Page 5 - Railway Ministry

Railway gives priority to passenger safety, invests 54% more funds on it

Prioritising the safety of train passengers, the Indian Railway has made approximately 54 per cent more fund utilisation in the last five months compared to last year's corresponding period. Besides safety, it has also made considerable fund utilisation in various infrastructure projects, such as new lines, doubling, gauge conversion and enhancing passenger amenities, between April 1 and August 31, the railway ministry said on Saturday. "Indian Railways has witnessed approximately 48 per cent capital expenditure utilisation (highest ever) in the first five months of this financial year till August 2023," according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Railway. "Safety of the passengers is paramount in Railways. A significant sum has been invested in enhancing safety-related works. The capex utilisation is approximately 54 per cent in comparison to the last year's corresponding period," the statement added. During this period, the national transporter has earned a revenue o

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

Need to collaborate on digital security to contain risks: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the global interconnectedness has created shared security risks requiring the urgent need to collaborate on digital security. Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Working Group Ministers Meet, Vaishnaw said three priority areas have been selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group, which will help in the democratisation of technology. "Global interconnectedness creates shared security risks. Therefore the need to collaborate on digital security has become more urgent," the Minister, who holds Railways, Electronics and IT portfolios, said. Appreciating the efforts of the digital economy working group of G20, he said the group has been diligently engaged in discussions for steering the member nations towards common ground. In this context, Vaishnaw said, "The three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the digital economy Working Group are digital public infrastructure (DPI), security in the ...

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 ..

Plastic industry should focus on manufacturing quality, exports: Goyal

Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday urged the plastic industry players to focus on manufacturing quality and sustainable products with new technology and innovation to become globally competitive and increase exports. "...we are introducing quality checks and quality control on orders to stop the production or consumption, whether domestic or imported, of sub-standard and low quality, under-priced goods, which tend to hurt the plastic industry, our consumer interests and hamper the overall reputation and image of our country," the minister said at the 2nd 'Technology Conference for Growth of Plastic Industry' organised by industry body AIPMA. Goyal said, the government is very sensitive to the potential of the industry as well as about the problems of the plastic industry. "We are looking at how we can support the recycling of plastic waste or reuse of plastic raw material, and how we can make plastic disposable more effective and efficient. The global average rate

Titagarh Rail hits new high on positive outlook; stock up 379% in a year

While TRSL is India's undisputed leader in the wagon manufacturing space, now it is also among India's very few integrated manufacturers of passenger rail systems.

4 wagons of goods train on way to Vedanta plant derail in Odisha's Rayagada

Four wagons of a goods train got derailed in Rayagada district of Odisha on Saturday. There was no official confirmation from the East Coast Railway about the incident.

Death toll rises to 291 in Odisha's Balasore three-train train accident

The death toll from a three-train crash in Odisha's Balasore reached 291, officials said on Saturday

Ramkrishna Forgings-Titagarh Rail consortium bags Rs 12,227 cr order

A consortium of Ramkrishna Forgings Ltd and Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd has bagged an order worth about Rs 12,227 crore from the railways ministry to supply 15.40 lakh forged wheels under the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The contract spans over 20 years, with the delivery of 40,000 forged wheels in the first year, 60,000 in the second year, and 80,000 wheels annually thereafter, Ramkrishna Forgings said in a statement on Friday. "Ramkrishna Forgings Limited (RKFL) and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) consortium has won a contract to supply 15,40,000 forged wheels under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by Ministry of Railways," it said. The wheels will be used for LHB coaches, WAG9 locomotives, Vande Bharat Express trains, and other platforms and the total contract value is Rs 12,226.5 crore, the company said. The consortium will be establishing a facility to manufacture these forged wheels, with a total annual production target of 2,00,000 wheels when fully ...

Railways board orders double-locking arrangement for all signalling assets

The Railway Board Saturday ordered a double-locking arrangement for all relay rooms with train controlling mechanisms, relay huts housing signalling and telecommunications equipment of level-crossings, and point and track circuit signals, officials said. The missive to the railway zones is the latest in a series of directions issued since the June 2 accident involving three trains in Odisha's Balasore which killed more than 280 people. The order indicates that the "access to the relay room" was key to the "signalling interference" that caused the Coromandel Express to take the loop line at Balasore and crash into a stationary goods train. With enough evidence to show that some kind of tampering was done with the interlocking system, the job now is to make it "tamper-proof", senior officials said. "This double locking will ensure that no one can access these locations in isolation," said an officer. The order said that level crossing gate (goomty/cabin), housing signalling and ...

Railway ministry releases helpline number to locate affected passengers

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

IRCTC's 0.35 paise travel insurance for accidents: All you need to know

While booking train tickets on the IRCTC website or app, travellers have the option to avail themselves of travel insurance for a premium of just 35 paise

'Electronic interlocking' behind Balasore train accident: Railway Minister

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the tragic train accident in Odisha's Balasore occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking"

Odisha train tragedy: List of injured, deceased passengers put on websites

To facilitate smooth identification of victims of the Balasore train mishap, the Odisha government has uploaded the details of passengers on three websites

Root cause of accident identified: Railway minister on Odisha train tragedy

Vaishnaw, who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site, said accident that claimed the lives of 288 passengers happened due to a change in electronic interlocking

Odisha train accident: Railways Minister Vaishnaw inspects restoration work

Railways Minister inspected the restoration work at Balasore where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved in a major accident, leaving 288 passengers dead, injuring over 1,000 people

Before Balasore disaster, 11 incidents of train collisions in five years

Has paid Rs 14 crores in compensation after 50 train accident deaths, nearly 400 injuries

Odisha train accident: 100 bodies to be kept at AIIMS Bhubaneshwar

Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Geeta Singh informed that 100 out of the 160 unidentified bodies of passengers of the Odisha triple train accident will be kept in AIIMS Bhubaneshwar

Odisha train accident: Cong leader Surjewala poses set of 9 questions to PM

Randeep Singh Surjewala took a swipe at PM Modi over his remarks on a visit to the site of the horrific triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, on Saturday, posing a set of nine questions to him

Odisha train derailment: Vaishnaw oversees ongoing restoration works

Union Railway Minister oversaw restoration works that were underway overnight in Odisha's Balasore where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved in a horrific accident