Indian Economy-News & Updates

[Hindustani78]

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicating an electrified railway line between Mysuru and Bengaluru to the Nation, at Mysuru Railway Station, in Karnataka on February 19, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagging off the Palace Queen Humsafar Express between Mysuru and Udaipur, at Mysuru Railway Station, in Karnataka on February 19, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagging off the Palace Queen Humsafar Express between Mysuru and Udaipur, at Mysuru Railway Station, in Karnataka on February 19, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the Palace Queen Humsafar Express between Mysuru and Udaipur, at Mysuru Railway Station, in Karnataka on February 19, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi being seen off by the Governor of Karnataka, Shri Vajubhai Vala, on his departure from Mysuru, in Karnataka on February 19, 2018.

 

[Shiroyama]

Need Bangalore to Mumbai bullet train

 

[Hindustani78]

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
20-February, 2018 13:11 IST
Bhatni-Aurnihar Line Doubling with Electrification

CCEA approves 116.95 Km long Bhatni-Aurnihar line doubling with electrification at a completion cost of Rs. 1300.9 crore Likely to be completed by 2021-22 Doubling project will ensure higher speed, reduce train delays, enhance safety by allowing more time for track/block maintenance, and provide additional capacity for future increase in traffic Decongestion of Mughalsarai-Allahabad route thereby benefiting passengers traveling to Eastern India especially Bihar, West Bengal and North East

By easing the connectivity in Varanasi district, often referred to as the Spiritual Capital of India it will give a boost to pilgrimage, tourism and the local economy



Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, it will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.



Generate direct employment during construction of about 28.07 lakh mandays



The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved 116.95 Km long Bhatni-Aurnihar line doubling with electrification at a completion cost of Rs. 1300.9 crore and is likely to be completed by 2021-22. The project will cover the districts of Deoria, Ballia, Mau and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.



Aurnihar is junction station of Varanasi division having connectivity towards four sides namely Aurnihar-Chhapra, Aurnihar-Bhatni, Aurnihar-Jaunpur and Aurnihar-Varanasi. Present line capacity utilization of the section is 118% leading to congestion and slower train movement. The doubling project will ensure higher speed, reduce train delays, enhance safety by allowing more time for track/block maintenance, and provide additional capacity for future increase in traffic.



Allahabad-Mughalsarai route of North Central Railway is over saturated and there is heavy congestion at Mughalsarai. Doubling of this route will allow shifting of traffic from Mughalsarai-Allahabad route to this route thereby decongesting it. This will benefit passengers traveling to Eastern India especially Bihar, West Bengal and North East.



Further, by easing the connectivity in Varanasi district, often referred to as the Spiritual Capital of India it will give a boost to pilgrimage, tourism and the local economy



Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, It will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.



In addition, the project will generate direct employment during construction of about 28.07 lakh mandays.

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
20-February, 2018 13:10 IST
Jhansi-Manikpur and Bhimsen-Khairar lines Doubling with Electrification

CCEA approves 425 Km long Jhansi-Manikpur and Bhimsen-Khairar lines doubling and electrification projects at a completion cost of Rs. 4955.72 crore Likely to be completed by 2022-23 Improve punctuality, and better safety through improved availability for maintenance blocks Will be important feeder route for Dedicated Freight Corridor Improve connectivity to Khajuraho which is an international tourist destination Generate direct employment during construction of about 102 lakh mandays

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved 425 Km long Jhansi-Manikpur and Bhimsen-Khairar lines doubling and electrification projects at a completion cost of Rs. 4955.72 crore. These are likely to be completed by 2022-23. The projects will cover the districts of Jhansi, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakut Dham in Uttar Pradesh and Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh.



The present line capacity utilization of Jhansi-Khairar, Khairar-Manikpur and Khairar-Bhimsen is 126%, 160% and 107% respectively, which leads to congestion and slow movement of trains.



The doubling will provide for easy movement of trains going/coming from Jhansi/Kanpur and coming/going to Allahabad without any stoppage for crossing of trains of opposite direction. It will improve punctuality of passenger trains and smooth running on the routes of Jhansi-Satna and Kanpur-Satna. It will also help in better safety through improved availability for maintenance blocks. It will also result in overall development of Bundelkhand region.



It may be noted that DFC (Dedicated Freight Corridor) connectivity will be near Bhimsen. Thus, this route will also act as a feeder route of DFC and help in economic and industrial development through swift movement of goods especially agricultural produce to consumer areas, and to ports for export. The cement cluster in Satna and infrastructure sector will be another major beneficiary from this development through smoother movement of cement.



It will also improve connectivity to Khajuraho which is an international tourist destination. This will also lead to economic prosperity and employment opportunities through tourism in the region.



Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, It will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.



In addition, these projects will generate direct employment during construction of about 102 lakh mandays.



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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
20-February, 2018 13:09 IST
Jeypore-Malkangiri New Line Project

CCEA approves 130 Km long Jeypore-Malkangiri New Line project at a completion cost of Rs. 2676.11 crore Likely to be completed by 2021-22 Malkangiri and Koraput districts are among the identified left wing extremism (LWE) affected districts in the country Will result in short lead to many other places of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh Provide basic infrastructure support for overall development including industrial development of the area having large socio economic ramifications Will also help in combating left wing extremism through development Generate direct employment during construction of about 31.2 lakh mandays

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved 130 Km long Jeypore-Malkangiri New Line project at a completion cost of Rs. 2676.11 crore and is likely to be completed by 2021-22. The project will cover the districts of Koraput and Malkangiri of Odisha State.



Malkangiri and Koraput districts are among the identified left wing extremism (LWE) affected districts in the country. These areas are also amongst the 115 aspirational districts. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a clarion call to develop these districts to help achieve the vision of New India by 2022.



The proposed new line will connect Malkangiri, Boipariguda, Tanginiguda, Mathili, Pondripani Road and other major towns to Jeypore station on the existing Kottavalasa-Kirandul line. Further, connectivity to important towns viz. Koraput, Jeypore, Jagdalpur, Dantewara will improve. It will also result in short lead to many other places of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.



At present Malkangiri has no connectivity with Railways. The new line will provide basic infrastructure support for overall development including industrial development of the area having large socio economic ramifications. This project will provide connectivity to this region, and will help provide economic opportunities to the people of these regions. This will also help in combating left wing extremism through development.



In addition, this project will generate direct employment during construction of about 31.2 lakh mandays.

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
20-February, 2018 13:08 IST
Muzaffarpur-Sagauli & Sagauli-Valmiki Nagar lines Doubling with Electrification

CCEA approves 100.6 Km long Muzaffarpur-Sagauli & 109.7 Km Sagauli-Valmiki Nagar lines Doubling projects with electrification at completion costs of Rs. 1347.61 crore, Rs. 1381.49 crore respectively These projects will cover the districts of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran (Motihari) and West Champaran (Bettiah) in Bihar At present passenger trains suffer congestion and stoppages on Muzaffarpur to Valmiki Nagar route as the line capacity utilization is upto 213%. Additional capacity will ease congestion and allow faster and reliable movement with minimum delays Muzaffarpur-Sagauli & Sagauli-Valmiki Nagar projects will generate direct employment during construction for 24.14 lakh mandays and 26.33 lakh mandays respectively

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the 100.6 Km long Muzaffarpur-Sagauli & 109.7 Km Sagauli-Valmiki Nagar lines Doubling projects with electrification at completion costs of Rs. 1347.61 crore, Rs. 1381.49 crore respectively. These projects will cover the districts of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran (Motihari) and West Champaran (Bettiah) in Bihar.



Areas served by this route are densely population regions of north Bihar. At present passenger trains suffer congestion and stoppages on Muzaffarpur to Valmiki Nagar route as the line capacity utilization is upto 213%. 38 mail/express trains are running in this section with thousands of passengers travelling daily. Additional capacity will ease congestion and allow faster and reliable movement with minimum delays. In addition, it will enhance safety through more availability of maintenance blocks.



In addition to decongesting the entire route from Muzaffarpur to Valmiki Nagar, doubling will improve capacity and connectivity, thus paving way for economic prosperity and overall development of the region. Development of eastern regions of the country is important for achieving the ‘New India’ vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister by 2022.Champaran is on the border with Nepal, thus doubling of this line will lead to better connectivity with neighbouring countries as well.



Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, It will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.



In addition, Muzaffarpur-Sagauli & Sagauli-Valmiki Nagar projects will generate direct employment during construction for 24.14 lakh mandays and 26.33 lakh mandays respectively.

*****

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launching the two books of Dr. Bibek Debroy namely “Bharat Vapas Patari Par” and “Bharatiya Rail Desh Ki Jeevan- Rekha”, at a function, in New Delhi on February 21, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the launch of the two books of Dr. Bibek Debroy namely “Bharat Vapas Patari Par” and “Bharatiya Rail Desh Ki Jeevan - Rekha”, at a function, in New Delhi on February 21, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the launch of the two books of Dr. Bibek Debroy namely “Bharat Vapas Patari Par” and “Bharatiya Rail Desh Ki Jeevan - Rekha”, at a function, in New Delhi on February 21, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
22-February, 2018 19:41 IST
Shri Piyush Goyal Launches Digital Receipt Note, Receipted Challan & Digital Bill Submission to Improve Transparency.

