Indian Railway News

[sajiv]

Train cancelled

MADURAI: The Southern Railway has announced the cancellation of two summer specials due to the collision of two trains at Vyasarpadi on Wednesday. According to a press release, train 0611 Chennai Central-Tuticorin summer special, scheduled to leave Chennai Central at 7.40 p.m., has been cancelled on Wednesday.

The 0612 Tuticorin-Chennai Central summer special, scheduled to leave Tuticorin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, will remain cancelled.

[dwarakesh]

Train cancelled

MADURAI: The Southern Railway has announced the cancellation of two summer specials due to the collision of two trains at Vyasarpadi on Wednesday. According to a press release, train 0611 Chennai Central-Tuticorin summer special, scheduled to leave Chennai Central at 7.40 p.m., has been cancelled on Wednesday.

The 0612 Tuticorin-Chennai Central summer special, scheduled to leave Tuticorin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, will remain cancelled.

[sajiv]

Biometric system of access-control to driver's cabin planned

The concept is the first of its kind in Indian Railways

It will be tried in Electrical Multiple Units in Chennai

CHENNAI: A day after an unidentified person took control of a suburban train and rammed into a goods train at Vyasarpadi Jiva railway station here on Wednesday resulting in the death of four persons, the Southern Railway has planned to go for biometric system of access-control to driver's cabin in trains. The concept, the first of its kind in Indian Railways, will be tried in Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs) in Chennai.

"We are writing to the Research Design and Standards Organisation, Lucknow, on developing the biometric system. The technology is readily available and we only have to adopt it to suit our requirements. This security feature will be a foolproof mechanism as it would be fed with the thumb impressions...we can ensure the access of authorised persons to the driver's cabin and ignition control," Chief Mechanical Engineer (Southern Railway), V. Carmelus, told The Hindu.

The suggestion to have a biometric system was mooted by the Southern Railway Mazdoor Union at a high-level meeting convened by the General Manager, M.S. Jayanth, on Thursday. Members of the Dakshin Railway Employees Union took part in the meeting.

According to railway sources, Mr. Jayanth insisted that there should be strict adherence to rules and no compromise be made on the safety front. SRMU general secretary, N. Kanniah, said their suggestion of a biometric system would go a long way in ensuring safety.

Mr. Carmelus said it was decided to eliminate the practice of a Technician handling the keys of EMUs. As per the existing system, the motorman (driver) of an incoming EMU at the destination point would leave the keys in the driver's cabin. A Technician would shift the keys to the other end of the train and prepare the train for departure. "We have now insisted that the Motorman should have the keys with him till the end of his duty. This practice is being followed in other zones including the Central, Western and Northern Railways. It has been planned to redesign the keys in such a manner that they cannot be duplicated."

He said instructions were given to all divisions in the zone to ensure that locomotives were not left unmanned unless they were switched off and the keys deposited with the authorities concerned. "The drivers are equipped with walkie-talkie wireless communication sets that are connected to the guard and the Station Master of the nearest railway station."

[sajiv]

Railway Week celebrated

HUBLI: The Commercial Department of South Western Railway celebrated the 54th Railway Week in Hubli on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Chief Commercial Manager S.K. Behera and Chief Commercial Manager (Passenger Business) Sanjeeb Halder appreciated the good work done by the officials of the department.

Mr. Behera said that the hard work by the frontline staff such as booking clerks and ticket checking staff had resulted in an increase in passenger traffic and earnings.

He said that the South Western Railway was the second zone in the Indian Railway after South Eastern Railway in recording growth in passenger traffic during 2008-09. On the occasion, five officials of the department and 108 personnel from Hubli, Bangalore and Mysore divisions were given awards and cash prizes.

[dwarakesh]

Railways flayed for express train cancellation

TIRUCHI: The decision of the Tiruchi Railway Division to cancel the much sought after Tiruchi–Mayiladuturai Express in both directions for three days at a stretch from Monday (May 4) has come in for a lot of criticism from the travelling public of the central districts.

The authorities have announced the cancellation of the train owing to ongoing works for commissioning of platform 5 of Tiruchi Junction. This is the only train to be cancelled for this purpose.

The commuters say that the decision of the authorities is totally unjustified.

The Railways was operating umpteen number of trains through Tiruchi Junction round the clock. When all the long distance trains, including passenger trains, are being run as per schedule, what is the need for cancelling only the Tiruchi–Mayiladuturai Express which has a good patronage. The cancellation of this train during the summer holidays will cause lot of hardship to the public, they feel.

He urged the Railways to complete the upgrade in a day or in different stages during the non-running period of trains and resume the service so that inconvenience caused to the passengers is minimised."

The Railways could operate this train upto Golden Rock or Tiruverambur from Mayiladuturai for the benefit of the public. The Railways could have considered operating this train between Thanjavur and Mayiladuturai on these three days, they point out.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains to clear summer rush

HUBLI: In order to clear extra rush during the summer, South Western Railway is running bi-weekly express special trains between Hubli, Pune and Solapur via Belgaum, Miraj and Daund (Train Nos. 0783/0784) and also weekly express special trains between Hubli and Solapur via Gadag, Bagalkot and Bijapur (Train Nos. 0785/0786), a press release said.

Accordingly, Train No. 0783 Hubli-Pune-Solapur Bi-weekly Express Special will depart from Hubli at 9.25 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and arrive at Solapur at 1.10 p.m. the next day. The service commenced on April 29 and will end on June 27.

In the return direction, Train No.0784 Solapur-Pune-Hubli Bi-weekly Express Special will leave Solapur at 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays and reach Hubli at 11.30 a.m. the next day. The service began on April 30 and will end on June 28.

