Indian Railway News

[sajiv]

Rail commuters cry out for basic facilities

S Anil Radhakrishnan

Murukkumpuzha station continues to remain neglected

No foot overbridge at station

Approach road is in a poor condition

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lack of basic infrastructure facilities such as foot overbridge, platforms that accommodate 21 coaches and a covered platform at the Murukkumpuzha railway station is causing hardship to hundreds who commute from here to the capital and other destinations.

Although the station has three railway lines, it is the only one in the entire division that does not have a foot overbridge for the commuters to move from one platform to another. They are now forced to move along the tracks risking their lives.

Another problem is the difference in level of the two platforms at the station. Platform one is at a lower level and platform 2 at a higher level. The two platforms can accommodate only 14-15 coaches and often the general and ladies compartments remain outside the platform, making boarding and alighting difficult. The women and the aged are the worst hit. Also, Platform 2 does not have a covered roof to protect the commuters from the sun and rain. The entry to the station is from the Mangalapuram-Murukkumpuzha ferry road. The 200-metre approach road to the station from this main road has been in a state of disrepair for long. The road has been tendered by the railways for resurfacing.

Railway materials are stacked on the premises of the station. The building has not been given a face-lift for several years. The plants and shrubs in front of the station have not been pruned for months. Commuters have been demanding a covered parking lot for two-wheelers and bicycles.

Railway sources said the 0727 Madurai-Kollam Passenger is held up at the Murukkumpuzha station to give priority to the 7229 Hyderabad-bound Sabari Express and the 6328 Mumbai-bound Jayanti Janata Express. Often, this causes problems to office-goers and students who proceed to places beyond Kollam.

Located 21 km from Thiruvananthapuram Central, the railway station is used mainly by those hailing from Mangalapuram, Azhoor, Pothencode, Kadinamkulam and Pallipuram panchayats. Besides, it is the servicing station for the CRPF Group Centre at Pallipuram and the upcoming Technocity.

Season tickets are issued from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as the station does not have a designated clerk. The Station Master has to do all the chores, including issuing of tickets.

Trespassing is also turning out to be a headache for the authorities, as there is no fencing in the station situated in the electrified stretch. Recently, a woman was run over by a train near the level-crossing. Anti-social activities are another problem.

It takes one-and-a-half hours to commute by road from the capital to Murukkumpuzha as compared to 20 minutes by train. While the fare from Murukkumpuzha to the city is Rs.13 by ordinary bus, the rail fare is Rs.5 by passenger train and Rs.18 by Express train.

At present, three pairs of passenger trains and the 6629/6630 Malabar Express stop at the station. Railway sources said the passenger trains and the Malabar Express have good patronage. The Railway Passenger Association has been demanding more facilities and stoppage for the Guruvayur and Amritha Express.

[sajiv]

TAMBARAM: Agitated over the closure of gates at the railway level crossing near the Meenambakkam railway station for a long time, road-users, mostly two-wheeler riders and drivers of other vehicles, staged a protest by blocking the movement of suburban electric trains on the Chennai Beach - Tambaram sector on Monday.

Problems began when gates were closed around 8.30 a.m.

With the subways at Thillaiganga Nagar, Pazhavanthangal and St.Thomas Mount — all in Alandur Municipal limits — were flooded, vehicles could not use these facilities. For most residents of Adambakkam, Pazhavanthangal, Nanganallur, Thillaiganga Nagar and Vaanuvampettai among other localities of the municipality, the three subways were the most important links to reach Grand Southern Trunk Road.

There are alternatives — a level crossing near Ponniamman Temple and a road over bridge linking M.K.N. Road and Chakrapani Street — through the completed bridge is yet to be formally opened, it is used by motorists.

But, for the thousands of motorists from Nanganallur and Pazhavanthangal areas, the level crossing (LC No. 18) near the Meenambakkam station is the only access to GST Road during monsoon when the other subways are flooded.

An adjacent level crossing (LC No. 19) had been closed as work on a subway was in progress.

On Monday, the gates were closed around 8.30 a.m. and opened only at 11.30 a.m., said C. Harikesh, a resident of Nanganallur 44th Street who was in his car during that period.

Frustrated at the gates not being opened, the road-users gathered on the railway tracks, blocking the movement of a few electric trains bound for Chennai Beach and Tambaram.

The few hundred protestors included women and they dispersed only after personnel of the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police came to spot and pacified them. Enquiries with Southern Railway officials revealed that the gates could not be opened due to signal problems and a technical snag. Only after the gates were made operational, around 11.30 a.m., could the police clear the piled up traffic.

Officials of the Alandur Municipality said that they had deployed additional pumps to bale out water, adding the three flooded subways would be operational by Monday night itself.

Motorists in other areas of Chennai and its suburbs also faced problems due to rainwater stagnation and damaged roads.

A case in point is Taramani Link Road. Following the rain, the road was severely damaged and at several places only half the carriageway was usable.

Vehicular traffic on a portion of Velachery-Tambaram High Road at the junctions between Madipakkam Main Road and Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road had been diverted since Friday.

Traffic bound for Velachery and the rest of the city must take a detour through Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Taramani Link Road.

K. Naveenkumar, a resident of Medavakkam, said that the closing of this stretch meant more time spent on travel and starting early from home.

Those coming from Pallikaranai, Jalladampet, Medavakkam and Sithalapakkam and bound for Velachery using the Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses too had to endure longer travel time as a number of buses passing through Velachery are taking the detour.

A new culvert was under construction at Velachery-Tambaram Main Road to channel the rainwater coming from Madipakkam into the Pallikaranai marshland. Residents here complained about the slow pace of construction work and the lack of alternative arrangement to drain the rainwater now flooding the arterial road and residential colonies nearby.

[sajiv]

Special trains from December 19-21

Hyderabad: The South Central Railway will be operating six special trains between Secunderabad and Vijayawada from December 19 to 21. Train No.714-A, Secunderabad-Vijayawada special train would leave Secunderabad at 11.15 p.m. on 19, 20 and 21 and arrive at Vijayawada at 4.45 a.m. On the return, train no. 713-A would leave Vijayawada at 11.15 p.m. on 19, 20 and 21 and arrive at Secunderabad at 5 a.m.

[sajiv]

Railway station lacks adequate security

Door frame metal detector, installed a few months ago, vanishes suddenly

KHAMMAM: A door frame metal detector (DFMD), installed at the Khammam railway station a few months ago, is not seen in its place these days. It was sanctioned at a time when it was considered to be one of the sensitive stations in security point of view. The Railways had also planned installation of CCTV cameras in the station. But all of a sudden the authorities seem to have realised that the Khammam railway station would do without the special security arrangements.

The DFMD vanished suddenly from the main entrance. Officers of the railways pleaded their ignorance about it. But a senior official has informed that the need of the DFMD was felt at Rail Nilayam and hence it was shifted to Secunderabad.

He justified the act saying that Khammam station has many entry points and one DFMD would not be of any use.

"We need to plug all the paths used by the people to gain access to the railway station and the exercise would be taken up very soon. Orders have been placed by the South Central Railways for more number of DFMDs and the Khammam station would soon have it."

Cable work
Enquired about the CCTV cameras, the officials were prompt in their response. The workmen were found laying the cables for installation of the CCTV cameras. But they are not enough to ensure foolproof security, according to the officials. The RPF station at Khammam, which required at least 20 men, has been functioning with skeletal staff.

Security checks, which are often taken up by the civil police on the roads of the main town in the wake of incidents such as the Mumbai attacks, are seldom experienced in the Khammam railway station.

[sajiv]

Train extended

HUBLI: South Central Railway has extended the services of the Kacheguda-Bangalore City-Kacheguda Weekly Special Train (0789/0790) with a revised composition for eight more trips, a press release said.

