Indian Railways is charging only a standard fare for this class from state governments which is just 15 per cent of the total cost incurred by the national transporter.

Indian Railways Shramik special trains: During the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Railways is running Shramik special trains. These special trains are being run by the national transporter for stranded migrants, students, tourists and pilgrims, in coordination with the various state governments. According to Indian Railways, the fares for these trains will be collected from the state governments. Amidst criticism towards the Centre for not running special trains free of cost, here is what we know so far about who is paying the cost of running Shramik special trains:

1. An ANI report has quoted sources in the Railway Ministry as saying that 85% of the cost of running these trains is being borne by Indian Railways. Indian Railways is charging only a standard fare for this class from state governments which is just 15 per cent of the total cost incurred by the national transporter, the report said.

2. According to Indian Railways, these trains are running at much less than their capacity, with social distancing norms being maintained between the passengers. Indian Railways has also said that train tickets are not being sold to migrants and Indian Railways is only boarding passengers based on the lists provided by states.

Railway Ministry recently issued a statement stating that the national transporter is only accepting passengers ‘brought’ and ‘facilitated’ by the state governments. Therefore, no other group of travelers or individuals have been allowed to come to railway stations. It further said that besides, Shramik special trains, no other passenger train services including suburban train services are being operated.

3. The fare for these Shramik special trains will include charges for Sleeper Mail Express + Superfast train charge of Rs 30 + an additional charge of Rs 20. This includes drinking water as well as meals for long-distance trains.

4. An IE report has quoted the Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav as saying that the call to not run trains for free is a conscious one so that only those for whom travel is essential can take the train journeys.

5. A statement issued by the Railway Ministry reads that the sending state has to pay the consolidated fare to Indian Railways. The cost may be borne by the sending state, or taken from the passengers by the sending state, or after mutual consultation with the receiving state. Indian Railways is only issuing tickets to passengers decided by the sending state government, the statement says.

Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, payment for the Shramik Special trains that have run till now has been made by state governments, except Maharashtra.

The third phase of the lockdown (4 May to 17 May 2020) will see some considerable relaxations for those districts that have been declared as orange and green zones. But, there will be little or no movement in the red zones. However, irrespective of whatever zone a district falls under, the rail, air, metro as well as inter-state bus services will remain suspended till 17 May 2020.

These special trains are being operated to move migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists and other people who are stranded at different places due to the nationwide lockdown.

Indian Railways to run special trains from Labour Day! Based on the guidelines by Ministry of Home Affairs and as per the demands received from the various state governments, as many as six Shramik special trains are being operated today – Lingampalli to Hatia, Aluva to Bhubaneswar, Nasik to Lucknow, Nasik to Bhopal, Jaipur to Patna and Kota to Hatia special trains. Incidentally, May 1 is also Labour Day. According to a statement issued by the Railway Ministry, these special trains are being operated to move migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists and other people who are stranded at different places due to the nationwide lockdown implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the protocols for sending as well as receiving such stranded persons, these special train services will be operated by Indian Railways from point-to-point on the request of both the concerned state governments. Moreover, for coordination and smooth operation of these special trains, the national transporter and state governments have been asked to appoint senior officials as Nodal Officers.

Today, Indian Railways on the request of various state governments is running the following six Shramik Special trains:

1. Lingampalli to Hatia
2. Nasik to Bhopal
3. Jaipur to Patna
4. Nasik to Lucknow
5. Aluva to Bhubaneswar
6. Kota to Hatia

The states allowing stranded migrants and other people to leave will have to screen the passengers and only those would be allowed to travel who are found to be asymptomatic. By following social distancing norms as well as other precautions, the state governments will have to bring these people in batches that can be accommodated in the special train to the designated station in buses that are sanitized. Every passenger will have to wear face cover.

The passengers will be provided with meals and drinking water by the sending states at the originating railway station. During the journey, social distancing and hygiene will be ensured with the cooperation of railway passengers. Also, meals will be provided on longer routes, during the journey. The state government will receive the passengers on their arrival and will make arrangements for their screening, quarantine if required and further travel from the station.

With the launching of the steel girders by cantilever erection method, the engineers of Indian Railways have demonstrated very meticulous planning and execution.

