Just two weeks after a Swiss couple was brutally attacked in Uttar Pradesh, a German national has alleged assault by a railway supervisor in Sonbhadra district on Saturday. But the police said they were not convinced with the foreign national’s version that he was the victim.

Holger Ereek, who had arrived in Sonbhadra from Benaras to visit the Agori Fort, had alleged he was attacked at the Robertsganj railway station. But the accused, Aman Kumar, contradicted him, saying the German hit him first when he greeted him. “I am innocent… the German national punched me when I said ‘welcome to India’ to him. He even spit on me,” he alleged.

“This German national may have some problems… anger management issues, depression or some aberration,” Anand Kumar, a senior UP police officer told a media briefing in state capital Lucknow. “He was aggressive with a railway supervisor who intervened too… and later, the police post in-charge,” the Additional Director General of Police said.

“According to reports, the railway supervisor enquired the German national about his well-being, which angered him. The German hit the railway employee, who might have pushed him in retaliation,” Mr Kumar said.

A UP police statement said Mr Ereek was already facing a stabbing charge in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district in July last year. His passport and visa was also impounded in this case.

Refusing to speak to reporters, Holger Ereek, who has sustained minor injuries, said, “India have rules… the Supreme Court says privacy is a fundamental law. So please don’t disturb my privacy. I am here to launch an FIR and that’s it”.

“It was simply a squabble, it is not a serious incident,” Ram Pratap Singh, Superintendent of Police, Sonbhadra, told NDTV.

Last month, a Swiss tourist couple was attacked near Agra last month, sparking widespread outrage. Quentin Jeremy Clerc, 24, suffered a fractured skull and may have partial hearing loss, and his girlfriend Marie Droxz had a broken arm after they were hit with sticks and stones by a group that had chased them from a railway station in Fatehpur Sikri, the popular tourist destination right next to Agra.

As the couple lay wounded on the road after the attack, witnesses took videos on their mobile phones.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Tourism Minister KJ Alphons had written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was left confronting serious questions about safety in his state while on a visit to the Taj Mahal, where he also clicked photos with foreign tourists.

Passengers of Rajdhani and Shatabdi will now get text messages on their mobile phones if their scheduled trains get delayed by more than an hour.

Currently, the SMS messages are being sent to wait-listed passengers after the confirmation of their berths.

Railways made the much-needed facility operational on Saturday for all Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project, adding that the SMS facility would be extended to other trains too in a phased manner.

Developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the information technological arm of the Railways, the SMS facility is considered to be an important service for passengers.

The official said in order to avail this facility, passengers are advised to mention their mobile numbers on the reservation slips.

It is a passenger-friendly free service for which the Railways bear the cost of SMS.

There was a trial run of the service on a few Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

There were a few glitches found during the trial run which were addressed. Now the service is fully operational in all Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, he said.

There are total 23 pairs of Rajdhani and 26 pairs of Shatabdi trains running across the country.

Though Railways has increased the speed of many trains to reduce travel time, some trains are running late due to various reasons like track repair.

Days after BJP MP Hema Malini narrowly escaped a bull attack at the Mathura Junction railway station, the station manager has been suspended for allegedly failing to curb the menace, an official said today.

Station manager KL Meena has not only been suspended but also a probe has been ordered into the incident, Sanchit Tyagi, Divisional Commercial Manager North Central Railway, said.

Mr Tyagi said the BJP MP from Mathura was narrowly saved from the attack by a bull when she had gone to the railway station to check for the possibility of revamping the station.

PL Meena would look after the Mathura Junction railway station as the station manager in his place, he said.

The Railway Protection Force or RPF of Western Railway has developed and introduced a mobile application for the security of women commuters travelling between Churchgate and Virar suburban railway stations.

The free app, ‘Eyewatch Railways’, launched last month, has been developed by RPF of Western Railway in collaboration with Eyewatch Technologies Pvt Ltd. It can be downloaded on an android phone from Google Playstore and on iPhone from the Apple iStore, said chief PRO of Western Railway Ravinder Bhakar.

The application has been customised for the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to dispatch an immediate response by sending RPF personnel from the nearest station to help the Women Commuters, the official said adding, “Over one lakh passengers have downloaded the app so far.”

According to Mr Bhakar, this app has audio/visual stream facility as well, through which Eyewatch automatically records up to 60 seconds pre-alert audio and 20 seconds post-alert video.

“In addition to it, it displays the current battery (status of the user’s phone), network signal strength, blood group, type of emergency along with other important data that can be viewed on the web-based Eyewatch Control Center located at the RPF Control Room,” Mr Bhakar said.