Digitization of Suppliers’ bills will be a great step forward towards improving transparency & this will align Industry with “Digital India” initiative. Shri Manoj Sinha Inaugurates Suppliers’ Samvad in New Delhi Today.

Indian Railways has been implementing various initiatives to improve its efficiency and promote Ease of Doing Business. In order to disseminate the information on such initiatives and to have open house discussion with its vendors, covering above areas and formulate plan and strategy to meet future challenges, Ministry of Railways organized “Suppliers’ Samvad – Journey towards Digitisation, Transparency & Ease of Doing Business” in association with RITES Ltd. and The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) here today.

To mark the occasion Union Minister of Railways & Coal Shri Piyush Goyal also launched Digital Receipt Note, Receipted Challan & Digital Bill Submission to improve transparency & Ease of Doing Business.

Minister of State of Railways & Minister of State of Communications (I/C) inaugurated the Suppliers’ Samvad organized by Ministry of Railways. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, other Railway Board Members, senior officials of Railway Board and representatives from ASSOCHAM were also present on the occasion.

This Samvad allowed Stakeholders to discuss new ideas, issues, challenges, opportunities and concerns with an open mind. Sharing of different perspectives, experiences and knowledge will lead to better understanding of issues involved to efficiently utilize the opportunities and effectively respond to the challenges for creating a win-win solution.

This Samvad also helped in realizing Prime Minister’s dream of “Digital India Where Access To Information Knows No Barrier”.

Supply Chain of Indian Railways is regulated through a Single online web based platform which handles :

• • More than ₹ 50,000 Crores procurement through 100% E-Tenders annually
  • More than ₹ 3,000 Crores Auction Sale through100% E-Auctions annually
  • More than 3.5 lakh e-tenders annually.
  • More than 76,000 Registered Vendors.
  • More than 3,000 Registered Bidders for sale of scrap materials.

Indian Railways is planning transformational changes and has geared up to access, understand and overcome any challenges in the journey with equal participation from the Industry. During Suppliers’ Samvad, Railways launched Digitisation of Suppliers’ bills which will be a great step forward towards improving transparency & Ease of Doing Business. It will enhance trust in the Railway-Vendor relationship which shall be a big step in the direction of Indian Railways’ journey towards “Digitisation”, “Transparency” & “Ease of Doing Business”. Digitisation of Suppliers’ bills will provide end-to-end digital and paperless contracting, it is convenient to both Railways and vendors, and will result in faster transactions.

Indian Railways’ efforts are not limited to just digitizing its Supply Chain, but has taken various initiatives for development of indigenous vendors and the MSME sector. It will keep focusing towards increasing participation of indigenous suppliers especially MSMEs. It is very prompt in implementing any policy that envisions benefits to vendors. Few such policies are ‘Make in India’ and preference to domestically manufactured electronic, Iron and Steel products.

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Ministry of Railways
22-February, 2018 19:29 IST
Indian Railways Eases Application for Mega-recruitment Plan

Railways has made changes with respect to certain criteria so that more aspiring candidates from all sections of society get opportunity to serve the nation by working for Indian Railways. Age relaxation restored for various categories of candidates by further extending relaxation by 2 more years. For non-exempt candidates who have to pay Rs. 500/- as examination fees, Rs. 400/- will be refunded if they appear for the exam. Educational Qualifications criteria for Level I will be class 10th or ITI or equivalent, again for this exam. Question papers to candidates will be provided in 15 languages. Candidates can now make signature in any language instead of only in Hindi or English.

Ministry of Railways has announced one of the world’s largest recruitment processes for 89,409 posts in Group C and Level I (Erstwhile Group D) and Level II Categories. Since this recruitment process is taking place after a gap of 4 years, many changes proposed in the intervening years had been included this time. However, some of these changes had restricted many candidates from applying this year without any adequate information in advance. Railways is also the lifeline of travel in India, and to provide the best service, its own staff should reflect the diversity and inclusiveness of the country.

Accordingly, Ministry of Railways has made changes with respect to certain criteria so that more aspiring candidates from all sections of society get opportunity to serve the nation by working for Indian Railways.

These changes include -

1. Age relaxation restored: Age restriction made many candidates who would normally have expected to be eligible to apply, ineligible. Therefore, age relaxation to various categories has been further extended by 2 years. Thus, revised age limit for applicants are as under:-

CEN 01/2018 – Asst. Loco Pilot (ALP) & Technician

(age in years)

Community

Notified

Revised

UR

28

30

OBC

31

33

SC

33

35

ST

33

35

CEN 02/2018 – Level-1 (erstwhile Group D)

(Age in years)

Community

Notified

Revised

UR

31

33

OBC

34

36

SC

36

38

ST

36

38

1. Examination fees were levied to discourage non-serious candidates who applying and do not appear for the exam. This would save the Railways substantial amount of resources spent on setting up infrastructure to enable candidates to appear for exams. Examination fees for recruitment were fixed at Rs. 500/- for non-exempted candidates. It is now decided that Rs. 400/- will be refunded to those candidates who appear for the exam. To enable refund of this amount, candidates will be required to submit details of their bank accounts online. This facility will be executed shortly. Exempted categories like SC / ST / Divyang / Ex-servicemen / Women / Minorities / Economically Backward Classes will be charged Rs. 250/-. The whole of this amount will be refunded to those candidates from these categories who appear for the exam. These fees will ensure only serious candidates appear.
2. Educational Qualifications: Minimum educational qualifications for all Level I posts were class 10th or ITI or equivalent till July, 2017. In July, 2017 for many of these Level I posts, criteria was changed to class 10th and ITI or equivalent. This was not known the people in advance and was unfair to candidates who had been preparing over the past years for this recruitment. Candidates would have got a chance to acquire the required certifications and qualifications had they been given adequate advance notice. Therefore, it has now been decided that for this exam, criteria will be class 10th or ITI or equivalent, again. This will enable more candidates to apply for the posts and ensure wider participation. In addition, Railways has planned further training programmes to ensure better skills for staff.
3. Language: Question papers to candidates will be provided in 15 languages – Hindi, English, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. This will ensure opportunities for candidates across India.
4. Signature: Candidates can now make signature in any language instead of only in Hindi or English. This will adequately reflect the diversity and plurality of India.

******

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
23-February, 2018 14:12 IST
Indian Railways inducts two State-of-the-Art High Horse Power Locomotives.

These High Horse Power Locomotives are designed & developed under the Make in India Program under PPP Agreement with M/s General Electric

First Fully Digitally Enabled Locomotive with greater Reliability, Maintainability and Availability.

Indian Railways in collaboration with M/S General Electric (GE) under the Public Private Partnership initiative has inducted two Digitally Enabled Locomotives based on the state of the art insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology which enables the combined advantages of high efficiency and fast switching. As a gesture of inducting the two HHP locomotives on the Indian Railway system, GE handed over the symbolic reverser keys to Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani at a ceremony held at Northern Railway’s Diesel Loco Shed, Alambagh, Lucknow.



The two HHP prototypes locomotives were wholly designed in India under the Make in India program and manufactured under the Public Private partnership through a MOU with GE. The total investment amount is Rs.13000 crore and under the agreement Indian Railways has a 26% stake. The first GE manufactured Diesel locomotive No 49001 for Indian Railways, shipped from USA, landed in the country on 11th October 2017 and was put to extensive trials. The Salient features of the GE Locomotive are four stroke engine, 12 cylinders, 06 traction motors, AC Dual Cab locomotive; Safety features for self load, toilet facility, Upgraded Computer Controlled Braking (CCB system), Electronic Fuel Injection system, Fuel Efficient locomotive, IGBT based traction technology, Compliant with India’s UIC emission norm. The locomotive is also the first fully digitally enabled locomotive with greater reliability and availability and is also provided with a device to manage disasters. In a bid to setting higher benchmarks in maintenance of its assets for better reliability and safety, the Indian Railways had set up maintenance sheds at Roza, UP and Gandhidham, Gujarat.





GE is providing locomotive technology to Indian Railway and by 2025, through a joint venture company it will manufacture 1000 fuel-efficient locomotives (100 per year) that will be used for freight traffic hauling. Amongst these 700 locomotives will be 4500HP WDG4G and rest 300 locomotives will be of 6000HP. Initially 40 fuel efficient diesel locomotives will be manufactured in GE facility at Erie, Pennsylvania, USA and the rest 960 diesel locomotives will be manufactured in Marhoura, Saran District, Bihar. This production unit spread over 9.15 hectares, with township facility with a total area of 200 acres. This factory will start loco manufacturing from October 2018. Locos will be maintained in Roza, UP and Gandhidham, Gujarat.



