Page 28 - Railways

'Biparjoy' likely to enter Rajasthan on June 16, NWR cancels train services

The North Western Railway (NWR) has cancelled some train services as the cyclonic storm Biparjoy' is likely to enter southwest Rajasthan on June 16, officials said on Monday. "Keeping in view the safety and security in view of the cyclonic storm Biprajoy in the Bay of Bengal, train services are being cancelled/partially cancelled by the Railways," the NWR said in a statement. Radheshyam Sharma, in-charge of the Jaipur Meteorological Centre, said that the cyclonic storm Biparjoy is likely to weaken and enter south-western Rajasthan as a depression on June 16. Captain Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer of North Western Railway, said in a statement that in view of the cyclonic storm Biprajoy', the services of five trains operating on the NWR have been cancelled from the originating station, while the services of nine trains have been partially cancelled. Due to the effect of the storm, the activities of thunderstorms and rain are likely to start in the districts of Jodhpur a

Railways activates disaster management set-up to tackle Cyclone Biparjoy

The railways has activated its disaster management set-up to minimize the impact of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is likely to make landfall in Gujarat this week, officials said on Monday. The railways has identified vulnerable sections on its network, including Bhavnagar, Mahuva, Veraval to Porbandar, Okha to Hapa, and Gandhidham area. The landfall is predicted to occur near Mandvi-Jakhau Port in the evening of the 14th. 'Biparjoy' is likely to make landfall near the Jakhau port in Kutch district on Thursday afternoon as a "very severe cyclonic storm" with the maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. Railway officials said the national transporter has implemented various measures to ensure the safety of its network and passengers and minimize the impact of the cyclone. It has activated the disaster management room at the zonal railway headquarters and round-the-clock manning by various departments. It has also creat

Statsguru: Odisha three-train accident brings focus back on safety

The latest Budget shows that expenditure on railways has crossed Rs 5 trillion. The money spent on capital expenditure is close to 50 per cent, compared to around 37 per cent in 2017-18

Govt spent railway safety funds on leisure items: Cong cites CAG report

Citing a 2021 CAG report, the Congress on Friday claimed the central government "misused" funds meant for railway safety on crockery, car rentals, furniture, laptops and foot massagers. "This is how funds specifically meant for railway safety were used. This is the CAG's finding," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter. Quoting the findings of the March 2021 CAG report, he alleged that the Narendra Modi government has been "misusing" Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) funds on crockery, car rentals, foot massagers, furniture and laptops. According to an official document, the national transporter spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on safety measures between 2017-2018 and 2021-22 with a steady growth in expenditure on track renewal. Government sources also indicated that the railways will soon reply to the same Comptroller and Auditor General of India's (CAG) report cited by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to attack the Centre over the recent triple train ...

All not well with railway system, Odisha accident wake up call: CPI-M

The government has gone overboard in creating a "hype" that the Railways has become a smart and speedy mode of transport but all is not well with the system and the Odisha accident is a wake up call, the CPI-M has said. The Left party also said a "legitimate" question is being raised on why Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has not resigned following the June 2 train crash in Odisha's Balasore. Several opposition parties have asked for Vaishnaw's resignation since the accident. The crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train killed 288 people and injured over 1,000. "At the political level, a legitimate question raised is why the Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has not resigned owning moral responsibility for this worst railway accident in the last two decades," the latest editorial of the party's mouthpiece 'People's Democracy' said. "In 1956, Lal Bahadur Shastri had resigned as railway minister f

India train crash shows importance of getting infrastructure basics right

It's far better to think small than to think big. Working on the plumbing is less glitzy than building a fancy facade, but it can be far more rewarding in the long run

Odisha train crash: Rlys use AI-powered portal to identify unclaimed bodies

The Railways is using an artificial intelligence-powered website and SIM card triangulation to identify the unclaimed bodies of the Odisha three train crash victims. Of the 288 people killed in the accident on June 2, as many as 83 bodies remained unclaimed as of Wednesday, officials said. The Railways initially called a team from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to the site to take thumbprints of the dead to ascertain their identity. "That did not work out since in most cases the skin of the thumbs were damaged and prints were difficult to take. Then we thought of identifying the bodies using Sanchar Saathi which is an AI-based portal," an official said. The recently launched Sanchar Saathi web portal was put to use to identify 64 bodies and it was successful in 45 cases, officials said. Sanchar Saathi allows customers to know the mobile connections issued in their name and also track and block their lost smartphones. This artificial intelligence-based portal

Railway ministry releases helpline number to locate affected passengers

Apart from the helpline number shared by the Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways on its Twitter profile has also shared some other helpline numbers, including Howrah, Kharagpur, Balasore

LIVE: Cyclonic storm warning, IMD asks fishermen not to go into Arabian Sea

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673 personnel to patrol Konkan railway route as precaution during monsoon

As many as 673 personnel will patrol the Konkan Railway route during monsoon to prevent any casualty on tracks in the region, which receives heavy rainfall, an official said on Tuesday. There will be round-the-clock intensified patrolling on the route during monsoon, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) said. Identified vulnerable locations will be patrolled round the clock, stationary watchmen will be deployed for 24 hours and speed restrictions will be imposed at these locations, a senior official said. Special attention has been given to cleaning of catch water drains and inspection of cuttings, he said. Large-scale geo-safety works executed along the railway line in the last few years have significantly reduced the incidents of boulders falling and landslides, thus ensuring safe running of trains, the official said. No major disruptions to train services have occurred due to falling of boulders during monsoons in the last 10 years, he said. In case of heavy rainfall