Accordingly, Kacheguda-Bangalore Weekly Special (0789) will depart Kacheguda at 9.55 p.m. on Sundays, commencing from December 7 and will arrive at Bangalore City at 12.10 p.m. the next day.

The last service of the train from Kacheguda will be on January 25, 2009.

In the return direction, Bangalore City-Kacheguda Weekly Special (0790) will depart from Bangalore City at 1 p.m. on Mondays commencing from December 8 and reach Kacheguda at 4 a.m. the next day.

The last service of the train from Bangalore City is on January 26, 2009.

The weekly special will have a revised composition of 20 coaches, comprising two 2-tier A/C coaches, one 3-tier A/C coach, 12 second-class sleepers, three general second-class coaches and two second-class luggage-cum-brake vans, the release said.

[sajiv]

Railway, bus stations are soft targets

BANGALORE: Nearly 15 lakh people visit this area daily and over 12 lakh take either a bus or a train to reach their destination or to enter the city. This is Majestic, the major travel hub of Bangalore that holds within its confines the City Railway Station and the Kempegowda Bus Station of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

This enormous section population is a soft target for a terror strike. This is despite the fact that the railways, the KSRTC and the BMTC have taken several measures and deployed security mechanism within their respective stations. Multiple entry points to the stations and a huge floating population pose a challenge to security agencies to offer foolproof security.

City station
The City Railway Station, which handles nearly two lakh passengers and a hundred pairs of passenger trains, has four recognised entry points where armed security personnel with metal detectors are deployed. However, there are nearly 20 unauthorised entry points to this station which are susceptible to entry of terror elements as they remain unguarded round-the-clock. These unauthorised points are located on either side of the station, including Magadi Road, Okalipuram, Binny Mill and other places. The situation is no different at Yeshwanthpur that has grown to be the second largest railway terminal for the City and Cantonment

Railway Station.
The scene inside the terminals depicts a poor picture on security aspects. There are closed circuit television cameras and personnel monitoring movement of people sitting in the control room. Still, if something happens on the platforms or the foot-overbridges or the subway, absence of security personnel on these locations might prove costly for passengers.

Short-staffed
Multiple agencies — the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) — look after safety of passengers and security of railway property. However, all these forces are short-staffed that come in the way of assuring complete security to passengers.

The GRP, for which the last recruitment was done in 1997, has a vacancy of nearly 50 posts in the sanctioned 910 posts even as the present day situation requires at least 2,000 personnel. Similarly RPF too is short-staffed and the force is managing within the available personnel.

Bus station
The other side of the railway station, which houses KBS registers over 2,500 departures and two lakh passengers of KSRTC and 10,000 departures and six lakh passengers of BMTC a day. Unlike the City Railway Station or KSRTC's terminal, BMTC's terminal with four rings and 26 platforms has multiple entry points and it is humanly impossible to guard each and every entry point.

The subway connecting KBS and the City Railway Station and the foot-overbridge at KBS connecting BMTC's platforms and KSRTC's terminal are highly vulnerable for any terror attack as they remain unguarded.

BMTC's Shivajinagar terminal, the second major city bus terminal, registers 625 departures and nearly 2.75 lakh passengers a day. Completely open on one side, this terminal too could allow free access to extremist elements.

[sajiv]

Railways to run Sabarimala specials

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Railways will run additional special trains from Hyderabad, Kakinada, Nizamabad, Vijayawada, Machilipatnam and Sipur Kagaznagar to Kollam during December and January to clear the rush during the Sabarimala season.

As per the schedule, 0766 Hyderabad-Kollam Tri-weekly Special will leave Hyderabad at 1.30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from December 2 to January 15 to arrive at Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day. The 0765 Kollam-Hyderabad Tri-Weekly Special will leave Kollam at 11 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays from December 5 to January 16 to arrive at Hyderabad at 4.30 a.m. the third day.

The 0744 Kakinada Town-Kollam Tri-Weekly Special will leave Kakinada Town at 3.50 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from December 3 to January 14 to arrive at Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day.

The 0743 Kollam-Kakinada Town Tri-Weekly Special will leave Kollam at 11p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from December 3 to January 15 to arrive at Kakinada Town at 3 a.m. on the third day.

The 0766B Nizamabad-Kollam Weekly Special will leave Nizamabad at 4.15 p.m. on Fridays from December 5 to January 9 to arrive at Kollam at 12.05 a.m. on the third day. The 0765B Kollam-Nizamabad Special will leave Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Sundays from December 7 to January 11 to arrive at Nizamabad at 10 a.m. the next day.

The 0730 Vijayawada-Kollam Weekly Special will leave Vijayawada at 7.30 p.m. on Mondays from December 1 to January 12 to arrive at Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day. The 0729 Kollam-Vijayawada Weekly Special will leave Kollam at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays from December 2 to January 13 to arrive at Vijayawada at 10.15 p.m. the next day.

The 0730A Machilipatnam-Kollam Weekly Special will leave Machilipatnam at 10 p.m. on Thursdays from December 4 to January 15 to arrive at Kollam at 12.05 a.m. on the third day. The 0729A Kollam-Machilipatnam Weekly Special will leave Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Saturdays from December 6 to January 17 to arrive at Vijayawada at 4.15 a.m. the next day.

The 0766A Hyderabad-Kollam Weekly Special will leave Hyderabad at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays from December 10 to January 14 to arrive at Kollam at 12.05 a.m. on the third day.

The 0726 Sirpur Kagaznagar-Kollam Special will leave Sirpur Kagaznagar at 6 p.m. on December 25 and January 1 to arrive at Kollam at 12.05 a.m. on the third day. The 0725 Kollam-Sirpur Kagaznagar Special will leave Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on December 27 and January 3 to arrive at Sirpur Kagaznagar at 9.15 a.m. the next day.

[dwarakesh]

Ticket reservation counter to function from December 29

TIRUNELVELI: The computerised train ticket reservation on the Palayamkottai zone office premises will start functioning from December 29. Minister to inaugurate facility

According to chairman of Palayamkottai Zone Suba. Seetharaman, Union Minister of State for Railway, R. Velu will inaugurate the facility on December 29. Though this reservation counter will initially function from one of the existing buildings, it will be shifted to the new spacious building to be constructed on the same premises in near future.

After the Railway Board refused to give its nod for establishing the reservation counter at Palayamkottai Zone office, Mr. Seetharaman met Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr. Velu and successfully persuaded them to establish the facility.

[sajiv]

Special train to Nagercoil

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run a special train from Chennai Egmore to Nagercoil.

Train (0615) will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on December 6 and reach Nagercoil at 2.30 p.m. the next day.

Advance reservation for the above train will commence on December 5.

The train (2839) Howrah – Chennai Central Mail scheduled to arrive at Chennai Central at 3.50 a.m. on December 6 and the train (2842) Chennai Central – Howrah Coramandal Express scheduled to leave Chennai Central at 8.45 a.m. on December 6 have been cancelled, according to a railway press release.

[sajiv]

Railways:
General Enquiry Other Than Train Arrival & Departure ( BG)   - 131
General Enquiry Other Than Train Arrival & Departure ( BG & MG) - 135
Arrival & Departure of Trains ( BG) - 133

Chennai Moore market Complex Automated Reservation Enquiry BG & MG   
English - 1361
Hindi    - 1362
Tamil - 1363
Reservation Enquiry BG & MG - 132
Chennai Egmore Reservation Enquiry Arrival & Departure of Trains ( MG) - 134

Road Transport   
APSRTC ( Tirupati Depot)   -25342075
KSRTC   -25340402
Metropolitan Transport Corporation   -25366016

[sajiv]

No rail parcel booking for three days

MADURAI: The Railways have restricted booking of parcels for three days from Thursday for security reasons in view of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary falling on Saturday.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Tamil Nadu Railway Police (TRP) have stepped up vigil and thrown a security blanket around the Madurai Railway Junction.

