Articles by "Railway"
Kolkata, Sep 24: Train services in South Eastern Railway's (SER) Kharagpur division were affected since 6 am Monday owing to blockade by an umbrella organisation of the adivasis demanding recognition of their language, an SER spokesman said.
Members of the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa squatted on tracks in several stations such as Balichak, Nekusini, Salboni, Chattna and Khamasuli affecting train movement.
SER Spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said several mail, express and local trains were detained at various stations of Kharagpur-Howrah, Kharagpur-Tatanagar, Kharagpur-Bhadrak and Kharagpur-Adra sections.
Arrangements for drinking water and food have been made at major stations for the stranded passengers, he said. (PTI)
Muzaffarnagar, Sept 7: A 27-year-old man allegedly killed himself by jumping before a running train near the Ailam Railway Station in the neighbouring Shamli district, police said Friday.
They said Satish Kumar jumped before the train Thursday evening in an area near the railway station which falls under the jurisdiction of Kandhla police station.
Station House Officer Anil Kumar Singh said the body has been sent for postmortem. He said an investigation is underway to ascertain the reason that prompted the youth to take the extreme step.
In a separate incident, a 30-year-old man died after he came in contact with live wire at Gageru village under Kandhla police station in Shamli.
Police said the incident happened when Naeem Abbas was working in his house and touched the wire accidently. (PTI)
New Delhi, Aug 25: The railways is all set to come up with a revised flexi-fare scheme next month to bring in some relief for passengers, who, in some sectors pay as much as airfares for the premium trains, sources said.
They said the ministry is planning to suspend the scheme temporarily as an experiment during lean months in some identified trains as they are seeing occupancy as low as 30 per cent.
They said another option being considered is revising the scheme as per a formula used in the Humsafar trains in which the first 50 per cent berths will be sold at a 15 per cent higher price than the base price of A/C-3 tear mail and express train tickets.
The slab will go up with every 10 per cent of the berth sold thereafter.
Similarly, the government is also mulling options to bring in special discounts under the scheme in less busy routes.
The final shape for such a move will be announced by next week, an official said as its removal would also lead to refunds for advance bookings.
Recently, a CAG report had come down hard on the railways for the flexi-fare prices and it stated a comparison with airfare for 13 sectors showed that travelling in aeroplane was cheaper than in train for a large number of routes.
In terms of absolute numbers, the premium trains carried 2.40 crore passengers during post-flexi period (September 9, 2016 to July 31, 2017) as compared to 2.47 crore passengers during pre-flexi period (September 9, 2015 to July 31, 2016), said the CAG in its report. (PTI)
Kochi, Aug 16: The public transport system collapsed in many parts of central Kerala with the Southern Railways and Kochi Metro today suspending their operations due to floods.
Rise in flood waters in Periyar river due to continuous rains and opening of all shutters of all major dams including Mullaperiyar, Cheruthoni, part of Idukki reservoir, and Idamalayar, have severely hit life of people in the downstream areas.
The floods have affected the transport system to the Kochi city.
"Due to rise in water level at Bridge No 176 on Downline between Angamali and Aluva, The services on this bridge is suspended," a Southern railway spokesman said in a statement early today.
The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) also suspended its operations this morning after its yard in Muttom near Aluva submerged in the flood waters.
"Kochi Metro train operation is suspended as the water level rises in Muttom yard area," a KMRL statement said.
The service will be resumed once the water comes down and the systems are back in good condition, its spokesperson said.
Bus services to Kochi were also affected after National Highways connecting the city submerged in Kalamassery area, officials said.
Cochin International Airport had yesterday suspended all flight operations till Saturday as water entered in the airport area following continuous rains and the opening of dam shutters in Periyar river. (PTI)
New Delhi, Aug 9: A record 74 per cent candidates were present in the first shift of the railways' mega online exam for more than 60,000 jobs that began today, the national transporter said.
Around 1,19,110 candidates out of 1,61,332 gave the exam at 416 centres across 160 cities of the country. The attendance is a record for all Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams since 2015 -- both for offline as well as online tests, it said.
Nearly 48 lakh candidates will be taking the exam for 66,502 vacancies of assistant loco-pilots (ALP) and technicians. The exams will be conducted in a phased manner till August 31. The next set of exams is tomorrow, followed by August 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 29, 30 and 31. (PTI)
Mumbai, Aug 8: The Central Railway has planted 2.73 lakh saplings in its various divisions in the last two months as a part of its effort to increase the green cover, an official said.
The sapling plantation drive was launched on June 5, the World Environment Day.
More than 2.73 lakh saplings were planted till July-end in the rail divisions of Solapur, Bhusawal, Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai, Chief Railway's chief PRO Sunil Udasi said yesterday.