Train No. 0785 Hubli-Solapur Weekly Express Special (via Gadag) will depart from Hubli at 9.25 p.m. on Mondays and arrive at Solapur at 6.15 a.m. on the next day. The service began on April 27 and will end on June 29.

In the return direction, Train No.0786 Solapur-Hubli Weekly Express Special will depart from Solapur at 11.50 p.m. on Tuesdays and will reach Hubli at 8 a.m. the next day. The service commenced on April 28 and will conclude on June 30.

[dwarakesh]

Railways to have new system for recruitment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Railway Recruitment Boards will soon adopt calendar-based or continuous testing methods for recruitment as part of developing the boards as recruitment and skill assessment centres.

"After the procedure is adopted, the RRBs can conduct tests round the year and avoid crowding of candidates at one place and other problems arising out of it," RRB sources told The Hindu.

The problems the railways and the State government faced when 1.49 lakh candidates arrived in Mumbai last year on a single day to take the examination had prompted the RRB to look for new recruitment procedures. Influx of candidates was also felt in Nagpur and Sholapur on the same day.

An interim report has been prepared by a five-member committee headed by the executive director of the New Delhi-based Railway Recruitment Control Board, the policy formulating body of RRBs. As part of adopting continuous testing methods, an aptitude test will be conducted to assess the skills of those applying for jobs in the railways. At present, the railways has moved on from the paper-based written test to online examination with the e-recruitment tool developed and customised by RRB, Thiruvananthapuram. As many as 25,000 testing centres, the majority of them IT labs in engineering colleges, are used for holding online examination. The RRB, Thiruvananthapuram, became the nodal bench for the other 19 RRBs in the country by holding national online examinations.

At present, jobs in the railways are not mapped based on the skills and competency and the HR data base is payroll- centric. A core HR data base has been proposed by the committee with recruitment, training and development, payroll and career progression as sub-system to take care of the evolution of recruitment through a full-fledged Talent management system.

Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Thiruvananthapuram, and a member of the committee A. Mohan Menon said the recruitment module would be converted into talent management module.

[dwarakesh]

Special train

Berths are available in Vijayawada-Akola special train (No.0724), which departs at Vijayawada on every Wednesday and Sunday at 5 p.m. and

reaches Akola at 09.45 a.m. the next day. The train touches Khammam, Warangal, Secunderabad, Nizamabad, Mudkhed, Nanded, Purna, Hingoli

and Washim stations.

[dwarakesh]

WR introduces SMS feedback service

The Western Railway has introduced an SMS feedback service enabling commuters to register problems as well as suggestions.

The SMSes can be sent to 900447777.

[dwarakesh]

Special train to Howrah

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run a special train between Chennai Central and Howrah to clear the rush of passengers.

Train no. 0653 will leave Chennai Central at 10.20 p.m. on May 10 and reach Howrah at 3 a.m. on May 12. Advance reservation for the above train will commence on May 9.

Special trains cancelled: Southern Railway cancelled train no. 0629/0630 Chennai Central - Salem Weekly specials from May 16 due to poor patronage.

[dwarakesh]

Railways eye Tirunelveli to start more trains via Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam stations saturated and Kochuveli having limited traffic facilities and passenger amenities, the Railways are thinking of starting more trains running through the State from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

The attempt is to use the spare capacity of the coaching terminal at Tirunelveli, 120 km from Thiruvananthapuram Central, for starting trains running through the State, a senior Railway official said. Three pit lines are available there and the facilities at the coaching terminal are underutilised.

The trains that are to commence operations from Tirunelveli include those to Bilaspur and Kurla in Mumbai. The two trains were announced in the last Railway Budget.

Thiruvananthapuram Central, which is to be upgraded into a world-class station, handles double the sanctioned capacity of trains, the official said.

The official said the Railways were handling four pairs of trains from Kochuveli with just one pit line and two platforms.

The pit line is saturated and new trains cannot be started from Ernakulam, Kochuveli and Thiruvananthapuram Central stations.

The divisional railway authorities have finalised a Rs.250-crore proposal for setting up an operating centre for trains starting from and terminating in the capital city on 12.14 hectares of land owned by the Railways adjacent to the Nemom railway station.

The Railways are planning 10 pit lines to take care of the maintenance of 30 trains; 12 stabling lines; sick lines and quarters for railway personnel at Nemom.

General Manager of Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, M.S. Jayanth, who holds additional charge of the General Manager, Southern Railway, reviewed the second phase development work at the Kochuveli railway terminal.

Under the Rs.36-crore project, the Railways are setting up two stabling lines, two pit lines and three platforms to handle more trains.

[sajiv]

Metro rail is a popular promise in Coimbatore city

COIMBATORE: In the race for getting popular with the city's development-starved population, parties contesting from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency have promised grandiose schemes to raise the stature of the city to that of Chennai and Bangalore. One of the schemes is the metro rail project, on the lines of what is being planned for Chennai. Candidates of the parties have cited the region's international-level reputation as an industrial, educational and healthcare hub to tell that the people that it does not deserve anything less than what Chennai has or will have. Almost all the six major parties contesting from here have been making promises on these lines.

The Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam even had a sketch of a metro rail on the banners it displayed at its recent public meeting.

Quoting consultants on the mission, sources in the Coimbatore Corporation point out that a metro rail, especially the tunnel network, is not feasible as the city is not linear like Mumbai.