IGBT Technology has a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which and was later developed to give the combined advantages of high efficiency and fast switching. It offers greater power gain than the standard bipolar type transistor combined with the higher voltage operation and lower input losses.





***

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
23-February, 2018 14:12 IST
Indian Railways inducts two State-of-the-Art High Horse Power Locomotives.

These High Horse Power Locomotives are designed & developed under the Make in India Program under PPP Agreement with M/s General Electric

First Fully Digitally Enabled Locomotive with greater Reliability, Maintainability and Availability.

Indian Railways in collaboration with M/S General Electric (GE) under the Public Private Partnership initiative has inducted two Digitally Enabled Locomotives based on the state of the art insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology which enables the combined advantages of high efficiency and fast switching. As a gesture of inducting the two HHP locomotives on the Indian Railway system, GE handed over the symbolic reverser keys to Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani at a ceremony held at Northern Railway’s Diesel Loco Shed, Alambagh, Lucknow.

The two HHP prototypes locomotives were wholly designed in India under the Make in India program and manufactured under the Public Private partnership through a MOU with GE. The total investment amount is Rs.13000 crore and under the agreement Indian Railways has a 26% stake. The first GE manufactured Diesel locomotive No 49001 for Indian Railways, shipped from USA, landed in the country on 11th October 2017 and was put to extensive trials. The Salient features of the GE Locomotive are four stroke engine, 12 cylinders, 06 traction motors, AC Dual Cab locomotive; Safety features for self load, toilet facility, Upgraded Computer Controlled Braking (CCB system), Electronic Fuel Injection system, Fuel Efficient locomotive, IGBT based traction technology, Compliant with India’s UIC emission norm. The locomotive is also the first fully digitally enabled locomotive with greater reliability and availability and is also provided with a device to manage disasters. In a bid to setting higher benchmarks in maintenance of its assets for better reliability and safety, the Indian Railways had set up maintenance sheds at Roza, UP and Gandhidham, Gujarat.

GE is providing locomotive technology to Indian Railway and by 2025, through a joint venture company it will manufacture 1000 fuel-efficient locomotives (100 per year) that will be used for freight traffic hauling. Amongst these 700 locomotives will be 4500HP WDG4G and rest 300 locomotives will be of 6000HP. Initially 40 fuel efficient diesel locomotives will be manufactured in GE facility at Erie, Pennsylvania, USA and the rest 960 diesel locomotives will be manufactured in Marhoura, Saran District, Bihar. This production unit spread over 9.15 hectares, with township facility with a total area of 200 acres. This factory will start loco manufacturing from October 2018. Locos will be maintained in Roza, UP and Gandhidham, Gujarat.

IGBT Technology has a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which and was later developed to give the combined advantages of high efficiency and fast switching. It offers greater power gain than the standard bipolar type transistor combined with the higher voltage operation and lower input losses.


***

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
26-February, 2018 17:50 IST
‘SRIJAN’ (Station Rejuvenation Initiative through Joint ActioN), an idea competition for 635 Station Development on Indian Railways, has been launched at MyGov portal.

The winner for logo competition will get cash prize of Rs 75,000/-and for tagline also will get Rs 75,000/-. The last date of submission of entries is 26th March, 2018.

IRSDC extends an open invitation for developing concept and master plans for redevelopment of stations firms & professionals interested for Station Development.

Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) is taking up redevelopment of around 600 major Railway stations across the country. In this mega exercise, assistance and involvement of all stakeholders i.e. railway passengers, urban planners, architects, engineers is important. Towards this objective of stakeholders’ consultation, an idea competition for development of 635 stations on Indian Railways, ‘SRIJAN’ (Station Rejuvenation through Joint ActioN) has been launched at MyGov portal since 26.01.2018. The last date for submission of entries in this competition is 26.03.2018. The winners will get certificates and worthy ideas will be incorporated in the designs.

IRSDC has also launched competition through Mygov portal for IRSDC logo and tagline. The winner for logo competition will get cash prize of Rs 75,000/-and for tagline also will get Rs 75,000/-. The last date of submission of entries is 26.3.18.

IRSDC has carried out one round of empanelment and 11 firms have been empanelled in A, B and C category. However, for more number of architectural firms required to simultaneously work on all stations, hence second round of Request for Empanelment (RFE) is already called which will be a continuous exercise henceforth.

Further, for all professionals, an open invitation for developing concept and master plans for redevelopment of stations has been given at the website https://www.irsdc.com/images/Invitation Concept Plan 120218.pdf . The last date for submission for their interests for stations is now 09.03.18. An ‘Architect-Samvad’ has been planned to be held shortly in March’18 in which Minister of Railways shall also interact with architects to discuss strategy to take the program forward.

First round of International Design Competition for three stations i.e. Gwalior, Nagpur and Bayappanhalli has been completed and the second stage will be completed by 31.03.2018. After the same, Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) tenders for these stations will be called. For five stations, i.e. Chandigarh, Anand Vihar (Delhi), Secundrabad, Bangalore and Pune, tenders for Integrated Station Management through private parties has been called. Through these contracts, integrated management of stations will be done through private parties. Tenders for redevelopment of Chandigarh, Anand Vihar, Bijwasan and Surat stations are expected in March’18.

***

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
26-February, 2018 13:12 IST
Intermodal Stations to come up in 15 cities ; DPR being prepared for pilot projects at Nagpur and Varanasi

IMS Projects will be implemented through spv between Ministries of Road, Railways and concerned State Government

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has conducted detailed pre-feasibility studies for setting up Intermodal Stations at Nagpur and Varanasi, and the development of DPRs for this is in final stages of completion. Fifteen cities across the country have been prioritized for development of IMS of which Nagpur and Varanasi have been selected as pilot projects.

Intermodal Stations are terminal infrastructure which integrate various transportation modes like rail, road, mass rapid transit system, bus rapid transit,inland waterways , auto-rickshaws, taxis and private vehiclesetc, so that people can move from one mode to another seamlessly, with minimum use of automobiles. In most cities today, transport hubs like bus terminals, railway stations and others are located far from each other, so inter-modal transfers create pressure on the already congested roads. By bringing the different transport modes at one point, IMS will reduce congestion on roads and also vehicular pollution. IMS will also aid in city decongestion by encouraging the use of public transportation and by effectively using ring roads and National Highways for entry and evacuation of inter-city bus traffic.

Intermodal Stations are being planned in an integrated manner along with road network development through new connecting roads, bridges, flyovers etc. The stations will cater to passenger volumes for the next 30 years and will have world-class amenities like FOBs with travellators, subways, common waiting rooms, clean toilets and restrooms, integrated public information systems, modern fire-fighting and emergency response services, convenience stores, lifts and escalators, adequate circulation space and commercial establishments.

Multiple benefits exist in developing inter-modal stations over standalone terminals:

Aggregated footfall: Inter-modal stations witness higher footfall than disaggregated transport terminals

Improved passenger experience: Facilities are better managed due to collaboration of multiple entities and commercial development is driven by aggregated footfalls. In addition, passengers do not need to spend time and money to transit between terminals.

Sharing of resources: Shared infrastructure like FOBs, waiting rooms, concourses, public conveniences leads to reduced investment and land requirement. This lowers the investment requirements while increasing the overall synergies in the system

Development of inter-modal stations will also give a boost to commercial development and economic activity in cities, which can significantly alter the socio-economic profile of the development area.

The implementation and operation of the IMS will be done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways through National Highways Authority of India , Ministry of Railways and respective State Governments. Members of the SPV will provide paid up capital or land as part of their equity contribution to the SPV. MoRTH / NHAI will fund the construction of the terminal infrastructure including railway infrastructure, ISBT, common areas (concourse, waiting rooms, transport retail), parking and other station facilities. Indian Railways / State Government will provide the land for construction of the IMS. Construction and O&M will be bid out to a private concessionaire on a hybrid annuity model (HAM). The commercial development rights will be bid out on a PPP mode, post commencement of operations of the IMS. The returns from commercial development will be used to recover the construction costs.

For the pilot project, the satellite railways stations at Ajni in Nagpur and Kashi in Varanasi have been selected for development of IMS. The salient features of these IMS is detailed in the table below :

IMS Location

Average Daily Footfall Capacity (requirement up to 2050)

Indicative land requirement (acres)

Modal Integration

No of rail platforms

No of bus bays

Nagpur – Ajni

3,00,000

75 acres

Rail, Road (ISBT), Metro

7

200

Varanasi – Kashi

1,50,000

30 acres

Rail, Road (ISBT), Metro & Inland Waterways Passenger terminal

5

100

Detailed master planning is being finalized along with road augmentation plans and required modal integrations. Stakeholder consultations are being conducted across key agencies and local administrations for both Nagpur and Varanasi.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
28-February, 2018 18:54 IST
A Total of 100 New Fobs Will be Dedicated For The Service of Mumbaikarswithin Next 12 Months: Piyush Goyal

Three newly constructed foot over bridges at Elphinstone Road, Currey road & Ambivali Built by Indian Army dedicated to the nation by Mumbaikars.

