Nearly 450 railway track patrolling teams from the Waltair division of East Coast Railway (ECoR) will get GPS-enabled devices to prevent them from being used by officers as helpers

These devices are particularly used for teams on routes such as Kottavalasa-Kirandul line which passes through dense forest cover, valleys and isolated tribal hamlets.

“Such devices are already being used by other divisions in the country and the Waltair division is going to implement it in a couple of days,” said divisional railway manager MS Mathur. All track men will be given small GPS-enabled machines that cost around Rs 5,000 each, he added.

“We will be able to monitor their work and movement. This apart, we have also decided to reduce the weight of the equipment they carry from 120 kg to 60 kg as part of railway safety,” Mathur said. The equipment mostly include torchlights and hammers that are used for the maintenance works carried out by the workers. carrying such heavy luggage bags is a major health hazard for them.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, Mathur said that nearly Rs 70 crore was spent in the last seven months of his tenure in the division limits for maintenance and completion of the pending works. The amount was particularly spent on the automatic signalling system on specified lines in the division limits.

A new GPS-based system has been installed in all the locomotives of Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway to alert loco pilots about approaching signals and help run trains on schedule during heavy fog.

The equipment called FogPASS (Fog Pilot Assistance System for Safety), comprises an inbuilt battery and GPS antenna with magnetic base, has been installed in all the locomotives in NF Railway, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Pranav Jyoti Sharma said.
As the train moves, the new equipment will display a short description and the remaining distance of the next two landmarks in geographical order on the LCD screen.

The landmarks include signals of various types and level crossing gates, he said.

When a train approaches a station, the device will flash the distance left between the train and the home signal of that station. If the pilot is unable to physically see the signal, he would be aware of how far the train is from the signal and act accordingly.

There is also a provision of voice announcement in speakers attached with the device for drawing the attention of the drivers, the CPRO said. The new system is proving to be a boon to speed up trains during heavy fog, he said.

The device which weighs 1.5 kg is carried by the loco pilot at the time of assuming charge of the locomotive.

A total of 1101 such devices have already been allotted to locomotives of all divisions.

The railways has also deployed fog-men to place detonators on the tracks to alert the loco pilots about approaching signals, he said.

Senior Railway officials are undertaking night foot plate inspection and track patrolling to detect cases of rail fracture.

The Railways has also provided sufficient walkie-talkie sets to the crew and station staff, besides signal indication booklets to loco pilots.

A woman in China has been fined 2,000 yuan for preventing a high-speed train from leaving the platform so her husband could board it, reports the Shanghaiist. A video of her altercation with the train conductor has gone viral on Chinese social media. The video shows the woman, identified as Luo Haili, standing at the train’s door at the Hefei Railway Station in Anhui Province. She refuses to budge as a conductor tries to persuade her to stop blocking the door and allow the train to leave.

The woman, who insists that the train wait a little longer for her husband, was later taken into custody. The train left the station after that, late by a few minutes.

“I thought the train was stopping at the station for 10 minutes. There were 2 minutes left, is that not enough time to get on the train? My husband only needed 10 seconds to come down, then it would have been no big deal. At the time, wasn’t I only trying to get him come down. Did I do something wrong?” said Luo Haili in an interview later, according to the Shanghaiist.

Her video angered netizens in China who thought a fine of 2,000 yuan (approximately Rs. 19,500) too little. “Do you think that a high-speed train is your own personal car?” asked one Weibo user.

 

In a major boost to infrastructure development, Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) is ready to commission two multimodal logistics parks in Central India, one at MIHAN in Nagpur city and other at Naya Raipur. Member Traffic/Railway Board, Mohd. Jamshed, is to inaugurate the two logistics parks, part of ambitious drive of Central Government to put in place facilities so that when economy makes a turn around they can be put to major use. MIHAN’s multimodal logistic park (MMLP) would be biggest over Central Railway.

While the MMLP at Naya Raipur is complete and custom notification too is going to be out in next fortnight, the one at MIHAN is a soft launch as the cross overs from Khapri stations are not in place as yet, informed A K Satpathy, Chief General Manager, CONCOR, Nagpur Region. He confirmed that MT Jamshed will first inaugurate the MIHAN facility on morning of January 17 and later in Raipur the same evening. The MIHAN and Naya Raipur MMLP are both having identical area, about 120 acres that is quite huge and would tend to both internal as well external bound cargo.