On the other hand, Coimbatore is a radial city and therefore suitable for a circular rail network. After exploring various options including skybus, the civic body has decided to have a bus network on dedicated tracks, a source says. Strangely, even members of the parties who have taken part in meetings of the Corporation on these proposals have been unable to resist the temptation of joining those making the promise of a metro rail system.

[sajiv]

Train cancelled

HYDERABAD: The SCR has cancelled train no. 0705 / 0706 Hyderabad-Sirpur Kagaznagar- Hyderabad fast passenger train (summer special) due to poor occupancy , from Wednesday onwards.

[sajiv]

Special trains

VIJAYAWADA: To clear the extra rush of passengers, special trains are being operated between Barauni-Yeshwantpur-Barauni, Howrah-Yeshwantpur-Howrah and Patna-Yeshwantpur-Patna.

Barauni-Yeshwantpur (0595) special will leave Barauni at 9 a.m. on May 14 and reach Vijayawada at 11.20 p.m. the next day for a 20 minute halt. The train will reach Yeshwantpur at 2.30 p.m. on May 16. In the return direction, the train (0596) will leave Yeshwantpur at 11.30 p.m. on May 17 and arrive at Vijayawada at 1.15 p.m. the next day for a 20 minute halt. It will reach Barauni at 6.30 a.m. on May 19.

Howrah-Yeshwantpur (0841) special will leave Howrah at 6.45 p.m. on May 14 and reach Vijayawada at 3.15 p.m. the next day for a 15 minute halt. It will reach Yeshwantpur at 4.30 p.m. on May 16. In the return direction, the train (0842) will leave Yeshwantpur at 11.30 p.m. on May 17 and reach Vijayawada at 12.05 p.m. the next day. It will reach Howrah at 10.10 a.m. on May 19.

Patna-Yeshwantpur (0391) special will leave Patna at midnight of May 13 and reach Vijayawada at 11.20 p.m. the next day for a 20 minute halt. It will reach Yeshwantpur at 2.30 p.m. on May 15. In the return direction, the train (0392) will leave Yeshwantpur at 11.30 p.m. on May 18 and reach Vijayawada at 1.15 p.m. the next day for a 20 minute halt.

[ganeshbala]

Railway ticket booking disrupted

There were scenes of chaos at the Chennai-Egmore railway station here on Tuesday, as unexpected power disruption forced the closure of ticket booking counters for about an hour.

Hundreds of passengers seeking unreserved tickets remained helpless at the station from about 8.00 pm to 8. 50 pm, as the ticket counters were shut down, sighting inability to issue tickets as the reason.

"I have been standing in the long queue for over 45 minutes to get a ticket to Tirunelveli on the Nellai Express. The train is scheduled to leave at 21.15 hours," said Jaleel, a passenger who was caught in the drama.

While Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were seen trying to maintain order at the station in the darkness, a good number of passengers were making desperate attempts to jump the queue, leading to heated arguments among commuters.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway officials informed that they were able to restore one line immediately, leaving train services from Chennai-Egmore and Chennai-Central unaffected.

"We are making every effort to restore the activities at the station as soon as possible and to ensure that such incidents do not occur again," railway officials said.

[dwarakesh]

Bangalore-Shirdi train service soon

BELLARY: The "Garib Rath", a fully air-conditioned people's train, will soon operate between Yeshwantpur and Shirdi, a pilgrim centre in Maharashtra, Babulal Jain, member of the National Rail Users' Consultative Committee, has said. The service, to commence from May 19, will be once a week. The train (0685/0686) will leave Yeshwantpur on Tuesdays at 7.30 a.m. and pass through Guntakal, Bellary, Hospet, Gadag, Bijapur and Sholapur before reaching Shirdi at 8 a.m. the next day. It will leave Shirdi on Wednesdays at 6.20 p.m. and reach Yeshwantpur on Thursdays at 8 p.m.

[dwarakesh]

Train timings changed

HYDERABAD: The timings of following trains have been changed due to engineering works in Mudkhed-Manmad section of South Central Railway:

Train No.350 Aurangabad-Hyderabad Passenger is rescheduled to depart Aurangabad at 5.30 p.m. instead of 3.30 p.m. to reach Hyderabad at 9

a.m. the next day with effect from Friday till further announcement, according to a press release.

[sajiv]

Special train to Coimbatore

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run a super fast weekly special from Chennai Central to Coimbatore In both directions to clear the summer rush.

Train No.0613 will leave Chennai Central at 11.50 pm on all Fridays from May 22 to June 26 and reach Coimbatore at 7.55 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, train No.0614 will leave Coimbatore at 7.45 p.m. on all Sundays from May 24 to June 28 and arrive Chennai Central at 4 a.m. the next day. Reservation will commence on May 16, says a press release. —

[sajiv]

Special train between Chennai and Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Southern Railway is operating a weekly special super fast train between Chennai and Coimbatore to clear the rush of passengers on this section.

A release from Southern Railway, Salem Division, said that special train number 0613/0614 Chennai-Coimbatore-Chennai (weekly) super fast special train will be operated from Chennai on Fridays and from Coimbatore on Sundays.

Timings
The train would leave Chennai Central at 11 p.m. and arrive Coimbatore the next day at 7.55 a.m.

In the return direction it would leave Coimbatore at 7.45 p.m. and arrive Chennai the next day at 4 a.m.

Stoppages
The train would have stoppages at Perambur, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore North and Coimbatore Junction.

The coach composition would be one first AC cum AC two tier coach, one AC three tier coach, 12 sleeper class coaches, two general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans. From Chennai the services would be on May 22, 29, June 5, 12, 19 and 26.

From the Coimbatore the services would be on May 24, 31, June 7, 14, 21 and 28.

