Indian Railway News

Started by sajiv, Jul 01, 2008, 08:56 PM

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dwarakesh

Special trains for winter announced

Southern Railway is to operate the following special trains during winter and Sabarimala seasons.

Chennai Egmore - Nagercoil Specials: Train no.0609 will leave Egmore at 6.40 p.m. on all Mondays and Saturdays from November 8 to December 29 and reach Nagercoil at 8.15 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, Train no.0610 will leave Nagercoil at 1.30 p.m. on all Sundays and Tuesdays from November 9 to December 30 and arrive Egmore at 4.15 a.m., the next day. Train no. 0638 will leave Nagercoil at 7.40 p.m. on all Mondays from November 10 to December 29 and arrive Egmore at 8.50 a.m., the next day. In the return direction, Train no.0637 will leave Egmore at 3.40 p.m. on all Tuesdays from November 11 to December 30 and reach Nagercoil at 5.30 a.m., the next day. Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Specials: Train no.0603 will leave Egmore at 8.25 p.m. on all Thursdays from November 13 to December 25 and reach Tirunelveli at 9.30 a.m., the next day. In the return direction, Train no.0604 will leave Tirunelveli at 3 p.m. on all Fridays from November 14 to December 26 and arrive Chennai Egmore at 4.15 a.m., the next day.

Coimbatore – Tirupati Specials: Train No. 0623 will leave Coimbatore at 10.35 p.m. on November 11 and 18 and December 16, 23 and 30 and reach Tirupati at 7.30 a.m., the next day. In the return direction, Train no.0624 will leave Tirupati at 9 p.m. on November 12 and 19 and December 17, 24 and 31 and arrive Coimbatore at 7 a.m., the next day.

Tiruchirappalli - Chennai Egmore Specials: Train No.0634 will leave Tiruchirappalli at 8.30 p.m. on all Sundays from November 9 to December 28 and arrive Egmore at 3.15 a.m., the next day. In the return direction, Train no.0633 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on all Wednesdays from November 12 to December 31 and arrive Tiruchirappalli at 6.15 a.m., the next day. Chennai Egmore - Tuticorin Specials: Train no.0685 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on all Mondays from November 10 to December 29 and arrive Tuticorin at 12.30 p.m. the next day. Train no. 0686 will leave Tuticorin at 8.45 p.m. on all Tuesdays from November 11 to December 30 and arrive Egmore at 8.50 a.m., the next day.

Sabarimala specials


Chennai Central – Kochuveli Specials: Train no. 0635 will leave Central at 3.15 p.m. on all Thursdays from November 13 to December 25 and reach Kochuveli at 7.30 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, train no.0636 will leave Kochuveli at 11 a.m. on all Fridays from November 14 to December 26 and arrive Central at 4.50 a.m. the next day. Train no. 0657 will leave Central at 3.15 p.m. on all Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from November 14 to December 29 and reach Kochuveli at 7.30 a.m., the next day. In the return direction, train no.0658 will leave Kochuveli at 11 a.m. on all Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from November 15 to December 30 and arrive Central at 4.50 a.m. the next day.

Reservation will commence on November 6.

Additional stoppages for Rameswaram Express: Train no 6101/6102 Chennai Egmore – Rameswaram Expresses will stop at Vriddhachalam and Pamban stations from November 7, according to a Southern Railway press release.

dwarakesh

Special train

TIRUCHI: Southern Railway will operate special trains between Thanjavur and Tiruvarur from November 7 to 29 to clear the rush of passengers. These trains will run on all days except Sundays.

Train No. 892A Thanjavur–Tiruvarur Special will leave Thanjavur at 10 a.m. and reach Tiruvarur at 11.30 a.m.

In the return direction, Train No. 899A Tiruvarur–Thanjavur Special will leave Tiruvarur at 6.45 p.m. and arrive at Thanjavur at 8.20 p.m.

The trains will stop at Mariamman Kovil, Kudikadu, Saliyamangalam, Ammapet, Koyilveni, Needamangalam, Koradacherry, Tirumathikunnam and Kulikarai railway stations.

sajiv


Railways spent Rs 700 crores to eliminate crossing in Kashmir
Srinagar :The Indian Railways has spent Rs 700 crores extra on eliminating the railway crossings on the track in the Kashmir valley to minimise the chances of accidents.

Recently, a student Akeel Ahmad became the first victim of the train, after he was crushed to death at the Bagh-e-Mehtab on Srinagar-Badgam track.A meeting, chaired by Governor N N Vohra, explored the possibilities of eliminating the obtaining railway crossings to reduce chances of the accidents.It was revealed that out of 40 crossings, the Railways had already reduced the number to six.A need was felt to bring down the number of such crossings to zero level.

Mr Vohra called upon the Railways authorities to explore the ways and means to achieve this objective.However, S K Vij, Member Engineering, Railway Board, assured at a meeting, held here yesterday afternoon that the railway crossings would be totally eliminated, if the state government provided necessary support in draining out the rain water from the inundated areas during the monsoon.He said that the Railways have already spent Rs 700 crore extra on eliminating the crossings on the rail tracks, so far.

sajiv

SPECIAL TRAINS BETWEEN CHENNAI EGMORE AND NAGERCOIL

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


Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil Specials: T.No.0617 Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil Special will leave Chennai Egmore at 23.45 hrs. on 30.10.2008 and arrive Nagercoil at 14.30 hrs. the next day. T.No.0618 Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Special will leave Nagercoil at 20.10 hrs. on 31.10.2008 and arrive Chennai Egmore at 10.15 hrs. the next day. The composition of the trains will be 1 AC 2-tier, 14 Sleeper Class, 3 General Second Class and 2 luggage-cum-brake van coaches. The trains will stop at Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Melmaruvathur, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Vridhachalam, Tiruchchirappalli, Dindigul, Kodaikanal Road, Madurai, Virudunagar, Sattur, Kovilpatti, Vanchi Maniyachchi, Tirunelveli and Valliyur. T.No.0618 will stop at Mambalam also.


dwarakesh

Inter-city special trains planned

Southern Railway plans to run 372 short-distance special trains in a month to cater to the needs of commuters as well as those travelling to tourist or pilgrim centres in the State.

The special trains will be operated between Tiruchi and Madurai, Coimbatore and Erode, Tirunelveli and Tiruchendur, Arakkaonam and Tambaram, Tiruchur and Guruvayur and Thiruvananthapuram and Quilon.

Southern Railway has been operating special trains, mostly from Chennai to destinations in the south, during the holiday and festival season. Now it has extended the service, as the number of people commuting daily between major cities has increased substantially. For example, thousands of commuters travel daily between Arakkonam and Chengalpet/Tambaram, Quilon and Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore and Erode. These commuters are depending mostly on buses. Southern Railway wants to attract this section of commuters.

If the special trains receive good patronage, they will be converted into regular services, according to Chief Public Relations Officer Neenu Ittyerah.

