Tourists can now enjoy a joyride here on the UNESCO world heritage railway track on the lines of a similar service in Darjeeling in West Bengal.

The joyride train will run between Shimla and Shoghi stations, covering a distance of about 15 km in an hour and five minutes. This is a section of the heritage track, which goes up to Kalka.

The one-way fare for the Shimla-Shoghi ride amidst the scenic beauty of the `Queen of Hills’ will be Rs.260. Tourists can book online. The train would have chair-car coaches.

Unlike the well-known toy train which runs from Kalka to Shimla, this joyride is within the Shimla city limits.

Lok Sabha MP Virender Kashyap on Thursday flagged off a trial run. As of now, the service will operate up to 28 February. Kashyap said he has asked the Railways to continue it because of its huge tourism potential.

“The trial run of Shivalik Delux Express has started today to attract tourists and it would benefit tourism sector positively in the hill state,” he said.

Thousands of tourists visit Shimla in winters as well as summers and the train would prove an additional attraction for them, he said.

Kashyap thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railways minister Piyush Goyal for the train services on the over 100-year-old heritage track.

The Shimla-Kalka railway line is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge track along a mostly mountainous route. The track is known for dramatic views of the hills and surrounding villages.

The railway line was built in 1898 to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British Raj, with the rest of the Indian rail system.

At that time, 107 tunnels and 864 bridges were built throughout its course. However, 102 tunnels remain in use now.

On 8 July 2008, UNESCO added the Kalka-Shimla Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Sites of Mountain Railways of India.

The route winds from the foothills of the Shivalik Hills at Kalka and covers several important points such as Dharampur, Solan, Kandaghat, Taradevi, Barog, Salogra, Totu (Jutogh), Summerhill and Shimla.

The track has a gradient of 1 in 33 or 3 percent and it has 919 curves, the sharpest being 48 degrees. Climbing from an altitude of 656 metres, the line terminates at an elevation of 2,076 metres at Shimla, a difference of 1,420 metres.

The country’s ready-to-eat (RTE) food industry is gearing up to tickle the taste buds of railway passengers.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is likely to float a tender by March-end to supply RTE food items directly on trains.

The move may open up railway catering business to major players in the food processing industry such as Nestlé, MTR, ITC, Amul, Bambino, Britannia, Dabur, Defence Research Development Organisation, Elite, Gits, Haldiram, Kohinoor Foods and McCain Foods.

RTE meals were introduced in select railway stations and trains in 2016 on a trial basis, but they were being distributed through existing catering service contractors.

The railways now wants to move to the next stage, allow manufacturers to directly sell through their sales representatives.

This is a part of its strategy to ensure clean food for passengers.

This can be a huge boost for the RTE food market, which is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 22 per cent till 2019.

“Our plan is to provide healthy food. One company may not be enough for the huge volumes that the railways require. So, we may go for zone-wise or train-wise tender. It is yet to be finalised,” an official said.

About 23 million passengers travel on trains on a daily basis.

Indian Railways provide approximately 1.1 million meals to passengers every day, of which one million meals are provided on board. Last year, IRCTC had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DRDO for transfer of technology for processed food pouch, so that RTE food can be warmed and eaten straight out of the packet.

Besides this initiative, IRCTC is also targeting to provide 100,000 online meal orders per day over the next couple of years through e-catering.

Currently, only 7,000 meals are being booked online every day.

Around 193 stations and 1,516 trains are covered under the e-catering policy.

As part of its catering policy, IRCTC has taken over the operations of 333 of 335 mobile pantry cars that were run by contractors.

According to the new catering policy, launched in February last year, all mobile pantry, food plazas, and base kitchens will be brought under IRCTC.

IRCTC has also invited multi-national players such as French food services and facilities management company Sodexo and Travel Food Services (TFS), who operate lounges in airports, to manage its base kitchens.

The plan also includes a road-map to upgrade at least 16 base kitchens.

