sets the framework for a strategic joint venture aimed at producing components for the growing Indian railway and public mobility market, Tata AutoComp said in a statement. "This association with

1,300 railway stations being modernised under Amrit Bharat scheme: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said 1,300 railway stations, including Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, are being redeveloped and modernised under the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme'. He was speaking to reporters after taking stock of the construction work at Gwalior station. A total of 1,300 railway stations are being redeveloped and modernised, and as part of this, Rs 500 crore are being invested in Gwalior station. The work of converting the narrow gauge line into broad gauge is going on at a brisk pace, the Railway Minister said. The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will soon inspect the broad gauging work between Gwalior and Sumavali, he said. The work at Gwalior station has been undertaken to keep in mind the rich heritage of the place, he said. Two more platforms will be added to the railway station. It will come up with beautiful designs and modern amenities, Vaishnaw said. He assured that the heritage preservation aspect will be taken care of during the gauge conve

NHPC signs pact with RITES to construct railway siding for 2,880 MW Dibang

State-owned hydro power giant NHPC has inked an initial pact with RITES to construct railway siding for a 2,880 MW Dibang multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh. "NHPC signed an MoU with RITES for Construction of Railway Siding at Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh) for NHPC's 2,880 MW Dibang Multi Purpose Project at NHPC Corporate Office on 21st August 2023," a company statement said. According to the statement, the agreement was signed by General Manager (Civil) Dibang and Executive Director, RITES, in the presence of Biswajit Basu, Director (Projects) NHPC at corporate office of NHPC. NHPC's total installed capacity is 7,097.2 MW of renewable power (including wind and solar) through its 25 power stations, including 1,520 MW through its subsidiary. RITES Ltd is a leading player in the transport consultancy and engineering sector in India, having diversified services across sectors and geographical reach. The strategic partnership between NHPC and RITES complements the expertise of b

Most corruption complaints against railways, bank officials in 2022: CVC

The highest number of corruption complaints last year were against employees of the Union home ministry, followed by those working for the railways and in banks, according to the Central Vigilance Commission's latest annual report. In total, 1,15,203 such complaints were received for all categories of officers and employees across central government departments and organisations in 2022, it stated. Of these, according to the report, 85,437 were disposed of and 29,766 were pending -- 22,034 for more than three months. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has prescribed a time-limit of three months for chief vigilance officers, who act as a distant arm of the probity watchdog, to examine complaints, an official said. While the home ministry received 46,643 complaints against its employees last year, 10,580 were received by the railways and 8,129 by banks, according to the report. Out of the total complaints against home ministry employees, 23,919 were disposed of and 22,724 were ..

Fire breaks out in 2 coaches of Udyan Express in Bengaluru, no casualties

A fire broke out in the two air-conditioned coaches of the stationary Udyan Express at the Bengaluru City Railway Station on Saturday morning. However, there were no casualties as no passengers were inside the bogies. According to Railway officials, the train had arrived from Mumbai at 5.45 am and was stationed at platform three of the Bengaluru City Railway Station. "At 07.10 am smoke in B1 and B2 coaches was noticed. Immediately a message was given to the fire brigade. Fire brigade arrived by 7.35 am and extinguished the fire," the Chief Public Relation Officer of South Western Railway Anish Hegde said in a statement. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation. Other sources said fire-fighters broke the window of the coach to extinguish the fire.

