A total of 76 route kilometres have been identified for Railway electrification in Chhattisgarh, the Union  Railway Ministry has informed in a press release.

Notably , Indian Railways has prepared an Action Plan to electrify 38000 Route Kilometers in five years (2017-18 to 2021-22) for 100% electrification of its Broad Gauge (BG) rail routes in the country.

Railway Electrification projects are not confined to State boundaries.

To achieve 100% electrification of Broad Gauge (BG) rail routes, pace of electrification has been increased from present average of 1700 route kilometer per Annum to 4000 Route Kilometer/Annum which will further be increased to 6000 Route Kilometers in 2018-19.

Further, to expedite electrification of railway lines in the country, various steps have been taken, which inter-alia include award of Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, better project monitoring mechanism, enhancing power of field units for award of contracts including sanction of estimates and increasing the number of executing agencies from existing three to six by entrusting electrification works to new agencies viz.  IRCON, Rail India Technical and Economic Services ad Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

Notably, the Centre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) each with the States of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for critical coal connectivity projects to improve transportation .

Agreement for World Bank loan of US $ 1100 million for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) (Phase-2) have also been signed, they stated.

Freight train with speed of maximum 100 kms per hour will pass through Chhattisgarh in the East-West Corridor (Kolkata-Mumbai).

The train will traverse through the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra as the Ministry of Railways has sanctioned implementation of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) with freight train speeds of maximum 100 Kmph.

The Central Government’s approval for construction of 165 km long third railway line between Anuppur and Katni in Madhya Pradesh is expected to facilitate additional coal transportation traffic from parts of Chhattisgarh.

The coal transporation traffic from IB valley, Korba area, East Corridor and Gevra – Pendra Road Project in Chhattisgarh would be channelized through the aforesaid route to the respective destinations, officials stated.

The Centre has approved the project at a cost of Rs  1595.76 crore. The project is likely to be completed in 5 ¼ years spanning over 12th and 13th plan period.

The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also approved construction of six Railway lines and a Railway bridge to cater to both increased passenger and freight needs in various areas of the country.

Public sector IRCON International Ltd has also commenced work in connection with the construction of new ‘Broad Guage Electrified Double Railway Line’ in Chhattisgarh on the East West Corridor.

The work is being undertaken in  Gevra Road-Pendra Road and Dipka, Kathghora, Sendurgahr and Pasan sections, officials stated.

The Railway Ministry on Saturday announced to move forward on the path of connecting (sampark), improving co-ordination (samanvay) and finding solutions (samvad) to the critical issues facing Indian Railways and emphasised for a new railways for India by 2022.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal asked the railway employees to think out of the box to enable game-changing reforms and bring about transformational results.

Speaking at a high-level conclave titled “Sampark, Samanvay, Samvad”, Goyal stressed the need to gear up Railways for New India by 2022 and his vision of New Railways 2022, which would ensure speed, safety and service for consumers.

The Railway Ministry conducted the brainstorming conclave to deliberate on the vision for a new railways. The conclave was attended by the Minister of Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain and more than 250 senior members of Indian Railways from across the country.

The meet focused on transforming Indian Railways to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘New India’ by 2022, sources said adding it was in continuation of the previous conclave, Rail Vikas Shivir, held in November 2016 during the tenure of Goyal’s predecessor Suresh Prabhu.

Goyal laid out 10 principles, which have helped in delivering results earlier in making India a coal surplus nation as well as in the

rapid electrification of around 18,500 villages including in the remotest corners of the country.

These principles include (1) Partnership with all stakeholders, (2) Decisive leadership, (3) Outcome oriented action, (4) Root cause analysis), (5) Rule of law and transparency, (6) Prioritisation of issues, (7) Time bound execution and fast dispute resolution, (8) Innovative financing, (9) Technology focus, and (10) Accountability and close monitoring.

Guest speaker, Sonam Wangchuk, renowned educationist, scientist and innovator, who was also the inspiration for the popular Three Idiots film, spoke to the audience about his personal story of facing challenges and innovating in the face of adversity.

Western Railway will flag off its air-conditioned local services tomorrow with a Borivali-Churchgate service commencing at 10:30 am.

WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the last technical trial run was conducted today in the presence of the senior officers and it was successful.

The official said that the AC local will initially run only in the Churchgate-Borivili section. From January 1, it will run from Churchgate to Virar having 12 services per day, he added.

Charting out the train’s operational routine, a WR statement said that out of 12 services of the AC local train, eight will run as fast local trains between Churchgate and Virar, stopping only at major stations like Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander & Vasai Road in both directions.
Three fast services will run between Churchgate and Borivali stopping at Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra and Andheri stations in both directions, it went on to add.

One slow service of the AC local will operate between Mahalaxmi to Borivali early morning.

Briefing about the fare, the statement said that the base fare of the single journey of AC local shall be 1.3 times of the base fare of existing fare of single journey first class ticket.

However as an introductory offer for a period of initial six months, the base fare of single journey of AC EMU shall be charged 1.2 times, the statement said.

Weekly, fortnightly and monthly season tickets shall be charged equivalent to five, 7.5 and 10 single journeys of AC local respectively, the statement added.

It added that no other type of season tickets shall be issued for the time being and that AC local ticket-holders would be allowed to travel in the first class compartments of non-AC local trains.

The statement informed that the services of AC local train will replace existing 12 non-AC services, keeping the total number of services on WR’s suburban section static at the current 1355 services.

Premium charges during festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja and discounts for travelling odd-hours, choosing a less popular route or train or one having no pantry services are some of the proposals the Railway board is considering on dynamic pricing.

During a meeting with senior officials last week, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal as well as the board underlined the need for flexible dynamic pricing in order to offer competitive fares vis-a-vis airlines.

Three railway zones – the Eastern, the Western and the West Central – have prepared presentations, copies of which are with news agency Press Trust of India, suggesting ways to introduce dynamic pricing.

The zones have suggested that passengers be offered discounts on trains reaching destination at inconvenient times, for example between 0000-0400 and 1300-1700 hours. They have also suggested that 10-30 per cent discount be offered for first leg as well as the last leg vacant berth. The different zones have also proposed the railways go for premium charges (10-20 per cent additional) for peak days and festival seasons.

Since there is higher passenger volume on weekends and during festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja, Chhath and Christmas, these periods could be earmarked for additional charges, the presentations suggest.

Passengers could also be asked to pay extra for choosing high speed trains over others on the same route. The additional amount could be charged on per hour basis depending on the time a passenger saved while travelling in the faster train, the zones have suggested.

They have also recommended premium charges for overnight trains, trains with pantry cars, for allowing confirmed booking through e-auction a week in advance on popular trains. Differential pricing for preferred berths like inside lower ones, cabins near doors on either side and an upgradation fee of Rs. 20 per berth have also been suggested.

Officials in the Railway Ministry said a final blueprint for introducing dynamic pricing through premiums and discounts will be finalised by December 31.

Indian Railways board is contemplating a dynamic pricing model wherein the state carrier will charge premium charges during festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja and will also offer discounts for travelling in the odd- hours. There could be a discount for choosing a less popular route or train or the one with no pantry services. During a meeting with senior officials last week, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, as well as the board, underlined the need for flexible dynamic-pricing in order to offer competitive fares vis-a-vis airlines. Officials in the Railway Ministry said a final blueprint for introducing dynamic-pricing through premiums and discounts will be finalised by December 31.

Three railway zones–the Eastern, the Western and the West Central–have prepared presentations suggesting ways to introduce dynamic-pricing.

Five Things To Know By Any Regular Train User

1. The zones have suggested that passengers be offered discounts on trains reaching destination at inconvenient times, for example between midnight to 4 am, and between 1 in the afternoon and 5 in the evening.

2. The Railway zones have also suggested that 10 to 30 per cent discount be offered for first leg as well as the last leg vacant berth.

3. The zones have also proposed that the railways go for premium charges (10 to 20 per cent additional) for peak days and festival seasons. To leverage higher passenger volume on weekends as well as during festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja, Chhath and Christmas, the railways might charge you more.These periods could be earmarked for additional charges, the presentations suggest.