Southern Railway will run 100 more services between Chennai and Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Tiruchi, Bangalore and Coimbatore; between Tirupati and Coimbatore; and from Bangalore to Ernakulam during this month and December.

Demand going up

Ms. Ittyeraah said statistics collected by the zone had revealed that the overall demand on certain routes, especially from Chennai to those in the south such as Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Tiruneveli and Nagercoil, was on the rise, a trend which persisted all through the year. Furthermore, there was demand for more trains to Bangalore from Chennai, Ernakulam and Coimbatore, possibly due to the increase in air fares and the relocation of Bangalore Airport. There was also demand for a train from Coimbatore to Tirupati.

dwarakesh

Special train to Madurai today

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will operate a special train from Chennai Egmore to Madurai on November 7.

The train no.0631 will leave Egmore at 11.55 p.m. on Friday and reach Madurai at 10 a.m. the next day.

The composition will be 1 first class, 1 AC 3 tier, 6 sleeper class, 8 general second class and 2 Luggage-cum-brake van coaches.

It will stop at Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Melmaruvathur, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Vridhachalam, Tiruchi, Dindigul and Kodaikanal Road.

Advance reservation for the above train commences on Friday morning.

EMU timing revised


From Saturday, train no BA 3 Chennai Beach–Arakkonam will leave Beach at 4.45 a.m. instead of 4.30 a.m. and reach Arakkonam at 6.30 am., a press release from Southern Railway said.

dwarakesh

Special train to Tirupati

Southern Railway will run a special train between Coimbatore and Tirupati in November and December.

A press release from Salem Railway Division said five services will be offered in the two months.

The special train service will be available from Coimbatore Railway Junction on November 11 and 18 and December 16, 23 and 30. From Tirupati, the service will be available on November 12 and 19 and December 17, 24 and 31.

The train will depart Coimbatore at 10.35 p.m. and reach Tirpathi at 7.30 a.m.

In the return direction, the train will leave Tirupati at 9 p.m. and arrive at the Coimbatore Junction at 7 a.m.

Composition

The train will have 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.

sajiv

Airlines loss is Railways gain

Railways/road profitability to rise by 8-10 per cent, Airlines' revenue may fall by around 22-25 per cent

KOCHI: Higher cost of flying has dented air traffic to a significant extent in the last couple of weeks, which will prove a bonanza for Railways and the road transport sector and enhance their profitability by at least 8-10 per cent in current fiscal itself. The air traffic has already started shifting towards railways and roads due to the affordability factor, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Reckless expansion undertaken by airlines in the past, with introduction of sub-prime flying to attract large traffic from rail and road with a view to generating larger revenues, had not paid airline managements desired dividends as they could not sustain the business strategy. The net result was that air and cargo fares had to be raised by more than 50 per cent in the past, which forced passengers of economic class to opt for rail or road transport, says Assocham analysis.

The fall in prices of crude has yet to benefit the air operators as Aviation Turbine Fuel has yet to be rationalised, sales tax on it remained higher as fuelling an aircraft is a costlier exercise in India. Therefore, air operators have no other option but continue to sustain their operations with existing fares. The economy class air passengers can no longer afford it and the natural option for them is the road or rail transport.

Railway facilities: In the meanwhile, the facilities for both cargo loading and unloading as well for passengers, especially in Railways, have been upgraded so much that railway transport has come almost on a par with air traffic with favourable and acceptable fares. In such a scenario, it is natural that passengers who had got accustomed to air traffic in the recent past are now forced to take to road/railway for travel purposes.

The Assocham analysis further reveals that the slowdown which has resulted in large cost-cutting measures in corporate India is discouraging their executives up to middle management rank levels to take to air travel as it involves higher cost. Even corporates in the last few weeks have been opting for road transport for physical movements of their executives until it has become absolutely necessary to move them by air.

The Chamber analysis has pointed out that as a result of introduction of sub-prime flying, the air operators owe so much of money to oil companies which keep on supplying them aviation turbine fuel on credit as they cannot afford to suddenly disrupt the supplies since it requires approvals and permissions which do not come handy to them. According to estimates made by Assocham, airlines in the Asia Pacific region, including India and China, will experience a sharp fall in their revenue by around 22-25 per cent towards the end of current fiscal.

The deterioration in air traffic will continue even though there is a consolidation in the aviation sector, particularly in private sector, as it is highly unlikely that the prices of avian fuel would be rationalised as crude oil will scale upward movement. Even if Railways and roads transport further increase their fares, the preference for rail/road transport will be much more as airlines will not come forward for another bad experience for reintroduction of their reduced fares as it will completely damage their business operations, concludes the Assocham analysis.


dwarakesh

Southern Railway to have only broad gauge by 2011

By 2011 Southern Railway will have broad gauge lines only, said its General Manager, Rakesh Chopra, at Lovedale, near here, on Sunday.

All the conversion proposals have been cleared by the Ministry and the process of planning and execution of the works was now in progress, he told reporters.

A total of 1,100 km of metre guage lines still needed to be converted, he said adding that the process was being slowed down because of the difficulty in getting experienced contractors.

Claiming that performance-wise Southern Railway was among the best in the country, Mr. Chopra said that during the first half of the current fiscal all financial and load targets have been met.

In both the suburban and non-suburban sections, the passenger traffic has registered a 20 per cent increase in passenger traffic. The Unreserved Ticketing System has been introduced at some places. With incoming traffic increasing, the number of specials being run was on the rise.

"I am monitoring the progress on a day-to-day basis," Mr. Chopra said and added that Automatic Teller Machines, now available in Chennai, will be extended to other places.

To a query, he said that the possibility of reviving freight services on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was being explored. Movement of commodities like tea would be beneficial to all.

Stating that the mountain railway now had seven steam locomotives in good condition despite their age, he said that four were in the process of being added.

They will be put together at the Golden Rock Workshop of the Southern Railway at Tiruchi.

Since the original locomotives were made by Swiss engineers, either their assistance would be sought or technology obtained. Whether they will be coal fired or oil fired will be decided by the Railway Ministry. About 18 months from the date of being cleared they will be ready for trials.

Owing to the NMR's popularity tourism wise an increase in the number of trips was also being considered. When asked whether the re-opening of some of the stations between Coonoor and Mettupalayam would be considered, he said that it was not necessary.

dwarakesh

e-tickets booking made easier

Now, those booking railway tickets online can take it easy with the need to give photo identity proof. That would be needed only at the time of journey. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation introduced this new facility effective November 1.

Passengers would be required to carry a voter ID Card/Passport/PAN Card/Driving license/Photo ID card issued by Central or State governments during their train journey. "The changes were brought in to make online booking easier for passengers," Southern Railway spokesperson Neenu Ittyerah said.