Jiribam-Imphal railway line project: Indian Railways gets its first bridge with over 100 metres high piers! The girders for Bridge number 44 – part of the upcoming Jiribam-Imphal railway line – have been launched over river Makru in the district of Tamenglong, Manipur. According to Indian Railways, this is another step forward in connecting this beautiful land to the Indian Railways network to aid its socio-economic development. The newly launched, bridge number 44 on river Makru is the first ever 100 metre high pier bridge of Indian Railways. According to details shared by the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, the 100 metre high pier bridge is equivalent to a 33 storey building. The bridge is 555 metres long. Watch this breathtaking video of the 100-metre high pier bridge:

With the launching of the steel girders by cantilever erection method, the engineers of Indian Railways have demonstrated very meticulous planning and execution, the national transporter claimed. According to the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, due to anti-social elements activities, the security of railway officials as well as the staff of construction companies was a big challenge. Thus, to cater to this issue, CPRF, as well as Manipur Rifles companies, have been deployed at both ends of bridge number 44.

Moreover, to provide security and safety to the construction work of bridge number 44 along with other locations of the Jiribam-Imphal railway line project, battalion of Territorial Army-119 unit with assistance from the Ministry of Defence was deployed near the bridge site in March 2019. As the site of the bridge is remote, the access for man and machine was very difficult. Therefore, many times during the winter season, timely transportation of heavy girders have been done by custom made trucks.

The Jiribam-Imphal railway line will connect the Northeast state of Manipur to the rest of India through the Indian Railways network. The ambitious railway line project, which has been declared as a national project was taken up in the year 2008. The Jiribam-Imphal railway line project is expected to be complete by 2022 and will also boast Indian Railways’ tallest railway girder bridge (Bridge number 164) with a pier height of 141 metres, twice as high as Qutab Minar!

The Railway Emergency Cell for COVID-19 has been responding to nearly 13,000 queries, suggestions, and requests daily, from five communication as well as feedback platforms – Helpline numbers 138 and 139, social media platforms, especially Twitter, email and CPGRAMS.

Amid lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Indian Railways is taking steps for its customers and the general public! The Railway Emergency Cell for COVID-19 has been responding to nearly 13,000 queries, suggestions, and requests daily, from five communication as well as feedback platforms – Helpline numbers 138 and 139, social media platforms, especially Twitter, email (railmadad@rb.railnet.gov.in) and CPGRAMS. The comprehensive nation-wide unit comprises of around 400 officers from the Railway Board to Railway Divisions. According to the Railway Ministry, over 90 per cent of the queries were responded on a one-to-one basis over telephone, mostly in the caller’s local language.

In addition to queries answered by Indian Railways’ IVRS facility, over 2,30,000 queries were answered through the Rail Madad Helpline number 139 on a one-on-one basis in the first four weeks of the nationwide lockdown. While the queries over helpline numbers 138 and 139 are generally for the commencement of passenger train services and the relaxed refund rules on tickets, the Social Media platforms are flushed with appreciation of Indian Railways’ efforts as well as suggestions in these trying times, the ministry stated.

On helpline number 138, which is geo-fenced, i.e., calls land on the nearest Railway Divisional Control Office as per the caller’s location, more than 1,10,000 calls were received, during the same period. The facility ensures that the callers receive guidance and information in the language that they are comfortable speaking. Besides, the new feature also makes the flow of information to customers of Indian Railways as well as others, faster as the pertinent information is readily available with the concerned Railway Division.

Additionally, the national transporter started time tabled parcel train services for the time-bound delivery of essential commodities such as life-saving drugs. Using Parcel special trains, RMS, as well as other consignments that were struck at various points, were cleared as well. Moreover, suggestions were incorporated by Indian Railways that were received from the public, on a real-time basis, wherever possible. For an example, the East Coast Railway zone had planned a parcel train service from Yashwantpur to Guwahati. However, the train did not have a planned stoppage at Vishakhapatnam, but after receiving a suggestion on Twitter, it was rerouted through the station. Moreover, the national transporter also played a crucial role in transporting life-saving drugs to those who were unable to procure them due to the countrywide lockdown.

 

Indian Railways’ transparent contactless cubicle developed by Hubballi Workshop can be used by doctors to remain isolated with the patient, protecting them from catching the COVID-19 infection.

