BENGALURU: Commuters have hailed the introduction of four diesel-operated suburban train services from Monday. In a first, the trains which will go from Banaswadi via Bellandur, will connect to Baiyappanahalli, providing access to Namma Metro’s Phase I network as well.

In its detailed timetable, the SWR has listed the departure time from Banaswadi at 9.50 am for train number 06571 and at 12.40 pm for train 06573. En route, the trains will pass through Baiyappanahalli, Bellandur Road, Carmelaram, Heelalige, Anekal Road before stopping at Hosur at 11 am and 1.45pm respectively.

According to commuters, the morning trip to office will be easier. “It is a welcome move as the city waits for a full-fledged suburban rail network. There is a large section of people who commute from Hosur and since the train will stop at Baiyappanahalli, we can be connected to all parts of the city easily through the metro station,” said Pradish R, who commutes from the Carmelaram station daily. These trains will leave Hosur in the return direction at 11.15 am and at 3. 20pm.

In addition to the diesel services, the MEMU services will provide connectivity to the KSR station and Whitefield, a commute that easily takes more than 90 minutes in peak hour traffic. The train will leave KSR station at 7.50 am and reach Baiyyappanahalli at 8.15 am, shortening the travel time to just a few minutes. Interestingly, Namma Metro also provides this connectivity between the two areas, but takes a little while longer for the journey owing to the higher number of halts.

In a statement, SWR said that the MEMU services, which can carry 2,400 passengers with eight coaches, had become very popular among the commuters. “The induction of 4 additional services has been done on a cost sharing basis between the Ministry of Railways and Government of Karnataka,” the statement said.

The Army is stepping up its synergy in operational logistics with the Indian Railways to ensure it can swiftly mobilize as well as switch forces between the western front with Pakistan and the eastern one with China much faster than what is possible now. The railways has been asked to give high priority to the army’s infrastructure requirements and increase the speed of exclusive trains carrying critical weapons and troops to facilitate faster mobilisation to areas bordering China and Pakistan, official sources said.

They said the railways had already started work on the specific requirements of the armed forces and even decided to give access to its online train monitoring system to the army so that it can track the movement of special trains taking weapons and troops to various locations.

The sources said the railways had also agreed to a proposal of the army headquarters to create dedicated facilities in several key stations in the Northeast for rapid movement of weapons to various sectors along the Sino-Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh.

The sources said the railways had been conveyed the strategic requirements by the top military brass.

The facilities will come up in Bhalukpung in Arunachal Pradesh, Silapathar and Makum in Assam, and Mokokchung and Dimapur in Nagaland.

The railways has also agreed to send its officials to various strategically important areas in the Northeast and along the border with Pakistan to understand specific infrastructure requirements of the army.

The railways is already building infrastructure for military requirements at different places in the country. This includes construction of concrete ramps for loading of tanks, howitzers and infantry combat vehicles on special trains in areas like Bhalukpong in Arunachal Pradesh, Dimapur in Nagaland, Silapathar, Missamari and Murkongselek in Assam, with an eye firmly on China.

“Concurrently, there is an increased focus on significantly enhancing the speed at which the special military trains run… trial runs are in progress. This will help in faster mobilization,” said an officer.

One of the harsh lessons learnt during the 10-month forward troop deployment along the western front under ‘Operation Parakram’, launched after the Parliament attack in December 2001, was that slow mobilisation would not do.

India had taken over a month to mobilize its forces for Operation Parakram, which had given enough time to the US-led international community to intervene as well as Pakistan to shore up its defences.

Since then, the Army has adopted its ‘Pro-Active Conventional War Strategy’, also called the ‘Cold Start’ doctrine, to practice swift mobilization for multiple offensives into enemy territory.

The Army, incidentally, uses 750-800 trains to relocate its battalions as well as move tanks, artillery, ammunition and other loads for exercises every year. “The Army pays railways around Rs 2,000 crore per year for this. For infrastructure development, the railways in some places in also using its own budget,” said another officer.

With the land acquisition in final stages, the work on the Chandigarh to Baddi Railway line will be started soon.