"These plants will be maintained by the Maharashtra forest department for the next three years," Udasi said.
In a bid to protect and improve the environment, the Central Railway signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state forest department last year to plant trees on land available on the sides of railway tracks.
These trees will not only add to the green cover but also help in reducing the air pollution and improve the ecological cycle, Udasi said.
The campaign will continue till the end of this monsoon season to achieve the target of planting 7.25 lakh saplings in 2018-19, he added. (PTI)
Kolkata, Aug 1: All India Matua Mahasangha, an organisation of backward classes, today resorted to rail blockade at different railway stations in Eastern Railway's Sealdah section claiming that the complete draft of the NRC will leave many people homeless.
Protesting the exclusion of 40 lakh people from the complete draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the All India Matua Mahasangha blocked train movement at different stations during peak office hours.
An Eastern Railway spokesperson said train movement in the Sealdah north section has been blocked by the agitators at different stations since 8.30 am, hampering services in Sealdah-Hasnabad, Sealdah-Naihati lines.
"Train movement has been affected by blockades owing to non-railway issue. We are requesting and trying to convince the agitators to lift the blockades," ER spokesperson R N Mahapatra said.
Blockades were also reported at Thakurnagar, Sandalia, Palta and some other stations.
The complete draft of the NRC in Assam was published on July 30. (PTI)
Mumbai, Jul 30: The Western Railway (WR) has completed the Udhana-Jalgaon double line project which was sanctioned in the Railway Budget of 2009.
The 305-km-long project, linking Udhana in Surat district of Gujarat to Jalgaon district in North Maharashtra, entailed a cost of Rs 2446.85 crore and will provide a fillip to growth in areas falling under this rail section, an official said.
WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said traffic movement on the stretch, which has 44 stations, commenced on July 22.
As many as 380 bridges, 31 foot over-bridges (FOBs), 66 high level platforms, 24 medium level platforms and seven rail level platforms were constructed as part of the project, said a statement issued by the WR's PR department.
Passenger amenities like shelters, toilets and waiting rooms, among others, have also been provided, it said.
Underlining the benefits of the project, Bhakar said apart from increasing the capacity of ferrying passengers as well as goods, the double line will improve punctuality and streamline train operations.
"It will act as a catalyst for development of Nandurbar, Vyara, Dharangaon and other places on the section.
Beside, it will provide link for North Maharashtra with the under-construction Dedicated Freight Corridor (Delhi-Mumbai)," he said. (PTI)
Gorakhpur (UP), Jul 28: A consignment of fertilizer took almost four years to travel a distance 1,326 km and reach its destination, courtesy the railways.
A goods train wagon carrying 1,316 bags of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer was booked on November 10, 2014. When it reached Basti railway station in Uttar Pradesh from Vishakhapatnam on Wednesday around 3.30 pm, even the rail officials and staff were taken by surprise.
The distance is otherwise covered in 42 hours and 13 minutes.
The Chief Public Relation Officer of North Eastern Railway zone, Sanjay Yadav, said, "Sometimes, when some wagon or bogie becomes sick (unfit to ferry), it is sent to the yard and it seems that the same happened in this case too."
The consignee is Ramchandra Gupta, a businessman of Basti, and the wagon was booked in his name in 2014 from Vishakhapatnam through Indian Potash limited (IPL), Yadav said.
When contacted, Gupta said, "It was company material and I had not paid for it. The matter is between the company and the Indian railway."
IPL Assistant Marketing Manager in Gorakhpur, DK Saxena said, "Yes, in November 2014 a rake was booked from Vishkhapatnam for Basti area distributers and somehow the wagon was missed from the rake."
Saxena said Gupta is the handling and buffer agent of the company and the cost of the material is Rs 14 lakh.
The company has already lodged claim on Railways and we will receive the consignment after assessment of the material, he said. (PTI)
Kolkata, Jul 27: The train services in Asansol division of the Eastern Railway were today affected following a landslip at the edge of a minor road overbridge near Kulti station due to rain, an ER spokesperson said.
Patrolmen of the Eastern Railway noticed the landslip this morning at the edge of a small road overbridge that cross the railway tracks near Kulti station in Asansol-Dhanbad division and immediately informed higher authorities, ER spokesperson R N Mahapatra said.
The train services in the UP direction from Howrah and Sealdah via this route have been suspended owing to the landslip as a precautionary measure, he said
"Services in the Down direction from Dhanbad is being maintained through the route," he said.
Trains to different destinations in the UP direction are being diverted via Chittaranjan, he said.
The landslip occurred due to heavy rain for the last two days, he said.