Are you aware of the train ticket cancellation and refund rules on confirmed, waitlisted and RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) tickets for sleeper and AC classes? E-tickets – or tickets booked online – can be cancelled online till chart preparation, according to IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), the e-ticket service provider for Indian Railways. According to IRCTC’s website – irctc.co.in, for trains starting up to 12 noon, chart preparation is usually done the previous night. The refund would be credited back to the account used for booking online tickets, after deduction of applicable cancellation charges. Remember: E-ticket cancellations are not allowed at railway counters.

Here are 10 things to know about train ticket cancellation and refund rules:

Cancellation Of Confirmed Ticket

1) Confirmed ticket cancelled up to 48 hours before the scheduled departure of train: Ticket cancellation charges will be deducted at Rs. 240 for AC First Class/Executive Class, Rs. 200 for AC 2 Tier/First Class, Rs. 180 for AC 3 Tier/AC Chair car/AC 3 Economy, Rs.120 for Sleeper Class and Rs.60 for Second Class. Remember that cancellation charges are levied on a per passenger basis.

2) Confirmed ticket cancelled within 48 hours and up to 12 hours before the scheduled departure of train: Ticket cancellation charges will be 25 per cent of the fare subject to the minimum flat rate mentioned above.

E-Ticket Cancellation

4) E-tickets cannot be cancelled after chart preparation. No refund of fare shall be admissible on the ticket having confirmed reservation in case ticket is not cancelled or TDR (ticket deposit receipt) not filed online up to four hours before the scheduled departure of the train, according to the IRCTC website.

5) In case of cancellation of trains, for e-tickets, an automatic refund is granted. Filing of TDR or ticket deposit receipt is not required.

Wait-Listed, RAC Ticket Cancellation

6) RAC (reservation against cancellation) train tickets or wait-listed train tickets cancelled up to 30 minutes before the departure of train – refund will be granted. No cancellation charge is levied and full fare is refunded to passengers holding confirmed, RAC and wait-listed tickets if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of train by more than three hours of scheduled departure, subject to the condition that the ticket is surrendered prior to actual departure of train.

7) For a PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counter ticket, in case of train cancellation, a refund is permissible within three days excluding the scheduled day of departure of train.

Cancellation Of Tatkal Ticket

8) Remember no refund is granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal train tickets.

9) If a train is running late by more than 3 hours or train is cancelled, you can file TDR for claiming refund, according to IRCTC.

Partial Cancellation Of Train Tickets

10) If there is any partial cancellation of ticket, please ensure that a fresh e-reservation slip (electronic reservation slip) is printed separately as done for the original ticket, according to the IRCTC website.

The Railway Protection Force or RPF of Western Railway has developed and introduced a mobile application for the security of women commuters travelling between Churchgate and Virar suburban railway stations.

The free app, ‘Eyewatch Railways’, launched last month, has been developed by RPF of Western Railway in collaboration with Eyewatch Technologies Pvt Ltd. It can be downloaded on an android phone from Google Playstore and on iPhone from the Apple iStore, said chief PRO of Western Railway Ravinder Bhakar.

This app helps women commuters in times of emergency, as they can immediately send out their location, video and audio which can instantly be viewed on the emergency response control centre at the RPF Control room at Mumbai Central, he added.

“The eight chosen guardians, doctors and security personnel also receive the alert SMS and automatically a phone call is made to the them (guardians). It functions only when a commuter uses it while on railway premises,” he added.

The application has been customised for the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to dispatch an immediate response by sending RPF personnel from the nearest station to help the Women Commuters, the official said adding, “Over one lakh passengers have downloaded the app so far.”

According to Mr Bhakar, this app has audio/visual stream facility as well, through which Eyewatch automatically records up to 60 seconds pre-alert audio and 20 seconds post-alert video.

“In addition to it, it displays the current battery (status of the user’s phone), network signal strength, blood group, type of emergency along with other important data that can be viewed on the web-based Eyewatch Control Center located at the RPF Control Room,” Mr Bhakar said.

Indian Railways has increased the monthly cap on tickets booked on the ICRTC portal from six to 12 for Aadhaar-verified passengers, officials said.

The move, which came into effect on October 26, is believed to be an innovative way for the railways to encourage passengers to link their Aadhar numbers to their online booking accounts on IRCTC.

IRCTC officials said passengers can continue to book up to six tickets a month without validating their Aadhaar cards.

If the number goes beyond six, the Aadhaar number of the user and one of the passengers should be updated in the IRCTC portal, an official explained.

Users on the IRCTC portal have to click on Aadhaar KYC under the ‘my profile’ category and update their Aadhaar number.

A one-time password (OTP) will be sent to the mobile number linked to Aadhaar and should be entered for verification.

In addition, the Aadhaar number of any one of the accompanying passengers should also be updated under the master list . This will be validated through an OTP.

Users can store the names of verified passengers accompanying them on the ‘master list’. This should be done before starting the process for booking more than six tickets a month, officials said.

The move is expected to eliminate malpractices in ticket bookings as touts and travel agents cannot create fake user IDs anymore.