In a rare and first of its kind gesture, the three newly constructed Foot Over Bridges at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road &Ambivali stations built by Indian Army were dedicated by the Mumbaikars in the august presence of Shri DevendraFadnavis Chief Minister of Maharshtra, Union Minister for Railways and Coal Shri PiyushGoyal, Shri RajenGohain, Minister of State of Railways and Dr. Subhash Bhamre - Minister of State for Defence at the inaugural ceremony on Tuesday, 27th February, 2018 alongwith two other FOBs at Currey Road &Ambivali stations of Central Rly. The inaugural plaque for newly constructed FOB at Elphinstone Road was unveiled by a flower vendor Shri ShivrajKonde, while the second plaque of Currey Road FOB was unveiled by a dabbawalla, Shri Sopan More and the third plaque of Ambivali FOB was unveiled by a fish vendor,SmtLataChandrakantKoli.

As a mark of gratitude towards the brave heart Indian Army, flower vendors specially decorated the Elphinstone Road FOB for its dedication to the nation ceremony. The Ministry of Railways had joined hands with the Ministry of Defence to build new FOBs over three of its Mumbai suburban railway stations, namely Elphinstone Road, Currey Road &Ambivali. The Indian Army commenced the work for construction of Foot Over Bridges at these stations on war footing and completed it within a record time of approx. three months. It aims to provide relief and also cater to the increasing commuter traffic at these stations.

On this occasion, Minister of Railways Shri PiyushGoyal expressed his gratitude, as a Mumbaikar, towards Indian Army for undertaking this magnanimous task and for completing it in a record time. He further said that since October, 2017, 20 FOBs have been constructed over the entire Mumbai suburban section. Out of these 3 have been constructed by Indian Army and 17 FOBs have been constructed by both WR & CR. Shri Goyal said “22 more FOBs are planned to be constructed by June, 2018 and 56 more FOBs have been sanctioned and will be provided within next 12 months.”Accordingly, a total of 100 new FOBs will be dedicated for the service of Mumbaikars. Shri Goyaladded that through the completion of various vital projects in Mumbai, “we shall cherish the dream of Hon’ble Prime Minister of “New India, New Railways”.



Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Fadnavis while addressing the media, thanked the Indian Army for their valuable contribution to the Mumbaikars and also to the Central Govt. for sanctioning a budgetary allocation of Rs. 55,000 crores since the last financial year for the development of railway infrastructure over Mumbai suburban section.



With these developments, Railways have speeded up the process of upgradation of infrastructure for passengers with safety point of view at all the suburban stations, with special emphasis on Parel – Elphinstone Road stations and such other stations for a more safer and convenient travel.



Details of the newly constructed FOB at Elphinstone Road



The new FOB at Elphinstone Road spanning a length of 73.1 mtrs and a width of 3.65 mtrs has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 10.44 crores by Indian Army in a record time of 117 days, which connects Parel station on the East side and PhoolwaliGali outside the Elphinstone Road station on the west side. This new FOB has been provided to facilitate smooth flow of passengers and to decongest both Elphinstone Road and Parel stations, especially during peak hours. The FOB has been built on war footing by the Ministry of Defence, in the aftermath of the unfortunate incident of stampede occurred at Elphinstone road station on 29th September, 2017.



Major Benefits:

• This new FOB will help in smooth flow & de-congestion of commuters crowd during peak hours at both Elphinstone Road and Parel stations.
• This will prove to be very much convenient for flower & fish vendors of nearby markets.
• This new FOB will be a boon for daily commuters which will not only provide an additional mode for changing the platforms from East to West side and vice versa.
• Appx 1.6 Lakh passengers who are commuting daily at these two stations will be highly benefited.

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The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis at the inauguration of the newly constructed Foot Over Bridges, in Mumbai on February 27, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre and the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain at the inauguration of the newly constructed Foot Over Bridges, in Mumbai on February 27, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal interacting with the media at the inauguration of the newly constructed Foot Over Bridges, in Mumbai on February 27, 2018. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis and the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain are also seen.

The Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Shri U.P.S. Madan handing over the land documents for high speed Rail Terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to the Managing Director, National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., Shri Achal Khare, in the presence of the Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, in Mumbai on February 27, 2018. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Shri U.P.S. Madan handing over the land documents for high speed Rail Terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to the Managing Director, National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., Shri Achal Khare, in the presence of the Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, in Mumbai on February 27, 2018. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal at the inauguration of the 5th PHD Global Rail Convention-2018, in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

Ministry of Railways
28-February, 2018 19:18 IST
Metamorphosing Railways through Use of Technology to Make Train Travel Safe & Charming, is The Aim of Indian Railways: Shri Piyush Goyal

Union Minister for Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurates the 5th PHD Global Rail Convention 2018

The Union Minister for Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal today inaugurated the 5th PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organized “Global Rail Convention 2018” with the theme “New Growth Eco-system from steam to bullet” - Innovation: Partnership and Challenges (Passenger and Freight).

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said that he is aiming to make travel safe by according the highest priority to ensuring safety. Shri Goyal said “life of every passenger aboard Indian Railways is precious”. Since signals play a vital role in ensuring train movements, he has taken steps to ensure revamping of signaling system very soon. The Minister informed that the ETCS level 2/level 1 technology will be soon inducted in the Indian Railways. The Minister added that the benefits across economies of scale will help awarding larger bulk orders at cheaper cost. He said the Ministry of Railways’ motto is to provide modern, new and safe railways to all the citizens of India. Efficiency with competition is the guiding principle for the work culture in the Ministry, he added.

As a corollary by providing ETCS signaling, the Railway Stations will also need to get the benefit of Wi-Fi connectivity. Availability of Wi-Fi on Railway Stations will in turn benefit the citizens living nearby as they would be able to use the Station Wi-Fi kiosks to engage with other tasks, making the Railway Stations an attractive and useful feature in their lives.

Talking about other initiatives undertaken under his leadership in the Ministry of Railways, Shri Piyush Goyal said that the decision has been taken only to make LHB Coaches, as LHB Coaches are most sturdy and withstand accidents better, minimizing fatalities. The Minister also said that efforts are being make to ensure that the Unmanned Level Crossings in the main routes will all be Manned henceforth.

The Global Rail Convention 2018 also had a special Railway Board Session featuring the Initiatives and Opportunities in the Railway Sector. Panel discussion were also held on issues of Track, Signaling and Electrification and latest developments and best practices in Rolling-Stock and Freight, Seamless Multimodal Logistics. The Ambassador Czech Republic to India and Ambassador of Belgium to India were also present on the occasion.

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The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal releasing the Knowledge Report, at the inauguration of the 5th PHD Global Rail Convention-2018, in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal delivering the inaugural address at the 5th PHD Global Rail Convention-2018, in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal delivering the inaugural address at the 5th PHD Global Rail Convention-2018, in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

Ministry of Railways
28-February, 2018 18:52 IST
Handing over of Land Documents for High Speed Rail Terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)

Terminal of Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed Rail project (popularly called Bullet Train) to be located at Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai.

A significant milestone in the history of Railways has been added when land documents for high speed rail terminal at BKC were handed over by Shri U.P.S. Madan, Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to Shri AchalKhare, Managing Director, National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd in the august presence of Shri DevendraFadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Shri PiyushGoyal, Minister of Railways and Coal, Govt. of India at Heritage Hall, Ground Floor of ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj Terminus building on 27.2.2018.

Shri RajenGohain, Minister of State for Railways, Govt. of India, Dr. ShubhashBhamre, Minister of State for Defence, Govt. of India and Mr. Ryoji Noda, Counsel General of Japan were present on the occasion.

It is pertinent to note that the handing over of documents for the high speed terminal was done at the very place from where first train began its journey in India on 16.4.1853.

Mumbai High Speed Rail terminal of India's first bullet train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad will be located at BKC Ground. This will be an underground station at about 25 metre depth, built in 3 levels and will be integrated with IFSC building proposed to be constructed above it. Mumbai HSR terminal at this proposed location will benefit the public at large, as the station is located in central business district with Mumbai metro station at a walking distance.

The distance of airport from this terminal will be about 5 km and the existing Bandra railway station of Western Railway will be about 3 km. It is expected that this high speed rail project will bring development to satellite towns of Boisar and Virar, as high speed train will offer commuting option to the public of this area to go to Mumbai.

Travel Time from Boisar, Virar and Thane to Mumbai will be drastically reduced. People from Boisar would be able to reach Mumbai in 39 minutes whereas travel time from Virar and Thane would be 24 minutes and 10 minutes respectively.

With the active cooperation of State Government, it is expected that the land acquisition for project would completed soon.