4. The zones also suggested that passengers be asked to pay extra for choosing high speed trains over others on the same route. The additional amount could be charged on per hour basis depending on the time a passenger saved while travelling in the faster train, the zones have suggested. They have also recommended premium charges for overnight trains, trains with pantry cars, for allowing confirmed booking through e-auction a week in advance on popular trains.

5. The railway zones suggested differential pricing for preferred berths such as inside lower ones, cabins near doors on either side. There was also a proposal of an upgradation fee of Rs. 20 per berth.

A Bhopal court today sentenced four men to life imprisonment for raping a 19-year-old woman near the Habibganj railway station in the city in October.

The sentence was awarded within 52 days of the incident.

The judge held Golu alias Bihari Chadhar (25), Amar alias Ghuntu (24), Rajesh Chetram alias Raju (26) and Ramesh Mehra alias Raju (45) guilty of raping the woman near the railway station when she was returning home after attending a coaching class on October 31.

“They will remain behind bars for the rest of their lives,” the court said.

The four men were convicted under IPC sections pertaining to attempt to murder, gangrape, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, wrongful restraint and other relevant sections, additional public prosecutor Reena Verma told reporters.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 5,000 on each of the four men, she said.

Taking a serious note of incident, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had directed the sessions court to ensure that the case was heard on a day-to-day basis once the chargesheet was filed.

A 200-page chargesheet in the case was filed 16 days after the woman was allegedly raped.

Two wheels of a coach of an express train came off the track near Nizamabad in Telangana today. All passengers are safe and there have been no injuries reported so far, Railway officials said.

The incident, which involved the train number 12793 – Tirupati-Nizamabad Rayalaseema Express, affected rail traffic on that route.

The derailment occurred at 08:05 am this morning, between Uppalavai and Sirnapalli stations on the Secunderabad-Mudkhed section of the South Central Railway, officials said.

“Nobody was hurt in the incident,” a railways official said.

Passengers of the train were immediately transported to their destinations by the Railway authorities, officials said.

The incident, which happened on a single line track, led to the cancellation of Secunderabad-CST Mumbai Devagiri Express and affected six other trains on that route, the officials said.

Track repair work is being carried out to restore normal running of trains “at the earliest”, they added.

The Konkan Railway has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) to make its George Fernandes Institute of Tunnel Technology in Goa a world-class centre of knowledge in tunnel and underground structure technologies. Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Gupta and IIT-B Director Prof D V Khakhar signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the premier engineering institution here yesterday.

Under the MoU, IIT-B will offer technical support to the Konkan Railway to strengthen the George Fernandes Institute of Tunnel Technology (GFITT) at Madgaon in Goa, a release issued by KRCL said.

Underlining the objectives of the collaboration with IIT-B, a spokesperson of KRCL said they want to develop GFITT into a world-class premier centre of knowledge in tunnel and underground structure technologies.

“We also want to provide an opportunity to under-graduate and post-graduate scholars of IIT-Bombay to gain a practical experience and participate in the research and development programmes in tunnelling and underground spaces,” he said.

The institute has been named after former railway minister George Fernandes, who is said to be the driving force behind the Konkan Railway, the release said.

The Ministry of Railways will soon carry out Preliminary Engineering Survey for laying of 4th railway line between Bilaspur and Nagpur under jurisdiction of South East Central Railway (SECR), officials informed.

Notably, Central Public Sector undertaking RITES Ltd is also working on a major turn key project for the  Ministry of Railways for laying the third railway track in Pendra Road- Anuppur section of Bilaspur division of South East Central Railway (SECR), a press release of the Union Ministry of Railways had informed earlier.

RITES Ltd, which is under the Ministry of Railways has recorded 18 per cent increase in its total income in FY 2016-17 compared to 2015-16. It has for the first time crossed the Rs 1,500 crores benchmark. Despite severe competition from domestic and foreign consultancy companies, RITES recorded PAT of around Rs 330 crores on a turnover of Rs 1,508 crores, according to the provisional results submitted to its Board of Directors.

The company has also issued two bonus issues during the year, increasing its paid-up capital from Rs 100 crores to Rs 200 crores.