With regards to concern that this could be exploited by ticketing agents to block tickets online especially during rush time, she said passengers need not look at it that way.

sajiv

Train extended to Sholapur

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad-Wadi-Hyderabad passenger train is being extended up to Sholapur for a period of five days from November 14 to 18, to cope with the rush of pilgrims attending Hazrat Khaja Banda Nawaz Urs-e-Shareef at Gulbarga, a press note from SCR said on Monday. The train will depart Hyderabad at 11 p.m. and arrive at Wadi at 9.30 p.m. the next day, and Sholapur at 12.20 a.m. the following day.

dwarakesh

Demand for night train to Rameswaram

The Coimbatore Consumer Cause has asked the Railway Ministry to consider the extension of an overnight broad gauge express train from Coimbatore to Rameshwaram on the Coimbatore–Erode–Karur–Madurai route.

In a memorandum, its secretary, K. Kathirmathiyon, said that the train service to Madurai and Rameshwaram on the meter gauage section benefiting the population from southern districts was withdrawn in view of the gauge conversion works taken up by the Railway Ministry between Dindigul and Palani. Now, meter gauge trains are running between Podanur and Dindigul Junction without any connection trains to Rameswaram.

This had resulted in a major industrial city in the Western Tamil Nadu – Coimbatore – going without any direct train connectivity with the southern districts beyond Madurai.
Migrant workers

As a result, migrant workers and those from Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga districts in Coimbatore and nearby areas have to rely on omni buses and Government buses.

A travel beyond Madurai now actually, requires the passenger to get down at Madurai for taking a connecting bus. A broad gauge line between Coimbatore and Dindigul connecting Madurai and Rameshwaram would definitely take another two to three years.

Thousands of people in Coimbatore and Palakad are visiting the important historical place with a lot of pilgrimage value. Ramanathapuram district has various destinations that attract people. Rather than indefinitely waiting for the gauge conversion work to be completed, the Salem Railway Division could consider operating one train service daily from Coimbatore to Rameshwaram via Erode, Dindigual, Madurai, Mamamaurai and Ramanathapuram.

The railways could even consider attaching three to four sleeper coaches and one unreserved compartment, exclusively for Rameswarm, in the Coimbatore-Nagercoil Express.

These coaches could be de-linked at Madurai and could be attached to any of the existing train services from Madurai to Rameshwaram, especially trains such as Madurai–Rameshwaram Passenger or the Chennai–Rameshwaram Express.

Accordingly, the schedule of these trains could be adjusted or a new fast passenger train be considered from Madruai to Rameswaram to which these sleeper coaches could be attached, he said.

sajiv

Train route

KOCHI: Train numbers 6309/6310 Ernakulam-Patna-Ernakulam bi-weekly express will run through its normal route ex.Kharagpur-Bhadrak with immediate effect, the Southern Railway has informed.

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sajiv

Vellore back on rail map

VELLORE: The century-old Vellore Cantonment Railway Station has been put on the railway map once again on Monday when the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss flagged off the first electrified train service between this station and Katpadi. The minister also inaugurated the newly constructed station building.

The 10-km Vellore-Katpadi conversion work is part of the 161-km Katpadi-Villupuram section project which is being implemented in three phases at an estimated cost of Rs 330 crores. The Southern Railway has already announced five pairs of train services from Vellore station, linking Tirupati and Arakkonam sections, which would provide access to Andhra Pradesh and Chennai.

"High-level platforms, passenger amenities (improved shelter, ATM and ticket reservation facilities, pay and use toilets, parking facilities) and telecommunication systems would be provided in all the 22 stations in the Katpadi- Villupuram section. The work is expected to be completed by March next year," Ramanathan, Chief Administration Officer (Construction), Southern Railway, said.

The Union Minister of State for Railways, R Velu, presided over the function. Many railway officials participated.


sajiv

Mock drill at Sec'bad railway station

HYDERABAD: A mock terrorist attack drill will be held at Secunderabad railway station on November 26 at 1.00 p.m.  The drill - which will involve the departments of railways, police, fire, district administration, medical, 108 emergency services and GHMC - is meant to test how they would respond to an eventuality leading to mass casualties.  The aim is to assess how fast the district administration would act to bring the situation under control.

An Incident Command Post (ICP) will be set up near the venue to coordinate between the departments concerend. The Joint Collector of Hyderabad will be in charge of the ICP. Around 35 ambulances will be pressed into service.Gandhi and Yashodha hospitals, with 620 beds between them, are the main hospitals for treatment of the most seriously injured in-patients. Forty other private referral hospitals will treat less serious cases.


sajiv

Mumbai to get India's first monorail

MUMBAI: An Indian-Malaysian consortium led by Larsen and Toubro will construct the country's first monorail system here, it was announced Monday.The L&T-led consortium, which includes Scomi Engineering Bhd of Malaysia, will implement the Rs.24.6-billion project for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).



The contract involves design, construction, installation, commissioning and integrated testing of the 20-km-long monorail project.In the first phase, an 11-km monorail line will be constructed from Jacob Circle in south-central Mumbai to Wadala. In the second phase, a nine-km line will be built to link Chembur in north-east Mumbai with Wadala.

The project, with 18 stations en route, will be completed in 30 months. It is expected to ease the congestion in the highly crowded Jacob Circle, Wadala and Chembur areas, apart from providing inter-connectivity to the suburban railways network and the forthcoming Metro railway as part of the multi-modal transport system being envisioned by MMRDA.

Malaysia's Scomi ranks among the world's top three monorail manufacturers, offering urban transportation solutions by providing latest monorail electro-mechanical systems and rolling stock.L&T, a leader in technology, engineering and construction, launched a dedicated railway business unit last year to address various rail-related business projects in the country.


sajiv

Special trains to Bangalore

KOCHI:
Railways have introduced special trains from Kochi to Bangalore to ease congestion during the Sabarimala and Christmas seasons.Train No. 641 Ernakulam-Bangalore Special will leave here at 9.15 p.m. on Thursdays and arrive in Bangalore at 10 a.m. the next day, beginning November 13 till December 25.

In the return direction, Train No. 642 will leave Bangalore City at 6.50 p.m. on Fridays and arrive here at 6.30 a.m. the next day, from November 14 till December 26.

Train No. 647 will leave here at 6.40 p.m. on Mondays and arrive in Bangalore at 6.30 a.m., beginning November 17 till December 29. The return train will run on Tuesdays, starting from Bangalore at 5.15 p.m. and arriving here at 4.20 a.m., beginning November 18 till December 30.


sajiv

Special trains

KOCHI: Railways have introduced special trains from Kochi to Bangalore to clear the rush. Train No. 641 Ernakulam-Bangalore Special will leave here at 9.15 p.m. on Thursdays and arrive in Bangalore at 10 a.m. the next day, beginning November 13 till December 25. In the return direction, Train No. 642 will leave Bangalore City at 6.50 p.m. on Fridays and arrive here at 6.30 a.m. the next day, from November 14 till December 26.

