Page 29 - Railways

Balasore tragedy: No staff missing, all cooperating with CBI, says Railways

The South Eastern Railway (SER) on Tuesday clarified that none of its staff is missing or absconding and all are cooperating the CBI in its probe into triple-train mishap in Odisha

Several trains in Rajasthan cancelled in view of cyclonic storm Biparjoy

Several trains in Rajasthan have been cancelled in view of the cyclonic storm Biparjoy which caused a rampage in the State, officials said

85 Odisha NDRF rescuers undergo assessment for PTSD, found 'okay'

Eighty-five NDRF personnel who were part of the Odisha train accident rescue operations underwent a psychological assessment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on Friday, with an official saying they have been found to be "okay". The federal contingency force has made it mandatory for its personnel to undergo a counselling session to check for PSTD once they come back from operations in which they have seen people suffering from grievous injuries, screaming with pain and had to retrieve dead bodies. The assessment was conducted by experts from the AIIMS-Kalyani in West Bengal. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had deployed nine teams, drawn from its battalion bases in Mundali in Odisha and Kolkata, for rescue operations on June 2 following the three-train accident that claimed 290 lives and injured over 1,000. "Experts from the AIIMS located at Kalyani (in West Bengal's Nadia district) spoke to the 85 rescuers who were part of the rescue operation following the tra

Theft during train journey not deficiency in service by Railways: SC

Theft during a train journey is not a deficiency in service by the Railways and the public transporter cannot be held responsible if the passenger is not able to protect his own belongings, the Supreme Court has ruled. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah made the observation while setting aside an order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) which had directed the Railways to pay Rs 1 lakh to a businessman. The businessman had raised a claim before the District Consumer Forum stating he lost Rs 1 lakh cash he was carrying in a belt tied around his waist while travelling by a train, and sought reimbursement from the transport behemoth for his loss. "We fail to understand as to how the theft could be said to be in any way a deficiency in service by the Railways. If the passenger is not able to protect his own belongings, the Railways cannot be held responsible," the bench said. The top court was hearing an appeal filed by the Railways agai

RK Forgings, Titagarh Rail hit record highs; stocks zoom up to 93% in CY23

Their consortium has won contract to supply 1.54 million forged wheels under Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative by Ministry of Railways

Rlys completes stretch to halve coal logistics time as power demand rises

The shifting of coal traffic to the freight corridor will also bring a sigh of relief for passengers, as trains get stuck for hours around the DDU stretch due to congestion

Railway Board pulled up signalling staff in April for adopting 'short-cuts'

Signalling staffers were pulled up by the Railway Board in April for using "short-cuts" for reconnecting the signalling gear after maintenance work without proper testing of points. In a letter dated April 3, the board said five such incidents were reported from various railway zones. "Five incidents on the unsafe side involving points have taken place on various zonal railways," it said, describing these incidents as "alarming and an issue of serious concern". "The signalling gears were reconnected by signal and telecom staffers without proper testing of points after blocks for switch/turnout replacement, wrong wiring during preparatory works, attending signal failures etc.," the letter read. "Such practices reflect dilution of manual and codal provisions. The same is a potential hazard to safety in train operations and needs to be stopped," it said. Expressing its dissatisfaction with the signalling department, the board said these incidents indicate that despite repeated ...

KEC International surges 6% to hit 52-week high on Rs 1,373-crore order win

The company is witnessing a good traction in the tower supply orders, especially in North America, the management said.

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'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

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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