[dwarakesh]

SCR to run summer special trains

HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway will run biweekly summer special trains between Visakhapatnam, Shirdi, Purna and Akola to clear extra rush of passengers.

A SCR press release said on Friday that the Visakhapatnam-Shirdi-Visakhapatnam specials (24 services) will leave Visakhapatnam on Wednesdays and Saturdays on May 20, 23, 27, 30, June 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27 at 5.30 a.m. They will reach Shirdi at 11 a.m. the next day.

In the return direction train no.0868 will leave Shirdi at 6.20 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays on May 21, 24, 28, 31, June 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 and reach Visakhapatnam at 10.45 p.m. the next day.

En route the trains will stop at Duvvada, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Secunderabad, Bolarum, Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Basar, Nanded, Purna, Parbhani, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nagarsol, Manmad, Kopargaon and Putamaba in both directions. They will have 18 coachers---one AC two tier, one AC three tier, eight sleeper class, six general second class and two second class luggage-cum-brake van.

The SCR will run 18 services of Purna-Akola-Purna biweekly fast passenger on May 16,19, 23, 26, 30, June 2, 6, 9,13 (train no.711 leaving Purna) and train no.712 leaving Akola on May 18, 21, 25, 28, June 1, 4, 8, 11, 15.

The South Central Railway ran 108 summer special trains last month carrying 59, 977 passengers, as against 17 trains during the same month last year. In 2008 the trains transported 13,951 passengers.

During April 2009 as many as 1,284 extra coaches were attached to various express trains, clearing 66,350 waitlisted passengers.

[dwarakesh]

SCR special trains

HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway will run special trains between Tirupati to Secunderabad on May 19 and Secunderabad to Kakinada on May 20, a SCR release said.

Train no - 741 Tirupati-Secunderabad will start from Tirupati on May 19 at 5.05 p.m. and reach Secunderabad at 05.50 a.m. the next day, the release said. Train no - 701 Secunderabad-Kakinada will start from Secunderabad on May 20 at 10.30 p.m. and reach Kakinada at 08.50 a.m. the next day, the release said.

[dwarakesh]

Special train from today

TIRUPATI: In view of the heavy rush of pilgrims stranded in the temple city, South Central Railway has announced to run a special train: 741 Tirupati-Secunderabad at 17.05 hours on Tuesday.

Padmavathi Express, which runs between the two cities around the same time, is not operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays.Hence this one-time arrangement to clear the backlog crowd, according to Railway sources.

[dwarakesh]

Delhi-Gurgaon Metro trial run from July

CHANDIGARH: Haryana is all set to be connected with the much-awaited Delhi Metro rail network next year as the trial run for the train is likely to

begin by this July on the 7.05-km stretch from the Delhi-Gurgaon border to the City Centre of Sector 29 in Gurgaon.

Thats a good news for the people in Delhi .

[sajiv]

Southern Railway freight earnings up by 39 per cent


Net tonne kilometre per wagon day shows a 12.5 per cent improvement

33% increase in coal loaded and carried

80,000 tonnes of limestone moved

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has shown a 39 per cent increase in freight earnings during April this year compared to April in the last financial year.

The zone transported 2.963 million tonnes of cargo during the month as against 2.368 million tonnes during the same period last year. This is 14 per cent over the target and 25 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

What is significant is that, not just the tonnage has exceeded in April 2009, but the net tonne kilometre per wagon day has shown a 12.5 per cent improvement. This in essence is the highest indicator of the railway's ability to both carry additional cargo and utilise its infrastructure to the maximum. The zone also achieved a 6.5 per cent increase in the number of kilo metres that each wagon ran per day and reduced the turnaround times of wagons by 6 per cent. In terms of commodities, Southern Railway has shown a 33 per cent increase in the quantum of coal loaded and carried on its system. Of this, a significant increase is from our major ports in the region namely Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin. There is almost a 30 per cent increase in the quantum of coal being moved to the Raichur Thermal Power Plant, Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant and Mettur Thermal Power Plant from these ports. There is also an increase of coal being transported for industrial use, mainly to Malco, Tamil Nadu News Print, Pugalur, and India Cements at Talayuthu in Tirunelveli. The zone has also shown a 15 per cent increase in the quantum of cement loaded. Another significant increase in cargo loaded on the Southern Railway system is the loading and movement of approximately 80,000 tonnes of limestone, which was moved from Mangalore Port to Jindal Steel Plant in Bellary.

[dwarakesh]

Railways to run special services

PALAKKAD: The Railways will run special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers on summer vacation.

Train No. 0613 Chennai-Coimbatore super fast express will leave Chennai Central at 11.50 p.m. on Fridays to reach Coimbatore at 7:55 a.m. the following day from May 22 to June 26.

In the return direction, train No. 0614 will leave Coimbatore at7:45 p.m. on Sundays and reach Chennai Central at 4 a.m. on following Mondays from May 24 to June 28.

Train No. 0615 Coimbatore-Mangalore Central Express will leave Coimbatore at 10.15 a.m. on Saturdays to reach Mangalore at 7 a.m. on the same day from May 23 to June 28.

In the return direction, Train No. 0616 will leave Mangalore at 8.40 a.m. on Sundays to reach Coimbatore at 5.25 p.m. on the same day from May 24 to June 28.

[sajiv]

Tough task ahead for Indian Railways

Beating the economic slowdown with increased freight loading and passenger earnings while keeping the operating ratio in control would be the key challenges before the new railway minister.

Enhancing the capacity of rolling stock, including gauge conversion, doubling and laying new lines, acquisition of new coaches and wagons are some of the priorities the new ministry is expected to pursue.