"Except for the main entrance, all other entry points into the railway station have been plugged. Even the old foot-over bridge has been closed," RPF Inspector K.S. Kannan, said.

Besides the door frame metal detectors already installed on the main entrance, two more have been put up on both sides of the new foot-over bridge. "Passengers can enter the station only after frisking and baggage checks," he said.

The locked empty rakes of trains were being piloted by RPF personnel to the railway station after thoroughly sanitising them.

Three sniffer dogs have been pressed into service for conducting anti-sabotage checks on the railway premises, including the parking lots.

"We have closed down the VIP entrance and posted armed personnel at all strategic points," TRP Inspector M.S.M. Abdul Rahim said.

Movement of suspicious persons were being monitored through closed circuit television cameras.
Plea to passengers

The security officials have urged the passengers to avoid last minute rush to the railway station and cooperate with them to ensure a safe journey.

[sajiv]

Rail traffic restored

VISAKHAPATNAM: Traffic on one track (up line) of the railway line between Howrah and Chennai has been restored by 9.10 a.m. on Thursday and work was going on for restoration of the second line.

As many as 13 bogies (S2 to S14) and the pantry car of the Patna-Ernakulam Express derailed at a place, about 38 km. from Palasa in Srikakulam district around Wednesday midnight. According to Divisional Commercial Manager, ECoR, M.M. Rao, all bogies of the derailed train are anti-telescopic coaches and hence the damage was minimum. Only five passengers had sustained minor injuries, he said. An inquiry would reveal the cause of derailment, he added.

[sajiv]

Timken to supply bearings to Indian Railways

BANGALORE: Timken Company has secured an order worth $16 million (about Rs. 80 crore) from the Indian Railways for the supply of bearings for use in passenger and freight trains.

[sajiv]

TIRUCHI: Rail traffic to Tiruvarur continues to remain suspended owing to water logging at Tiruvarur Railway Station and the yard there.

Trains to Tiruvarur from Tiruchi and Thanjavur are being operated only up to Koradachery Railway Station and back for the last eight days.

The railways have also suspended traffic on the Mayiladuturai–Karaikudi metre gauge section since November 26 due to water logging on the track between Tiruvarur and Pattukottai.

The water logging was due to breaches in the lakes and other water bodies in at least 10 locations, damaging the track for a distance of about 1.5 km, say railway sources. The sources said flooding was caused due to the decision of the government to create breaches in major embankments to prevent flood waters entering villages.

Assessment
Work on assessing the damage caused to the track and the restoration work would be taken up only after the flood water recedes.

Till then, train services will remain suspended between Mayiladuturai and Karaikudi.

Meanwhile, the public feel that the Southern Railway had decided to close down the Mayiladuturai–Karaikudi MG section soon to take up the BG conversion works.

Instead of restoring the train traffic on the MG track for a short duration by utilising money and manpower, the Railways could close down the track and commence the BG conversion work as soon as water recedes, they say.

[sajiv]

Civil Defence Day celebrated

HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway (SCR) conducted Civil Defence Day demonstrations on Friday as part of the All-India Civil Defence Week, which is being observed between December 1 and 7. About 110 Civil Defence Volunteers participated in mock rescue operations conducted at Hyderabad Railway Divisional Office at Secunderabad.

Chief Guest of the event, Divisional Railway Manager Narottam Das said, services of Civil Defence volunteers would be of great help in times of untoward incidents such as external attacks, internal turmoil and natural calamities. He appealed the Railway employees to join the Civil Defence Organisation as volunteers.

Modes of rescue
In the mock drill, volunteers rescued many injured people by deploying rescue operations such as flying box method, tow parallel rope, sliding ladder method and structure lashing, among others. Mr. Das announced a reward of Rs.5,000 for volunteers who performed a rescue demonstration.

[sajiv]

Rail route approved

KADAPA: The Central government has accorded approval to the Kadapa-Bangalore railway route, estimated to cost Rs. 1,000 crore, according to General Manager of South Central Railway H.K. Padhi.

A survey would be conducted soon along the route through Rayachoti, Vayalpadu, Madanapalle and Bangarupet, the South Central Railway General Manager, who inspected the Kadapa railway station on Thursday night, told reporters.

[dwarakesh]

Train skips scheduled stop, passengers stranded

The Kumbakonam/Tiruchi-bound Rockfort Express on Thursday night ran past the Mambalam station, leaving about 40 passengers in utter confusion.

The train has a scheduled stopping at Mambalam for about two minutes, where normally 50 passengers board the train.

Station authorities immediately alerted the divisional control office as well as the Tambaram station, the next scheduled stop.

The passengers were taken to Tambaram station by an EMU where they boarded the train, much to their relief. Due to this, the train suffered a detention of about 50 minutes at Tambaram. Both the drivers were suspended for dereliction of duty and another set of drivers were asked to take charge of the train.

A Chennai Divisional Railway official said the Chennai Egmore–Tambaram section was an automatic signal territory where the signal shows green if the section is not occupied by any other train.

Even if the signal is green, the driver has to stop the train at the station as it has a scheduled stopping at Mambalam.

Skipping the station was a grave offence committed by the driver and the assistant driver. An enquiry has been ordered by the railway administration.

[dwarakesh]

Timings of some passenger trains revised

The Southern Railway has revised the timings of some of the passenger trains operated in the Palghat-Pollachi section consequent to its closure for gauge conversion.

According to a Southern Railway press release, 765/762 Palghat-Pollachi-Palghat; 767/766 Palghat-Pollachi-Palghat; 768A/773 Pollachi-Podanur-Pollachi; 768/761 Dindigul-Palghat-Dindigul and 764/763 Dindigul-Palghat-Dindigul passengers will be cancelled with effect from December 10.

The 775/776 Palghat-Dindigul-Palghat passengers will be partially cancelled between Palghat and Pollachi and will run between Dindigul and Pollachi.

Train services in the Dindigul-Pollachi-Podanur section will be operated to the following revised timings: The 772 Dindigul-Podanur passenger will leave Dindigul at 4.35 a.m. and reach Pollachi at 7.25 a.m.

Leaving Pollachi at 7.35 a.m., it will reach Podanur at 8.40 a.m.

The 776 Dindigul-Pollachi passenger will leave Dindigul at 8 a.m. and reach Pollachi at 10.55 a.m.

The 778 Dindigul-Podanur passenger will leave Dindigul at 5 p.m. and reach Pollachi at 8.05 p.m. It will leave Pollachi at 8.15 p.m. and reach Podanur at 9.20 p.m.

The 771 Podanur-Dindigul passenger will leave Podanur at 7 p.m. and reach Pollachi at 8 p.m. It will leave Pollachi at 8.15 p.m. and reach Dindigul at 11.25 p.m.

The 777 Podanur-Dindigul passenger will leave Podanur at 7.30 a.m. and reach Pollachi at 8.45 a.m.

It will leave Pollachi at 8.55 p.m. and reach Dindigul at 12.10 p.m. The 775 Pollachi-Dindigul passenger will leave Pollachi at 6.10 p.m. and reach Dindigul at 9.30 p.m.

Source: The Hindu

[sajiv]

Train service to Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will introduce a direct train service to Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam from Chennai Central by extending trains (2691/2692) Chennai Central-Bangalore weekend expresses.

The inaugural service will be flagged off by Minister of State for Railways R.Velu on December 7 at the Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam railway station. Regular service will commence on December 12 from Chennai Central and December 14 from Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam.