In the IRCTC portal, six passengers can be reserved on a single ticket under general quota while Tatkal bookings allow four passengers per ticket.

The railways had announced in December last year that registration of Aadhaar with IRCTC was mandatory to avail concessions from April 1, 2017, but dropped the idea after opposition from various forums.

Indian Railways has increased the monthly cap on tickets booked on the IRCTC portal from six to 12 for Aadhaar-verified passengers, officials said.

The move, which came into effect on October 26, is believed to be an innovative way for the railways to encourage passengers to link their Aadhaar numbers to their online booking accounts on IRCTC.

IRCTC officials said passengers can continue to book up to six tickets a month without validating their Aadhaar cards. If the number goes beyond six, the Aadhaar number of the user and one of the passengers should be updated in the IRCTC portal, an official explained.

Users on the IRCTC portal have to click on Aadhaar KYC under the ‘my profile’ category and update their Aadhaar number. A one-time password (OTP) will be sent to the mobile number linked to Aadhaar and should be entered for verification.

In addition, the Aadhaar number of any one of the accompanying passengers should also be updated under the ‘master list’. This will be validated through an OTP. Users can store the names of verified passengers accompanying them on the ‘master list’. This should be done before starting the process for booking more than six tickets a month, officials said.

The move is expected to eliminate malpractices in ticket bookings as touts and travel agents cannot create fake user IDs any more.

In the IRCTC portal, six passengers can be reserved on a single ticket under general quota while Tatkal bookings allow four passengers per ticket.

The railways had announced in December last year that registration of Aadhaar with IRCTC was mandatory to avail concessions from April 1, 2017, but dropped the idea after opposition from various forums.

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A 19-year-old student in Bhopal, studying for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), was tied up and gang-raped for three hours on Tuesday in the busiest part of the city by four men who took tea and gutka (tobacco) breaks in between. Prolonging the horror, the police allegedly sat on the woman’s complaint for hours and refused to investigate until she and her parents found two of the rapists and dragged them to the police station.

The first police officer the woman and her parents approached allegedly accused her of making up a “filmy” story. Sub-inspector RN Tekam has been suspended, said senior officer Dharmendra Singh, admitting an appalling 11-hour delay in filing a case. Today, five more police officers were suspended after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, amid outrage and protests, met with senior officials.

The police have also been accused of keeping the crime under wraps because it took place on a day it was preoccupied with the Madhya Pradesh founding day celebration.

The woman was assaulted near the city’s Habibganj Railway station, and just about 100 metres from a railway police post. She usually took a train from the station to her hometown about an hour away, after her coaching classes for the IAS.

That evening, the police say, she decided to take a shorter route when around 7 pm, she was grabbed by one of the accused, Golu Bihari, who is out in bail in the murder of his daughter. Golu and his brother-in-law Amar Bhuntu were drinking when they spotted the woman and dragged her towards a deserted culvert.

The woman says she asked for clothes as hers were torn. Golu Bihari allegedly got clothes, but returned with two more men.

Till 10 pm, the four men took turns to rape the woman, say the police.

When she was finally allowed to leave, they took away her earrings, watch and phone.

The woman walked to a railway police post at the Habibganj station and called her parents – both in the security forces. The next morning, her father took her to a police station, and was redirected to two more.

When the family was returning from the Habibganj police station, the woman spotted Golu and Amar near the spot where she was raped. The family chased the two and handed them over to the police. Embarrassed, the police arrested the four rapists and are inquiring into the conduct of their own.

In another year, travelling on the Kolkata Metro network in the hot summer months will become a thing of the past — the city will get 14 trains with at least 112 advanced air-conditioned coaches from China, a senior railway official said.
These made-in-China coaches imported at a cost of Rs. 7.1 crore per coach will arrive by February 2018, the official told news agency PTI.

Kolkata Metro is hoping that it will soon be able to replace non-AC coaches with the new ones, at least in the existing north-south corridor.

The imported coaches will be fitted with high cooling capacity 30-tonne air-conditioners instead of the 22-tonne machines installed in some of the old coaches in the metro network. They will also come with eight intercom devices which commuters can use to contact the metro driver in case of emergency.

“These will be state-of-the-art AC coaches with comfortable seating and much like the metro trains run by the DMRC in Delhi. They will also have CCTV cameras,” the official said.

All trains on the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s corridors are air-conditioned.

Coaches that have been running for over three decades in Kolkata’s 27.22-kilometre-long south-north line have started showing their age with many of them needing constant repairs.

Every day, over six lakh people travel by metro in the capital of West Bengal, making it the second-busiest metro system in India after Delhi.

The China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation or CRRC will provide the coaches. On its website, the Chinese publicly traded firm claims to be the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment. CRRC reported revenues of $37.8 billion in 2015.