This came after a recent Comptroller and Auditor General report said the food articles supplied in railways are unsuitable for human consumption.

The Traffic Transportation branch of Railway Board has revised the freight rates for transportation of coal and coke that will be effective from January 15th.

In an interview Sachin Bhanushali, Director and CEO of Gateway Rail Freight spoke about the latest happenings in his company and sector. 40 percent of the cargo comprises of coal and coke related cargo, he said.

The overall cost structure of Indian Railways has always been under pressure because almost about 50 percent of its cost comprises of the staff cost, so there is continuous inflationary pressure on railways cost, he added.

The demand of the power sector for Indian coal over a period of last three-four years has been robust because of change in policy, said Bhanushali.

Freight rate hikes by railway usually come in parts, so it is very difficult to predict, he further mentioned.

Going forward, a little bit of correction in terms of sectoral increase in freight rate like coal, coke as well as the commodities, for which there is demand, can be anywhere between 5 percent and 7 percent but I don’t expect it to be across the board, Bhanushali added.

Speaking of initial public offering (IPO), he said that as of now there is no plan of an IPO.

Taking a dig at ex-honchos of the Railways, chairman Ashwani Lohani today said he was “amazed” that they were full of ideas on ways to shore up the sector, but did little to implement them when they were in office.

Lohani said on Facebook that former seniors came up with ideas now, but did not carry them out when they worked for the national transporter.

“I am amazed at the number of ex-seniors who are bubbling with ideas on how to set the railways right. Equally amazing is why they did not implement the very same ideas when they sat on powerful chairs,” he posted on his personal page.

The Railway Board chairman said youngsters joining the sector, too, had fallen short of his expectations.

Many of the youngsters were “more concerned about the quota of DRMs and GMs and less about what they can contribute to the railways”, he wrote, referring to the senior posts of Divisional Railway Managers and General Managers.

Lohani said the focus had to shift to delivery and for that “we need to develop a lot of spine and belief in oneself.

I remain hopeful that things would change for the better.” Sources in his office said since he had taken over as the chairman last year, ex-officials had often been visiting him to discuss the future of the Indian Railways.

Many of them came with plans, ideas and advice for Lohani, the senior-most bureaucrat in the Railways, they said.

The Indian Railways has introduced upgraded ‘Anubhuti’ coaches on its Chennai-Mysuru Shatabdi Express. The Southern Railway – which caters to one of the zones under the Indian Railways – will introduce Anubhuti coaches on the Chennai Central-Mysuru-Chennai Central Shatabdi Express sector from Friday, January 12, 2018, according to a press release dated January 11, 2018. The Southern Railway termed the move as a “Pongal Gift” to its passengers. Bookings for journey on the Chennai Central-Mysuru Shatabdi Express trains with the Anubhuti coaches – fitted with improved interiors and a GPS-based passenger system, among other features – are open, the Southern Railway said.

Here are 10 things to know about the Anubhuti coaches, introduced on the Chennai Central-Mysuru-Chennai Central Shatabdi Express:

1. Trains 12007 and 12008 of the Chennai Central-Mysuru-Chennai Central Shatabdi Express service will be augmented by an ‘Anubhuti’ coach from Friday, January 12, 2018, according to the press release.

2. The ‘Anubhuti’ coaches are fitted with improved interiors, ergonomically designed seats and improved modular toilets with hands-free taps.

6. Other charges such as reservation fee, superfast surcharge, GST, etc. as applicable will be levied separately.

7. Normal rules pertaining to Child Fare will apply, according to the Southern Railway.

8. Concessional tickets and free complimentary passes which are not fully reimbursed will not be allowed, it noted.

9. Seats remaining vacant at the time of first charting will be offered for current booking at a 10 per cet discount on last price.

10. “Normal Cancellation and Refund Rules shall apply,” the Southern Railway added.

The finance ministry may keep the plan outlay of Indian Railways at current level in the budget as the government is resorting to borrowing in the face of lower revenue collection.