Later, the Chief Minister, Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Railways, Minister of State for Defence and other dignitaries travelled by a slow local from ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj Terminus to Parel for the opening ceremony of foot over bridges (FOB) constructed by Indian Army at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivali by Mumbaikars.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
01-March, 2018 17:46 IST
Customer Friendly Initiatives Extended to the Public by Indian Railways.

Passengers not to be Charged Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for Booking of Railway Tickets. Facility of Printing Ticket Details in Local Language on Unreserved Tickets Issued Through Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS).

Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges will not be levied on passengers for booking railway tickets (at the railway ticketing counters as well as through IRCTC ticketing website) on payment made through Debit Cards for a transaction value upto Rupees one lakh. Instructions to this effect has been issued to the Banks by Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance on 26th February 2018. This will further help in promoting digital and cashless transactions.

Ministry of Railways had informed Department of Expenditure that all proceeds from sale of tickets through IRCTC website/counters go to Consolidated Fund of India through Ministry of Railways and such transactions should be considered as Government receipts. The benefits on Government transactions must be passed on to the public, and they should not face MDR charges while making payments to Government.

Also, Indian Railways has initiated the facility of printing ticket details in local language on unreserved tickets issued through Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) with first such language being Kannada. The facility was under testing at Mysuru, Bengaluru and Hubballi stations of South Western Railway with tickets being issued at these stations form one counter as trial since 01.03.2018. It will be extended to all other stations of Karnataka from 02.03.2018.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
06-March, 2018 18:28 IST
Ministry of Railways instructs Zonal Railways to link the arrival & departure of trains with Data Loggers

A data logger (also data recorder) is an electronic device that records data over time or in relation to location either with a built-in instrument or sensor or via external instruments and sensors

41 stations across India records Punctuality of trains through Data Loggers

Punctuality of almost 80% of mail/express trains is being monitored through this system

This system will improve punctuality of trains & provide real time train movement information to passengers.

Ministry of Railways have eliminated the practice of manually recording punctuality performance at 41 major railway junctions across zones to ensure correct reporting of such data. The Railway Board has instructed zonal railways to link the arrival and departure of trains with data loggers from January 1 2018 without the fear of drop in punctuality and report authentic punctuality status.

A data logger (also data recorder) is an electronic device that records data over time by sensing status of relays. Railway zones have provided such data loggers this across 41 stations which include Howrah, Mumbai CST, Mughalsarai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chennai Central, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

It has been an endeavour of Indian Railways to run trains punctually and provide information to their customers more current, reliable and accurate, with minimal human intervention. Data Loggers were provided at Stations to monitor the status of functioning of signaling gears. For train control, Optical Fibre network has also been laid and linked to control centres of the Divisions.

It was decided to utilize these data loggers for capturing trains running information & update Control Office Application (COA) automatically at the central server. For this purpose, to start with, the data loggers of one terminal station and one more station at each zonal railway is linked with COA through optical fibre backbone for automatically picking up the train running status. The work at 17 terminal stations and 17 other stations has been implemented as a pilot project. The system has been working since 1st Jan.2018 and extended to total 41 stations. (List attached)

As on date, punctuality of almost 80% of mail/express trains is being monitored through this system. It has been planned to further expand the network covering all the terminal stations. With the implementation of this system, the information available to the passenger is reliable and more current.

List of Railway stations zones where data loggers have been provided :

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Ministry of Railways
06-March, 2018 17:00 IST
40 Participants of Indian Origin from Nine Countries call on Union Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal under the 46th Edition of “Know India Programme”

40 participants of Indian Origin from Nine Countries called upon the Union Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal in New Delhi today. The Know India Programmes (KIP) is an important initiative of the Government of India with an aim to engage and make the students and young professionals of Indian Diaspora, in the age group of 18 to 30years, feel a sense of connect with their motherland, to be motivated and inspired by transformational changes taking place in India and to give them an exposure to various aspects of contemporary India’s forms of art, heritage and culture.

The KIP – a 25-day orientation programme is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with one or two States for 10 days orientation programme. The participants are selected on the basis of nominations received and recommendations of Heads of Indian Missions/Posts. The participants are provided all the hospitality in India.

As part of the 46th KIP, the participants visited Madhya Pradesh as the Partner State. The participants also visited Parliament House, President’s House in addition to an orientation programme at the Foreign Service Institute.

Shri Piyush Goyal congratulated Ministry of External Affairs for conceptualizing this “Know India Programme” (KIP). Shri Goyal said that KIP helps as a great learning tool for them for knowing their original motherland and sharing experiences for life.

The participants acknowledged that KIP has given them a useful opportunity to know the emerging opportunities in India and helping them understand the Indian traditions, heritage and their family history. The participants particularly mentioned that they had an enjoyable train ride from Delhi to Gwalior.

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The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal interacting with the participants of Know India Program, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, in New Delhi on March 06, 2018.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal interacting with the participants of Know India Program, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, in New Delhi on March 06, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:52 IST
Booking of Railway Tickets Without Paying Money In Advance

A scheme of booking e-ticket online and making payment after 15 days through ‘ePaylater’ powered by M/s Arthashastra Fintech Pvt. Ltd., as pilot project, has been introduced by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC). Under this scheme, a customer has the option to pay after 15 days of booking an e-ticket through IRCTC website. The service charge levied on using ‘ePaylater’ scheme is 3.50% of transaction amount and applicable taxes. Online ticketing through IRCTC website is gaining popularity and its share vis-à-vis counter tickets is increasing. Further, online ticket booking is also being promoted as a cashless mode of transaction.

ePaylater as a payment option is displayed at the payment page of IRCTC website to make people aware about the availability of this payment method. Details about its service charge and ‘Terms & Conditions’ of the scheme are also provided at the payment option page.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:52 IST
Railway Security System – A Priority Area : Indian Railways

Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps are undertaken on a continual basis to prevent accidents and to enhance safety because of which during the last three years, the number of consequential train accidents (including accidents at Unmanned Level Crossings mainly caused due to negligence of road vehicle users) have decreased from 135 in 2014-15, to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17. In the current year (upto 28th February, 2018) the number of consequential train accidents have further reduced to 70 as compared to 99 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Security has been identified as one of the priority areas by Railways for strengthening and upgradation. Measures initiated in recent past to strengthen security over Indian Railways include installation of CCTV cameras at railway stations/trains, operationalisation of security helpline 182, and development of security App etc.

Operational measures to strengthen security of passengers include escorting of about 4500 important mail/Express trains daily by Railway Protection Force / Government Railway Police, access control at important railway stations, prosecution of offenders for unauthorized vending/hawking, entry into ladies and reserved compartments, touting of tickets, trespassing, roof travelling, alarm chain pulling etc. under relevant provisions of the Railways Act., detection of passenger related crime, arrest of criminals and handing over to GRP for further legal action.

Close coordination and liaison is maintained by the RPF with GRPs to strengthen security over railways. State Level Security Committee for Railways (SLSCR) have also been constituted for all State/UTs under the Chairmanship of respective Director General of Police/Commissioner of States/UTs for regular monitoring and review of security arrangement for the Railways.

Prevention and detection of crime related to passengers, registration of such cases, their investigation and maintenance of law and order in railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Governments. For this purpose, a separate wing of State Police in the name of ‘Government Railway Police’ (GRP) functions in respective States. Ministry of Railways are supplementing efforts of States in providing security over railways through the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:50 IST
Improving Passenger Services

Details of major initiatives taken by Ministry of Railways to improve the facilities for Rail Passengers are as under:-

(i) Online ticket booking facility through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website thereby obviating the need to stand in queues at reservation counters.

(ii) Reserved and unreserved ticket booking facility through mobile phones.

(iii) Provision of Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) at railway stations for dispensation of tickets.

(iv) Provision of various cashless modes of payment like net banking, e-wallets, credit/debit cards through Point of Sale (POS)s machines, through Unified Payment Interface (UPI), etc.

(v) Earmarking of separate counters at various Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from persons with disability, senior citizens, ladies, former Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, accredited press correspondents and freedom fighters.



(vi) Automatic preparation of first reservation charts at least 4 hours before scheduled departure of train and thereafter booking of available accommodation through internet as well as through PRS counters till preparation of second reservation charts.

(vii) Intimation to passengers through SMS in case of change in passengers’ reservation status from waiting list/RAC to confirmed, cancellation of trains, late running of train in identified trains, etc.

(viii) Cancellation of computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter tickets through IRCTC website or through 139.

(ix) Automatic refund to e-ticket holders in case of cancellation of trains.

(x) Introduction of Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme ‘VIKALP’ to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers in alternate train to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation.

(xi) Increase in number of berths earmarked as RAC to accommodate more passengers.

(xii) Earmarking of combined quota of 6 lower berths per coach in Sleeper, 3 lower berths per coach in 3AC and 3 lower berths per coach in 2AC class for Senior Citizens, pregnant women and female passengers 45 years of age and above. Further, in Rajdhani, Duronto and fully Air Conditioned/ Express trains, 4 lower berths per coach are earmarked under this quota.