Important trains, including two Rajdhani Express, connecting Howrah and Sealdah with Delhi and other destinations in northern part of the country pass through this route. (PTI)
Mumbai, Jul 26: A railway worker on duty near tracks in Mumbai died, with a rail union alleging that he was hit by a train commuter, a charge denied by the police.
Shravan Sanap (46) was on track maintenance duty yesterday between Mahalaxmi and Lower Parel stations along with seven other workers when the incident occurred.
Western Railway Majdoor Sangh's divisional secretary Ajay Singh alleged that Sanap was kicked by a commuter of the moving train due to which he lost his balance and fell on the emergency steps located under the train's foot-board.
Sanap died of the serious head injuries received in the incident, Singh said.
However, senior inspector Shailendra Dhiwar, Mumbai Central Government Railway Police (GRP), said the preliminary investigation revealed that Sanap was not kicked by the commuter.
"We have recorded the statement of the train's motorman and other track men who were present at the spot.
They said the motorman had alerted them by pressing the hooter and all the track men, except Sanap, moved away," Dhiwar said.
Sanap was hit by the running train which led to his death, he said.
A case of accidental death has been registered and further investigation is on, Dhiwar said.
The Western Railway Majdoor Sangh, however, raised doubts over the motorman's version.
"If Sanap was late in moving away from the train, then he would have been hit by the first coach. How is it then possible that he was hit by the train's ninth coach," Singh said.
He demanded that the offender be booked on charges of murder.
Singh also claimed that Sanap was taken very late to the hospital and had he been rushed there quickly, his life could have been saved.
Western Railway's Chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar said they have taken serious cognisance of the incident and both the GRP and the Railway Protection Force are investigating it.
On the allegations of Sanap having been kicked by a commuter, he said, "If is it so, then it is very unfortunate.
We appeal to passengers not to indulge in acts that could harm anyone." (PTI)
Amethi (UP), Jul 24: One bogie of a goods train derailed near the Akbarganj railway station in Amethi late last night, affecting rail traffic, an official said.
"The goods train was on its way to Lucknow when one of its bogies derailed late last night, hitting rail traffic. However, there was no reports of any casualty or injury," ADRM, Northern Railway, A K Srivastava said.
A team of railway officials and workers reached the spot and efforts were on to remove the bogie and restore the traffic, he added. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jul 24: The Indian Railways' global tender worth Rs 2,500 crore for the supply of long rails will open today, sources in the ministry said.
The railways had to invite the global tender for procuring around 4.87 lakh metric tonnes of rails to meet the shortfall of supply from the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
The financial bids for the rails will be opened at 3 pm, the sources said.
Seven foreign steel companies and the Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) have bid for the contract.
This is the first time in three decades that rail procurement has been opened for the private sector.
JSPL, the only Indian steel maker in the fray, is expected to get an assured order of 20 per cent under the 'Make in India' clause.
The foreign entities are Sumitomo Corporation, Angang Group International, Voestalpine Schienen, East Metals, CRM Hong Kong, British Steel France Rail and Atlantic Steel.
JSPL has been invited by the railways to be present at the opening of the financial bids this afternoon.
"We have been invited by the Railway Ministry for the purpose," a company official confirmed.
Till now, the national transporter was procuring rails from government-owned SAIL. It decided on an extra global tender after anticipating that SAIL would not be able to supply the 7,17,000 tonnes required for 2017-18 and 2018-19, as estimated at that time.
The railways is looking at 4,000 km of track renewal in each of the next two financial years --2018-19 and 2019-20. Its estimated cost for 2018-19 is a little above Rs 10,000 crore. (PTI)
New Delhi, July 20: Indian Railways will have 100 per cent bio toilets by next year that will make tracks safe and eliminate defacation on the rail lines, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said today.
He said that bio toilets was one of the most successful stories of the Railways as 60 per cent of the coaches have already been fitted with it so far.
"The toilets on the entire rail netwok, whether passenger trains, express, Duronto, Rajdhani or unreserved ones, will be replaced with bio toilets. We have already completed alomost 60 per cent of the coaches.
"The work on the balance is going on expeditiously and by next year, it will be 100 per cent bio toilets in the railways," the Minister said.
He said this will completely eliminate defacation on the tracks, which is not only unhygenic but affects rail safety because the uric acid damages them, causing accidents.
"The Railways proposed to complete the work of installation of bio-toilets in balance coaches in 2019. An outlay of Rs 1,220 crore has been provided for completion of this work," Goyal said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
He said work was on to retro-fit additional vaccum- assisted flushing units in these toilets, which have been developed with the help of the DRDO under the 'Make In India' drive instead of importing them. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jul 20: Railways' premium trains Shatabdi and Rajdhani ran late by around 30 per cent and 22 per cent respectively during the last two months, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain informed Rajya Sabha today.