"Work on the Dedicated Freight Corridor project and ensuring its funding from JBIC, World Bank and ADB will have to be taken up in right earnest," said a senior official in the Railway Board.

Keeping the terror threat perception in mind, the upgradation of security system at railway stations in major cities will be a focus area for the new government.

Railways have often drawn flak from passengers for the low quality food being served and the unhygenic conditions prevailing in trains and platforms.

"Some drastic measures need to be taken to improve passenger amenities like food quality and cleanliness in trains," said the official.

The operating ratio is projected at 88 per cent and the ministry has to maintain it, said the official. In the last five years the Railways have stepped up the annual growth rate of freight loading from an average of 3 per cent during the decade of 90s to an average of 8 per cent now.

The objective is to increase the transport capacity of the railways and to reduce the unit cost of operations, said the official.

Railways carried 833 million tonnes of freight against the target of 850 MT in the last fiscal. "Efforts are being made to carry at least 850 MT this fiscal despite the slowdown," said a senior railway ministry official.

Railways have carried 794.21 million tonnes of reight during 2007-08, which increased to 833.03 MT in 2008-09. "Efforts are on to carry at least 850 MT in the current fiscal despite the slowdown," said the official.

Though there is a decline in number of accidents in comparison to previous years, there is a need for improvement of railway safety in and a steep reduction in mishaps.

Construction of rail over bridge and rail under bridge at accident-prone level crossings and new safety measures to prevent accidents are to be taken up, said the official.

There is also a delay in Kashmir rail link project due to the realignment issue and the ministry has to expedite the ongoing construction work on the project.

The ministry also has to give a fresh look to the proposed world class stations in metro cities.

Other issues such as commercial utilisation of vacant land, budget hotels, logistic parks, agriculture outlets are to be taken up by the new ministry.

[dwarakesh]

Train information through SMS

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has made provision to obtain train-related information, particularly reservation, through SMS.

Rail users can type their PNR number prefixed as 'PNR' and send SMS to 139. This service is available on all mobiles except BSNL and Reliance.

[dwarakesh]

SR announces train schedules for monsoon

MANGALORE: Southern Railway has announced the schedule of its trains plying on the Konkan Railway route for the period between June 10 and October 31, 2009, through a press release.

Train number 2617 (Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express) will leave Ernakulam Junction at 10.45 a.m. instead of 12.45 p.m. It will depart from Shoranur station at 12.55 p.m.; Kozhikode at 3 p.m.; Kannur at 4.50 p.m.; and Mangalore Junction at 7.45 p.m.

Train number 2620 (Mangalore Central-Lokmanya Tilak Matsyagandha Express) will leave Mangalore Central station at 12.50 p.m. instead of 2.40 p.m.

Train numbers 6337 and 6338 (Okha-Ernakulam Express trains) will be partially cancelled between Hapa and Okha.

The departures of five trains have been advanced by five minutes. They are: train number 6312 (Thiruvananthapuram-Bikaner Weekly Express); train number 6334 (Thiruvananthapuram-Veraval Weekly Express); train number 6336 (Nagercoil-Gandhidham Weekly Express); train number 6338 (Ernakulam-Okha Bi-weekly Express); and train number 2977 (Ernakulam-Jaipur Marusagar Weekly Express. These trains will reach Mangalore Junction at 5 a.m. and leave at 5.10 a.m. instead of 5.15 a.m., the release said.

In addition, the departures of five trains from Mangalore Junction have been advanced: Train number 2287 (Kochuveli-Deharadun Express); train number 2653 (Kochuveli-Chandigarh Express); train number 2483 (Kochuveli-Amritsar Express); and train number 2202 (Kochuveli-Lokamanya Tilak Garibrath Express) will leave Mangalore Junction at 9.05 p.m. Train number KR 2 (Mangalore Central-Verna Passenger) will leave at 6.45 a.m.

[sajiv]

No trains to Dindigul from May 26

The Southern Railway announced on Friday that train services from Podanur to Dindigul via Pollachi would not be operated from May 26 owing to works to convert the metre gauge line into broad gauge.

Train No.771 (Podanur-Dindigul Passenger) would be last train leaving Podanur at 7 p.m. on May 25, a press release said.

[sajiv]

Mamata to head Railway ministr

New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee returns to the cash-rich Railway ministry after a gap of ten years brimming with new ideas to help the unorganised sector, vendors and students but faces numerous challenges of modernisation, security and fallout of global recession.

The second time Railway Minister also has a tough job at hand of ensuring flow of funds for ambitious projects, implementation of some of which have been delayed but given the character that personifies her, mandarins at Rail Board are convinced she can deliver the goods.

Virtually written off by poll pundits five years back, the wheel has turned full circle for the Trinamool Congress chief.

From just one seat in Lok Sabha poll five years ago to the portals of power in Delhi with 19 seats, Banerjee has not only silenced her critics but has also charted a new course in her political graph.

She has promised "economic freedom" for marginalized sections to travel by rail and modernise the rail network with a human face.

Monthly passes for unorganised labour, vendors, domestic workers and landless labourers besides students would be her priority in the ministry. "It is a social obligation we have to fulfill for the humanity. We will try to give economy freedom to these sections for train travel," Banerjee told reporters hours after she was given the railway portfolio.

[rajoe]

Railway projects chug on as toilet blocks are cleared

Toilet blocks holding up a Rs 166-crore rail track project? It may sound incredible but that's exactly what
happened.