Shimla Member of Parliament Virender Kashyap on Sunday said that the railways will soon start the construction work on this prestigious rail line, once the land acquisition process is completed.

He said that the railway authorities have completed the final location survey of 33.5-km long Chandigarh to Baddi railway line and alignment fixed on ground.

He said that the Northern Railways General Manager Vishwesh Chaube has in a written communiqué intimating him that Rs 1,540 crore cost Chandigarh-Baddi railway line to be laid on 345  bighas land  is passing through Haryana and Himachal Pradesh (27.5 hectares in HP and 52.5 Hectares in Haryana).

“The land processing process is in progress in both the states. The negotiations in Himachal Pradesh have been completed and rates sent to Himachal Pradesh government for approval. Haryana government has started the process of transfer of government land to railways and negotiations will private land owners will start soon,” he said.

The physical execution of railway line will be started immediately after land acquisitions proceedings are completed in both state, he added.

With nearly 2,000 industrial units  located in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial area, the rail link is a dire necessity and its significance has enhanced after the Container Corporation of India had set up an inland freight station, said he.

Virender Kashyap further said the railway authorities had also informed him that the Dehradun via Nalagarh-Baddi-Barotiwala- Kala Amb-Paonta Sahib preliminary Engineering cum Traffic survey has been completed and survey report is submitted with railways board for final approval.

Kashyap requested the railways authorities to expedite the work on pending railways projects in Shimla Region which has great potential of expansions due to increasing demand of railways services mainly during tourist season.

He also demanded playing of luxury coaches on Kalka Shimla railways line during tourist season to attract high end tourist and provide quality transport services to both domestic and international tourists.

At present there are three rail motor cars available for operations at World Heritage Kalka Shimla railways line out of which one rail motor car is being utilized at present as passenger service and other rail motor cars are utilized during peak seasons to meet the growing demand of services mainly during tourist seasons.

The Railways has tied up with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to train the children of its three lakh gangmen and trackmen in various vocational courses, senior officers have said.

They said the national transporter has decided to allot space along railway stations or in properties owned by it to set up NSDC centres.

The centres would come up near railway colonies so these can be easily accessed by the children, officials said.

The scheme for imparting skill development to these children has already been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office, where recently, a presentation was made by senior railway officials.

The Railways has already identified 100 locations along stations near railway colonies where skill development centres could come up and 53 of them have already been nominated for NSDC, while 44 additional locations have been earmarked for the purpose.

A senior railway official said, “We are not just looking at land, but even rooms or any space available with the railways that can be given to the NSDC for the centres. We want the children of these employees to learn skills so that they can build a career. Hopefully, they will even be placed with companies once they get trained.”

Indian Railways’ total vacant land is estimated at a 47,300 hectares, but only a portion of this area can practically be used for commercial purposes, as 90% of it is linear land on the sides of rail tracks.

Some of this unused land, officials say, could be identified for setting up NSDC centres.

“While Railways is investing millions to upgrade the passenger amenities in fight for footfalls with airlines, capacity constraints on tracks do dog us,” Central Railway’s General Manager D K Sharma said while admitting to it as a real challenge. He was addressing a press conference at Satpuda Rest House in Civil Lines, on Sunday.

The General Manager was in city for All Indian Railways Painting Competition hosted by Nagpur Division of Central Railway.

“At many places there is only a single line. Even worse there is no electrification which has clogged the speed of long distance trains,” Sharma said citing an example of a Mumbai-Bangalore train which takes nearly 24 hours to complete its journey. “The situation will change very soon and within five years, we would be seeing a new railways,” he added with optimism.

Sharma referred to unigauge policy and also decision to go for total electrification on part of Railways. He informed that total electrification would ensure 40 per cent savings on power bill, also increase average speed of trains.

“Already, we are investing in upgrading five corridors to run trains at 160 km/hr speed and bullet trains will run on several routes within next years. Once the overhaul is complete these teething issues would come to an end and Railways would be back on tracks,” he added.

When asked about induction of new high speed diesel engines recently, the senior railway officer said, “Since electrification process would need time to complete, and for that gap these may have been procured.