Railway official had flagged 'fault' in interlocking system: Digvijaya

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday claimed a senior Railway official had flagged a fault in the signal interlocking system in February and warned of the train accident risk but the problem was not rectified which led to the Balasore train crash. The accident involving two passenger trains and a goods train claimed 278 lives and left more than 1,100 people injured. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the alleged criminal negligence leading to the train accident. "Balasore train crash is the biggest rail accident in independent India. In the initial statement of Railways, the cause of the accident was stated as a fault in the interlocking signal system, Singh claimed while speaking to reporters here. A senior railway official in one of his letters written in February, had clearly warned about the major risk of train accidents due to a fault in the interlocking signalling system and highlighted the need for its immediate rectification and improving this system

Indian Railways uses IRCTC Zoop's google chats to order food on train

New Delhi, June 6 (IANSlife) Zoop, an IRCTC-approved train meal delivery partner, has announced the availability of a Google Chatbot for train food delivery. To place food orders on the train

Merging railway budget with Union budget 'major blunder' of NDA govt: Moily

In the wake of the Odisha railway tragedy, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said the clubbing of the railway budget with the Union budget in 2017 was a "major blunder" of the NDA government and called for bringing back the practice of having separate budgets. Taking a swipe at the government, Moily said they are talking of bullet trains when the basics have not been rectified nor sufficient modernisation and technology has been put in place. "The clubbing of Railway Budget with the Union Budget has lost the focus on the railways. It is a major blunder committed by the NDA government. Mere focus on high-speed trains without taking into account safety and modernisation is a step in haste. It is necessary to go back to the Railway Budget," the former Union minister said in a statement. He also demanded that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw should tender his resignation on moral grounds. Faster rail movement and vast network deserves sound operational ecosystem which

Ashwini Vaishnaw holds meetings with officials, after returning from Odisha

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who returned to Delhi from Balasore in Odisha after reviewing the rescue and restoration work following the triple train accident, is holding a series of high-level meetings with officials here. He is scheduled to speak to general managers of all zonal railways later in the evening through video conferencing, sources said. Sources said that the meeting focused on safety drills in zones with a special focus on signalling and telecom across the railway network. The train accident in Balasore involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying over 2,500 passengers, and goods train laden with iron ore occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. At least 278 people were killed and more than 900 were injured in the accident.

Railways spent over Rs 1 trillion on safety between 2017-2022: Report

The railways has spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on safety measures between 2017-2018 and 2021-22 with a steady growth in expenditure on track renewal, according to an official document. Government sources also indicated that the railways will soon reply to a Comptroller and Auditor General of India's report that was cited by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to attack the Centre over the Friday triple-train accident in Odisha's Balasore that claimed 275 lives and injured more than 1,000 people. Kharge on Monday had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that "all the empty safety claims" of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have been "exposed". He also said there is serious concern among people about the deterioration in safety of railways. In his letter, Kharge had pointed out that the 2022 CAG report "Derailment in Indian Railways" highlights that funding for the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) has been reduced by a massive 79 per cent. It was claimed during the

Odisha crash: Commissioner of Railway Safety records statements of drivers

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on Monday recorded the statements of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, officials said. Both were rescued from the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured. Both the drivers are stable. While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery, South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told PTI. Families of both the drivers have appealed to all for privacy and allow them to recover physically and mentally. They claimed that the drivers could not be blamed for the mishap as they operated the locomotive according to rules. Earlier, the Railway Ministry had apparently given clean chit to both of them. The Commissioner Railway Safety, SER Circle, which began its inquiry into the .

Mamata Banerjee announces govt jobs for kin of Odisha train accident

: West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday announced state government jobs for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore. The West Bengal CM said that relatives of those who lost their limbs in the horrific crash will also be given government jobs. Banerjee added that her government will also give cash aid to those who were on board the Coromandel Express and are currently going through mental and physical trauma. She will visit Bhubanewsar and Cuttack on Tuesday to meet the injured passengers recuperating in different hospitals. She said currently there are 206 injured passengers from West Bengal admitted in different hospitals of Odisha. There are 33 critical passengers in Cuttack hospitals, she said, adding that a few Bengal ministers and senior officers will accompany her. She will distribute the ex gratia cheques and appointment letters to the next of the kin of the victims on Wednesday. The Bengal chief minister added that she

Wrestlers resume Railway duties, Sakshi to continue fight while working

After getting evicted from Jantar Mantar on May 28, top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat have resumed their duties in the Railways, sources said

Odisha train tragedy: 51 hours later, train movement restored on tracks

The restoration work started 15-17 hours after the tragedy, after a long rescue effort where frontline rescuers had difficulties navigating through the wreckage

'Coromandel would've derailed even if it hadn't collided with goods train'

Coromandel Express from Shalimar would have derailed even if it had not collided with freight train at Bahanaga Bazaar station near Odisha's Balasore on Friday evening, senior railway officials said