The completion of the fifth and sixth railway line between Kurla and Thane, being financed by the World Bank under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), became closer to reality only after the dispute over toilet blocks at Anand Nagar in Thane (E) was resolved.

MMRDA joint project director Dilip Kawathkar said trouble started when residents objected to the pulling down of four toilet block structures, which came in the way of the new tracks. The problem was solved after a few weeks with the provision of three new mobile toilet blocks for residents.

The project, expected to be completed by the end of this year, envisages better transport facilities. The MRVC is the implementing agency, while the MMRDA is responsible for rehabilitation of the more than 3,200 families. MMRDA chief of resettlement and rehabilitation A S Bidarkar said the settlement came through following a discussion with the locals.

The MUTP, which executes road and rail projects valued at Rs 4,500 crore in the state, seeks to improve the public infrastructure of the city. Among the other major MUTP projects in the city are the two major East West link roads, the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road and the Santa Cruz Chembur Link Road, the widening of the Western and Eastern Express highways and the acquisition of new rakes for the suburban railway.

source:TOI

[dwarakesh]

Trains cancelled

CHENNAI: Due to non-interlocked working at Tiruvalangadu on May 27 and 28, the following will be the pattern of train services between Chennai Beach/Moore Market Complex and Arakkonam.

Fully cancelled

Trains fully cancelled on May 27: Train no MA-19 MMC – Arakkanom local scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. and AM-16 Arakkonam - MMC local scheduled to leave at 10.50 a.m.

Partially cancelled

Train partially cancelled on May 26 and 27 between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam: MA-33 MMC – Arakkonam local scheduled to leave at 10.10 p.m.

Trains partially cancelled on May 27 and 28 between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam: BA-1 Chennai Beach – Arakkonam local scheduled to leave at 1.20 a.m., AM-2 Arakkonam – MMC local scheduled to leave at 3.40 a.m., and AB-2 Arakkonam – Chennai Beach local scheduled to leave at 3.55 a.m.

Trains partially cancelled on May 27 between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam:

MA 5, MA 13, MA 17, MA 23, and MA 27 MMC – Arakkonam locals scheduled to leave MMC at 6.40 a.m., 11 a.m., 1.40 p.m., 5.15 p.m., and 6.40 p.m. respectively, AM-12, AM 20, AM 30, and AM 34 Arakkonam – MMC locals scheduled to leave at 8.10 a.m., 1.55 p.m., 7.25 p.m., and 8.20 p.m. respectively and AB-6 Arakkonam – Chennai Beach local scheduled to leave at 4.20 p.m., according to a Southern Railway press release issued here.

[dwarakesh]

Train cancelled

Coimbatore: The Southern Railway – Salem Division has announced that consequent to the closure of the Podanur – Dindigul – Podanur section, the train services in the section will remain cancelled from May 26. Train Number 771/772 Podanur – Dindigul – Podanur passenger, Train Number 775/776 Pollachi – Dindigul – Pollachi passenger and Train number 777/778 Podanur – Dindigul – Podanur passenger remains cancelled.

The train was given a farewell by the passengers on Monday.

[dwarakesh]

Special train to Bilaspur

SCR will run a summer special from Secunderabad to Bilaspur on May 28. The train No.704 will leave Secunderabad at 11 p.m. and reach Bilaspur at 6.45 p.m. the next day. It will stop at Kazipet, Sripur Kaghaznagar, Ballaharshah, Sevagram, Nagpur, Bhandara Road, Gondia, Durg, Raipur,Tilda and Bhatapara.

[sajiv]

Special train to Bilaspur

SCR will run a summer special from Secunderabad to Bilaspur on May 28. The train No.704 will leave Secunderabad at 11 p.m. and reach Bilaspur at 6.45 p.m. the next day. It will stop at Kazipet, Sripur Kaghaznagar, Ballaharshah, Sevagram, Nagpur, Bhandara Road, Gondia, Durg, Raipur,Tilda and Bhatapara.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains

MADURAI: Southern Railway is operating special trains between Tiruchendur and Tirunelveli for the convenience of devotees visiting the Subramaniaswamy Temple during the Vaikasi Visakam festival. According to a press release, the specials are operated till Saturday as per the following timings: The Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur passenger special leaves Tirunelveli at 9.30 a.m. and reaches Tiruchendur at 11.15 a.m. The Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli passenger special leaves Tiruchendur at 4.15 p.m. and reaches Tirunelveli at 5.55 p.m.

[sajiv]

Railways plan to set up mega bio-diesel plant

TIRUCHI: A mega bio-diesel plant is proposed to be established inside the Southern Railway Loco Works at Perambur in Chennai within a couple of years to enhance the production of bio-diesel for railway usage, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Southern Railway V. Carmelus said on Tuesday.

Southern Railway will provide space, necessary infrastructure facilities, and man the proposed mega bio-diesel unit which would be set up by the Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels, he said while speaking at the World Environment Day celebrations organised at the Golden Rock Railway Workshop here.

The proposed mega plant would have the capacity to manufacture one lakh litres of bio-diesel per day and the entire produce would be used for the requirements of Southern Railway and other railway zones.

Capacity
Mr. Carmelus said the pilot bio-diesel plant now functioning at Southern Railway Loco Works at Perambur has the capacity to produce 500 litres per day, adding that the objective was to go for mass production in the near future.

The proposed mega plant would be commissioned within a couple of years and the Southern Railway would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels in this regard.

Besides being utilised for diesel locomotives, bio-diesel produced from the pilot plant was also being used for road vehicles belonging to the railways such as lorry, jeep and car. The railways had recently set up a 10.5 MW wind energy plant at Muppandhal in Kanyakumari district and electrical energy generated from the unit met the requirements of the Integral Coach Factory at Chennai.