The finance ministry is learnt to have rejected 8-10 per cent increase in plan outlay sought by the public sector transporter, which has been on a spending-spree to build new rail lines and upgrade existing ones.

Over the last three years, the railways has been raising its capital expenditure to bridge the infrastructure deficit and renew its creaking assets. It has earmarked a total capital outlay of Rs 8.56 lakh crore for five years.

In tune with the emphasis on green energy, the railways is set to electrify more lines across the network. After factoring in this aspect, it has projected a higher plan outlay for 2018-19.

“The railways may generate more resources on its own by tying up long-term funds and monetising its assets. This will reduce the dependence on budgetary support. But at the same time adequate funds would be made available to the railways so that its project implementation is not affected,” an official said.

The railways’ total plan outlay of Rs 1.31 lakh crore for 2017-18 was the highest in its history. Of this, Rs 55,000 crore came from the central budget and the remaining was raised through institutional financing, internal resources and PPP projects, among others.

The funding pattern for the next fiscal is likely to be the same, although it could raise more from LIC with which the total fund tie-up is Rs 1.5 lakh crore over a five-year period.

Facing severe capacity constraint, especially on the trunk routes connecting metro cities, the railways has embarked on major infrastructure building exercise.

Besides, it is facing the challenge of bolstering earning from freight and passengers which have been slipping against its projections.

The operating ratio of railways, a key matrix of its financial health, has been under stress. It stands at about 97 per cent which indicates it spends Rs 97 to earn Rs 100. For the next fiscal, the target may be set at 95 per cent on belt-tightening measures and higher revenue earnings.

Last year, the government had merged the railway budget with the main budget ending the British era tradition.

Visiting General Manager of the Northeast Railways (Construction), NK Prasad, met Chief Minister Pema Khandu here on Thursday evening and informed that the Centre has given the go-ahead for a new railway line from Silapathar (falling in the Rangiya Division of N.F.Railway in Assam) to Aalo, via Bame (West Siang district).

Holding a detailed discussion on railway connectivity with the GM and his team of officials, Pema impressed upon the officials that a railway line to Aalo should be made a priority.

Prasad assured that survey work for the railway line will begin soon, and also informed that another new railway line, from North Lakhimpur to Ziro (Lower Subansiri), has been approved.

The Chief Minister requested the officials to immediately start the survey and investigation works, and assured support and cooperation from the state government.

He further sought the status of other railway lines being proposed in the state.

The officers informed him that survey for three railway lines – Margherita to Deomali (31 km), Lekhapani to Kharsang (25 km), and Itakhola to Seijosa (18 km) has been completed.

Survey for other railway lines is in progress, and includes Doomdooma-Namsai-Wakro (96 km), Dangri-Roing (60 km), Deomali-Naharkatia (20 km), Kharsang-Miao-Nampong-New Kamlang Deban (75 km), and Tinsukia-Pasighat via Simalguri Kanubari (300 km).

The chief minister also discussed the progress of the railway line from Murkongselek to Pasighat (26 km) and Pasighat-Tezu-Parashuram Kund-Rupai.

The officials informed that land acquisition process for Murkongselek-Pasighat has been completed and survey work is in full progress. They also informed that survey work for Pasighat to Rupai via Tezu and Parashuram Kund is also in progress.

The meeting also discussed the Bhalukpong to Tawang railway line that will cut down the existing road distance from 385 km to 165 km when completed.

The chief minister said that once these railway lines become fully functional they will benefit the farmers the most as due to lack of connectivity they are unable to find viable markets.