The train will leave Chennai Central at 11.30 p.m. on Fridays and reach Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam at 10.20 a.m. the next day.

It will leave Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam at 7.10 p.m. on Sundays and arrive at Chennai Central at 5.15 a.m., according to a Southern Railway release.

[sajiv]

Coimbatore: Railway police have started scanning and tagging the luggage of the passengers as part of the security measures undertaken for the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary.

The tag bore the inscription 'Luggage identified-Government Railway Police-Tamil Nadu'.

Hitherto, this practice of scanning luggage and tagging them was done only by the Aviation sector. However the rising threat of terror attacks have resulted in such measures being taken for the railway passengers as well.

This new exercise has two objectives. One is that all luggages scanned using the Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD) and the Hand Held Metal Detector (HHMD) will have the sticker to easily identify any suspicious luggage.

The security personnel need to only look out for a luggage without a sticker.

Number
The second benefit is that each sticker also has the inscription 'Call 99625 00500 for help' which is a toll-free number of the Railway police.

This number would come handy for the passengers for availing police help.

These stickers are sponsored by a cellular service provider who has given the toll free number.

Emergency
The passengers seeking urgent medical aid, those facing trouble from miscreants in the train and in the event of a crime or any crisis, the toll free number could be dialled.

The Railway Police control room at Chennai would co-ordinate with the Railway police Stations and arrange for assistance at the next approaching major station.

[sajiv]

Train extended till Puttaparthi

ANANTAPUR: The weekly express train between Chennai and Bangalore, No. 2691/2692, was extended till Prshanti Nilayam (Puttaparthi) in the district on Sunday by Union Minister of State for Railway R. Velu. The train runs on every Friday from Chennai and the return journey would commence on every Sunday from Puttaparthi via Bangalore.

Speaking after flagging off the train, the Minister said the government would take up more development projects by allocating Rs. 1 lakh crore to railways in the coming financial year. 'Garib Rath' train services would also be extended in the State.

[sajiv]

Coach factory: Railways' word awaited on land acquisition

PALAKKAD: Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran has said that the State government is waiting for a requisition from the Railways to start acquiring 900 acres of land needed for the proposed railway coach factory at Kanjikode, near here.

The Minister told The Hindu here on Sunday that "this is a prestigious project for the State and the government has constituted a special survey team to survey immediately the land to be acquired under the fast-track system."

He said the Railways should identify the land needed with survey numbers and allot the compensation to be paid to the landowners. The State government was waiting for a communication from the Railways. There was no delay on its part in acquiring land.

He said a meeting of the revenue authorities, representatives of local bodies and political parties and the landowners would be held here next week to settle the issues of displacement of people and compensation.

There have been allegations of delay in starting the acquisition.

Action councils in the name of the landowners have come up and are threatening an agitation against the acquisition.

[sajiv]

Railways considering suburban services

On Palakkad-Shoranur-Ernakulam route

Thrissur: Suburban train service in the Palakkad-Shoranur-Ernakulam route is under active consideration of the Railway, Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Additional Railway Manager Asok Kumar has said.

He was delivering the keynote address at the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Thrissur Railway Passengers Association, at the Kerala Sahithya Akademi auditorium, here, on Sunday.

Speaking after inaugurating the function, P. R. Rajan, MP, urged the Railways to develop Punkunnam as a satellite station of Thrissur Railway Station.

Extension sought
Therambil Ramakrishnan, MLA, urged the railways not to delay extension of Thiruvanathapuram-Ernakulam Intercity Express to Thrissur. Mayor R. Bindu presided over the function.

Two papers on topics related to development of the railways were presented on the occasion.

Thrissur Passengers Association Treasurer T.A. Rajendran, in his paper, listed the long-pending demands of railway passengers in Thrissur.

The existing facilities were not sufficient to accommodate the crowd.

Thrissur would witness an unprecedented growth when the Smart city, Vallarpadam Container Terminal and L.N.G. Terminal become a reality, he noted.

Some of the suggestions he put forward for the development of the sector include, extending the 6341/6342 Thiruvanathapuram-Ernakulam Intercity Express to Guruvayur; running the 647/650 Shornur-Ernakulam-

Shoranur Passenger on Sundays, extending the 616 Kannur-Shoranur passenger to Thrissur; increasing number of services in Guruvayur-Thrissur-Ernakulam route, increasing the bogies from 24 to 26, more platforms and rail tracks in Ollur, Irinjalakkua and Karukutty stations, third platform at Punkunnam, new platform and foot-overbridge in Thrissur station and opening ticket counter and parcel booking facility at the second entry at Thrissur Railway station.

Association Secretary P. Krishnakumar's paper was about the scope of development of the railways.

Modernisation of signal system was the most feasible way to increase number of services with the available infrastructure, he noted.

Others who spoke at the function included BJP district vice-president Ravikumar Uppath, and Thrissur Passengers Association president D. Anantha Subramanian.

[dwarakesh]

Railways' profit will cross Rs.1,000 bn

Railways' profits in the current fiscal will cross Rs.1,000 billion ($20 billion), Railways Minister Lalu Prasad said here Monday.

"I am 100 percent sure that Indian Railways is set to earn a profit of over Rs.1 lakh crore (Rs.1,000 billion) during the current fiscal," he said.

The minister has been travelling across the state during the last one week to lay foundation stones of new rail lines and also to inaugurate railway buildings.

"It (Railways) was not profit making before I took over nearly five years ago. I simply turned it into a profit making one," Lalu Prasad said.

Despite railways being targeted by Maoist rebels, terrorists and protesters, it is making history by achieving new records in profit, starting projects and spreading its network across the country, he said.

[sajiv]

Railways raises freight rates
NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways on Monday effected an up to 8 per cent hike in freight rates for cement, coal and coke As a result, the freight rates stand revised higher by 7-8 per cent a tonne with effect from Monday, as per a notification issued on November 28.

[sajiv]

Railways gets new Financial Commissioner

CHENNAI: Sowmya Raghavan has taken over charge of the office of Financial Commissioner, Railways. Prior to this appointment she was General Manager of Central Railway, according to a Southern Railway release. Before joining as the first lady General Manager of Central Railway, she was Advisor (Finance), Ministry of Railways (Railway Board).

[sajiv]

City-bound trains to halt at Pettah

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram-bound mail and express trains will not have to wait endlessly for signal to enter the Central station here station with the introduction of the Intermediate Block Signal at Pettah.

The installation of the signal system will result in an 'unscheduled halt' at the Pettah station for all mail, express and passenger trains coming to Thiruvananthapuram Central, Nagercoil and beyond.

With this, the Railways will be able to avoid stoppage of the trains near the Upidamoodu bridge and Overbridge during the peak morning and evening hours.

This will be a big relief to commuters, especially office-goers and students, and for those proceeding to the Medical College Hospital, Regional Cancer Centre, the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology and those going to the airport and Technopark.

Less congestion
The congestion and rush at the Central station during the peak hours can also be reduced to a certain degree, sources said.

At present, most trains are made to wait, for 10 to15 minutes, on the 'outer' of the Central station for signal. The home signal of the Central station is after the Pettah railway station.

During the peak hours, commuters, especially office-goers and students, get off the coaches and leap over Railway compound walls to enter the Vanchiyoor-Upidamoodu-Overbridge road to reach their destinations in time.

The proposals for more platforms had been forwarded from the divisional level to the Southern Railway headquarters in Chennai for clearance, a senior official told The Hindu.

The work involves track circuiting of the Thiruvananthapuram-Pettah stretch at a cost of Rs.60 lakh.