Indian Railways is working on various measures to tackle the novel Coronavirus virus and prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Recently, the South Western Railway zone’s Hubballi Workshop has come out with an innovative plan by creating contactless cubicles for doctors and medical professionals. With contactless cubicles, doctors checking suspected novel Coronavirus patients will not have to come in direct physical contact with patients. Even after maintaining the protocol in hospitals as per medical guidelines, doctors testing those who might have been infected with the COVID-19 deadly virus, are prone to catch the infection. Over the last few days, there have been instances of doctors treating patients of COVID-19, catching the infection and this way the threat of spreading the novel Coronavirus is compounded.

According to a press release issued by the South Western Railway zone, the transparent contactless cubicle developed by Hubballi Workshop can be used by doctors to remain isolated with the patient, protecting them from catching the COVID-19 infection. After each medical test, gloves that protrude out of the cubicle will be changed as well as the exterior and interior of the chamber will be sanitized, it stated. This transparent cubicle for testing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) being manufactured by theHubballi Workshop for treating COVID-19 patients will safeguard doctors as well as nurses, who are the frontline warriors in the fight against the novel Coronavirus pandemic so that they can serve the nation in the hour of need, it added.

A few days ago, Coach Rehabilitation Workshop in Bhopal, under the West Central Railway zone had set up a mobile doctor booth named CHARAK. The booth facilitates zero-contact check-ups in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic as well as ensure the safety of doctors and medical professionals. The booth can be smoothly transported to remote or rural areas. Moreover, it can be moved within 500 m area by hand transport. Besides, CHARAK is an economical and low-cost viral barrier for doctors treating COVID-19 patients.

The meeting was attended by Adani Realty, Bharti Realty, Larsen and Toubro, GMR, Eldeco, Godrej, R Cube, Kalpataru Power Transmission, and R Retail Ventures.

World-class Indian Railways stations! In line with the Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways’ long-term plan to develop world-class railway stations across the country, IRSDC conducted a pre-bid meeting with interested companies on the manner in which the government wants the Anand Vihar and Bijwasan railway stations to be developed. Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation or IRSDC is the nodal agency implementing the ambitious railway station redevelopment programme across the Indian Railways network.

The agenda of the meeting was mixed-use development of the railway station on the land parcel on the basis of leasehold rights. The meeting was conducted via a video conference on Wednesday. The meeting for the redevelopment of Anand Vihar and Bijwasan railway stations in Delhi was attended by Adani Realty, Bharti Realty, Larsen and Toubro, GMR, Eldeco, Godrej, R Cube, Kalpataru Power Transmission, and R Retail Ventures.

IRSDC plans to make the railway stations world-class by giving them an airport-like makeover. A few of the proposed salient features of these railway stations are:

Airport-style separate entry and exit points at the station to avoid crowding and to ensure efficient movement of passengers.

For an enhanced waiting experience, shops and food stalls would be functional at the departure section.

The stations would be environment friendly and divyang-friendly

According to a tweet by the IRSDC, the vision of the nodal agency for these stations is to ensure that the land of the railway station is used for multiple purposes and that there is a round-the-clock city centre at the railway station complex. IRSDC also wants the development of the railway stations to be in a way which promotes the movement of pedestrian and non-motorised transport (NMT). The vision also includes the plan to develop safe and active streets and a complex with significant green areas to ensure the quality of life as well as value addition.

During the video conference, the artist impressions of the proposed railway stations were also shared with the prospective bidders and stakeholders. Financial Express Online had earlier reported that both the Anand Vihar and Bijwasan railway stations will be awarded on the EPC or Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode. While the revamp of the Anand Vihar station is expected to cost Rs 224.48 crore, the Bijwasan station redevelopment is likely to be a Rs 270.82 crore project.

The Northern Railway zone, which has been leading the charge in making things to fight the novel coronavirus such as isolation coaches, hand sanitisers and PPE coverall suits has issued instructions to manufacture the masks from the cloth with the material meant for the uniform of railwaymen.