Talking about MIHAN Depot, Satpathy said the cross overs to enable entry and exit of train rakes has to be done by Railways and for it CONCOR has deposited Rs. 55 crore with them. The tender has been awarded and the work is expected to take about eight to nine months after which CONCOR’s MMLP at MIHAN will be commissioned fully. Also the custom certification will take some time till all the facilities like warehousing and storing of inbound materials are in place and till then we will cater to domestic traffic. Till that time a rake or two of open wagons would be able to ply from the MIHAN MMLP, he disclosed.

Nagpur is the logistics hub of central India and a major commercial center. The city is strategically positioned in the middle of the country with all the characteristics that are required to cater to logistics needs of central India and beyond. But what is interesting about Nagpur is that this tier-2 city has three inland container depots (ICDs) – two privately owned and one managed by Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR). This speaks volumes about the city’s logistical and infrastructural strength. The huge projects undertaken by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) around Nagpur and the region’s capacity to produce coal, cotton and rice inspired the setting up of three ICDs.

Post laying of loop lines that would enable cross over from depot to mainline and vice-versa, the MMLP here would get fully going then CONCOR would be in position to ship eight to ten rakes as and when there is demand. Here there is also facility of private freight terminal (PFT) through which local business houses can ship small cargo and need not have to book entire rake. The advantage with this depot is that it location outside the city periphery means there would be no restriction on movement of cargo trucks. As to Ajni facility, Satpathy said that thing is exclusively meant for container traffic only whereas one at MIHAN can also have loading of open wagons which are mostly in use over Railways. At Ajni, the restrictions on movement of heavy trucks creates major problem for loaders.

Member Traffic to review Central Railways performance in Nagpur Division

Member Traffic, Railway Board, Mohd. Jamshed is going to review the freight and train operations of Central Railway and especially Nagpur Division during his visit to city on January 16. The visit of MT is quite significant as division now occupies second spot in terms of tonnage transported over Railways during this financial year, which is 55 per cent jump over preceding year. Thus Nagpur Division and Bilaspur Division of South East Central Railway (SECR) now contribute about three-fourth of revenue to Railways through loading. This is the maiden visit of MT to Nagpur Division.

Jamshed is going to be on two day tour of Central India with first stop over at Nagpur and thereafter visit to Raipur. He is being accompanied by a high level team of Board officials including Principal Executive Director, TT (M), ED (Rates), ED (Cord), Director (F&F). The same day during evening, Member Traffic has scheduled a meeting with top officials of Central Railway where he would review the operating performance and also meet with CMD, Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) and discuss the coal loading. Chief Operations Manager (CoM), Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) and Chief Freight and Transport Manager (CFTM) would be coming from CR’s Headquarters to brief MT.

Chairman & Managing Director, CONCOR, V Kalyana Rama, too is arriving from New Delhi for the inauguration of the two MMLP. The inauguration of MIHAN MMLP is at 9 am on January 16 while that of Naya Raipur MMLP at 4 pm the same day.

After wrapping up Nagpur programme, MT is going to proceed to Raipur and on the route he will do window trailing inspection of the section, which is very crucial in terms of loading. Jamshed will fly back to New Delhi from Raipur on evening of January 17, it is learnt. He will be accompanied by top officials of SECR including, CoM, CCM, MD, CONCOR, Sr. Divisional Operations Manager (Sr. DoM) of respective divisions.

After a gap of three years, the Railways may post nearly 5 per cent growth in cargo volume this fiscal, with coal contributing a little less than half of the total volume.

During the first nine months of this fiscal, the Railways carried about 849 million tonnes cargo, registering a 4.8 per cent growth.

According to sources, January-March being the peak period, the trend may gain momentum and the Railways will finish close to the targeted volume of 1,167 mt, against last year’s total of 1,108 mt.

The volume of coal, which contributes 48-49 per cent of the total, increased 2.7 per cent; raw materials for steel plant, except iron ore, increased 6 per cent, and volume of steel cargo had shot up by a staggering 15 per cent.

Revenue grew faster than cargo volume at 8.11 per cent, presumably due to adjustments in tariff. And coal consumers were the biggest casualty as revenues from coal freight increased 10.18 per cent against less than 3 per cent volume growth.