As per the proposal, the highly saturated Thiruvananthapuram-Kochuveli section will be divided into two 'block sections.'

[dwarakesh]

Coimbatore – Tirupati special train to clear extra rush

Coimbatore: In order to clear the extra rush of passengers during the winter season, the Southern Railway – Salem Division is running a special train between Coimbatore and Tirupati two services on either direction in December.

A release from Salem Division said that from Coimbatore the train would run on December 16 and 23 (Tuesdays) and in the return direction it would be on December 17 and 24 (Wednesdays).

Train number 0623 will depart Coimbatore at 10. 35 p.m. and it would stop at Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Chittoor, Pakala and reach Tirupati at 7.30 a.m. the next day and train number 0624 will depart at 09.00 p.m. and would stop at Pakala, Chittoor, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore North and reach Coimbatore Junction at 07.00 a.m. The composition of the train would be one AC two tier coach, two AC three tier coaches, 12 sleeper class coaches, two general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.

Train number ML 02/01 Coimbatore – Melmaruvathur – Coimbatore special trains would be operated in December, January and February. From Coimbatore special trains would run on December 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31 in January services would be on 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 and in February on 3, 4, 5 and 6. Train number ML03 would depart Melmaruvathur for Coimbatore on December 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 and in January on 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 and in February on 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The train would have composition of two sleeper class coaches, 17 general second class coaches, three luggage-cum-brake vans. The train would leave Coimbatore at 10. 30 p.m. and arrive Melmaruvathur at 8.00 a.m. and in the return direction it would depart Melmaruvathur at 6.00 p.m. and arrive Coimbatore 4.00 a.m. the next day. Train Number ML04/03 Erode-Melmaruvathur-Erode special train services wouldbe operated with a composition of ten sleeper class coaches, 10 general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans. The special will leave Erode at 9.45 p.m. and arrive Melmaruvathur at 8.a.m. the next day. In the return direction, the train would leave Melmaruvathur at 10.30 p.m. and arrive Erode at 05.45 a.m. the next day. The dates of the services from Erode are December 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30, January 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and February 6 and from Melmaruvathur the services would be on December 21, 23, 25, 27, 29 and 31 and in January on 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and on February 8.

Train number ML06/ML05 Tirupur-Melmaruavthur-Tirupur with a composition of four sleeper class coaches, 15 general-second class coaches and three luggage-cum-brake vans will leave Tirupur at 11.20 p.m. and arrive Melmaruvathur at 08.15 a.m. the next day. Services from Tirupur would be on December 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 30 and on January 1, 4, 9 and 15. The train in the return direction would leave Melmaruvathur at 6.00 p.m. and arrive Tirupur at 03.00 a.m. the next day. The dates of the services are December 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 31 and in January on 2, 5, 10 and 16. In addition, there would be a one day additional special different from ML06/-5 with a composition of ten sleeper class coaches, 10 general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans. The special would leave Tirupur at 4.30 p.m. on January 11 and arrive Melmaruvathur at 04.00 a.m. the next day and in the return direction, the special would leave Melmaruvathur at 10.30 p.m. on January 12 and arrive Tirupur at 06.45 a.m. the next day.

Train number ML46/45 Sankaridurg-Melmaruvathur special with a composition of ten sleeper class coaches, ten general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans, the special ML46 would leave Sankaridurg at 10.00 p.m. on January 26 and arrive Melmaruvathur at 08.00 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, the special would leave Melmaruvathur at 10. 30 p.m. on January 27 and arrive Erode at 05.30 a.m. the next day. For more details passengers could log on to www.southernrailway.org

[dwarakesh]

Special train to Puducherry today

South Western Railway has decided to run a special train (single service) between Yashwanthpur and Puducherry on Thursday in view of inauguration of Yashwanthpur- Pondicherry Garib Rath Express at Pondicherry on Saturday.

According to a press release, the Yashwanthpur-Puducherry Garib Rath Special Train (0679) will depart from Yashwanthpur at 11.15 p.m. on Thursday and reach Pondicherry at 9.20 a.m. next day. The special train will have 18 coaches comprising 16 AC 3-tier high capacity coaches and two generator cars.

After the inauguration on December 13, the train will be running as weekly express starting from December 19 from Yeshwanthpur end and from December 20 from Pondicherry end, the release said.

The train will reach Puducherry from Bangalore via Hosur, Dharmapuri, Salem and Villupuram.

[sajiv]

Rlys to miss cash surplus target
The fall in iron ore freight traffic in October and November this year by 70 per cent is likely to punch a huge hole in the cash surplus target of Indian Railways for the current financial year.

The railways had projected a Rs 30,000 crore cash surplus before dividend for the current fiscal. But now they are looking at a surplus of Rs 20,000 crore.

"Until October, we were confident of meeting the target. However, in the last two months, the iron ore meant for exports carried by the railways has witnessed a sharp fall of 70 per cent. This may affect our cash surplus target. Therefore, we expect our cash surplus to come down to around Rs 20,000 crore by March 2008," said a senior railway ministry official.

In the last four years, the railways have reported a cash surplus of around Rs 24,000 crore annually, of which profit from iron ore stood in the range of Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore. During October 2008, the total freight carried by the railways witnessed a decline of 0.14 per cent, compared to last year. While iron ore constitutes 5 per cent of the total freight traffic of the railways, the margins for carrying iron ore are very high.

Railway freight traffic predominantly constitutes commodities like coal, iron ore, cement, fertilisers, petroleum oil and lubricants (POL), pig iron and food grains. "Other than food grains and fertilisers, the demand for commodities is cyclical in nature. So any kind of macro-economic downturn is bound to impact us," the official added.

Apart from the slowdown in commodity traffic, the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations has also put an additional burden of Rs 1,700 crore on the railways, against their budgetary estimates. The railways had made an ad hoc provision of nearly Rs 5,000 crore for the pay panel recommendations.

Facing a tough task ahead, the railways last week increased the freight rates for key commodities, including cement and coal by up to 8 per cent.

"The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission and the overall economic slowdown have impacted our revenue projections. Therefore, we are in the process of balancing our earning target," said a senior Railway Board member, justifying the increase in freight rates.

[sajiv]

Special train schedule

The SCR's 748 B Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam special train will be leaving Secunderabad at 8 p.m. on December 14 and will reach Vijayawada at 2 a.m. on December 15. It will depart at 2.20 a.m. and reach Visakhapatnam at 8.30 a.m. In the return direction, the train (747 B) will leave Visakhapatnam at 8 p.m. on December 15, reach Vijayawada at 2.05 a.m. on December 16 and leave at 2.25 a.m. for reaching Hyderabad at 8.15 a.m.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains to Sec'bad, Howrah, Mysore

VISAKHAPATNAM: The East Coast Railway will run special trains between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam to clear extra rush of passengers on December 14 and 15.

According to Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway GVL Satya Kumar, train no: 748 B Secunderabad- Visakhapatnam Express leaves Secunderabad at 2000 hrs on December 14 reaching Visakhapatnam at 0830 hours on December 15.

The 747 B Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Express departs Visakhapatnam at 2000 hrs on December 15 reaching Secunderabad at 0815hrs. The train comprises a Third AC, a Second AC, 10 sleeper class, two general second class compartments and two second class-cum-luggage van. The trains will have halts at Kazipet, Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Tadepalligudem, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Annavaram, Tuni, and Anakapalle.

The Railways will also run a special train between Howrah and Mysore. The train no: 0803 Howrah-Mysore special train leaves Howrah at 1610 hrs every Friday between December 5 and January 16 and reaches Mysore at 0740 hrs every Sunday with stoppages at Vizianagaram (0430-0432 hrs), Visakhapatnam (0550-0635 hrs) and Duvvada (0710-0715 hrs) in Waltair Division.

