Winter is here, but a train commuter won’t have to fear the fog now. For the first time, the Railways is set to introduce a device that will allow the trains to run at more than 100 km per hour in dense fog without compromising on safety.

Trials of the device, named ‘Trinetra’ (third eye), have been completed and authorities have got the nod for installing it in passenger trains.

The device uses infra-red and laser rays to detect any object on tracks up to a distance of 2 km and display the information on screen fitted inside the locomotive.

The device can also detect any minor damage or crack in the tracks and thus avert rail accidents. Trinetra has been devised by the mechanical wing of the Railways.

Railway officials claimed during trial that the device successfully detected the presence of small objects on the track at least 500 metres in advance.

Similarly, it indicated minor defects in the tracks to the loco pilot and eventually trains could be stopped at a safe distance.

“The Trinetra device will be useful in averting train collisions, derailment and accidents on unmanned railway crossings. The radar-based system has been found to be accurate in sensing any physical obstruction on the tracks as it can also detect any damage in tracks ahead,” said a railway ministry official.

The ministry began trial of the device last year and sources said its working has already been demonstrated before the Prime Minister’s Office.

It may be noted that the railway ministry has been struggling to develop an effective train accident protection and warning system for over two decades.

Multiple trials were conducted on these devices but they failed to yield desired results.

The Trinetra device has been successfully tested in nearly 100 mail and express trains that included New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express.

The introduction of Trinetra also assumes significance in the wake of frequent derailments in recent years. Out of more than 250 accidents since 2015, a majority of them were caused due to damage in tracks or poor visibility.

Officials said the new devise will prove to be more useful during nights and in foggy conditions when drivers have to constantly look outside the locomotive to assess the condition.

Railways will be inviting tenders for installation of the device in January. As per the plan, nearly 4,000 trains will be equipped with the device in the first phase.

The phase-I will be implemented in the northern railway zone that witnesses the maximum train disruption due to fog.

The devices will be efficient in heavy rains as well, officials claimed. The Railways plans to equip these trains with the Trinetra device before the next winter.

Procurement of this device is a part of the Railways’ efforts to achieve zero-accident target.

The railway ministry in this year’s budget has also created a special safety fund of Rs 100,000 crore for eliminating unmanned level crossings, track renewal, signal upgradation and installation of train collision avoidance system for reducing train accidents.

The ministry has so far failed to implement indigenously-developed Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail has bagged the award of the prestigious Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI). L&T bagged the National Award for “Web Communication — Online Campaign for Social Media, PR & Branding” and it was presented at the 57th Annual Awards Ceremony, organized by the ABCI at a function in Mumbai on December 22. The Award was pitted against India’s leading corporates, banks and PSUs. It bagged the honors for the clarity of its communication, design, vibrancy of expression and for demonstrating that the recognition of an organization is through PR and Branding .

According to the Newspaper,The award has got Hyderabad Metro a national footprint. The ABCI holds annual contests. This year, over 250 organizations representing private sector companies, PSUs and communication agencies submitted a total of over 1,900 entries. L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited is a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, an Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services with USD 17 billion in revenue.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said works on metro rail project in Patna would be taken up soon as the state government will submit a corresponding detailed project report (DPR) to union ministry of housing and urban affairs within next four months.Nitish, while inaugurating the newly- built station road flyover on Tuesday evening, said Union minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh has assured that the DPR for Patna metro rail would be cleared in minimal time. Vehicular movement on the new flyover will commence from Wednesday.”The central government has recently changed its policy for development of metro rail networks in the country. Accordingly, we were required to change the DPR for Patna metro rail.

According to the Newspaper,State urban development department is finalising the changes in the DPR and we intend to submit within next three to four months. Union urban minister Puri had come to Patna to participate in the Shukrana Samaroh (thanks- giving or concluding ceremony of 350th birth anniversary of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh) and he has assured me that the DPR for Patna metro rail would be approved in minimal time,” Nitish said.The preliminary DPR for proposed metro rail in Patna entailing an estimated outlay of Rs. 16960crs was given an in- principal approval by CM Nitish Kumar on December 22, last year, followed by an approval by the state cabinet on February 9, this year.Meanwhile, the new metro policy of the Centre was given a nod by the central cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi in its meeting held on August 16.

Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) is hopeful of raising Rs 1,000 crore from the recent issue of capital gains bonds, its Managing Director S K Pattanayak said today. With an aim to raise Rs 500 crore with the green shoe option to retain over-subscription, IRFC is looking at mopping up Rs 1,000 crore from the capital gains bonds, he told here. Stating that IRFC opened the issue on November 10, Pattanayak said the bonds have a lock-in period of three years and presently yields an interest of 5.25 per cent per annum, payable on October 15 every year. The bonds have benefits under Section 54 EC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, he said.

IRFC is among the four institutions authorised by the Union Finance Ministry to issue such bonds. The other three non-banking financial companies are NHAI, REC and PFC. “The IRFC bonds are safe, secure, redeemable and non-transferable, and are a cheap source of funding for us,” the managing director said, adding, that a person who has received capital gains in a year can invest in these bonds and save tax on capital gains. An investor can invest a minimum of Rs 20,000, and in multiples of Rs 10,000 thereafter, with a maximum of up to Rs 50 lakh in these bonds, during a financial year. Noting that IRFC is one among the five Railway PSUs selected for listing on the bourses, Pattanayak, who was on a visit here, said preparations were underway in that direction.

Since its inception in 1986, IRFC has been playing a significant role in supporting the expansion of the Indian Railways, meeting about 30 per cent of its extra budgetary requirements, he said. The amount is around Rs 40,000 crore during this fiscal. Stating that the Railways has a big investment plan of Rs 8.56 lakh crore from 2015-16 to 2019-20, Pattanayak said said the target of funding through IRFC has been pegged at Rs 2.50 lakh crore. For the current fiscal, the Railways has planned a capex of Rs 1.31 lakh crore and is looking to raise more than Rs 35,000 crore in addition to its budgetary resources, primarily to procure safer passenger coaches and electric railway locomotives, and pushing the network electrification and signalling modernisation programme, he said. IRFC’s cumulative funding to the rail sector has crossed Rs 1.80 lakh crore as of March 31, 2017 and is all set to cross Rs 2.20 lakh crore by March, 2018, he said.

In a first, the Railways will soon roll out 15 aluminium-bodied trainsets – called Train-20 — on its prestigious Rajdhani routes that will run faster and boast of improved passenger comforts.

The aluminium trainsets – or trains like the Metro or EMUs that do not have locomotives hauling them — will not only be lightweight and energy-efficient, they will run at 160 kmph and have an automatic door system. They will have both seating and sleeper berths.

The aluminium trainsets, estimated to cost Rs 2,500 crore, will start rolling out of the Railways’ Integrated Coach Factory (ICF)/Perambur by 2020.

“A global tender has been floated inviting bids from leading international coach manufacturers for design, development, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of aluminium car body trainsets. Bids are expected to be opened next year for necessary action,” a senior ICF official, who did not wish to be named, told.

Under the bidding conditions, the first trainset of 20 coaches is to be manufactured — complete in all respects — at the successful bidder’s premises and dispatched to the ICF.

From the second trainset onwards, the successful bidder will supply the components, electrics, furnishing material, etc., to the ICF. The assembly of the trainset car body, bogie, painting and furnishing will be carried out at ICF.

There is an option to manufacture up to 10 trainsets in the successful bidder’s premises and ship them to ICF. However, the last four trainsets and spare coaches will be assembled entirely at ICF.

Covered space with a crane facility for manufacturing and storage space for material will be provided by ICF, as per the bid conditions.

A trainset is a set of coaches coupled mechanically and electrically with driving cabins at both ends and distributed traction power across the train. The acceleration and decceleration is faster in a trainset as compared to trains hauled by locomotives.

ICF expects leading global coach manufacturers to participate in the tender as, apart from the approximately 291 coaches on offer at present, the scope is so defined that the successful bidder will build a long-term relationship with the production unit.

Indian Railways will, in coming years, need a large number of trainsets beyond those tendered for, and the successful bidder will likely be an active partner in the expansion of modern rolling stock of the state-run transporter.