(xiii) Earmarking of a reservation Quota of 6 berths in 3AC class by Garib Rath Express trains for exclusive use of female passengers irrespective of their age while travelling alone or in group of female passengers.

(xiv) Earmarking of reservation quota of two berths in 3AC class and four berths in Sleeper class for persons with disability.

(xv) Introduction of Sarathi Seva to help old and disabled passengers requiring assistance at the station and strengthen the existing services for enabling passengers to book Battery Operated Car (BOC), porter services etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop and wheelchair services.

(xvi) Provision of Yatri Mitra Sewa at major stations for enabling passengers to book wheelchair services cum porter services.

(xvii) Electronic display boards are provided at ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ category stations and public address systems are provided at ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ category of stations and can be provided upto “D” category of stations.

(xviii) Taking various steps with a view to encouraging booking of rail ticket through internet e.g. withdrawing of service charge imposed by IRCTC, enhancing the capacity of the server, increasing the options available for making payment while booking ticket through internet etc. Due to these efforts, internet ticketing now constitute approximately 65% of total reserved tickets issued on Indian Railways.

In addition, in the Union Budget 2018-19 it has been announced that redevelopment of 600 major railway stations is being taken up by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited. All stations with more than 25000 footfalls will have escalators. All railway stations and trains will be progressively provided with wi-fi. CCTVs will be provided at all stations and on trains to enhance security of passengers.

It has also been decided to open the first ever National Rail and Transport Institute at Vadodara. The University will be set up in the campus of Ministry of Railways’ National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) in Vadodara, Gujarat. The campus infrastructure will be built in phases to cater to approximately 3,000 students over 10 years. Detailed Project Report has been submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development which has forwarded it to UGC for examination and advice on conferment of Deemed to be University status under the denovo category. Renovation and upgradation work at National Academy of Indian Railways shall start shortly.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:48 IST
Improvement In Surveillance

Close surveillance on anti-social elements, regular and intensive drives conducted by RPF have resulted in 18.84 % more arrests in the year 2017 as compared to the year 2015. Zone-wise number of persons arrested by the RPF in the last three years (2015, 2016 & 2017) is appended. The statistics of Northern Railway includes arrests made in Delhi.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) has been empowered under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act to arrest and prosecute offenders related to Railway Property. RPF personnel have also been empowered under the Railways Act to arrest and prosecute offenders involved in offences specified under 29 sections of the Railways Act which are related to alarm chain pulling, unauthorised hawking and vending, touting, trespassing, travelling on roof and foot-board of train, travelling of male persons in coaches reserved for female passengers etc. 0.59% of total arrests are related to offences under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act and 99.41% are related to the Railways Act.

Special emphasis is being given to improve living conditions of RPF/RPSF personnel by providing barracks at important locations and upgrading basic amenities in the existing barracks at par with running rooms. During the year 2018-19, works to the tune of ` 59 Cr. have been sanctioned for construction of barracks. All the Divisional Railway Managers have been advised to conduct inspection of all the RPF barracks and submit status report. Measures initiated to strengthen RPF also include installation of CCTV cameras at Railway stations/trains, upgradation of security helpline No. 182, development of security App., soft skill training to RPF personnel, etc.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

HYPERLINK



Zonal Railway

Number of persons arrested by RPF

2015
2016
2017

Central

113191
131083
132970

Eastern

66289
94893
92387

East Central

37340
40303
37913

East Coast

33433
36636
41812

Northern

144343
137403
134115

North Central

42297
52127
63681

North Eastern

36873
43929
45857

Northeast Frontier

10546
12786
14739

North Western

30063
37529
41516

Southern

108513
110948
115160

South Central

72093
96587
113106

South Eastern

45216
51507
53480

South East Central

24208
30701
33050

South Western

32530
34512
35247

Western

168502
185981
192509

West Central

68549
83223
81228

TOTAL

1033986
1180148
1228770


Zone-wise statistics of arrests made by the RPF in the last three years (2015, 2016 & 2017) over Indian Railways, is as under : -



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:49 IST
Heritage Preservation In Railways

Ministry of Railways have initiated several reformative measures to promote heritage preservation in Indian Railways. These include launching of a special drive to identify various heritage items/artefacts that are currently lying unnoticed at different locations; open a logbook of all major events, both at Zonal Railways and National Rail Museum to record the timelines of Railways history, revival of Steam Locomotives; upkeeping Hill Railways, strengthening Railway museums, conservation of built heritage etc.

Ministry of Railways have directed all Zonal Railways/Production Units to launch a special drive between 1-15 March, 2018 for identification and preservation of Railway heritage assets like buildings, bridges, rolling stocks, documents, photographs, artefacts, equipments, clocks, benches etc.

Ministry of Railways has made a specific provision in the budget outlay for 2018-19 for revival of steam locomotives including restoration and procurement of spares.

Ministry of Railways have launched a month long drive to bring the five hill railways of India [Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), Kalka Shimla Railway (KSR), Matheran Light Railway (MLR) and Kangra Valley Railway (KVR)] in immaculate state for promoting tourism.



This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:47 IST
Facilities By Indian Railways For Disabled Persons

Provision/augmentation of amenities at stations, including those for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) and elderly passengers is a continuous process. In order to provide better accessibility to Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) and elderly passengers, short term facilities as detailed below have been planned at all the stations:

• Standard ramp for barrier free entry.
• Earmarking at least two parking lots.
• Non-slippery walk-way from parking lot to building.
• Signages of appropriate visibility.
• At least one toilet (on the ground floor).
• At least one drinking water tap suitable for use by Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).
• ‘May I help you’ Booth.

In addition, long term facilities as detailed below have been planned at ‘A-1’, ‘A’ & ‘B’ category stations:

• Provision of facility for inter-platform transfer.
• Engraving on edges of platform.

Details of railway stations provided with facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) are as under:



S.No.

Facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)

Approx. Number of stations.

1

Standard ramp for barrier free entry

2350

2

Earmarking at least two parking lots

1350

3

Non-slippery walk-way from parking lot to building

1410

4

Signages of appropriate visibility.

1430

5

At least one toilet (on the ground floor).

1850

6

At least one drinking water tap suitable for use by differently-abled persons

1790

7

‘May I help you’ Booth

1080

8

Provision of facility for inter-platform transfer

1240

9

Engraving on edges of platform

1780



Railways has decided to provide escalators at all the A1, A & C category stations (footfall 25000 or above). Additionally railways has also planned to provide elevators at 500 more stations. About 3800 disabled friendly Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coaches are available in the fleet of Indian Railways (IR). These coaches have a suitably designed compartment & toilet adapted to the needs of the disabled/Divyangs. More disabled friendly coaches shall be added to the fleet of IR in the coming years. It is endeavoured to have at least one such ICR design coach in each Mail/Express train running with ICF coaches. Further, the fully air conditioned (WRRMDAC) Garib Rath trains have been provided with an Air conditioned disabled friendly compartment in the power cars.

For the assistance of visually impaired travellers, Integrated Braille signages, i.e. signages superimposed with Braille scripts are being provided in the newly manufactured coaches of Indian Railways (IR). In addition, retro-fitment of the same in existing coaches has also been taken up in a phased manner.

Railways has provided 467 escalators at 171 railway stations and 318 elevators at 134 railway stations for senior citizens/disabled/ Divyangs.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:46 IST
Constant Optimization of Investments Made By Railways

Speeding-up of trains is a constant endeavour and continuous process on Indian Railways which is dependent on the constant optimization of the investments made by Railways in modernization of technology, high powered locos, modern coaches (LHB, air brake, CBC), improved signaling system and better tracks.

During the year 2017-18, 51 train services have been speeded up by more than one hour.

Government has also identified six corridors on Diamond of the country (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata) for high speed rail connectivity viz : (i) Delhi-Mumbai, (ii) Mumbai-Chennai, (iii) Chennai-Kolkata, (iv) Kolkata-Delhi and both diagonals i.e. (v) Delhi-Chennai and (vi) Mumbai-Kolkata routes. However, High Speed Projects are highly capital and technology intensive, therefore, the sanction of High Speed Projects is subject to its technical feasibility, financial viability and availability of resources.

At present, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Rail corridor is the only High Speed Rail Project sanctioned in the Country.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:45 IST
Revamping of Catering System

In order to upgrade quality of food preparation, IRCTC is to set up new kitchens and upgrade existing ones. Zonal Railways are to manage minor static units (catering stall /milk stalls/ trolleys etc.) except base kitchens and kitchen units.

In accordance with the new Catering Policy issued on 27th February 2017, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has been mandated to carry out the unbundling by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution on trains. The policy mandates the zonal railways to hand over the kitchens managed by them to IRCTC. Food Plaza, Fast Food Units and Food Court will continue to be managed by IRCTC.

At present, IRCTC has taken over almost all units in phased manner. Further, the procedure/guidelines/policy laid down for allotment of contracts for running various stalls at railway platforms have been simplified.