In the return direction, train no: 0804 Mysore-Howrah special train leaves Mysore at 2045 hrs on every Sunday between December 7 and January 18 and reaches Howrah at 1620 hrs on every Tuesday touching Duvvada (2340 hrs), Visakhapatnam (0015 hrs) and Vizianagaram (0130 hrs) in Waltair division.

The train comprises two AC three-tier, two AC two-tier, nine sleeper class coaches, a general second class and two general second class-cum-luggage vans.

[dwarakesh]

Railways to spend Rs.300 bn on infrastructure upgrade

Indian Railways Saturday announced it will invest around Rs.300 billion (Rs.30,000 crore/$6.6 billion) to upgrade its infrastructure as well as boost the economy.

The upgradation plan includes renewal of 2,941 km railway tracks that will require about 339,228 tonnes of steel and renewal of sleeper sheets along 2,382 km of railway lines.

The state-run enterprise said in a statement that the investment would shore up its infrastructural development and upkeep, and also 'go a long way in boosting the Indian economy'.

The railways, which have manufactured 3,000 coaches this year, an increase of about 12.5 percent over last year, said work was in progress for developing 300 railway stations into model stations.

It is also developing 23 world class stations, for which construction work on four has already started.

The statement added that railways would set up a 1,000-MW thermal power plant as part of a joint venture deal with National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC) at Nabi Nagar, Bihar at a combined cost of about $1.19 billion (Rs.5,352 crore)

The ministry of railways has increased its target of electrification of railway lines to 3,500 km as part of the 11th Five Year plan, it added.

The electrification target for the current year has been increased from 700 km to 1,000 km, while it has set a target of 1,200 km for next year.

[sajiv]

Special train for Pushkaram
Hyderabad: The South Central Railway is running special trains from Bolarum to Kurnool Town for pilgrims attending the Tungabhadra Pushkaram.

The Bolarum-Kurnool Town Pushkaram Special will leave Bolarum at 5.40 a.m. on December 14 and arrive at Kurnool Town at 11 a.m. the same day.

In the return direction, Kurnool Town- Bolarum Special train will leave Kurnool town at 2.20 p.m. and arrive at Bolarum at 7.45 p.m, the same day.

Enroute, the train will halt at Alwal, Malkajgiri, Sitaphalmandi, Kacheguda, Malakpet, Falaknuma, Mahabubnagar, Gadwal and Alampur road, informed a release.

Holy dip
KURNOOL: Lok Ayukta Anand Reddy and High Court Judge P.S. Narayana took a holy dip in the Tungabhadra river at Pump House pushkar ghat on Saturday. Later, the judges with their families worshipped at the Vinayak temple. Meanwhile, Collector Mukesh Kumar Meena visited all ghats in the city and verified the presence of health and other staff. The health staff on duty at Sankalbagh were not available to render first aid.

The collector directed the higher officials of the department to take action against the errant staff.

[dhilipkumar]

Tamilnadu Chennai


"Master Plan for railway security on the anvil"

Special Correspondent
Security to be beefed up at stations in 140 non-metros identified as "hypersensitive"

VILLUPURAM: Railway stations have become soft targets for terrorists as evidenced by the recent attack at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in Mumbai, according to R.Velu, Union Minister of State for Railways.

He told presspersons at Vikkiravandi near here on Sunday that in the wake of the Mumbai carnage and "certain unpleasant incidents elsewhere," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked the Railways to prepare a "Master Plan" for taking anti-terror and anti-sabotage measures in the railway stations across the country.

Besides the stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, security would be beefed up at the stations in 140 non-metros identified as "hypersensitive."

A sum of Rs. 60 crore was allotted this year for procuring modern weaponry for the Railway Protection Force (RPF). RPF personnel would be imparted commando training and dog squads would stationed at sensitive railway stations. Closed circuit television network would also be installed.

In fact, it was the CCTV network installed in Mumbai that helped in identifying the terrorists, Mr. Velu said.

Good performance
In the past four years, the Railways had performed extremely well: it not only offset losses but also generated profit, Mr. Velu said.

By the time he completes his five-year tenure, the Railways would have an aggregate surplus of about Rs. 1,00,000 crore as follows: first year – Rs. 9,000 crore, second year – Rs. 15,000 crore, third year – Rs. 20,000 crore, fourth year – Rs. 25,000 crore and fifth year – Rs. 20,000 crore.

Fare brought down
The Railways not only left freight charges undisturbed but also brought down the fare, Mr. Velu added.

In the past four years, it had taken up projects worth about Rs. 5,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, created 1,000-km new routes at the cost of Rs. 2,800 crore, converted 1,956 km track into broad gauge, completed electrification for a distance of 800 km, and sanctioned one-third of total number of railway over bridges and subways, numbering 108, to Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Velu said that the recently introduced Puducherry-Yashwantpur Garib Rath would resume regular services after administrative hiccups were cleared.

[dwarakesh]

Railways Tatkal scheme bags Rs 356-crore profit

Railways has made a profit of more than Rs 300 crore alone from its Tatkal scheme of passengers reservation this year.

"The Railways earned Rs 356 crore from its Tatkal scheme this year (October 2008). The profit is expected to go up," a senior ministry official said.

The Tatkal (immediate) scheme of reservation was launched by Railways a couple of years back. Under the scheme, passengers can book their tickets five days in advance from the date of boarding by paying additional charges.

In 2006-07, railways earned a Rs 207-crore profit as compared to Rs 396 crore in 2007-08 from the scheme. According to officials, Tatkal booking opens at 8 am on five days before of actual date of journey excluding date of the journey.

The ministry, apparently happy with the outcome of the scheme is also planning to make service more user-friendly.

"The ministry is also considering to extend the number of counters which issue Tatkal tickets, at major stations. It is also considering to open such counters at different other locations," the official said.

The Railway has recently relaxed proof of identity of the passenger seeking reservation under Tatkal scheme neither at the time of booking nor during the journey.

For tickets booked through the internet using railways website or private portals, a passenger has to carry one of the five identity proofs authorised by the railways ministry while travelling, he said.

[sajiv]

Railway employee convicted

CHENNAI: A special court convicted a railway employee of charges of impersonation and cheating here on Monday.

According to the prosecution, V. Sekar had made a false claim by impersonating himself as Ashok Kumar, son of Pakkirisamy, and got appointment in the Southern Railway as a temporary khalasi in 1975. He was actually the son-in-law of Pakkirisamy, a railway employee who retired in 1976 and died later. Since Pakkirisamy's son, Ashok Kumar was already employed in the railway, Sekar got recruited by furnishing false information under the ward category.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a case in this regard.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan for CBI cases, B. Sarojini Devi, who heard the case sentenced Sekar to three years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 8,000.

[sajiv]

High speed trial on Erode-Tiruchi section

Coimbatore: The Principal Chief Engineer, Southern Railway, will be conducting a speed trial at 125 kmph by a special train using Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) car on December 17 on Erode–Karur – Tiruchirapalli section.

A release from Southern Railway – Salem Division said that at present the trains on Erode – Karur – Tiruchirapalli section were run at a speed of 100 kmph.

In order to increase the sectional speed of trains, the special trial would be conducted.

The speed trial special would leave Erode at 09.15 hours in the morning and reach Tiruchirapalli at 11.15 hours on December 17.

Be cautious
The public had been requested to be extra cautious while crossing the unmanned level crossings in the section on that day.

They were told to be patient while crossing the manned level crossings since the gates would be closed well in advance to ensure uninterrupted running of the trial special. Public had been asked not to venture out near the railway tracks.