In order to make the train travel more joyful, all trainset coaches will be provided with on board Wi-fi, infotainment and a GPS-based Passenger Information System that will keep commuters informed of the travel status.

The trainsets will have plush interiors and diffused LED lighting. The toilets of these coaches will be fitted with zero discharge vacuum-based bio-toilets and touch-free fittings.

Currently, the ICF is executing the manufacture of 16 trainsets designed by in-house talent under its Train-18 programme. The first trainset under the Train-18 plan is expected to roll out by May next year.

While the Train-18 coaches are of stainless steel and meant to run on intra-day, inter-city Shatabdi routes, Train-20 coaches will be of aluminium and aimed at the day-night Rajdhani service.

While Train-18 coaches will only have seating arrangements in its AC Chair Car and Executive Class, Train-20 will have both AC seating and sleeper berths required for overnight journeys.

A passenger was today caught for travelling without ticket in an air-conditioned (AC) suburban train, whose services started here, a senior railway official said.

A fine of Rs. 435 was recovered from the passenger and the amount includes Rs. 165 as fare, Rs. 250 as penalty, Rs. 10 as CGST and Rs. 10 as SGST, he said.

The passenger was arrested while he was travelling in a Churchgate-bound train, the official added.

In a Christmas gift to Mumbaikars, the country’s first AC suburban train commenced its services, thus realising the long-awaited dream of lakhs of commuters.

The train, operated by the Western Railway (WR), began its journey at 10.32 am from Borivili station to Churchgate in South Mumbai.

The WR this evening claimed that it received “decent” response from the commuters.

The WR in a statement said in total five trips of the day, total 446 tickets were booked and 579 passengers travelled.

“We earned Rs. 62,746 through the fares from these five trips,” it added.

Meanwhile, railway activist Rajiv Singal, who has been a member of Railway Users Consultative Committees in both Central Railway and WR, claimed that the train would be “a failure due to institutional flaws.”

Another social activist Anil Galgali said he has written to Railway minister Piyush Goyal and urged him that first-class ticket holders be allowed to travel in AC local trains.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured a contract for 146 sets of IGBT – based 3 phase electrics for 25 KV AC Mainline EMU (MEMU) trains. The contract valued at Rs 672 crore has been placed on BHEL by Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. BHEL’s scope of work in the order envisages design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of IGBT-based propulsion system and other equipment for MEMU trains of Indian Railways.  BHEL has been supplying electric as well as diesel locomotives, EMUs, propulsion system sets and drives to Indian Railways over the years.

Against international competitive bidding (ICB), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has secured a landmark contract for 146 sets of IGBT-based 3 phase electrics for 25 KV AC Mainline EMU (MEMU) trains. Valued at Rs672cr, the order has been placed on BHEL by Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala. BHEL’s scope of the work in the order envisages design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of IGBT-based propulsion system and other equipment for MEMU trains of Indian Railways.

These state-of-the-art system and equipment will be developed and produced by BHEL at its various manufacturing plants located at Bengaluru, Bhopal and Jhansi.

BHEL has been a reliable and trusted partner in the growth of Indian Railways for over 50 years and has always remained in the forefront for bringing in new technology.

The company has been supplying electric as well as diesel locomotives, EMUs, propulsion system sets and drives to Indian Railways over the years.

Notably, BHEL has supplied 360 electric locomotives of various ratings to Indian Railways till date apart from over 370 Diesel Electric Shunting Locomotives to various industries which are operating successfully.

BHEL is India’s largest power plant equipment manufacturer with 20,000 MW pa manufacturing capacity. It is the market leader in generation equipment space with 55% market share of the total installed power capacity. BHEL derived 79.2% of its revenue from power segment, and remaining from the industrial segment (transmission, transportation, renewables, defence) in FY17.

Indian Railways’ 60 per cent projects out of the total 353 central sector projects are facing huge cost overrun due to various reasons, according to a government report.

As many as 213 railway projects are facing total cost overrun of Rs 1.6 lakh crore, as per the flash report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) for September, 2017.

The MOSPI monitors central sector projects envisaging an expenditure of Rs 150 crore and above each on regular basis.