This revamping of existing railway catering system by carrying out unbundling under Catering Policy 2017 is primarily aimed at providing quality hygienic food to our customers at affordable prices and any consequential boost to revenue earnings thereof is only incidental to the above exercise.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:45 IST
Anti-Collision Device

Indian Railways have now planned to provide Automatic Train Protection (ATP) conforming to ETCS level-2 standards on the entire Indian Railway Broad Gauge (BG) network. This will provide technological aid to Loco Pilots for avoiding Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD).

Presently following different Automatic Train Protection (ATP) Systems are existing on Indian Railways: -



(i) Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System based on proven European Train Control System (ETCS-L1) Technology has been implemented on 342 RKMs (200 RKMs Delhi-Agra Section, 117 RKMs Chennai Suburban section and 25 RKMs of Metro Railway, Kolkata).

(ii) An ATP called Auxiliary Warning System (AWS) is presently functional on 364 RKMs in the Mumbai suburban section of Central Railway (240 RKMs) and Western Railway (124 RKMs).

(iii) An ATP system indigenously developed called Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is under trail on 250 RKMs of South Central Railway as a pilot project.



Track circuiting used for signalling and interlocking also detects rail crack in track circuited area. However, track circuit is available on a limited length on the IR network. Also, a trial of Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System (UBRD) to detect in service rail/weld failures on Northern Railway and North Central Railway over 25 km of track each is under progress.

Literature survey has been carried out by RDSO to know the system placed in other countries for detection of cracks in rails. Track circuiting used for signalling and interlocking also detects rail crack in track circuited area in several countries. Besides, following technologies are available/under development/under trial world over, which are potential solution for broken rail detection system:



(i) Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System (UBRD).

(ii) Rail Fracture & Instruction Detection System (Using distributed Optical Fibre Sensing).

(iii) Rail ACCOUSTIC-TR: Broken Rail Sensing System.

(iv) Loco vision analytics and Rail integrity monitoring system.

(v) Audio Frequency Continuous Track Circuiting (AFTC).

(vi) Other track circuit based patented technologies.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
07-March, 2018 17:44 IST
Technological Advancements For Railway Signalling

The following technological advancements with respect to signaling are being undertaken by Ministry of Railways : -

(i) Indian Railways have implemented Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system conforming to European Train Controlling System (ETCS) Level-I on 342 Route kilometers in which Movement Authority (Distance to travel) displayed in the Loco Cab is updated, whenever Loco passes over a balise fitted on track. This enables loco pilot to know the condition of signals ahead even when the visibility of signals is poor due to fog or any other reasons.

(ii) Indian Railways is now planning to implement an advanced version of Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system namely European Train Controlling System (ETCS) Level-II on its entire BG network of 60,000 Route Kilometers which will enable continuous updating of Movement Authority in Loco Cab through wireless network. The continuous updating of Movement Authority will ensure improved speed and line capacity as compared to ETCS Level-I.

(iii) A Global Positioning System (GPS) based ‘Fog PASS device’ has been developed which displays the name and distance of approaching signals and other critical landmarks like Un-manned level crossings etc. in advance during poor visibility conditions. It is expected to help reduce stress on Loco Pilots while running in foggy weather. About 6940 fog safe devices have been commissioned in 6 (Six) Zonal Railways (East Central, Northern, North Central, North Eastern, Northeast Frontier and North Western Railways) where the trains pass through fog affected region.

For smooth and safe movement of trains in fog, the following actions have also been taken:

Railways ensure the following during winter:

(i) Adequate availability of detonators at stations.

(ii) Lime marking across the track at the Signal Warning/Sighting Board.

(iii) Fresh painting of the Signal Warning (Sighting Board).

(iv) Fresh painting of Whistle Board, Fog Signal Posts, Road Signs, Lifting barriers of busy level crossings with Yellow/Black luminous indication strips.

(v) Adequate availability of additional staff for placement of detonators either from the Engineering Department or from the Operating Department.

(vi) Display of flashing red light tail lamp at the last vehicle of trains even during day time if the dense fog persists in lieu of tail boards in normal working.

(vii) Counseling of staff involved in train operation.

(viii) Intensive, round the clock monitoring of trains is done during fog at all three levels viz., Divisional, Zonal Head Quarter and Railway Board to ensure their punctuality.

(ix) To ensure running of trains right time when pairing trains are running late, scratch rakes are inducted to the extent operationally feasible.

(x) To avoid delay of trains due to foggy weather and to enhance level of safety in automatic block signaling sections affected by fog, the modified automatic signaling has been introduced which allows only two trains between stations.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
08-March, 2018 17:51 IST
Shri RK Singh directs REC and PFC not to grant any loan to DISCOMs which are making heavy losses, unless they draw up a road map for reducing the losses

Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy took a review meeting of the two financing arms of the Power Ministry – Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) on 7th March, 2018.

The Minister directed the two institutions that before granting of loan either for capital expenditure or for non-capital expenditure, the adherence to prudential norms must be carefully observed. He noted that many distribution companies have been making heavy transmission and distribution (T&D) losses and it may be difficult for them to repay the loans.

The Minister directed that DISCOMs which are making heavy losses (above 15 per cent) will not be granted any loans for capital expenditure or non-capital expenditure until and unless they draw up a road map for reducing the losses over a definite time frame (not more than 2 years), and they are able to show that they are taking action in accordance with the road map. This will be vetted by the Ministry of Power and only then will the grant of loan be considered for such DISCOMs.

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Ministry of Railways
08-March, 2018 18:45 IST
Women Employees (Group C & D) of Indian Railways Honored for their Outstanding Services

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the Railway Women’s Welfare Central Organisation (RWWCO) today honored 32 women employees for their exemplary dedication, integrity and courage in discharge of their duties. The women have been working as Track Maintainers, Technician, Loco-pilot, Women Head Constable, Chief Matron, Senior Messenger, Data Entry Operator, Porter, Khallasi, Safaiwali among others and contributing to the smooth functioning of Indian Railways across varied Zones. The list of the women honored today is appended.

On this occasion, prominent persons who are working in the field of women’s empowerment were also felicitated. Among these Shri Anshu Gupta (Founder of Goonj, an NGO), Shri Amod Kanth, Head Of Prayas, an NGO), Shri Anil Modgil & Shri Sunil Modgil Brothers And Founders Of Arushi a Bhopal based NGO. Mrs. Manju Devi Yadav FirstWoman Porter from Northern India was also honored today by RWWCO.

The Railway Women’s Welfare Central Organisation is the apex body of the chain of Women’s Welfare Organisations spread across all Zones of Indian Railways and engaged in the task of welfare of Railwaymen and their families through need based socio/welfare activities. The organization started its activities in 1962 after Indo-China war.

List of awardees attached

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:22 IST
Measures Undertaken To Modernize Rolling Stock, Tracks & Signaling

The measures undertaken to modernize the rolling stock, tracks and signaling are as under:

(i) Improvement in freight rolling stock design is a continuous activity where measures for improving the efficiency of transportation and higher throughput are being taken as a continuous process.

(ii) Track structure is upgraded at the time of track renewals. Heavier rail section (60kg) of high tensile strength (90 UTS) is being used during rail renewals. Long rail panels or welded rails are predominantly used during rail renewals. Fan shaped turnouts on concrete sleepers are being used. Decision has been taken to use thick web switches on heavy density routes along with weldable Case Manganese Steel (CMS) crossings. Ultrasonic testing of rails & welds is being done with the help of digital ultrasonic rail testing equipments.

(iii) A work for modernization of Signaling system over Indian Railway has been included in works programme 2018-19, subject to mandatory approvals of NITI Aayog and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) etc.

With a view to increasing speed of trains in Indian Railways, “Mission Raftaar” has been announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17. The mission envisages a target of doubling of average speed of freight trains in next 5 years. Action Plan for improving mobility and increasing average speed of freight trains includes right powering of freight trains, introduction of twin-pipe in wagons, reduction in speed restrictions, construction of road over bridges (ROBs) and road under bridges (RUBs) etc.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:22 IST
Replacement of Old Rail Tracks

For the year 2017-18, a target of 3600 km in Complete Track Renewal (CTR) units has been kept for track renewal on Indian Railways. (One km of Through Rail Renewal is counted as 0.5 km CTR units and one km of Through Sleeper Renewal is counted as 0.5 km CTR units).

Railway tracks are replaced through track renewal works which is an ongoing process. Track renewal works are undertaken as and when stretch of track becomes due for renewal on age/condition basis as per criteria laid down in Indian Railways Permanent Way Manual. If any stretch of track is not renewed in time due to various reasons, suitable speed restrictions, if required, are imposed to ensure safe running of trains.

Details of track renewals are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not State-wise. The targets fixed and actual progress of track renewal for these Zonal Railways for the last three year and current year are as under:

Zonal Railways

Year
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18

Target
Actual Renewal*

Western Railway

165
194

190
229

216
240

252
280

Central Railway

200
205

220
185

220
195

275
186

South Central

175
208

190
278

118
150

147
154

South Western

102
96

110
118

105
117

170
146

South East Central

102
107

120
119

174
123

161
138

Target and Actual Renewal in km of CTR units.