Off-track finances

Indian Railways needs better financial control

Union cabinet approves rail expansion projects worth Rs 32,000 crore

Important freight corridor stretch to be built as regular railway track

Cabinet approves funding for railways, e-buses, digital India | Key points

Union Minister Anurag Thakur said Rs 57,613 crores will be spent on PM-eBus Sewa, and the Centre will provide Rs 20,000 crore for the scheme

Indian Railways planning PLI for train components to curb imports

A railways official said that the PLI programme will give incentives to develop new manufacturing units or expand the existing ones

Railways seeks finance ministry's help in addressing pension liabilities

FinMin had earlier rejected the request; Railways had met pension needs for FY23 from its own funds

Hindalco, Texmaco to manufacture aluminium rail wagons and coaches

Hindalco will provide profiles, sheets and plates of its unique aluminium alloys, along with fabrication and welding expertise, and Texmaco will bring in technical expertise

With operating ratio of 107.39%, Rlys couldn't make surplus in FY22: CAG

The Railways recorded an operating ratio of 107.39 per cent in 2021-22 which indicates a lower ability of the national transporter to generate surplus, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said in a report. The CAG's report on railways finances presented in Parliament on Tuesday provides an analytical review of the finances and accounts of the Indian Railways and is based on the audited accounts for the financial year ended March 31, 2022. The report states that there was a loss of Rs 68,269 crore in all classes of passenger services during 2021-22. The auditor, however, said that this loss had decreased as compared to previous year. The CAG said that the entire profit of Rs 36,196 crore from freight traffic was utilized to cross subsidize/compensate the loss on operation of passenger and other coaching services. The loss of Rs 32,073 crore from passenger operations was left uncovered during 2021-22, it said. "The Railways' operating ratio (OR), which represents the ratio

Critical industrial capacity woes in Kavach rollout: Railway Chairman

Industry needs to step up for faster execution of anti-collision system, says Lahoti

Railways withdraw statement on mental condition of accused RPF constable

The Railways on Wednesday said in a statement that no mental ailment was detected in the last periodic medical examination of the RPF constable accused in the Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting incident but withdrew it within hours. Railway Protection Force (RPF) Constable Chetan Singh (33) is accused of gunning down his senior colleague Tika Ram Meena and three passengers aboard the moving train near Palghar railway station on the outskirts of Mumbai in the early hours of Monday with his automatic weapon, officials had said. He was nabbed later. Following media reports claiming that the constable suffered from "abnormal hallucinations" and was diagnosed with serious anxiety disorder, the Ministry of Railways in a statement said that the matter is being investigated by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Borivali. "In this regard, it is stated that there is system of Periodical Medical Examination (PME) of Railway Protection Force constables, and in the last PME, no such medical ailment/

Railway Board forms high-level panel to probe train firing that left 4 dead

The Railway Board has set up a high-level committee to conduct a "comprehensive inquiry" into the firing on board a Mumbai-bound train in which a Railway Protection Force Assistant Sub-Inspector and three passengers were shot dead allegedly by an RPF constable near here on Monday, an official said. The senior Railway official said the committee, headed by Additional Director General (ADG) of the RPF, has five members and it has been asked to submit a report to the board in three weeks. The official, who did not wish to be named, said committee members are likely to land in Mumbai on late Monday night or Tuesday to probe the incident. On early Monday morning, an RPF constable shot dead his senior and three passengers in two bogies and a pantry car on board the moving Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra, officials said. Constable Chetan Singh (34) killed RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and another passenger in B5 coach with his ...

Railway Board accords FLS approval for 140-km-long Zubza-Imphal project

The Railway Board has accorded its approval for the final location survey (FLS) of the 140-km-long new railway line project between Zubza in Nagaland and Manipur's capital Imphal. The Zubza-Imphal project will provide direct connectivity between the two northeastern states, resulting in better railway traffic mobility, a North East Frontier Railway (NFR) release said on Friday. The direct connectivity will reduce time of travel and cost and distance of transportation of materials, giving a major socio-economic boost to the region. Infrastructural development such as new stations, road connectivity and goods yards will lead to overall economic growth of the nearby districts, the release stated. Goods movement will become seamless leading to major cost reduction for existing businesses using freight services, it said. Work for the Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project from Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima is also in progress. Also, work on the Jiribam-Imphal

Railways to start new non-AC permanent trains for lower income groups

These trains will have both general and sleeper classes and will be included in the regular time table, said an official