During the year, the company completed the supply of 120 coaches to Bangladesh Railways and has signed two new contracts with Sri Lanka Railways for the supply of Indian Railways produced locos (DLW, Varanasi) and DMU train sets (ICF, Chennai) which will be exported in the coming year by RITES to Sri Lanka Railways.

The railway track development in the Bhupdevpur-Gharghoda-Dharamjaygarh section under East Rail Corridor Project is also expected to get complete by December 31, 2018, officials informed.

Notably, the Centre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) each with the States of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for critical coal connectivity projects to improve transportation .

Agreement for World Bank loan of US $ 1100 million for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) (Phase-2) have also been signed, they stated.

Freight train with speed of maximum 100 kms per hour will pass through Chhattisgarh in the East-West Corridor (Kolkata-Mumbai).

The train will traverse through the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra as the Ministry of Railways has sanctioned implementation of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) with freight train speeds of maximum 100 Kmph.

The Central Government’s approval for construction of 165 km long third railway line between Anuppur and Katni in Madhya Pradesh is expected to facilitate additional coal transportation traffic from parts of Chhattisgarh.

The coal transporation traffic from IB valley, Korba area, East Corridor and Gevra – Pendra Road Project in Chhattisgarh would be channelised through the aforesaid route to the respective destinations, officials stated.

The Centre has approved the project at a cost of Rs 1,595.76 crore. The project is likely to be completed in 5 ¼ years spanning over 12th and 13th plan period.

The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved construction of six Railway lines and a Railway bridge to cater to both increased passenger and freight needs in various areas of the country.

Public sector IRCON International Ltd has also commenced work in connection with the construction of new ‘Broad Guage Electrified Double Railway Line’ in Chhattisgarh on the EastWest Corridor.

The work is being undertaken in  Gevra Road-Pendra Road and Dipka, Kathghora, Sendurgahr and Pasan sections, officials stated.

The Union Ministry of Railways has set track renewal target of 551 kms for South East CentralRailway (SECR) division during the 12th plan period.

Track renewal is an ongoing process which is undertaken as and when a stretch of track becomes due for renewal on age-cum-condition basis, officials informed.

Track Renewal works are planned in advance every year and their execution is prioritised according to the condition of track and overall availability of funds ensuring all the time that track is in a sound condition for safe running of trains.

In case, if any stretch of track is not renewed in time due to various reasons including scarcity of funds, material etc., suitable speed restrictions are imposed to ensure safe running of trains.

As on March 31, 2016, track renewal covering 5900 km of track renewal have been sanctioned, out of which 2668 km is targetted for the year 2016-17.

As per norms, track renewal works are to be completed within two to three years of sanction. This, however, also depends on budget availability, officials stated.

The total Budget outlay in year 2016-17 has been enhanced from Rs 4,000 crores to Rs 7,500 crores to speed up the track renewal works in the country. Accordingly, physical targets have also been increased from 1,500 km to 2,668 km.

There are a total of 840 farmers in Chhattisgarh whose land had been acquired for the Dallirajahara-Rowghat rail line project, the Central government has informed.

It may be recalled that Chhattisgarh Government would also be earmarking suitable land banks in the vicinity of Dallirajahara-Rowghat-Jagdalpur Rail Corridor for setting up of small industrial units, officials informed.

Notably, the  Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is co-ordinating the  construction of Railay line from DaIlirajhara to Rowghat covering a distance of 95 km with Indian Railways in Chhattisgarh.

The project for doubling of Railway line between Kirandul and Jagdalpur in Chhatisgarh’s insurgency ridden Bastar region is expected to be complete by January 2019, official sources informed.

The Jagdalpur-Kirandul project which involves 45.50 kms of rail track doubling work till Silkjuri will be completed this year. The remaining project work will be completed by year 2020, informed General Manager of East Coast Railway Zone, Umesh Singh on Monday. He was paying a  courtesy call on Chief Minister Raman Singh at his office in his residence here.

The General Manager also informed the Chief Minister about the status of Titlagarh-Raipur rail line project.

He told the Chief Minister that under Titlagarh-Raipur Project, track doubling work of 30-km till Kantabhanji will be completed this year and the entire project will be completed by year 2019.