On all women crew issue, Sharma said, “Posting all women crew is a conscious decision on part of Railways to empower women. This shows the society that women do not lack in anyway to stand in competition with their male counterpart. About Matunga station on Mumbai suburban railways, it was first in country to hand over charge of railway station to all women team. It is close of educational hub. So when young college-going girls pass through Matunga and see only women manning the station, they would feel proud.”

“At Ajni station, the upgradation to satellite terminus would be done in two phases, with first phase comprising building an island platform with two platforms slated for completion by year end. During the second phase, there would be addition of pit lines, stabling lines while integrating with third and fourth lines on Sewagram-Nagpur section at Ajni Yard. Ajni is also nominated for development of common mobility platform, means one can purchase fare card from here and travel by any means of transport,” he added.

On a query about availability of cabs from Nagpur Railway Station, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Brijesh Kumar Gupta stated that Ola has signed an accord and it would be starting the services very soon. The company has deposited Rs 35 lakh with Railways and would deploy its cabs on western side of the main station, he added.

Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), Central Railway, N Vishwanathan, Principal Chief Personnel Officer, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Sunil Udasi also were present at the press conference.

The Mysuru Division of the South Western Railways will launch a Core Business Drive from today to increase clientèle and shore up revenue.

The drive will go on till March 25. Authorities plan to reach out to every business organisation and institution to encourage them to use railways for transportation of materials.

The focus will be on attracting new customers, reducing waiting time and improving the overall experience of customers both in terms of passengers and freight.

Atul Gupta, Divisional Railway Manager, said the Mysuru Division was the only one in the country to conduct such an exercise and was confident of positive results. There was a 20% jump in business owing to the drive last year and hence there is potential that can be tapped, he said.

There will be renewed focus on unconventional quarters to make a positive difference in loading of goods rakes and parcel vans. All staff have been directed to contribute their best to reach out to customers.

A team of Indian Railway experts has arrived in Fiji to undertake an assessment of the Fijian railway network and recommend a plan of action for upgrading the network to accommodate greater freight and passenger travel.

The team was dispatched to Fiji by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India following a meeting between Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Indian Minister for Railways, Piyush Goyal, during the World Sustainable Development Summit held in New Delhi, India last month.

The technical team arrived in Fiji on February 27, 2018 consisting of General Manager for Special Projects, Prem Ranjan Kumar, General Manager Rolling Stock, Akilesh Misra, and General Manager for Transport and Economics, Sirkant Kanbandhu.

Visit to Rarawai Sugar Mill

The technical team has already made a site visit on Tuesday to the Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba and will continue site visitations throughout the Western Division during the week.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum welcomed the expert team to Fiji at a meeting yesterday in Suva where he stressed the enormous benefits of upgrading railway infrastructure in Fiji.

“Upgrading our railways systems to accommodate greater freight will have an immediate impact for our farmers, including our cane farmers, who will be able to cart more cane, reduce their cartage costs and increase their profit margins.

“And the introduction of passenger travel will open up Fiji in new ways that will benefit tourism, agriculture, transportation and many other sectors of our growing economy.   “We are very keen to partner with the Indian Government on this project and look forward to receiving the full recommendation from the technical team following the completion of their assessment,” said the officials.

Advanced Railway Network with Modern Systems in place will make Fiji, economically vibrant

The fact that Indian experts are coming to Fiji to do a study on how to can connect the nation’s towns and cities with railways is a huge step in the right direction. It is a huge step towards modernising Fiji, a huge step in bringing Fiji up to par with country’s more developed neighbours –  Australia and New Zealand.

Fiji has always led the charge among countries in the Pacific and if we are to lead the charge in setting up our railways for passengers and for cargo it will change the face of our country.

Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, during his meeting with the India Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal, said using an upgraded rail system for passengers and cargo would greatly relieve pressure on Fijian roads. It is indeed fundamental to the long-term sustainable development of the country.

Achieving something of this magnitude has no doubt required a lot of negotiation and Mr Sayed-Khaiyum is just the man for it.

His foresight that Fiji needs a railway system in place will benefit Fijians not only today but also for generations to come.