Train No. 647 will leave here at 6.40 p.m. on Mondays and arrive in Bangalore at 6.30 a.m., from November 17 to December 29. The return train will run on Tuesdays, from Bangalore at 5.15 p.m. and arriving here at 4.20 a.m., beginning November 18 till December 30.


sajiv

Railway employees' union lists out demands

KOZHIKODE: Calicut Branch Committee of the Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU) has listed out a set of demands that needed to be met to enable railway employees to function more efficiently.A major grievance of the union was that adequate number of staff was not appointed to meet the increased workload.

The result was that employees were called upon to put in extra hours of work. Leave was also denied to employees.Long queues in front of ticket counters at railway stations has become a common sight due to staff shortage, it was added.The union demanded that work hours be limited to eight hours, inter-locking system be installed at all railway level crossings, besides providing basic infrastructure at the level-crossing lodges.

The union also demanded opening of more tickets counters commensurate with the increase in the number of trains, and pass'engers.The demands were highlighted at a dharna conducted by DREU at the Kozhikode Railway Station on Monday.Vice president of DREU central committee K. Ashokan inaugurated the dharna.As part of the protest programme dharna was held at different centres from November 1 to 10.


sajiv

Extra coaches for two trains

NEW DELHI: For the convenience of passengers, the Ludhiana-Delhi Sutlej Express and the Delhi Junction-Ferozepur Passenger will be augmented by two additional general II Class coaches from Delhi Junction from this Thursday.

According to Northern Railway, the New Delhi-Nangal Dam Jan Shatabdi Express has also been provided a stoppage at Mohali with immediate effect on an experimental basis for six months.

sajiv

Trade Fair tickets at Metro stations

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will start selling entry tickets for the India International Trade Fair at 62 stations from Wednesday.

These tickets can be purchased at all metro stations at a discounted price -- Rs.10 less than the cost at which the tickets will be sold at Pragati Maidan. The general entry tickets at metro stations will be priced at Rs.20 for adults on weekdays and Rs.50 on weekends. For minors, the tickets will cost Rs.10 and Rs.20 on weekdays and weekends, respectively.


dwarakesh

Special trains announced to Madurai, Coimbatore

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has announced operation of special trains between Chennai - Madurai and Chennai - Coimbatore.

An official release stated that the Chennai – Madurai train (No. 0631) would leave Chennai Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on Saturday and reach Madurai the next day at 9.30 a.m. In the return direction, the special from Madurai to Chennai (0632) would leave Madurai at 11.55 p.m. on Sunday and reach Chennai the next day at 10.15 a.m.

The Chennai Central - Coimbatore special (0601) would leave Chennai Central at 10.20 p.m. on Friday and reach Coimbatore at 7 a.m. the next day.

In the return direction, the special from Coimbatore (0602) would leave Coimbatore at 11.45 p.m. on Sunday and will reach Chennai Central at 8.30 a.m. the next day.

Reservation would commence on Friday.

dwarakesh

Railways modify e-ticket rule

Railway passengers need not specify proof of identity any more while booking e-tickets. However, they should carry any one of the specified identity cards while travelling.

The Railway Ministry has introduced the new rule, which came into effect on November 1, to provide relief to passengers who often forget to carry the proof of identity they use while booking.

"We treat the passengers as travelling without ticket and penalise them even if they are in possession of some valid proof other than that specified while booking the ticket," a railway official told The Hindu. Many such incidents had been reported, and they hindered the growth of e-ticketing, he said.

With the amendment, the concept of master passenger, whose identity is indicated on the ticket, has been withdrawn. However, any of the passengers among the group for whom the e-ticket is booked should produce one of the five original identity cards specified by the Railways. They are voter identity card, passport, PAN card, driving licence and photo identity cards issued by the Central and State governments.

"In case none of the group carries any of these cards, all the passengers will be treated as travelling without ticket," the official said.

The new procedure will come up for review after six months, when its possible misuse—other people travelling in the name of passengers for whom the ticket is booked—will be taken into account.

sajiv

GCC to train tribals

Visakhapatnam: With a view to ensuring quality and improve sale of forest products the Girijan Cooperative Corporation has decided to give training for tribals in procuring forest produce like gum, honey and herbs and others. Rs.1.40 crore had been set apart for this training programme. The Minister for Tribal Welfare, D.S.Redya Naik, who reviewed the activities of the GCC here on Friday suggested a number of steps for improvement.

The progress in the purchase and sale of forest products in the last two years had not been up to expectations. The value of total transactions stood at just Rs.16.84 crore. It was because of decreasing dependence of tribals on forest produce. Implementation of various welfare schemes of the Government,which ensured employment for tribals, was the reason for this phenomenon, it was pointed out. The meeting, however noted with satisfaction, the GCC's profits to the tune of Rs.8 crores during the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 which had enabled the GCC to reduce cumulative losses by about Rs.7.95 crore.

The Minister instructed officials concerned to improve sales in the Daily Requirement Depots, numbering 839.As many as 111 DR Depots have been incurring losses, the Minister said and wanted corrective measures to make them self-sufficient. Nearly 450 DR depots have no salesmen, one of the reasons for decreasing sales. The Minister wanted steps for improving sale honey, turmeric, sheekakai, hill brooms and wild brooms for which there was good demand.


sajiv

Railway steps for pilgrimage

Special reservation centre at Pampa,More ticket counters at stations,Additional staff at information counters

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Railways have made elaborate arrangements to ensure a smooth and hassle-free journey for the Sabarimala pilgrims during the ensuing Mandala-Makaravilakku season.For the benefit of the pilgrims, a special computerised passenger reservation centre will function at Pampa. Steps will be taken to open additional booking/reservation counters at all the important stations of the Thiruvananthapuram division during the season. Additional unreserved ticket counters will function at Chengannur, Kottayam and Ernakulam during the annual pilgrimage season. Reservation offices have been strengthened and additional staff deputed from other stations to man the additional counters.

Additional staff will be posted at the information counters. The railway staff who can speak more languages will also be posted. The Railway Protection Force will deploy additional personnel for security and for assisting the pilgrims coming from various States.

A special task force led by the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and comprising commercial inspectors and supervisors will be camping at Kottayam during the peak days from January 14 to 16. The flow of traffic will be monitored and more coaches will be attached to important trains to clear the rush of pilgrims.


sajiv

Metro begins trial run on new section

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro railway began a trial run on its newly completed Vishwavidyalaya-Jahangirpuri section beyond Delhi University on Friday. This is the second section of the Metro's Phase II.According to DMRC officials, trial runs will continue for about five weeks and the 6.36-km section is expected to be opened for normal public run by December-end or January 2009. The section was originally slated to be opened in October 2009.

"During trial runs today, the interaction of the train with physical infringement (civil structure) was checked to ensure that there was no physical blockage during movement of the train on the track between Vishwavidyalaya and Jahangirpuri," said an official.The Vishwavidyalaya-Jahangirpuri section has five stations of which one is underground and four elevated. The underground station is at G.T.B. Nagar. The elevated stations are Model Town, Azadpur, Adarsh Nagar and Jahangirpuri.