Notabaly, for execution of the project, the Railways has divided the 150 km length of doubling work into three Sections namely, Jagdalpur to Silakjori 45.50 km, Kirandul to Gidam 52.23 km and Silakjori to Gidam 52.73 km.

Notably, NMDC is also developing full-fledged Railway transportation infrastructure at its upcoming 3 MTPA integrated steel plant at Nagarnar in Bastar district.

It has commenced the process of constructing a Railway Station, Traction sub-station and other necessary infrastructure at the private railway siding coming up at the site of 3 MTPA integrated steel plant at Nagarnar in Bastar district, official sources informed.

For the East Corridor, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to allocate 14 acres of land in Raigarh district. The Corridor will be about 180 km long from Bhupdevpur-Gharghoda-Dharamjaigarh up to Korba.

Notably, the Centre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) each with the States of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for critical coal connectivity projects to improve transportation .

Agreement for World Bank loan of US $ 1100 million for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) (Phase-2) have also been signed, they stated.

Freight train with speed of maximum 100 kms per hour will pass through Chhattisgarh in the East-West Corridor (Kolkata-Mumbai).

The train will traverse through the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra as the Ministry of Railways has sanctioned implementation of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) with freight train speeds of maximum 100 Kmph.

The Central Government’s approval for construction of 165 km long third railway line between Anuppur and Katni in Madhya Pradesh is expected to facilitate additional coal transportation traffic from parts of Chhattisgarh.

The coal transporation traffic from IB valley, Korba area, East Corridor and Gevra – Pendra Road Project in Chhattisgarh would be channelized through the aforesaid route to the respective destinations, officials stated.

The Centre has approved the project at a cost of Rs 1,595.76 crore. The project is likely to be completed in 5 ¼ years spanning over 12th and 13th plan period.

The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also approved construction of six Railway lines and a Railway bridge to cater to both increased passenger and freight needs in various areas of the country.

Public sector IRCON International Ltd has also commenced work in connection with the construction of new ‘Broad Guage Electrified Double Railway Line’ in Chhattisgarh on the East West Corridor.

The work is being undertaken in  Gevra Road-Pendra Road and Dipka, Kathghora, Sendurgahr and Pasan sections, officials stated.

Notably, the development of two key Rail corridors in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh is now set to expand the Railway line network by 45 per cent in the State, officials stated.

The completion of Dallirajhara-Rowghat-Jagdalpur, East and East-West Rail corridor projects will comprise a total of 535 kilometers Railway-line during the next two to four years, they stated.

The East West Rail Corridor project is expected to get completed in 2018-19.

The corridor is to facilitate movement of about 60 million tonnes of coal to various parts of the country apart from providing passenger train facility for the local populace of the region.

The length of the rail track would be 135.30 kms.The Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd is the implementing agency for the project.

East Coast Railway (Waltair Division) is gearing up to initiate action against the non-payers towards shortfall of Minimum Guaranteed Traffic payable by Essar Steel.

According to an official press release from Railways, the steel major Essar Steel India Limited is operating iron ore slurry pipeline crossing railway track at km 762/1-2 near Duvvada since 2005.

Essar has been committed to ensuring a traffic of 1.2 million tonnes per annum but were not able to ensure the traffic and kept pending the dues to Railways that amounted to tune of ₹ 372.44 crore.

East Coast Railway advised for early payment of pending dues towards shortfall of assured traffic during the period 2014-2017.

It was further emphasised that Railways would not permit continuance of slurry pipe line on their land in the absence of an appropriate agreement.

In this connection Railway issued one week prior notice of ₹50 crore as first instalment and the remaining amount in a week.

“Now since they have not responded we have served a 48-hour notice to Essar Steel India limited duly emphasizing to the clear the payment of dues against shortfall of the traffic for deposition of ₹ 50 crore towards part payment of outstanding dues along with action plan for deposition of balance sum within a week time from date of this notice,” said ECOR/Waltair Division’s DRM Mukund Saran Mathur.

In case of failure stern action like forceful removal of pipeline will be initiated, he said.