[sajiv]

Tiruvarur-Nagore train service by month-end: officials

Commissioner of Railway Safety to inspect section in third week of December

NAGAPATTINAM: Trains might soon start running in the Tiruvarur-Nagore section after a prolonged delay, which postponed the opening of the line for the last couple of years.

Officials said that the Commissioner of Railway Safety was scheduled to inspect the section in the third week of December.

Work on the 31-km stretch between Tiruvarur and Nagore had started in 2006 itself and the project cost was estimated at Rs.34 crore then. This was part of the link between Tiruchi and Karaikal, with the Tiruchi-Thanjavur and Thanjavur-Tiruvarur sections already complete.

This section, along with the proposed work to Karaikal, and the extension to Velankanni, would help a lot of commuters to the pilgrim centres of Velankanni, Nagore and Karaikal, and also the Karaikal Port, which is getting ready.

However, there was a delay, owing to various reasons, and although there had been trial runs even in April of this year, trains were yet to start plying. At an inspection of the Kollidam railway bridge on Sunday, R. Velu, Minister of State for Railways, had assured that trains would be on the tracks by the end of December.

When contacted, railways officials told The Hindu that the inspection by the CRS was scheduled for the third week of December, and if things went according to the plan, trains would indeed start running by December-end. Officials also confirmed that the Kollidam railway bridge was nearing completion with only girders left to be built, and soon the Sirkazhi-Chidambaram line might also be opened for traffic.

[sajiv]

Coimbatore: Train services, which were curtailed at Coimbatore junction for more than a fortnight, have been restored, official sources said today.

The trains were curtailed at Coimbatore junction from November 25 to December 12, for taking up yard remodelling works. The trains resumed services from the midnight last night.

Normal services have been resumed in Coimbatore area, a Southern Railway release said here.

[sajiv]

Speed trial on Tiruchi section on December 17

SALEM: The Southern Railway has asked the people to exercise extra caution while crossing the unmanned level crossings and tracks in the Erode-Karur-Tiruchi section on December 17 as it has planned to conduct a speed trial.

The Principal Chief Engineer will conduct a speed trial at 125 kmph by a special train using Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS car) on the day. The special train will leave Erode at 9.45 a.m. and reach Tiruchirapalli at 11.15 a.m., a press release said. The speed trial is planned to increase the sectional speed of trains to 110 kmph between Erode Tiruchirappalli. Currently, the trains in the section run at a speed of 100 kmph.

Be cautious
The Southern Railway appealed to the public to be patient while crossing the manned level crossings as the gates will be closed well in advance to ensure uninterrupted running of the special train for speed trial. The public are also advised not to venture near the tracks or cross them.

[sajiv]

Special trains fetch big bucks

SCR earns Rs. 250 crore in April-November

Operated twice a month on Kakinada-Sec'bad and Vijayawada-Sec'bad routes

The Railways is operating special trains for public meetings of all political parties also

VIJAYAWADA: Operating special trains has not only reduced the burden of adding extra coaches to the existing trains, but also helped the South Central Railways (SCR) improve its revenues. Unlike in the past, the Vijayawada division of the South Central Railway is operating special trains even during weekends from select destinations.

Vijayawada-Sencunderabad and Kakinada-Secunderabad are the two routes, in which special trains are being operated at least twice a month. The officials have found that operation of special trains is not very expensive, as they are making better use of the available rakes.

A glimpse of the revenue records of the Vijayawada division will reveal the hike in passenger earnings. The division earned Rs. 229 crores through sale of tickets between April and November 2007, and this had gone up to Rs. 250 crores in the corresponding period of 2008. The passenger rush too had gone up from 51.3 million to 54.3 million during the same period.

"We must attribute it to the operation of special trains. We have increased the number of special trains manifold in the last one year. One must also keep in mind that there is no increase in the train fares in the last two years," says M. Sarjana Rao, Additional Divisional Railway Manager of the Vijayawada division.
Better option

"We found this easier than adding two or three coaches to the existing trains. After conducting a survey to find out the routes where passenger rush is high, we have zeroed in on Kakinada -Secun -derabad and Vijayawada-Secunderabad routes and began operating special trains during weekends, festivals and public holidays," he explains. The Railways is operating special trains for the public meetings of all political parties.

The Railway officials are on cloud nine, as they set a new record in terms of earnings from the freight operations too. Under this head, the earnings between April and November 2007 were Rs. 308 crores, and the same in the corresponding period of 2008 saw a jump to Rs. 427 crores. "This was possible because of the State Government's decision to import fertilisers.

We carted fertilisers from Kakinada port to different parts of the State," explains Mr. Rao.

[sajiv]

Railway pension adalat settles 250 grievances

Chennai:  Southern Railway held pension adalat at its headquarters office, Chennai division, and also at other divisional headquarters offices (i.e.) at Trichy, Madurai, Salem, Palghat and Thiruvananthapuram, on 15.12.2008, to mitigate the grievances of railway pensioners.

Out of 374 representations received, grievances of 250 railway pensioners were settled positively and an amount of Rs 8,73,890 was paid to the pensioners, sources said.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains to Nagercoil

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run the following special trains between Chennai Central and Nagercoil in both directions.

Train No.0631 will leave Chennai Central at 7.40 p.m. on December 19 and 21 and reach Nagercoil at 10.35 a.m. the next day. In the return direction train No. 0632 will leave Nagercoil at 4.30 p.m. on December 20 and 22 and arrive at Central at 8.30 a.m., the next day.

Reservation will commence on December 17, says a Railway release. — Special Correspondent

[sajiv]

'Resume work on railway line'

Bangalore: Work on the 47-km Talaguppa-Shimoga stretch of the Talaguppa-Bangalore broad-gauge railway line has come to a halt for over two years.

Started by the erstwhile Mysore State Railways on the orders of then Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1938 to supply material to the Sharavathi Valley Project (now Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Works), which was under construction, the rail link catered for the people of the region until train services were stopped in 1994.

The railway line was laid at a cost of Rs. 24 lakh provided by the then Mysore Government Electricity Department. The same line was utilised to connect Hubli at Birur and Mysore at Arsikere.

Traders used to transport chilli, cotton, cattle-feed, oilseeds and salt (from Tuticorin) to Sagar in Shimoga district for onward despatch to the nearby towns and villages.

Railway commuters from Sorab, Sagar, Anavatti, Siddapur, Jog Falls and Sirsi are forced to take buses to Bangalore. They pay around Rs. 240 from Sagar Bangalore whereas the train fare works out to around Rs. 40.

Office-bearers of the Shimoga-Talaguppa Railway Broad-Gauge Horata Samiti, led by its president, Na D'Souza, noted Kannada writer, told reporters here on Monday that while work on the 45-km Anandapura-Talaguppa stretch was going on, there was no progress on the other stretch. The shortage of concrete sleepers had slowed the pace of work.

Mr. D'Souza said that the railway line, when completed, could be connected to the Konkan Railway line at Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district, which would reduce the distance between Bangalore and Mumbai by 150 km.

He said the Railway Ministry had released Rs. 150 crore for the project.

[sajiv]

BANGALORE: In a year, the Okalipuram entrance to the City Railway Station will wear a new look with a sprawling station building and other passenger amenities. This entrance, leading to Platform 10 downwards, currently caters to nearly half the passenger traffic of the City Railway Station.

South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager Praveen Kumar laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the project here on Tuesday. The first phase would encompass the ground floor of 17,400 sq.ft. carpet area, with a booking office, passenger lobby, food court and waiting area.. The entire building, after completion, will have a waiting hall, restaurant, toilets, inquiry desk and transit area on the first floor; offices for railway staff on the second floor; dormitory and toilets on the third floor; and retiring rooms on the fourth and fifth floors. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 7 crore and the total built up area will be 48,000 sq.ft.