The Kozhikode railway station in Kerala was ranked the best by travellers while the Hazrat Nizamuddin here was given the lowest ratings in terms of cleanliness, a survey by a app-based travel portal said. It also found that around 40 per cent stations, found cleanest by users, were in the south followed by 20 per cent in central India and the same in the west. Travel app ixigo said that Kozhikode in Kerala was ranked the best station in the country by its users while Hazrat Nizamuddin, which is one of the five main stations in Delhi, has been rated the lowest. Stations that made it to the “best” list include Hubli Junction and Davangere in Karnataka, Dhanbad Junction (Jharkhand), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) and Bilaspur Junction (Chhattisgarh). Vadodara and Rajkot junctions in Gujarat, Falna (Rajasthan) and Vijayawada Junction (Andhra Pradesh) are also on the list.

Some of the stations that received the lowest ratings by travellers include Varanasi and Mathura junctions in Uttar Pradesh, Ajmer Junction in Rajasthan, Bhusaval Junction in Maharashtra and Gaya Junction in Bihar. The portal, ixigo, which works closely with the IRCTC to facilitate train ticket bookings for over seven million users on its app, aggregated the data from them to provide the cleanliness ratings.

Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani has been rated the cleanest train, while the Karnataka Express got the lowest ratings for the same, the data said. In a similar study on cleanliness conducted by the Indian Railways, which was released in 2017, most stations from the south had found a place in the “best” list. The cleanest station last year was Beas on the Jallandhar-Amritsar section of the Northern Railway’s Firozpur Division. It was followed by Vishakhapatnam and Khammam both in Telengana.

Train Running Pattern due to Rail Breakage between Belvandi and Visapur has been in force currently due to rail breakage after the block for construction of subway between Belvandi and Visapur on Daund-Manmad section of Solapur Division on 11.1.2018. As a result, the following mail/express trains are diverted and Passenger trains cancelled over Central Railway:

Express Trains Diverted JCO 11.1.2018

1.    12149 Pune-Danapur Express diverted via Pune-Lonavala-Igatpuri-Manmad
2.    12129 Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express diverted via Pune-Lonavala-Igatpuri-Manmad
3.    11037 Pune-Gorakhpur Express diverted via Pune-Lonavala-Igatpuri-Manmad
4.    12130 Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express JCO 10.1.2018 diverted via Manmad-Igatpuri-Lonavala-Pune
5.    02846 Hatia-Pune Special JCO 10.1.2018 diverted via Manmad-Igatpuri-Lonavala-Pune
6.    12150 Danapur-Pune Express JCO 10.1.2018 diverted via Manmad-Igatpuri-Lonavala-Pune
7.    51034 Sainagar Shirdi-CSMT Fast Passenger JCO 11.1.2018 diverted via Sainagar Shirdi-Manmad-Igatpuri-CSMT

Passenger Trains Cancelled

1.    51402 Manmad-Pune Passenger JCO 11.1.2018
2.    51401 Pune-Manmad Passenger JCO 12.1.2018

Lucknow’s Charbagh Railway Station, one of the two main railway stations of the city, will soon receive a makeover just like the International airports.

According to reports, Rs 6,000 crore will be spent by the Indian Railways on the project with a world-class look which is expected to be completed within three years.

Currently, around 110 pairs of coaching that is 220 trains and 33 pairs of goods are handled by this station and in order to meet the increased demand of traffic, a complete revamping of the station has been planned.

A concourse of 9 meters height, which will be approximately 180 meters in length and will cover all the platforms on the station, has been planned.

Kalzip roofing has been planned which will have a retail area, washrooms, waiting area, travelators, polyclinics, food court, shopping area, ATM and drinking water facilities.

In order to handle more traffic through the station, two additional platforms are being made.

As per reports, the outer heritage look of the station will be preserved while the inside part will be transformed completely and will be disabled-friendly as well.

The Charbagh Junction will also be connected to the Lucknow Metro, and will also undergo an expansion.

On 23 April 1867, the 47 mile Lucknow-Kanpur section was opened for the traffic which was a large orchard. The present Lucknow division, in 1925, was part of the East Indian Railway till 1952.

The word ‘Char Bagh’ refers to the four gardens which existed here earlier.