"Today the train was run at a slow speed of 25 km per hour since it was the first run. The speed will gradually be increased to 50 km per hour, and ultimately a maximum of 80 kmph will be generated during trial runs. The entire signalling system is also being tested during the trials," the official said.During the first three weeks of the trial run, one train set will be used. In the fourth week, two train sets will be used and in the fifth week, more train sets will be used as per requirement.


dwarakesh

Railways to operate weekly winter specials

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run the following weekly winter special trains. .

Chennai Egmore – Tirunelveli Specials: Train No.0605 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on November 23, 30, and December 7 (Sundays) and reach Tirunelveli at 12.30 p.m. the next day. In the return direction train No. 0606 will leave Tirunelveli at 3 p.m. on November 24, December1 and 8 (Mondays) and arrive Chennai Egmore at 4.15 a.m. the next day.

Chennai Egmore - Nagercoil Specials: Train No.0607 will leave Egmore at 8.25 p.m. on November 19, 26, Dec.3 and 10 (Wednesdays) and arrive Nagercoil at 11 am the next day. Train No.0611 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on November 21, 28, December 5, and 12 (Fridays) and arrive in Nagercoil at 2.30 p.m. the next day. In the return directions train No. 0608 will leave Nagercoil at 1.30 p.m. on November 20, 27, December 4 and 11 (Thursdays) and arrive Egmore at 4.15 a.m. the next day. Train No. 0612 will leave Nagercoil at 7.40 p.m. on November 22, 29, December 6 and 13 (Saturdays) and arrive in Egmore at 10.15 a.m. the next day. Reservation will commence on November 15.

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Special trains to Melmaruvathur

CHENNAI: To clear the rush of passengers and pilgrims bound for Melmaruvathur for the 'Irumudi' festival and avoid overcrowding in regular trains, Southern Railway will operate 272 express special trains from December 2 to February 7. During the festival season last year, Southern Railway operated 216 special trains, which carried approximately 4.5 lakh passengers, earning a revenue of Rs.5 crore.

The services will be operated from Coimbatore, Erode, Palghat, Tiruppur, Madurai, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Valantaravai, Devakottai, Karaikudi, Pudukottai, Sengottai, Sivakasi, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputtur, Kanniyakumari, Thirumangalam, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Sankaridurg, Sattur and Nagercoil.


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Special trains to clear rush

Hyderabad: The South Central Railway is operating 12 special trains between Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam and Kacheguda- Bangalore to clear extra passenger rush.

Train No. 748, Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad will leave Hyderabad at 7.30 p.m. on November 21,22,28 and 29 and arrive at Visakhapatnam at 8.30 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, Train No. 747 will leave Visakhapatna at 8 a.m. on November 22,23,29 and 30 and will arrive at Hyderabad at 8.50 a.m. the next day. The trains will stop at Kazipet, Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Anakapalli stations. Train no. 789 Kacheguda- Bangalore Special will leave Kacheguda at 9.55 p.m. on November 23 and 30 and arrive at Bangalore at 12.10 p.m. the next day. In the return direction, Train No. 790, Bangalore-Kacheguda special will leave Bangalore at 1 p.m on November 24 and December 1 and arrive at Kacheguda at 4 a.m. the next day. The trains will stop at Shadnagar, Mahbubnagar, Gadwal, Kurnool Town, Anantapur, Dodballapur, Yelahanka, Bangalore East and Bangalore Cantonment, informed a press

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CHENNAI: For a railway commuter without a season pass, purchasing a ticket for suburban train travel has never been easy.

Several railway stations have ticket counters only on one side of the tracks, forcing commuters to take the long foot overbridge or the risk of crossing the tracks to reach the ticket counters. In some stations, the foot overbridge is quite far from the ticket counters. Though Southern Railway has introduced computerised ticketing and has installed Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) in a number of railway stations, long crowds are commonly seen at ticket counters.
Senior citizens' plight

R. Radha, a resident of Pudur near Ambattur, said a number of residential colonies had come up on the northern side of Ambattur Railway Station. "Senior citizens here find it really hard to take the foot over bridge to reach the ticket counter on the other side." "And by the time we manage to buy a ticket and reach the platform, we miss the train," she added.

The Chennai Beach-Tambaram section has a few railway stations with ticket counters on both sides, but the western section of Chennai Central-Arakkonam has ticketing facilities only on one side.
Commuters questioned

Residents of Jamalia, Otteri and Perambur said a counter on the southern side of the Perambur Railway Station would be of immense help. S. Kumar, a resident of Jamalia, said sometimes, commuters were stopped by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel or officials. "We would have to explain that we came to the other side only to buy a ticket. My friends have even had to pay a penalty because officials thought they were travelling without a ticket."

In a few railway stations, counters are either closed or are operated only for a limited period. The Villivakkam Railway Station has only one full-time ticket counter.

A counter was constructed on the northern side of the railway station about five years ago, was closed in 2006. After numerous representations to the officials, the ticket counter is now kept open only during rush hour. In the case of Perambur Loco Railway Station, a newly constructed ticket counter remains closed.

Southern Railway Divisional Railway Manager Subodh Kumar Kulshrestha told The Hindu that poor patronage from commuters was the reason. The Department did not want to post clerks in counters with low demand as they were already facing a shortage of clerks, he added.


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Rail ticket booking shifts to old system

Technical snag affects computerised queue-less system in Kozhikode,Call to open more ticket counters,Only two out of six counters function on a regular basis


Kozhikode: The queue-less counter system for reserving and cancelling seats and berths on trains at the Kozhikode railway station has not been functioning for a week now due to a faulty digital display system.Passengers now have no choice but to return to the traditional system of queuing up in front of counters. Though chairs are in place officials find it difficult to manage the crowd. Sometimes, people attempt to jump queues leading noisy situations.

It took two months for the Railways to rectify the defect when the system went out of order a year ago. The computerised queue-less system was the first of its kind when introduced in the State.Passengers could approach the enquiry counter at the reservation block to obtain priority numbers on the filled-in reservation/cancellation forms.

After obtaining the number, they could wait in the hall. The priority number would be displayed on the digital display screen.The passenger would get two more chances at an interval of 10 transactions if he misses the first call. "It was convenient for senior citizens, B. Rajalekshmi, a resident of Karaparamba says.There are six counters for reservation and cancellation. Counter number six is meant for enquires. Only counters two and three function regularly. Counter four is also occasionally opened. The rest are spare counters. "The rush would have been avoided if the railways could open the spare counters when the system goes out of order," says K. Usman, a trader.

A railway official said tenders had been called for repairing the display unit. The decisions are made at the Palakkad Railway Divisional Office. The Railways had installed a touch screen and passenger inquiry operating system at the reservation hall. Sometimes the passenger enquiry operating system also develops problems, sources said.