Mr. Praveen Kumar said there was no hindrance from the Railways' side regarding the proposal for a traffic signal-free underpass beneath the City Railway Station, connecting the Majestic area and Okalipuram. Everything has to be done by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), he added.

Third terminal
Mr. Praveen Kumar said Chinese Railways, the consultant appointed to prepare a detailed project report on developing the Byappanahalli railway station into a world-class utility, had reportedly submitted an initial report to the Railways Board. "I have not got the copy of the report," he added.

At Byappanahalli, Mr. Praveen Kumar said, the Railways had over 100 acres of landA mega coach terminal with multi-modal transit facility would come up at Byappanahalli at a cost of over Rs. 1,000 crore, he said. This would make Byappanahalli the third major railway terminal in Bangalore, after the City and Yeshwanthpur terminals.

Divisional Railway Manager Akhil Agarwal and other senior officials were present. On the occasion, Mr. Praveen Kumar also flagged off a new track maintenance vehicle.

[dwarakesh]

Some train services to be cancelled from January 1

MADURAI: Southern Railway has cancelled train services between Tirunelveli Town-Shencottah sector with effect from January 1, 2009 consequent to the closure of Tirunelveli Town-Tenkasi metre gauge section for gauge conversion.

Train No. 747/742 Tirunelveli Town-Shencottah-Tirunelveli Town passengers would be fully cancelled, a statement said.

Partial cancellation

Train No. 741/748 Tirunelveli Town-Punalur-Tirunelveli passengers are partially cancelled between Tirunelveli Town and Shencottah only. These trains would run between Shencottah and Punalur.

Similarly, Train No. 743/750 Tenkasi-Punalur-Tenkasi passengers are partially cancelled between Tenkasi and Shencottah only. These trains would run between Shencottah and Punalur.

Following the cancellations and partial cancellations of the above trains, the timings of train services between Punalur and Shencottah have been revised:

Punalur-Shencottah passengers

Train No 744 would leave Punalur at 9 a.m. and would arrive Shencottah at 11.05 am. Train No. 746 would leave Punalur at 1 p.m. and reach Shencottah at 3.25 p.m.

Train No. 748 would leave Punalur at 3.30 p.m. and reach Shencottah at 5.50 p.m. Train No. 750 would leave Punalur at 6.05 p.m. and reach Shencottah at 8.20 p.m.
Shencottah-Punalur passengers

Train No. 741 would leave Shencottah at 9.50 a.m. and reach Punalur at 12.05 p.m. Train No. 743 would leave Shencottah at 6.30 a.m. and reach Punalur at 8.35 a.m.

Train No. 745 would leave Shencottah at 11.45 a.m. and reach Punalur at 2.00 p.m. Train No. 749 would leave Shencottah at 3.35 p.m. and reach Punalur at 5.40 p.m.

[dwarakesh]

Railways earn Rs 3,909 crore from e-ticketing

Indian Railways has added nearly 4,000 crore in its coffers through e-ticketing till November 2008, which is nearly double the amount it made during last fiscal.

The Railways earned Rs 3,909 crore from its e-ticketing scheme this year (till November 2008). The profit is expected to rise," a senior ministry official said.

The e-ticketing facility was launched by Railways in 2005. Under the scheme, passengers can book their tickets using internet by opting any of the two options -- e-ticket and i-ticket.

The profit made by Railways is more than double the amount it earned last year. In the financial year 2007-08, Railways earned Rs 1295.74 crore from the facility.

The ministry, apparently happy with the outcome of the scheme, wants to make it more user friendly to add more customers to its kitty but refrained from making any major modifications.

"The ministry as of now does not plan to modify the scheme since it is yielding expected results. But we keep introducing user friendly systems in e-ticketing software system to make our services more customer-friendly," the official said.

According to officials, using e-ticket facility, passengers can book berths in trains online and get instant print out of electronic reservation ticket. While in case of i-ticket, they (passengers) can only book accommodation using internet and the tickets gets delivered to their home.

However, the i-ticket facility is available at selected locations only. Railways take two to three days to deliver tickets depending on the city, official said.

[sajiv]

City Railway Station to wear new look soon
BANGALORE: In a year, the Okalipuram entrance to the City Railway Station will wear a new look with a sprawling station building and other passenger amenities. This entrance, leading to Platform 10 downwards, currently caters to nearly half the passenger traffic of the City Railway Station.

South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager Praveen Kumar laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the project here on Tuesday. The first phase would encompass the ground floor of 17,400 sq.ft. carpet area, with a booking office, passenger lobby, food court and waiting area.. The entire building, after completion, will have a waiting hall, restaurant, toilets, inquiry desk and transit area on the first floor; offices for railway staff on the second floor; dormitory and toilets on the third floor; and retiring rooms on the fourth and fifth floors. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 7 crore and the total built up area will be 48,000 sq.ft.

Mr. Praveen Kumar said there was no hindrance from the Railways' side regarding the proposal for a traffic signal-free underpass beneath the City Railway Station, connecting the Majestic area and Okalipuram. Everything has to be done by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), he added.

Third terminal
Mr. Praveen Kumar said Chinese Railways, the consultant appointed to prepare a detailed project report on developing the Byappanahalli railway station into a world-class utility, had reportedly submitted an initial report to the Railways Board. "I have not got the copy of the report," he added.

At Byappanahalli, Mr. Praveen Kumar said, the Railways had over 100 acres of landA mega coach terminal with multi-modal transit facility would come up at Byappanahalli at a cost of over Rs. 1,000 crore, he said. This would make Byappanahalli the third major railway terminal in Bangalore, after the City and Yeshwanthpur terminals.

Divisional Railway Manager Akhil Agarwal and other senior officials were present. On the occasion, Mr. Praveen Kumar also flagged off a new track maintenance vehicle.

[sajiv]

Train between Hubli and Bijapur from Friday

HUBLI: South Western Railway has decided to introduce a pair of Daily Express Special Train (0693/0694) between Hubli and Bijapur with effect from December 19, a release said.

Timings
The Hubli- Bijapur Daily Express Special (0693) will depart from Hubli at 4.15 p.m. and reach Bijapur at 10 p.m. on the same day.

Enroute, the special train will arrive at and depart from Sisvinahalli at 4.44 p.m. /4.45 p.m., Annigeri at 4.54/4.55 p.m., Gadag at 5.15p.m. /5.30 p.m., Hole Alur at 6.15p.m. /6.17 p.m., Badami at 7.02 p.m. /7.03 p.m., Bagalkot at 8p.m. /8.05 p.m., Alamatti at 9p.m. /9.01 p.m., Basavana Bagewadi Road at 9.30p.m. /9.31 p.m., and Ibrahimpur at 9.49p.m. /9.50 p.m. On the return route, Bijapur- Hubli Daily Express Special (0694) will leave Bijapur at 11 p.m., and arrive at Hubli at 7 a.m. the next day.

Enroute, the special train will arrive at and depart from Ibrahimpur at 11.07p.m. /11.08 p.m., Basavana Bagewadi Road at 1a.m. /1.02 a.m., Almatti at 1.45a.m. /1.46 a.m., Bagalkot at 2.47a.m. /2.52 a.m., Badami at 3.38a.m. /3.40 a.m., Hole Alur at 4.10a.m. /4.12 a.m., Gadag at 5.10a.m. /5.25 a.m., Annigeri at 5.55a.m. /5.56 a.m., and Sisvinahalli at 6.11a.m. /6.12 a.m.

The train would have 11 coaches comprising three second class sleepers, six general second class coaches, and two second class luggage-cum-brake vans, the release said.