He said that over April-June, the punctuality of trains was affected due to large scale maintenance work being carried out on the tracks.
He said railways took 4,60,56 hours for such work during April-June 2018 as against 4,11,627 hours during the same period in 2017. It is 11.89 per cent more then the last year.
"Various steps have been initiated to improve punctuality such as prioritisation of preventive maintenance of assets to minimize asset failures, capacity enhancement projects by construction of additional loop lines at stations, doubling, construction of third line corridors...Besides, punctuality drives are launched from time to time and staff involved in train operations are sensitised," he said.
Among the worst performing zones in the said period, the punctuality of Rajdhani trains in the south east central zone was 30.77 per cent, while 54.93 per cent of Shatabdi trains ran on time in the eastern zone.
In the best performing zones, Rajdhani trains running in south central zone remained 100 per cent on time, while Shatabdis in the south eastern zone recorded a punctuality of almost 92 per cent. (PTI)
Jammu, Jul 19: A 35-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a train in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, a railway police official said today.
The woman was crossing railway tracks near Raya Morh when she was hit by train last evening, the official said, adding she died on the spot.
Efforts are on to establish her identity. (PTI)
Mumbai, Jul 18: A foot over-bridge (FOB) connected to the Matunga railway station on the Central Railway has been shut for public after cracks were found in it, civic officials said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to close this FOB for people last week.
"The Matunga (west) FOB connected to the railway station was shut for public use last week after cracks were found on it. BMC's bridge department will soon come out with an inspection report in this regard," a ward official said.
Any decision regarding its repair or re-opening will be taken as per the report, he added.
On July 3, a portion of Gokhale road over-bridge (ROB) had collapsed over the railway tracks at Andheri station, which left five people injured, including a 36-year-old woman who died few days later. The incident had paralysed the Western Railway's (WR) local train services on that day and also hit the operations of some long-distance trains.
On July 15, the WR had stopped the suburban train operations after a citizen alerted it about a "huge leakage" in Khar subway. After the call, the WR engineers had carried out an inspection of the leakage site.
An official of the bridges department of the BMC said a structural audit of all the 274 bridges across the city was underway and an action plan for their repairs, maintenance and reconstruction would be prepared soon.
"Our department has been carrying out the structural audit of 274 bridges since the last year. The work is in the final stages," BMC chief engineer (bridges) Shitlaprasad Kori told PTI.
"Hopefully, we will soon prepare a list of bridges under various categories- those in good condition, requiring minor repairs, major repairs or requiring reconstruction," the official said.
Of these 274 bridges spread across the city, 137 are located in the western suburbs, 60 in the eastern suburbs while 77 are in the main city. (PTI)
Jamshedpur, July 14: The Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway has distributed electronic note books among 47 girls of lower grade employees, a railway official said.
The purpose is to empower the girl students of class X1 and X11 to pursue their studies, said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Chakradharpur Division) Bhaskar said.
The gadgets were distributed at a function in Chakradharpur yesterday.
He said Indian Railway had been implementing various welfare scheme for the wards of the lower grade employees from its Employees Welfare Fund round the year. (PTI)
Mumbai, Jul 13: A 50-year-old woman employed with a public sector bank lost her life after she slipped into the gap between the train and a platform in suburban Borivali, a Railway Police official said today.
Alka Patade, working with Bank of India, was on her way to office in BKC, a business district in suburban Mumbai, when she slipped into the gap while trying to board a moving Churchgate-bound train amid morning rush yesterday, he said.
She suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead by doctors, the official said.
The bank staffer was crushed under the train's wheels and a passenger shot a video that showed her lying unconscious on the tracks, he added.
When contacted, a senior Western Railway official said, "We have raised the platform height at all stations from Churchgate to Virar and keep conducting drives to sensitise commuters about safe travelling."
Crossing tracks, falling off overcrowded trains, getting electrocuted while travelling on rain rooftops and gaps between the platform and the train are the main reasons for death of passengers on the rail network in Mumbai. (PTI)
Hisar (Har), Jul 13: A tree fell on the windshield of the Bathinda-bound Kisan Expres during heavy rains and storm, leaving the loco pilot injured, railway officials said today.
The train was running between Jakhod Khera and Adampur railway stations of North-Western Railway when the incident took place yesterday.
Officials said the tree hit the windshield of the engine at 7: 30 pm yesterday amid storm and heavy rains.
Some pieces of the broken windshield hit loco pilot Komal Prasad of Ghaziabad.
He was admitted to the Civil Hospital Adampur from where he has been discharged after first aid.
After the incident, another engine was brought to Adampur from Sirsa and the train left for its destination after a delay of about two hours, the officials said. (PTI)
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