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SCB clears Hyderabad Metro Rail proposal

HYDERABAD:
The Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Limited received a shot in the arm when the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) cleared its proposal to develop vacant lands of up to 32.72 acres at Hasmathpet on equal sharing basis.

Last month HMR had written to SCB seeking the Hasmathpet land and another 16 acres at Turkapally to take up property development. It promised half the built up space or apartment units to SCB while the rest could be utilised by HMR to accommodate property owners affected by the elevated rail project.

HMR also sought another three acres from the defence authorities -- both from the SCB and the Defence Estates Office -- to build an overhead station with parking and circulating space.

Encroachments: Presenting the case for developing the land, HMR officials have stated further encroachments could be prevented on the identified lands as most vacant defence lands have been prone to such activities. However, in its last meeting held earlier this month, SCB agreed for development of Hasmathpet site only.

It also sought revision in plan for utilising the Picket garden for the metro station. HMR agreed to the changes and submitted a revised plan moving the station away from the park which also meant only 1.14 acres of defence land had to be parted with.

Right of way: SCB also cleared proposals for allowing right of way for the project on its roads as two corridors -- Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma and Nagole to Shilparamam -- pass through its area.

Officials on both sides stated that modalities for the property development plan was yet to be worked out but more floor space index could be obtained since it was outside the Defence Ministry's jurisdiction.

Hasmathpet land was purchased by the Secunderabad Cantonment Board way back in 1930 outside its area for garbage dumping and it had to be stopped few years ago after the Pollution Control Board raised objections on the site amidst residential area. Land sharks have been making efforts to grab the vacant land ever since.

SCB employees, in the meantime, had formed a cooperative housing society, thwarted attempts to encroach it and also have been pleading for allotment of sites on a nominal rate ever since. Their plea was rejected on the grounds that it was defence land but SCB officials later explained it was not so.

Group housing: SCB has now proposed to the Defence Ministry to allow HMR to develop group housing schemes allotting 50 per cent of built up area to SCB towards land cost share. If cleared, apartments on subsidised rates can be allotted to Cantonment employees and also ex-servicemen. Balance built up area can be disposed off in open auction, it observed.

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Railways offer computer courses

PALAKKAD: The Railways are offering short-term computer courses for the benefit of students, working people and others at the divisional office at Olavakode, Palakkad, in MS Word and Oracle, developing user-friendly software and web designing. The classes will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on working days. A nominal fee will be charged.

Those interested may contact K.K. Sudhakaran, Senior Divisional Electronic Data Processing Manager, in person or on ph: 0491-2555512.


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Changes in train services

CHENNAI: Owing to remodelling work at Coimbatore yard, following changes will be effected in the pattern of train services running between Chennai Central and Coimbatore.

Diversion: All mail/express trains presently running via. Coimbatore will not touch Coimbatore from November 25 to December 12 and they will be diverted via. Irugur – Podanur route with stoppage at Podanur.

Partially cancelled: Train No. 2679 Chennai Central – Coimbatore Intercity Express will run up to Erode instead of Coimbatore on November 26, 29 and December 2, 5, 8 and 11; train no.2970 Jaipur – Coimbatore Jaipur (weekly) Express (via. Chennai Central) will run up to Erode on November 27 and December 4 and 11; train no.2969 Coimbatore – Jaipur (weekly) Express (via. Chennai Central) will leave from Erode on November 28 and December 5 and 12; the Coimbatore portion of train nos.2671/2672 Chennai Central – Mettupalayam – Chennai Central Nilgiri Expresses will be terminated at/leave from Coimbatore North from November 25 to December 12.

The following trains are fully cancelled:

Train No 2681 Chennai Central – Coimbatore (weekly) Express scheduled to leave Central on November 29, December 6 and 13; train no 2682 Coimbatore – Chennai Central (weekly) Express scheduled to leave Coimbatore on November 28, December 5 and 12.

There will be no change in the arrival and departure of the following Mail/Express trains:

Train Nos. 2673/2674 Chennai Central – Coimbatore Cheran Expresses; train nos.2675/2676 Chennai Central – Coimbatore Kovai Expresses; train No.2680 Coimbatore – Chennai Central Intercity Express; train nos.1013/1014 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus –Coimbatore Expresses; train nos.6609/6610 Nagercoil – Coimbatore Expresses; train nos.2083/2084 Mayiladuturai – Coimbatore Jan Shatabdi Expresses; and train Nos 2647/2648 Coimbatore – H. Nizamuddin Kongu Expresses; and train No 6614/6613 Coimbatore – Rajkot (weekly) Expresses.

Source: The Hindu

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Special trains

KOCHI: The Railways will run twice-weekly Garib Rath special trains during the Sabarimala season between Yeshwantpur and Kochuveli. Train no. 0677 will leave Yeshwantpur on Sundays and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and arrive in Kochuveli at 12.40 p.m. the next day till January 27. The return train will leave Kochuveli on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and arrive in Yeshwantpur at 11.30 a.m. the next day till January 28.


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Railways to extend special trains

BHUBANESWAR: Indian Railways has decided to extend services of special trains running between Bhubaneswar and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Mumbai and Puri and Howrah for another one month keeping in view of demands from passengers.

The Bhubaneswar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mumbai-Bhubaneswar weekly superfast special train was extended to run up to December 29 from Bhubaneswar and up to December 31 from LTT towards Bhubaneswar, East Coast Railway (ECoR) said in a statement here on Tuesday.

Bhubaneswar- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus -Bhubaneswar special train leaves Bhubaneswar at 7.20 am on every Mondays and arrive LTT next day at 1.35 pm.

Similarly in the return direction, this train leaves LTT at 00.15a.m on Wednesdays (Tuesday midnight) and arrive Bhubaneswar at 7.10 a.m. on the next days.

Stoppages: This special train has stoppages at Cuttack, Talcher Road, Angul, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Raigarh, Champa, Bilaspur, Raipur, Durg, Gondia, Nagpur, Badnera, Akola, Bhusabal, Manmad, Nasik Road, Igatpuri and Kalyan between Bhubaneswar and LTT.

The train comprises of one AC-2 tier, one AC-3 tier, eight sleeper class bogies, three general second-class coaches, two guard cum luggage vans and one pantry car.

The Puri-Howrah-Puri weekly special trains have been extended to run up to December 30 from Puri on every Tuesday and up to December 31 from Howrah towards Bhubaneswar.Special Trains between Puri and Howrah have stoppages at Sakhigopal, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Bhadrak, Balasore and Kharagpur between Puri and Howrah.


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It's red light for facilities at Tirupur Railway Station

Tirupur: Tale of woes continues to haunt the thousands of railway passengers transiting through Tirupur everyday, as basic amenities in the railway station remain far from satisfactory.

Lack of adequate number of counters to issue reservation as well as daily tickets, stinking toilets on Platform No:1, insufficient number of bathrooms and toilets on Platform No:2 and unclean platform floors, are some of the problems that the passengers have to confront if they happen to move through Tirupur station.