According to the report, the total original cost of these 213 projects was Rs 1,21,595.36 crore. The total anticipated cost of these projects is estimated at Rs 2,83,482.35 crore, which indicates overall cost escalation by 133.14 per cent.

The ministry monitored 353 projects of Indian Railways in September this year. The study said that as many as 36 railway projects reported time overrun or delay of 12 months to 261 months.

After railways, power sector reported second highest incidence of overall cost overrun. Out of the 124 projects monitored by the MOSPI in the power sector, 44 reported cost overrun of Rs 57,756.87 crore.

The total original cost of these 44 projects was Rs 1,05,404.62 crore which escalated to total anticipated cost of Rs 1,63,161.49 crore. The report stated that out of the 124 power sector projects, 61 reported time overrun (delay) of three months to 136 months.

In a Christmas gift to Mumbaikars, the country’s first air-conditioned (AC) suburban train commenced its services, thus realising the long-awaited dream of lakhs of commuters.

The train, operated by the Western Railway (WR), began its journey at 10.32 am from the Borivili station to Churchgate in South Mumbai.

The commuters, excited at the launch of the AC local which is expected to bring them respite during the scorching summer, captured the historic moments by clicking selfies as the train reached the Churchgate station at 11.16 am.

Earlier, BJP MPs Kirit Somaiya, Gopal Shetty, Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar and WR General Manager Anil Kumar Gupta flagged off the train.

Gupta said, “This AC local is being run through a prototype coach and we will invite feedback from commuters and incorporate it in our next fleet of coaches.”

Built in Chennai at a cost of Rs 54 crore, the 12-car rake of the AC local arrived here on April 4, 2016.

Initially, it was meant to be run on the Central Railway (CR) corridor. However, later it was decided to run it first on the WR corridor.

Subsequently, the WR conducted about 65 trial runs of the train before starting its services for the public.

According to WR Chief Public Relations Officer Ravinder Bhakar, the last successful technical run of the train, running on broad gauge, was conducted on Sunday.

Initially, the AC local will operate only on the Churchgate-Borivili section.

The train will make six trips daily (12 services per day) and from January 1 next year, it will run from Churchgate to Virar, Bhakar said.

“The train will not operate on Saturdays and Sundays as it requires maintenance,” he said, adding that the 12 services of the AC train will replace the existing 12 non-AC services.

Mumbaikars, who took the first ride, expressed delight at the new service.

“It’s quite unbelievable. I can’t express my feeling. I pray to the almighty that every local is made like this,” Sheela Raut, a commuter, said.

Railway activists too expressed happiness at the launch of the AC train.

Kailash Verma, an activist of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, “The commissioning of this train is a testimony that the Indian Railways is trying hard to meet the demands of the passengers. I hope that maintenance and punctuality of the trains will be monitored on priority.

HERE ARE 10 POINTS ON MUMBAI AC LOCAL

• The fully air-conditioned 12-coach train was flagged off from Borivali at 10.30 am by railway officials, BJP leaders, local lawmaker Gopal Shetty and Maharashtra’s Education Minister Vinod Tawde.
• Built in Chennai at a cost of Rs. 54 crore, the Mumbai AC Local was meant to be run on the Central Railway (CR) corridor. However, later it was decided to run it first on the Western Railway (WR) corridor.
• The WR conducted about 65 trial runs of the train before starting its services today.
• Initially, the AC local will operate only on the Churchgate-Borivili section. The train will make six trips (12 services per day) and from January 1 next year, it will run from Churchgate to Virar.
• “The train will not operate on Saturdays and Sundays as it requires maintenance,” he said, adding that the 12 services of the AC train will replace the existing 12 non-AC services.
• The full AC air-suspension coaches will carry nearly 6,000 commuters per rake. Just like the Metro trains, these coaches will also have automatic door opening-closing system.
• Emergency Talk Back system between commuters and guard besides a public address system, advanced GPS-based passenger information system, air-tight vestibules connecting all 12 coaches are some of its other features.
• “The automatic doors will keep us safe and the AC makes it comfortable too. The emergency communicator, a safety feature in which passengers can directly communicate with the guard of the train, is impressive,” a passenger said.
• The base fare of the single journey of the Mumbai AC local will be 1.3 times of the base fare of the existing fare for a single journey by first class. However, passengers will be charged 1.2 times the first class ticket cost in the initial six months. Unlike regular local trains, the AC service will have a special weekly and fortnightly season ticket.
• Kailash Verma of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, “The commissioning of this train is a testimony that the Indian Railways is trying hard to meet the demands of the passengers. I hope that maintenance and punctuality of the trains will be monitored on priority.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 inaugurated a segment of Delhi Metro newly-built Magenta Line, which will connect Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an inaugural ride on a short section of the 12.6-kilometer (7.8-mile) Magenta Line, which connects the southern part of New Delhi with Noida. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Ram Naik and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director Mangu Singh also graced the event. After the inauguration, all the dignitaries, including PM Modi, took a ride on board the Magenta Line metro during its first public run.  While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanied PM Modi as he travelled to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary station in the swanky train.