For the first time, Southern Railway had plans to put into use bio-degradable disposable bed rolls in the first AC coaches of the Pandyan Express shortly. Based on the travellers' feedback, it would be extended to other trains in the near future, Mr. Carmelus said. The Chief Workshop Manager, Golden Rock Railway Workshop J.N. Digi and others spoke on the occasion.

[dwarakesh]

Demand for train service to Sabarimala

MADURAI: A demand for introduction of a train service between Chennai and Sabarimala has been made to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee by Congress MP from Theni J. M. Haroon.

In a memorandum submitted to the Minister, Mr. Haroon said that fulfilment of the long-pending demand for a train from Chennai to Sabarimala through Dindigul, Batlagundu, Periyakulam, Theni, Cumbum and Gudalur would benefit pilgrims from all over the country. (A railway line has been proposed between Dindigul and Sabarimala.)

(The Railway Ministry had ordered a reconnaissance survey for laying a railway line from Dindigul to Sabarimala. The first survey for the Rs. 529-crore project was taken up in 1997.) He also wanted the Railway Minister to order the opening of railway parcel booking counters in Theni and Bodinaickanur to help cultivators of and traders in cardamom, coffee, paddy and coconut. They now had to go to Coimbatore or Madurai to book these consignments.

[appu.s8501]

y no news from indian railway after june 15th..? ? ? ? ?

i think sajiv started lot of good posts in this forum

[Sudhakar]

Change in Railway ministry !!! 

So sajiv is waiting for new updates on Railways. 

[sajiv]

  ,just waited for any comments ,
well said but i ll do it here,also u get news share in this topic and many more like this topics 

[sajiv]

Train extended

In order to clear extra rush, the Visakhapatnam-Shirdi-Visakhapatnam (Train No. 0867 / 0868) will be extended to run nine additional trips in July.

Accordingly, the Visakhapatnam-Shirdi special (Train No.0867) will depart from Visakhapatnam on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5.30 a.m. on 1st, 4th , 8th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 25th, and 29th July and arrive at Vijayawada at 11.35 a.m. on the next day.

[dwarakesh]

Super-fast special train to Kerala

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run a super-fast special from Chennai Central to Thiruvananthapuram to clear the rush. Train No.0657 will leave Chennai Central at 8.30 p.m. on June 27 and reach the Kerala capital at 12.40 p.m. the next day. The composition will be one air-conditioned 2-tier, two AC 3-tier, 10 sleeper coaches, three general second class and two luggage-cum-brake van coaches. Reservation will begin on June 26, according to a Railway release.

[dwarakesh]

Stop for train at Chengannur

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Railways have granted stoppage for the 2202/2201 Kochuveli-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kochuveli Garib Rath Bi-weekly Express at Chengannur on a permanent basis from July 2.

According to the Railways, the departure time of the 2202 Kochuveli-Lokmanya Tilak Express at Chengannur railway station will be 10.32 a.m., and that of the 2201 Lokmanya Tilak-Kochuveli Express at Chengannur station will be 8.49 p.m.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Southern Railway will run weekly special trains between July 5 and 27 between Nagercoil and Mangalore. Train no. 0661

Nagercoil-Mangalore Central Weekly Special will depart from Nagercoil at 1.30 p.m. on Sundays to reach Mangalore the next day at 5.45 a.m. The

0662 Mangalore Central-Nagercoil Weekly Special will depart from Mangalore Central at 1.30 p.m. on Mondays to reach Nagercoil the next day at

4.40 a.m. The trains will stop at Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Varkala, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Mavelikara, Chengannur,

Thiruvalla, Changanassery, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kuttipuram, Tirur, Parappanangadi, Feroke, Kozhikode,

Koyilandy, Vadakara, Thalaserry, Kannur, Payannur, Kanhangad and Kasaragod.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run the following special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers.

Chennai Egmore-Madurai Special: Train No. 0665 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on July 3 and reach Madurai at 9.15 a.m.

Chennai Central-Coimbatore Special: Train No. 0617 will leave Central at 10.20 p.m. on July 3 and reach Coimbatore at 7 a.m.

Chennai Egmore-Tirunelveli-Egmore Specials: Train No. 0655 will leave Egmore at 6.40 p.m. on June 30 and reach Tirunelveli at 6.30 a.m.

In the return direction, Train No. 0656 will leave Tirunelveli at 2.50 p.m. on July 1 and arrive at Egmore at 4.15 a.m. Train No. 0659 will leave Egmore at 8.25 p.m. on July 1 and arrive at Tirunelveli at 9.20 a.m.

In the return direction, Ttrain Nno. 0660 will leave Tirunelveli at 9.15 p.m. on July 2 and arrive at Egmore at 10.30 a.m.

Advance reservation will start on June 28, according to a Southern Railway press release.

[sajiv]

Mobile vans to deliver train tickets

New Delhi: In a bid to make booking tickets more convenient, Railways are mulling introduction of mobile vans with ticketing facility.

The vans, up-linked to satellite, would be issuing railway tickets in reserved and unreserved categories primarily in rural and remote corners of the country.

"We are examining a proposal for launching mobile van service for issuing tickets at certain places," a senior Railway Ministry official said.

[sajiv]

Railways' ways

On June 8, I went to New Delhi railway station to see off my family members who were to travel by the Kerala Express to Thiruvananthapuram in coach No. B5. The air-conditioned three-tier coach was full of cockroaches. There were cockroaches everywhere – in the corridors, on the lower berth, on the upper berth, on the side berth, in the toilets....