K. Selvaraj, coordinator, Rail Passengers Welfare Association, told The Hindu that considering the growing passenger volume, the authorities should establish two more reservation counters in addition to the two functioning now.

The passengers by and large feel that for a station which issues about 1,000 reservation tickets every day, additional facilities should be set up without any delay.

"Similarly, at least two more counters with one on each platform, should be introduced to issue daily tickets," Mr. Selvaraj said.

At present, there is only one counter in each of the two platforms for issuing a total of about 3,000 daily tickets a day.

Besides, these counters are also issuing about 1,500 platform tickets and numerous season tickets resulting in long queues of people.

Railway sources said that to ease the load, an additional counter had been opened during peak hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

But travellers are of the opinion that the action is "inadequate" considering the fact that the traffic volume through the station has always been more or less uniform throughout the week.

Regarding the complaints on insufficient number of toilets, official sources said that the problem would be solved soon once the construction of the sanitary complex underway near the R.M.S. office was completed.

The railway officials, however, expressed helplessness on the grievances of the passengers pertaining to unclean floors citing "insufficient staff strength."

"Even after laying of granite floorings, only two sweepers have been allocated for the station to look after the entire stretch of two platforms, totalling 1,400 metre, making the cleaning process difficult," an official pointed out.


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Special trains to Tuticorin, Nagercoil


CHENNAI: Southern Railway will run special trains to Tuticorin, Nagercoil, Rameswaram and Coimbatore to clear the extra rush of passengers.

No.0681 will leave Egmore at 11.45 p.m. on Nov ember 22, 27, and 29 and reach Tuticorin at 12.30 p.m. the next day.

No.0682 will leave Tuticorin at 9.15 p.m. on Nov ember 23, 28 and 30 and reach Egmore at 8.50 a.m. the next day.

No.0615 will leave Egmore at 6.40 p.m. on November 25 and reach at 8.15 a.m. the next day. No.0616 will leave Nagercoil at 1.30 p.m. on November 26 and reach Egmore at 4.15 a.m. the next day.

No.0649 will leave Egmore at 4.30 p.m. on December 1 and reach Rameswaram, through Madurai, at 4.30 a.m. the next day.

No.0601 will leave Chennai Central at 10.20 p.m. on November 21 and 23 and reach Coimbatore at 7 a.m. the next day. No.0602 will leave Coimbatore at 11.45 p.m. on November 23 and arrive at Central at 8.30 a.m. the next day. Reservation will begin on November 20, says a railway release.



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Sabarimala special trains

HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway is running special trains to Sabarimala between December 1 and January 18 from Hyderabad, Kakinada, Nizamabad, Vijayawada, Machilipatnam, Sirpur Khagaznagar to Kollam. Reservation will begin from Thursday.Hyderabad-Kollam tri-weekly specials will leave Hyderabad at 1.30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and reach Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day. The return trains will leave Kollam the next day at 11 p.m.

Weekly specials: The weekly specials will leave Hyderabad at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and reach Kollam at 12.05 p.m. next day. The return specials will leave Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Mondays and arrive Hyderabad at 8.50 a.m. the next day. A special service will leave Hyderabad at 6 p.m. on January 16 and reach Kollam at 12.05 p.m. the second day. The return train will depart Kollam on January 18 at 1.45 a.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 8.50 a.m. the next day. They will halt at Guntur, Gudur and Renigunta. Kakinada Town-Kollam tri-weekly specials will leave Kakinada at 3.50 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and reach Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day. In the return direction, Kollam- Kakinada Town services leave Kollam the next day at 11 p.m. and arrive Kakinada Town at 3 a.m. the second day. They will halt at Vijayawada, Gudur and Renigunta.

Kakinada Town-Kollam weekly specials will leave Kakinada at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and reach Kollam at 12.05 p.m. the second day. In return, Kollam- Kakinada Town train will leave Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Fridays and will arrive Kakinada Town at 6 a.m. the next day. These trains will halt at Vijayawada, Tenali, Gudur and Renigunta.

Vijayawada-Kollam weekly specials will leave Vijayawada at 7.30 p.m. on Mondays and arrive Kollam at 9.30 p.m. the next day. In return direction, Kollam- Vijayawada trains will leave Kollam at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and arrive Vijayawada at 10.15 p.m. the next day. These trains will halt at Guntur, Gudur and Renigunta.izamabad – Kollam weekly special trains (12 services) will depart the station at 4.15 p.m. on Fridays and arrive Kollam at 12.05 p.m. the second day. In return direction, Kollam- Nizamabad services will depart Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Sundays and arrive Nizamabad at 10 a.m. the second day. These trains will stop at Kacheguda, Dhone and Dharmavaram.

Machilipatnam-Kollam specials will depart the station at 10 p.m. on Thursdays and arrive Kollam at 12.05 p.m. the second day. In return direction, Kollam- Machilipatnam services will depart Kollam at 1.45 a.m. on Saturdays and arrive Machilipatnam at 4.15 a.m. the next day. They will halt at Vijayawada, Gudur and Renigunta. Sirpur Kagaznagar-Kollam specials will depart the station at 6 p.m. Dec. 25, 2008 and January 1, 2009 and will reach Kollam at 12.05 p.m. the second day. In return, Kollam-Sirpur Kagaznagar specials will depart Kollam on Dec. 27, 2008 and January 3, 2009 at 1.45 a.m. and arrive Sirpur Kagaznagar at 9.15 a.m. the next day. They will halt at Vijayawada, Gudur and Renigunta.


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Special trains

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

Train no.0653 will leave Tiruchi at 8.15 p.m. on November 21 and reach Chennai Central at 4 a.m. the next day. It will stop at Srirangam, Ariyalur, Vriddhachalam, Villupuram, Tindivanam, Melmaruvathur, Chengalpattu, Tambaram, Mambalam and Chennai Egmore.

No. 0697 will leave Chennai Central at 3.15 p.m. on November 22 and reach Kochuveli at 6.30 a.m. the next day. No. 0698 will leave Kochuveli at 4.35 p.m. on November 23 and arrive at Chennai Central at 9.30 a.m. the next day. No. 0659 will leave Chennai Central at 8.30 p.m. on November 24 and 26 and reach Kochuveli at 12.40 p.m. the next day. No. 0660 will leave Kochuveli at 8 p.m. on November 25 and 27 and reach Central at 12.20 p.m. the next day.

No. 0666 will leave Chennai Central at 7.45 p.m. on November 30 and reach Rameswaram at 11.30 a.m. the next day, passing through Villupuram and Madurai.

Reservation will begin on November 21, says a railway release.

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Railway women staff honoured

NEW DELHI: Thirty-one women employees of Indian Railways were honoured at Women's Day celebrations organised by the Railway Women's Welfare Central Organisation here on Wednesday. Eminent social activist Nafisa Ali was the chief guest. The event was also attended by Railway Board chairman K. C. Jena and other senior officials.

