Page 18 - Indian Railways

Railway's freight business up as it faces rising costs and competition

The transport network needs reforms and upgrades to compete in logistics

PM Modi hails Indian Railways' increase in harnessing of solar power

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the Indian Railways' increase in harnessing of solar power, saying it shows commendable progress in the commitment towards a greener future. Modi tagged a post on 'X' by the Ministry of Railways in which it said, "Marching towards #MissionNetZero Carbon Emission by harnessing Solar Power. Capacity increased 54x in the last 9 years. Solar power capacity commissioned:- Till March 2014: 3.68 MW. 2014-23: 200.31 MW." Modi said, "Shows commendable progress in our commitment towards a greener future. In just nine years, we have enhanced our capacity significantly, taking significant strides towards Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission." "Let us continue this journey, ensuring a brighter and sustainable tomorrow for India," the prime minister said.

RailTel Corporation surges 12% on heavy volumes; stock nears record high

A combined 22.3 million equity shares, representing 7.3 per cent of total equity of RailTel, changed hands on the NSE and BSE till12:17 PM

Madurai train fire: Tour agent booked for illegal carriage of gas cylinder

A criminal case has been registered against a tour operator by the Government Railway Police (GRP) for alleged illegal carriage of cooking gas cylinder in connection with the Madurai train fire that left 9 persons dead. "With respect to 'illegal smuggling' of cooking gas cylinder in the tourist coach by the tour operator, a criminal case has been registered by GRP under various sections of IPC and Railways Act," a Southern Railway release said. Southern Railway in association with IRCTC shall also make air travel arrangements for the return of surviving passengers to Lucknow, it said. "Southern Railway has made arrangements for transport of bodies of the deceased by air to Lucknow by duly following all the necessary medical and legal formalities," it added. At least nine pilgrims bound for Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu met with a tragic end on Saturday when a fire broke out inside a stationary train compartment at the railway station here in the small hours of Saturday. The victims ...

9 killed in TN fire; authorities blame cylinder taken inside 'illegally'

At least 10 persons were "reported dead" in a fire that broke out inside a stationary train compartment in Madurai railway station in the wee hours of Saturday, the Southern Railway said, adding a "gas cylinder" "illegally" taken in led to the blaze. The "private party coach" with 65 passengers had arrived from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. "10 persons reported dead," in the fire, a Southern Railway release said. Police, fire and rescue services personnel besides railway staff, involved in dousing the fire, extricated the charred bodies from the compartment. The fire broke out at 5.15 am on Saturday and the Fire service personnel who arrived at the spot half an hour later put down the blaze by 7.15 am, a Southern Railway release said. "This is a private party coach that was attached at Nagercoil Junction yesterday (Aug 25) by train no. 16730 (Punalur-Madurai Exp). Party coach was detached and kept at Madurai Stabling line. The passengers in the private party coach have....smuggled ga

Railways to prepare fresh proposal for Hubli-Ankola railway line in K'taka

The Karnataka High Court has disposed of a batch of petitions challenging the Hubli (Hubballi)-Ankola railway line project after the Railways submitted that a fresh proposal is being worked out, and work will start only after all necessary permissions are obtained. The public interest litigations (PILs) by Giridhar Kulkarni and others had challenged the project on grounds that it would fragment the tiger habitat in the region. The Deputy Chief Engineer, Construction-1, South Western Railways, Hubballi, filed an affidavit before the court stating that as per directions of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), a mitigation plan will be worked out in consultation with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and a fresh proposal will be submitted. The affidavit stated that the work on the project shall commence only after getting all the necessary clearances and approvals as required under law. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal on Thursda

Railways constitutes 4-member committee to probe bridge collapse in Mizoram

The Ministry of Railways has constituted a four-member high-level committee to inquire into the cause of the collapse of a under construction railway bridge in Mizoram's Aizawl district in which 22 workers were killed, officials said on Friday. The committee will submit its report within one month from the date of formation, according to the order issued by the Railways ministry on Thursday. The four-members of the committee are BP Awasthi of RDSO, Dr Dipti Ranjan Sahoo of IIT Delhi Sharad Kumar Agarwal of IRICEN and Sandeep Sharma, Chief Bridge Engineer, NF Railway, the order said. Works-I branch of the Railway board will be the nodal branch for the functioning of the committee and submission of report for consideration by the railway board, implementation of the committee's recommendation and all related issues..., the order said. The under-construction railway bridge in the Bairabi-Sairang new line project near Aizawl collapsed on Wednesday killing 22 workers and injuring three