When I raised the issue with the train attendant and the TTE, they expressed their helplessness. The attendant reasoned that once the train starts and the air-conditioner is switched on, the cockroaches would go into hiding as they would feel uncomfortable in the cold!

The coach was not cleaned, the window curtains were dirty and a foul stench was emanating from everywhere. Is it not the duty of the Railways to ensure that all the coaches are fit for such a long journey involving more than 3,000 km?

I request the Railway authorities to pay a little attention to the plight of the passengers of long-distance trains and ensure that their travel is free of such bugs.

N. V. Pillai,

C-33, DGS Apartments, Sector 22, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110 075.
What a waste!

According to media reports, the response to an RTI petition reveals that Rs.194 crore budgeted by the Mayawati Government in Uttar Pradesh for erecting statues of "big leaders" during 2008-09 was fully spent. These include many statues of Mayawati herself and her political mentor Kanshi Ram. It seems she treats the entire State as her personal estate. Will the next regime in Lucknow let such statues remain? Or will it start erecting statues of its own leaders and political symbols?

Mayawati has spent Rs.52 crore on 60 marble elephants built at the Ambedkar Memorial in Lucknow. Her wastage of funds is evident from the fact that she got one of her statues pulled down only to replace it with a bigger one!

There should be a ban on erecting statues of living persons. Also, erecting statues of persons favoured by those in power should be prevented by making it mandatory to get the consent of the Opposition leader in the Assembly or Parliament, as the case might be.

Madhu Agrawal,

1775, Kucha Lattushah, Dariba, Chandni Chowk, Delhi – 110 006.
Waiting at Jamia

The tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia ended on June 9, but a new V-C has not been named yet.

I, being a member of the Executive Council of the University, know very well that the process of selection of a new V-C began well in time – that is, six months earlier. For the delay, a few elements with vested interests, who are interfering in the process, are to be blamed and not the Union Human Resource Development Ministry.

The UPA Government at the Centre recognised Jamia's contribution towards nation-building and supported its further development. During NDA rule, Jamia was discriminated against financially. With UPA patronage now it has opened up new courses and several new centres and departments to keep pace with new developments in the education sphere. About 250 competent teachers were appointed. Several memorandums of understanding with foreign universities and institutions were signed. This has enabled Jamia students to get exposure at the international level. A peaceful academic atmosphere is a hallmark of any academic institution and Jamia has achieved it successfully.

These achievements have become an eyesore for communal elements. I am sure the HRD Ministry and the Visitor of Jamia University will choose a liberal and progressive-minded V-C for Jamia just as Emperor Akbar chose Abul Fazl Nagor as his historian and not narrow-minded scholar Mulla Badouni.S. Inayet A. Zaidi,

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi - 110 025.
Hello, UTI.....

My husband and I invested in 6.6 per cent tax-free Government of India-guaranteed ARS Bonds for the face value of Rs.21800, which was to mature on April 1 this year (Investor ID No. 217345081, Bonds Certificate No.39140853, Holders: Durga Singh and Ram Krishna Singh). We, however, did not receive the maturity value plus interest cheque against this investment. On a telephonic enquiry to the Durgapur branch of the UTI on April 29 we were informed that a cheque for Rs.22,519 was despatched from Mumbai by speed post (No. EA 053708000IN) on March 30. It never reached us.

My e-mails to the UTI offices in Durgapur and Mumbai have remained unanswered. I do not know whom to approach to get a new cheque. Will the UTI care to inform me how to go about it? Durga Singh,

C/o. Dr. R. K. Singh, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad – 826 004.
Kudos, Delhi Police

A series of self-defence classes for women conducted by the Delhi police concluded this past Monday. I was a participant in the sessions at Sneh International School. The ten-day course was an experience that helped us enhance our self-confidence and defence skills. I would like to thank Ms. Santosh, Ms. Kantha, Ms. Manju and many other lady officers who worked with dedication during these ten days. How to tackle an attacker with a knife or pistol and tackle miscreants in buses were some of the techniques taught.

This training also helped in seeing the friendly face of the police and discovering that they are actually approachable. Kudos to the Delhi police for organising this venture.

Sruthi Samuel,

[dwarakesh]

Special trains extended

CHENNAI: Bowing to requests from rail users, passenger associations and elected representatives of the people to the General Manager/Southern Railway, special trains between Chennai Egmore and Tirunelveli, which were scheduled to leave Egmore on June 30, and July 1 and Tirunelveli on July 1 and July 2 will be extended up to Tiruchendur, says a Southern Railway release.

[dwarakesh]

Special trains to be operated for kumbabishekam

MADURAI: Southern Railway will operate special trains between Madurai and Rameswaram on Wednesday on the occasion of kumbabishekam of east rajagopuram of Ramanathaswamy Temple.

According to a Southern Railway press release, the Madurai-Rameswaram special will leave Madurai at 5.30 a.m. and reach Rameswaram at 8.45 a.m.

It will stop at Tiruppuvanam, Manamadurai, Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram.

The Rameswaram-Madurai special will leave Rameswaram at 3 p.m. and reach Madurai at 7 p.m. It will stop at all stations between Rameswaram and Madurai.

Movement of two trains between Madurai and Kodaikanal Road is to be regulated on Wednesday to facilitate gauge conversion work.

Train 383 Nagercoil-Coimbatore passenger will be regulated at Madurai for 120 minutes from 12.50 p.m.

Train 384 Coimbatore-Nagercoil passenger will be regulated at Koodal Nagar for 45 minutes from 2.20 p.m.