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Introduce toy train at Bal Bhavan

Bijapur: Deputy Commissioner C.M. Shirol has instructed officials concerned to take steps to introduce a toy train at Bal Bhavan here. Presiding over the Bal Bhavan's executive committee meeting here on Thursday, he said that steps should also be taken to construct a compound wall, plant saplings and to conduct training programmes for children of all age groups at the Bal Bhavan,

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Trains to run on diverted route

CHENNAI: The following trains will continue to run on diverted route up to November 30.

Train (5227/5228) Yesvantpur – Muzaffarpur (weekly) Express via. Howrah, Kharagpur, Tata, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Durg, Nagpur, Kazipet and Vijayawada; (5629/5630) Guwahati – Chennai Central (weekly) Express via. Asansol, Tata, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Durg, Nagpur, Kazipet and Vijayawada; and (6309/6310) Patna – Ernakulam (bi-weekly) Express via. Asansol, Adra, Kharagpur, Tata, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Durg, Nagpur, Kazipet and Vijayawada.


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Work on railway line in Koppal to begin soon

Raichur: K.Veerupakshappa, Koppal M.P., has said that work on the Munirabad-Mahaboobnagar railway line is expected to begin from next week. Talking to The Hindu on Sunday, he said the State Government had approved the commencement of work on the railway line. Mr. Veerupakshappa said that the Ministry of Railways had sanctioned Rs. 5 crore in the State Budget for work on the railway line. In the first phase of the work, between Ginigera and Jabbalgudda in Koppal district, officials had acquired land to start the project. The State Government had also sanctioned Rs. 39 lakh to take up work on a proposed railway bridge between Ginigera and Jabbalgudda, and the tender process was in progress, he said. He said the South Central Railway, in coordination with the Koppal district administration, had organised a programme to launch the commencement of work on the first phase near Budgumpa village.


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Special trains to be regularised

CHENNAI: The long distance inter-city special trains announced by Southern Railway in the beginning of this month elicited good response. These special trains which have performed well will be proposed for regularisation.

On the other hand, review of occupancy of short distance specials indicate that these specials had not been patronised well .Therefore, Southern Railway decided not to run the short distance specials after November 30.

The following winter special trains stand cancelled due to poor occupancy: Train no 0687 Chennai Central – Bangalore special leaving Central on November 26 and train no 0688 Bangalore – Chennai Central leaving Bangalore on November 27

Those who booked tickets will be entitled for full refund, says a Railway release.


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Students with e-tickets fined for want of specified identity cards

MADURAI: People below 18 years are at a disadvantage while making railway journeys with e-tickets, as they end up paying penalty for want of specified identity cards.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has made it mandatory for passengers to carry photo-identity cards while travelling on e-ticket. It has prescribed driving licence, PAN card, voter identity card, passport and any other photo-identity card issued by the Central or State governments as bona fide cards. "If the passenger is found travelling without the original copy of any one of these cards, he will be considered travelling without ticket and fined," said a senior railway official.

With people below 18 years not eligible for any government-issued cards, except the PAN card and passport, many students studying in outstations find it difficult to make use of the e-ticketing facility, while travelling alone.

A few cases of students being penalised for want of "prescribed" cards have come to light. While the students pleaded with travelling ticket examiners to consider the identity cards issued by their colleges as proof, the officials did not agree. Though the students claimed that they had travelled with the same cards earlier, the TTEs did not spare them. "We have clear instructions on which cards should be accepted. If some TTEs permit such identity cards, it is at their own risk," said one TTE.

Probably, the officials had not taken this issue into consideration while framing the rules. The rules needed to be further refined and simplified to suit the requirement of travellers, the official said. "Not all students have a PAN card or passport. The rules need to be a little more liberal."


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Open-top train to be introduced

Hassan: Principal Secretary Tourism Subir Hari Singh discussed measures to be taken for the development of tourism in the district in the Deputy Commissioner's office in Hassan on Monday.

Mr. Singh said that tourists must be provided with the necessary facilities, officials should ensure that cleanliness is maintained in Halebeedu, Belur and Shravanabelagola and they should be illuminated to make it more attractive to visitors. Mr. Singh suggested that the present helipad in Halebeedu (that is 3 km away from Halebeedu) should be developed. Besides this, roads connecting Javagal, Belur and Halebeedu must be developed so that tourists can reach those places in the shortest possible from Hassan.

The Government has released Rs. 7.5 lakh to construct police outpost buildings in Halebeedu, Belur and Shravanabelagola, he informed.

Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh said that the Government had released Rs. 1 crore for protection and preservation of heritage buildings in the district. Details would be decided at the district tourism committee meeting.

Mr. Singh said he had requested Railways to introduce special trains, with compartments that are either roofless or have transparent roof, on Sakleshpur-Mangalore route. This would enable tourists to view the picturesque Western Ghats and the tunnels that pass through Hassan-Mangalore railway route. Mr. Singh said that the Railways had responded positively to his suggestion and discussions were on in this regard. He said that roofless compartments in trains would be a unique experiment and perhaps the first of its kind in the country.

Mr. Singh also visited Belur and Halebeedu.


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Special train

NEW DELHI: To clear the extra rush of passengers, Northern Railway will be running a Hazrat Nizamuddin-Vasco De Gama special train.

The train will depart from Hazrat Nizamuddin on November 26. In the reverse direction it will depart from Vasco De Gama on December 1. It will stop at Madgaon, Londa, Belgam, Miraj, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Daund, Manmad, Bhusawal, Etarsi, Bhopal and Jhansi on the way in both directions.

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Metro Rail finalised

New Delhi: Rubbishing Congress' claim of developing Delhi Metro, the BJP today said it was the then government led by his party which took the initiative in 1994. "Chief Minister Sheela Dikshit's government is adopting all its tactics to grab claim on the project. But the actual credit goes to us (BJP)," said Madan Lal Khurana, former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader while speaking to media here.

"In 1994 the Metro Project was finalised and project started. That time there was BJP government in the national capital," he said, adding that the claims of Dikshit are false and it is an attempt to mislead the people.

Elaborating his government's role in Delhi Metro, the then chief minister Khurana said, "After BJP came to power in 1993, we went on a tour of five countries to study Metro services there and decided to begin the project on priority basis." "In March 1994, funds were also allocated for Metro in the first budget itself. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister, formally inaugurated the Metro station at Shahadra in a grand ceremony," he added.

Khurana attacked the Congress government for collapse of the transport system and alleged that Rs 150 crore were bungled on the purchase of low-floor buses.

"While Chennai had purchased low-floor buses at Rs 16 lakh each, the Delhi government had it for Rs 42 lakh each," he alleged.

He claimed that the prices of essential commodities rose sharply under the Congress rule.

"The prices of pulses have increased by 200 per cent to 300 per cent and the price of wheat has increased by 200 per cent," he said alleging that the "corruption had crossed all its limits under the Congress government".