*Upto January, 2017.

Track Renewal works are planned in advance every year and their execution is prioritized according to the condition of track.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.


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Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:22 IST
Rehabilitation of Bridges

As on 01.04.17, there are 1,44,698 Railway Bridges of varying ages on Indian Railways’ network. There is a well-established system of inspection of railway bridges in Indian Railways. All the bridges are inspected at least twice a year, one before the onset of monsoon and one detailed inspection after the monsoon by the designated officials. In addition, certain bridges are also inspected more frequently depending upon their condition.

Repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding of Railway bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken whenever so warranted by their physical condition as ascertained during these inspections and not on the basis of their ages. Suitable safety measures like imposing speed restrictions and keeping such bridge under close watch are taken till the bridge is repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt. All bridges are safe for train movement at permitted speed.

During last five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) a total of 3675 bridges have been repaired / strengthened / rehabilitated / rebuilt. As on 01.04.2017, a total of 3017 bridges are sanctioned for repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding at a throwforward cost of ` 3581.64 Crore. The Zone-wise break-up is as under:



Zonal Railways

Central
Eastern
East Central
East Coast
Northern
North Central
North Eastern
Northeast Frontier

No. of Bridges Sanctioned
339
280
468
125
302
210
7
100

Throw Forward Cost (` in Crore)
140.47
335.25
608.58
97.18
332.35
76.73
426.16
119.66


Zonal Railways
North Western
Southern
South Central
South Eastern
South East Central
South Western
Western
West Central

No. of Bridges Sanctioned

90
134
223
222
106
55
168
188

Throw Forward Cost (` in Crore)
70.81
276.12
266.37
141.45
94.95
98.15
260.23
236.90


This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:21 IST
Redevelopment of Railway Stations under AMRUT Scheme

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been recently entered into between Ministry of Railways (MOR) and Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) for integrated planning of redevelopment of railway stations in the cities included in the ‘SMART Cities’ and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme and the following 10 Railway stations have been identified to be redeveloped under the ‘SMART Cities’ scheme:

Tirupati, Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Nellore, Madgaon, Lucknow, Gomtinagar, Kota, Thane New, Ernakulam Jn. and Puducherry.

Station redevelopment projects are complex in nature and require detailed techno-economic feasibility studies and statutory clearances from local bodies. Therefore, no time frame for completion of the projects can be indicated, at this stage.

Redevelopment of stations under ‘SMART Cities’ and ‘AMRUT’ schemes is planned through leveraging of commercial development of vacant land/air space in and around stations. Therefore, no funds have been earmarked for the purpose. Such projects shall generally be cost neutral to Railways.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.



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Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:21 IST
Decrease in Number of Train Accidents

The number of consequential train accidents (including accidents at Unmanned Level Crossings mainly caused due to negligence of road vehicle users) have decreased from 135 in 2014-15, to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17. In the current year (upto 28th February, 2018) the number of consequential train accidents have further reduced to 70 as compared to 99 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps are undertaken on a continual basis to prevent accidents and to enhance safety. These include timely replacement of over-aged assets, adoption of suitable technologies for upgradation and maintenance of track, rolling stock, signalling and interlocking systems, safety drives, greater emphasis on training of officials and safety inspections at regular intervals to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices. Preventive and predictive maintenance of the Railway assets is undertaken to ensure safe train operation. Safety devices/systems being used to prevent accidents include Electronic Interlocking, track circuiting, provision of Block Proving Axle Counters, Colour Light LED Signals, Train Protection and Warning System, Vigilance Control Device, Fog Pass Device, usage of 52 kg/60 kg, 90 or higher UTS rails and Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers, use of Ultrasonic Flaw Detection of rails and welds at predefined periodicity to detect internal flaws in rails/welds. Electronic monitoring of track geometry is carried out to detect defects and plan maintenance. Steel Channel Sleepers on girder bridges is being used while carrying out primary track renewals. Further, it has been decided to lay Thick webs switches, Weldable Cast Maganese Steel crossings on identified routes. Progressive use of Linke Hofmann Busch Coaches, use of Centre Buffer Couplers with Integral Coach Factory Coaches, etc. Railway tracks are replaced on age cum condition basis through track renewal works which is an ongoing process. Other measures include training of loco pilots and other safety category staff, improvement of their working conditions including proper rest and periodic medical examination etc. Besides, patrolling of tracks, footplate inspections and safety reviews at various levels, etc. are regularly conducted to continuously monitor and improve safety aspects of the Indian Railways.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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Ministry of Railways
09-March, 2018 17:04 IST
Tori – Balumath Rail Line & Balumath-CCL siding dedicated to the nation

On completion of the complete stretch of Tori-Shivpur-Kathotia Rail Line, around 100 Mt of coal will be evacuated annually from North Karanpura Coalfield of Jharkhand

Minister of State of Railways & Communications, Shri Manoj Sinha today dedicated to the nation the Tori-Balumath rail line and Balumath-CCL Siding. Flagging off the train through Virtual Conferencing from Rail Bhavan today, Shri Manoj Sinha said “need for streamlining transportation of nearly 170 million tonnes/per day of Coal had been felt for long from Jharkhand’s Latihar region. Since 2005-06, the Tori-Shivpuri 44 km new railway line had been approved. Till 2013-14 the progress was quite slow and only Rs. 145 Crore could be spent. Subsequent to its inclusion in Hon’ble Prime Minister’s PRAGATI portal, the project work was fast-tracked and as a result, 19.3 km Tori-Balumath section has been completed with an expenditure of about Rs. 1063 Crore. The revised sanctioned cost of this project is 1589 crore rupees. Out of this stretch today the 19.3 km run from Tori to Balumuth has been commissioned due to the sincere commitment of Ministry of Railways and Jharkhand Government”.

The Tori-Shivpur new line (44.0 Km) is being constructed primarily for coal evacuation from Amrapali and Magadh coal mines of Latehar and Chatra districts of Jharkhand. This area has huge coal deposit. Between Tori to Balumath there are 3 stations, 5 major bridges, 7 ROBs and 39 minor bridges. As per initial estimate, CIL proposed to evacuate total 80 rakes of coal daily work from various coal blocks. Two sidings are being developed by CIL to connect Amrapali and Magadh coal mines to rail net work.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister congratulated the officers of the East Central Railway and particularly the engineers of the construction wing who helped complete the construction despite challengers of the difficult geographical terrain. The Tori-Shivpur rail line project is funded by Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) - a coal producing subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL).

Commissioning of Tori-Balumath rail line and Balumath-CCL Siding will help to evacuate 5 to 6 rakes of coal everyday in first phase which will result in annual offtake of 6-7 million tonne (MT). On completion of the complete stretch Tori-Shivpur-Kathotia rail line, around 100 MT of coal will be evacuated annually from North Karanpura Coalfield of Jharkhand.

CCL, with active support from central & state governments, has commissioned many long pending projects in the last 4 years. This includes two mega coal mining projects viz. Magadh OCP and Amrapali OCP.

Sl. No.
Name of the completed Coal Mining Projects
Capacity (MTY)
Original Date of Commissioning
Actual Date of Commission

1
Magadh OC
51 (Normative)/ 70 (Peak)
April 2006
May 2015

2
Amprapali OC
25 (Normative)/ 35 (Peak)
April 2006
July 2014


Two coal evacuation projects have also been completed by CCL/CIL with the help of Railways:



Sl. No.
Name of the completed Coal Evacuation Projects
Capacity (MTY)
Original Date of Commissioning
Actual Date of Commission

1
Piparwar-Mcluskiganj Railway Line (upto Rajdhar Siding)
24
March 1998
July 2017

2
Tori-Shivpur Rail Line
(Tori-Balumath Section)
48
2006
March 2018


CIL and Indian Railways have also planned for construction of:

1. 1. 1. Tripling of Rail Line from Tori to Shivpur;
      2. Construction of Rail over Rail (ROR) Fly-Over at Tori Station along with 3rd leg connectivity to Mahuamilan Station yard; and
      3. Shivpur-Kathotia Rail line Connectivity (through JV).

The Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha dedicating the new Tori - Balumath Railway line to the Nation, through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan, in New Delhi on March 09, 2018. The Member (Traffic), Railway Board, Shri Mohd Jamshed and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha flagging off the newly constructed section “Tori – Balumath Railway line”. through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan, in New Delhi on March 09, 2018.

The Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha addressing at the dedication ceremony of the new Tori - Balumath Railway line to the Nation, through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan, in New Delhi on March 09, 2018. The Member (Traffic), Railway Board, Shri Mohd Jamshed and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagging off the train between Maduadih and Patna, at Maduadih, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 2018. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath is also seen.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagging off the train between Maduadih and Patna, at Maduadih, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagging off the train between Maduadih and Patna, at Maduadih, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 2018.