Mizoram bridge collapse: 23 from Bengal feared dead, 18 bodies found

Of 26 workers present on the under-construction railway bridge that collapsed in Mizoram's Aizawl district, 23 people are believed to be dead, though the police have recovered only 18 bodies, officials said on Thursday. Three of those working there are in hospital and undergoing treatment while five are missing, they added. All the 26 people working there were from Malda district of West Bengal. The Railways said the accident that took place on Wednesday was due to the collapse of a gantry, which was being launched on the under-construction bridge over the Kurung river. A high-level committee has been constituted to probe the incident involving the under-construction bridge, one of the 130 bridges in the Bhairavi-Sairang New Railway Line project. All 18 bodies have been identified. They are Naba Chawdury, Mojammel Haque, Narim Rahman, Ranjit Sarkar, Kashim Sheikh, Samrul Haque, Jhallu Sarkar, Sakirul Sheikh, Masrekul Haque, Saidur Rahman, Rahim Sheikh, Suman Sarkar, Sariful Sheikh

Two passengers die, five fall sick on board Patna-Kota Express train

Two passengers died and five fell sick on board the Patna-Kota Express train here on Sunday, a senior official said.The cause of the death was not known immediately, he said, adding five sick passengers were undergoing treatment at a railway hospital in Agra.https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1693387167786307905?s=20Virendra Singh, Assistant Commercial Manager, Railway Agra Division said, "Information was received from Patna Kota Express about some passengers falling sick. A team was sent to the spot. Two people died and five passengers were hospitalised. According to the doctor, the cause of death is dehydration."Further details are awaited.

Raise salary, perks of controllers to overcome shortage: Railways told

Flagging a shortage of train controllers, some senior officers have written to the Railway Board suggesting measures such as higher salary and perks for these post-holders who perform the "most stressful and challenging" task and are crucial for safe and smooth train operations. They said that since the discontinuation of direct recruitment of traffic apprentices in 2020, almost all railway zones are facing difficulties in filling up the post of section controllers. After discontinuing the direct recruitment process, the railways decided to fill 75 per cent of controllers' posts by promoting station masters (55%), guards (10%) and train clerks (10%). The remaining 25 per cent recruitments are to be done through limited departmental competitive examination. In a letter to the Railway Board on August 4, Dr Pranai Prabhakar, Principal Chief Operations Manager (PCOM), North Western Railway, said, "Earlier, due to higher pay scales and added benefits, the major feeder cadre (station ...

RPF constable who killed senior, 3 passengers dismissed from service

RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, who shot dead his senior and three passengers on board a moving train last month, has been dismissed from service, an official said on Thursday. The order to sack Chaudhary was issued on Monday by Railway Protection Force (RPF) senior divisional security commissioner, the official said. As per the official, Chaudhary was involved in at least three discipline-related incidents in the past. Chaudhary (34) is accused of gunning down his senior officer, Tikaram Meena, and three passengers when the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express was near Palghar station on the outskirts of Mumbai in the early hours of July 31. The three passengers, Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurawala, Sayyad Saifuddin and Asgar Abbas Shaikh, were travelling in different bogies of the train. Chaudhary was later arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP). The motive behind the chilling crime is still not clear. Chaudhary first shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Me

Govt planning to sell 11.36% shares in Indian Railway Finance Corp via OFS

The government is planning to sell a part of its holding in state-owned Indian Railway Finance Corp (IRFC) through an offer for sale (OFS) in the current fiscal, an official said on Wednesday. The government currently holds an 86.36 per cent stake in the financing arm of the Indian Railways. The official said that an inter-ministerial group (IMG) comprising senior officers from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and the Railways Ministry has started consultations to decide on the quantum of stake dilution. To make the central public sector enterprise compliant to Sebi's minimum public shareholding (MPS) norm, the government has to dilute 11.36 per cent stake in IRFC. As per MPS norm, a listed entity must have a minimum public float of 25 per cent within five years of listing. "We are assessing investor appetite before deciding on the quantum of dilution," the official told PTI. Shares of IRFC were trading at Rs 50.97 a share, up 0.14 per cent over ..

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

Important freight corridor stretch to be built as regular railway track

Railways infra upgradation will ensure decongestion of routes: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the cabinet's approval to seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways, saying the decision relating to infrastructure upgradation will ensure decongestion of routes, enhance ease of travel and boost eco-friendly freight capacity. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways at an estimated cost of around Rs 32,500 crore and these will bring down the travel time for passengers, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The proposed projects, which will be fully funded by the Centre, will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Modi said, "This is an important Cabinet decision relating to infrastructure upgradation in the railways sector. It will ensure decongestion of routes, enhance ease of travel and boost eco-friendly freight capacity. It will .

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

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

CCEA approves 7 multi-tracking projects to increase railway network

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways at an estimated cost of around Rs 32,500 crore, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The proposed projects will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation. The projects covering 35 districts in nine states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal -- will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by 2,339 km.

Indian Railways planning PLI for train components to curb imports

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

Railways seeks finance ministry's help in addressing pension liabilities

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

Railways aim to save 200k litres diesel a day by electrifying pit lines

A senior government official said that the railways will substitute fossil fuels with grid electrification at all 411 maintenance pits by December 2023

Hindalco, Texmaco to manufacture aluminium rail wagons and coaches

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