In comparison, steel consumers are less affected. Revenue from steel raw materials, except iron ore, moved up 10.7 per cent faster than the volume growth. However, the growth of revenue from steel products is lower (10.7 per cent) than the volume growth.

Safety vs projects

Railway officials hold this year’s cargo growth as exceptional as it came on a high base and despite poor track capacity.

According to sources in the Railways, better coordination between Coal India and the Railways contributed significantly to this year’s performance.

Loading time

CIL has reduced its loading time in sidings.

To ensure faster turnaround of rakes and higher sales of coal, the Railways was asked to divert rakes to more efficient sidings.

Sources, however, point out that to ensure similar growth in despatches in the days to come, coal consumers have to invest in handling infrastructure.

Power and steel plants currently take eight to 10 hours to unload a rake as against the estimated five to six hours, slowing down the movement.

New projects

Recent slowdown in construction of new projects may also affect cargo growth in the future.

The slowdown is attributed to shift in focus on renewal of old and unsafe tracks, following a string of accidents.

New projects are suffering as rails are diverted to track renewal programmes.

Google is testing paid model of the Google Station programme in Mumbai. The tech giant has installed Wi-Fi at more than 200 stations across India.

But now Google is planning to take charge for the high speed internet service that it provides it these stations. The company is now testing a paid internet service. Users can pay Rs 19 to get unlimited access to the internet for one day valid across a region. A pack of Rs 149 offered by Google will provide unlimited internet access for one week.

The free version of the internet will also be available even after the introduction of paid connections. However, the free connection will offer only 30 minutes of free high-speed internet access with ads appearing on the login page. The internet speed will decreases after 30 minutes of internet usage.

According to reports, it is confirmed that from a Google spokesperson that the search giant is testing a paid internet service in the country.

Google has partnered with RailTel to provide internet across various railway stations across the country. The company is also planning to expand its internet program to other sectors including educational institutions and universities.

To help in timely running of trains during foggy season, a new GPS based system for auto warning to train drivers has been put to use by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

An equipment called FogPASS (Fog Pilot Assistance system for Safety) consisting of an inbuilt battery and GPS antenna with magnetic base has been installed in all locomotives in N.F.Railway. The device which weighs 1.5 kg is carried by the loco pilot at the time of assuming charge of the locomotive.

It is placed on the consul of the pilot and as the train moves, it displays short description and remaining distance of next two landmarks in geographical order on LCD screen. Landmarks include signals of various types, level crossing gate etc.

“This means that as a train approaches a station the device will flash the distance left for the home signal of that station. Thus, even if the pilot is unable to physically see the signal, he would be aware of how far the train is from the signal and would be alert to notice the aspect of the signal (red, green or yellow) and act accordingly,”  NFR CPRO Pranav Jyoti Sharma said.

There is also provision of voice announcement in speakers attached with the device for attention of drivers. The new device has proved to be greatly helpful to drivers in the foggy weather.

Sharma also informed that a total number of 1101 numbers of such devices have already been allotted to all Divisions for fixing in locomotives.

Besides, Railways has also deployed Fogmen to place detonators on the tracks to alert the loco pilots about approaching signals. Senior railway officials are undertaking night foot plate inspection and track patrolling to detect cases of rail fracture.

“Railways have also provided sufficient walkie-talkie sets to the crew and station staff. Signal indication booklets have been provided to loco pilot and counselling on working during fog is also being done,” NFR CPRO added.

It may be mentioned that during intense fog situation, railways normally face problem of shortage of crew resulting from longer working hours due to slower mobility, heavy crowing of waiting list passengers and non-availability of track maintenance slots due to reduced capacity apart from complete disorientation of timetable.

“So, the new GPS based system named FogPASS is proving to be a boon to speed up train during intense fog situation,” Sharma added.

Indian Railways is an institution for national service and nation building, President Ram Nath Kovind said yesterday.

Addressing a group of probationary officers of various rail services, he said that the rail network helps maintain and spread the country’s cultural heritage and traditions.

The president said Indian Railways is an institution for national service and nation building, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan quoted him as saying.

In 2015-16 alone, Indian Railways serviced over eight billion originating passengers.

The Indian Railways moves industrial and agricultural freight, defence equipment and military personnel, Kovind said.

“Be it by mean of special trains run to accommodate the rush for Kumbh Melas or the majestic ‘Palace on Wheels’ that captures the imagination of people around the globe,” he said.