A section of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line that connects Botanical Garden to Kalkaji. The 12.64-km stretch, part of the Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West corridor, aims to bring Noida closer to south Delhi. Earlier, passengers had to take a train from Noida had to switch Metro at Mandi house to go to south Delhi. Now, the journey that took 52 minutes can now be completed in just 19 minutes. This Metro line will immensely benefit the students of Jamia Milia Islamia and Amity University and officer-goers headed for Noida.

Noida and Faridabad have also come closer and those travelling to Faridabad will be able to change trains at Kalkaji Mandir and go directly to Faridabad, saving them a lot of time.

This line will also have an interchangeable station at Hauz Khas. Once this line opens completely, commuters from Noida to Gurgaon would be able to bypass the crowded Rajiv Chowk station and change trains at Hauz Khas station to reach Gurgaon.

The first-phase of Delhi Metro’s Magenta line has a lot in store. Commuters travelling via this route can look forward to every station having Wi-Fi connectivity, trains offering more space for those using wheelchairs, charging points that are USB compatible, LCD screens displaying videos, vibrant coloured seats and a host of other new features.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corp. has said the highly automated train will run initially with a driver but could become driverless in the future. An official said that it would have human operators for ‘a year or two’.

One of the new trains crashed through a wall at a depot last week, sparking concern about the automation technology. However, Delhi Metro said human error was the cause, with workers forgetting to re-engage the brakes after they had been disengaged for maintenance. The train rolled down a ramp and into the wall.

The Magenta Line is the latest addition to the Delhi Metro system, which opened 15 years ago and covers more than 200 kilometers (125 miles).

With the commissioning of the new line, the travel time between south Delhi and Noida will be reduced from 52 minutes to 19 minutes on the Magenta Line.

The entire line, when complete, will run from Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West.

The coaches will have LED information display, power charging capacity and colourful seats. The new stations have been decorated using themes of nature, yoga, and cultural landmarks.

This would be first line on the Delhi Metro network where driverless trains will be introduced along with the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology, which facilitates the movement of trains within a frequency of 90 to 100 seconds.

The platform screen doors (PSDs) are also being used for the first time. PSDs are glass-made screens installed near the edge of platforms that open only when a train arrives and shut after it departs.

Metro rides in Delhi-NCR got costlier this year after the fare structure saw two revisions. Starting at Rs. 10, the fare goes up to Rs. 60. Divided into six fare slabs, the new fare structure, Monday through Saturday, is:

Rs. 10 for up to 2 kms
Rs. 20 for 2 to 5 kms
Rs. 30 for 5 to 12 kms
Rs. 40 from 12 to 21 kms
Rs. 50 from 21 to 32 kms
Rs. 60 for journeys over 32 kms

Those carrying a smart card and travelling during off-peak hours — between 6am to 8am, 12pm to 5pm and 10 pm onwards — can avail a discount of 20 per cent. On Sundays and national holidays (January 26, August 15 and October 2), there is a discount of Rs. 10 across slabs. When the Metro had started operations in 2002, the minimum fare was Rs. 4 and maximum was Rs. 8.

The trains run from 6 am till about 11 pm.