Some of the areas in which we will no doubt make the most of the railway system is tourism, daily travels and transporting cargo.

Tourists getting off at Nadi International Airport will be able to travel easily throughout the country. That will mean the tourism dollar will be spent in more places rather than being confined to one or two towns.

Imagine being able to transport vegetables from Sigatoka to Suva in a matter of less than an hour. Not only will the cost of transportation decrease for farmers but that decrease in price will be passed onto Fijians every day.

Imagine not being stuck in traffic every single morning. Travel from Suva to Nausori could be a journey of less than 15 minutes. The same can be expected for travel time between Nadi and Lautoka.

This is a win-win situation for Fiji and we have the right man leading the charge on this front.

Back-up power for the control and safety systems on the 800 twin-section WAG12 Prima T8 electric locomotive which Alstom is building for Indian Railways will be provided by batteries which Saft is supplying under its largest-ever order in the rail sector.

Saft has increased the scope of its Indian production capabilities from assembly to full design, manufacturing and support to enable it to play a part in the government’s Make in India programme.

The nickel-technology SRM+ cells for the Prima T8 locomotives will be manufactured and supported from a factory in Bibadi near Bangalore, which was established in 2013 and has previously supplied Alstom with batteries for Chennai and Lucknow metro projects.

‘Quality, safety, reliability and the manufacturing capabilities of Saft India were central to Alstom’s selection of Saft SRM+ batteries’, according to Milan Sima, Rail & Mobility General Manager at Saft. ‘We are proud to demonstrate that we have become a full local supplier and a strong force for all the major manufacturers in the Indian market.’

“It’s no surprise that our batteries are used in three-quarters of all metro systems, more than 100 rail networks and in Formula One race cars,” said  Milan Sima.

“Saft works with leading transport operators around the world including Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and CRRC, to ensure they can provide a safe, reliable service and meet increasingly stringent emissions targets. We have been able to develop cutting-edge solutions by drawing on our work in the defense sector with very high-power capacity cells to deliver customized solutions wherever they are needed,” he added.

“Our high-performance batteries are increasingly being incorporated into the design of hybrid and fully-electric marine vessels, while our Ion’Drive® Motive 24 V battery range brings high performance to hybrid vehicles such as mining and farm trucks. Our technology is also used in electrified ground-support equipment in airports and seaports as part of efforts to reduce CO² emissions, fuel consumption and noise, said Milan Sima, adding that “High-performance and low-maintenance – our rail batteries need no maintenance for 5-10 years – our long-life batteries can operate at temperatures as low as -50°C, and boast a low total cost of ownership”.

Starting next fiscal year, Indian Railways will conduct reverse e-auctions for all supply tenders above Rs.10 crore, and services and work orders above Rs.50 crore.

Mint has seen a copy of the draft policy that will be unveiled this month.

The policy states this will eliminate human intervention and help bring more transparency.

Even a 10% savings in cost due to improved competition will result in overall annual savings of up to Rs.10,000 crore for the national carrier. It will be applicable to all zonal railways, production units and railway companies like IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp.), RITES Ltd, RailTel and others.

A railway ministry official on condition of anonymity said, “The paperless transaction will help to offer more competitive bids and reduce corruption complaints. Besides, it will improve transparency and provide a level-playing field to the industry.”

He added the policy has been almost finalized. New software is being developed and will be launched by Railway minister Piyush Goyal, the official said, adding a review will be done after the first quarter of the next fiscal.

Indian Railways procures goods worth Rs.50,000 crore annually for production and maintenance of rolling stocks and for operation of passengers and goods and services, along with safety-related works.

In addition, track material worth Rs.10,000 crore is procured every year along with works worth Rs.60,000 crore. The reverse auction policy is expected to cover around 70% of railway’s procurements.

Railways director general (stores) A.K. Goel confirmed the move but declined to comment stating the policy was waiting for approval from the Railway board chairman. The Railways has around 76,000 registered vendors who can access the auction by paying a fee of Rs.10,000 as per the draft policy.

Jaijit Bhattacharya of advisory firm KPMG India said reverse auction will help the railways break cartels and reduce procurement costs significantly in a transparent manner.