Kovind said that trains are emerging as a means of mass rapid transport within cities.

“Metro Rail projects are being adopted by more and more cities in a bid to provide fast, secure and affordable urban connectivity,” the president said, adding that this would also help de-clog cities and reduce carbon footprint.

He reminded the probationary officers that they have joined an institution that provides them a unique opportunity to serve the nation and millions of citizens each day.

Kovind urged them to lead a life of optimism and develop a sense of positivity.

“This will allow them to make meaningful changes both at their work places as well as in society at large. It will also allow them to nurture a spirit of innovation and emerge as solution providers,” the president said.

In a double whammy to power consumers, the Indian Railways has revised freight rates for coal between 10-20 per cent after Coal India on Tuesday announced up to 10 per cent increase in the fuel price in keeping with the rising cost.

The simultaneous increase in coal price and its transportation charge could spell trouble for debt-ridden power distribution companies as it could raise the cost of power by up to 30 paisa per unit and translate into higher electricity tariff for consumers. It will also raise fuel cost for steel, cement and power units.

The Railways issued a new freight circular for coal and coke on Tuesday that has raised charges for various distance categories ranging from 10 to 20 per cent.

The rate of increase in freight is higher for higher distances covered. New ra­tes will be applicable from January 15.

The changes in rail freight comes after revision carried out in August last year that raised transportation cost for power plants located 200-700 km away from the mines and a red­uction for those situated further away.

As per a railway ministry circular, the current chan­ges in freight for coal and coke would be applicable throughout the year and no busy season surcharge and development charge will be applicable on its transport.

The changes in freight has increased transportation charges for coal up to a distance of 100 kilometres from earlier Rs 179 per tonne for trainload to Rs 198 per tonne now. Similarly, the charges for highest distance category of 3500 km have been revised up to Rs 3815.10 per tonne for trainload from Rs 3174 per tonne earlier. For railways the decision to raise freight tariff for coal, the commodity that accounts for 45 per cent of its receipts from transportation of goods, had become necessary due to consistent fall in growth in earnings.

But the national transporter’s latest move is at divergence with its strategy outlined in the last budget to offer freight rebates to boost volumes and broaden the basket of commodities transported via its network by giving strong competition to the road sector.

While an official with state-run power producer NTPC said that the increase “may not lead to a drastic rise in power generation cost,” private power producers said the new freight rates will warrant a power tariff increase. Sou­rces said that some of the DISCOMs may absorb a portion of this increase on coal and freight cost under political pressure with eight states going to polls soon.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Railways have mobilised men and machinery to complete 424-km renewal of rails and sleepers with other urgent maintenance activities in the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad railway divisions by March this year at a total investment of Rs. 480 crore.

Rail renewal of 102 km and 139 km and sleeper renewal of 106 km and 77 km are the targets given by Railways to the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad railway divisions respectively for 2017-18 as part of enhancing safety of rail users.

As Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has stated that the funds provided under the newly set up Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh crore cannot be refunded, a railway official said they had taken steps to accelerate the renewal of rails and sleepers in the State with the good monsoon prevailing.

As on December 1, 2017, rail renewal of 46 km, sleeper renewal of 48 km, deep screening of ballast in 73 km and de-stressing of 68 km of rails had been completed in the Palakkad division and 37, 12, 15, 45 and 54 km respectively in the Thiruvananthapuram division.

The rail and sleeper renewal carried out in the Palakkad division was 38 km and 7 km respectively in 2016-17 and 70 km and 12 km respectively in the Thiruvananthapuram division. “The target is achievable with good weather set to prevail in the next three months. The improvement in the condition of railway track in the State after the works will reflect on the punctuality of trains in the coming months,” the official said.

State-of-the-art tech

Railways have engaged state-of-the-art track relaying train (TRT) imported from the US for track renewals.

Already 26.71 km of track had been renewed in the Palakkad division using the TRT. Six km of track was relaid using the TRT in Kochuveli in the State capital in the last 10 days.

The TRT has been moved for the track renewal in the Kollam-Perinad rail corridor, the official said.

Flaws detection

In addition to these works, 267 flaws detected in the Palakkad division and 730 in the Thiruvananthapuram division this year through ultrasonic flaw detection test were removed by Railways. Internal flaws in the rails are detected using the machine and removed or secured using fish plates before they develop into fissures, the official said.