 

Indian Railways to make washable face masks! As wearing masks have been made mandatory for public places and at work, the national transporter will manufacture over 1 lakh washable face masks using the cloth material that is used to produce bright orange uniform worn by railway trackmen, as well as the plain white uniform worn by other railway employees. According to an IE report, the Northern Railway zone, which has been leading the charge in making things to fight the novel coronavirus such as isolation coaches, hand sanitisers and PPE coverall suits has issued instructions to manufacture the masks from the cloth with the material meant for the uniform of railwaymen. Each mask produced by the railways will cost Rs 5.94, on the other hand, the same quality mask in the market costs approximately Rs 7.50.

According to the report, 5,000 meters of surplus cloth that was meant for orange and white uniforms have been identified by the workshops, lying idle for some time. As per the calculations of engineers, over 1 lakh masks can be yielded in no time and can be supplied across the country for its various units on demand. The idea of manufacturing masks using the surplus cloth came while stitching masks in Indian Railways’ 150-year-old workshops in Lucknow’s Charbagh and Alambagh area.

Before starting the production, the mask designs that are available in the market were studied and in consultation with railway hospitals, a design was finalized. According to officials, the basic requirement has been ensured i.e., full covering of the nose and mouth, correct tension of elastic, etc.

To prevent COVID-19 from spreading, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting homemade masks. He recently tweeted stating that one of the most important tasks is to be a part of #TeamMaskForce. He further said that small but necessary precautions can keep everyone safe from the coronavirus infection while endorsing the wearing of masks.

So far, one lot has already been supplied to the railway hospitals as well as other workshops. In the national capital, Railway staff colonies have placed an order on payment basis. Till now, the Northern Railway zone alone has manufactured around 31,000 masks from various sources during the whole period of nationwide lockdown, the report added.

 

The 14-carriage first passenger train was flagged off with a 21-gun salute, which was hauled by three steam locomotives- Sindh, Sahib, Sultan, carrying 400 passengers.

Big day for Indian Railways as it completes 167 years! Today i.e., 16 April 2020, marks a very special day for the national transporter as 167 years ago, the wheels of the first passenger train from Mumbai to Thane started rolling with the zeal to ‘never to stop’. The 14-carriage first passenger train was flagged off with a 21-gun salute, which was hauled by three steam locomotives- Sindh, Sahib, Sultan, carrying 400 passengers. Even though in India, trains started running much before the year 1853, this was the first time that a passenger train was operated on Indian Railways tracks. Take a look at some little known facts about Indian Railways:

• In the year 1861, the Churchgate station was opened as the new terminus for Bombay (Mumbai).
• Delhi’s oldest station, Delhi Junction was set up in 1864, starting train service between Delhi-Calcutta (Kolkata).
• In the month of April 1867, the first rail line from Lucknow to Kanpur was built.
• The first locomotive was developed in the year 1895 in Ajmer for the Rajputana Malwa Railway.
• The development of the first Indian Bridge which was built across the sea, Pamban Railway Bridge started in the year 1911 and it was commenced on 1914.
• In the year 1920, Indian Railways launched electric lighting between Dadar and Currey Road.
• Between the years 1924 and 1944, nationalization of Indian Railways was initiated.
• The first automatic colour light signals in India was introduced in 1928 on GIPR’s rail lines between Bombay VT – Byculla.
• The iconic Howrah Bridge in Kolkata was commissioned in the year 1943.
• In the year 1954, sleeping accommodation was introduced in three-tier coaches.
• The Taj Express between New Delhi – Agra was introduced in 1964 to allow tourists/visitors to visit Agra and return to the national capital on the same day.
• Fast Freight services were introduced in 1965 across several routes.
• For the first time, the Centralized Traffic Control System on railways was launched in the year 1966 between Gorakhpur-Chhapra.
• The first in dedicated electric passenger loco series, WAP-1 was built by CLW to RDSO specifications and was introduced in 1980.
• The computerized ticketing and reservation were introduced in 1986 in New Delhi.
• In the year 1990, the first Self Printing Ticket Machine was launched in New Delhi.
• In the month of June 2001, WDP-4 was started and 10 of them, operating out of Hubli, were provided by General Motors.

Due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown because of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, the passenger train services have been stopped for the first time in the history of Indian Railways.

Indian Railways passenger train services update: With PM Narendra Modi announcing the extension of the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown till May 3, Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways will not resume passenger train services. More importantly, the national transporter has also suspended all advance reservations for train tickets until further notice. This means that you cannot book any train ticket from the IRCTC website or agents for the coming months as well.

In an official notification, Indian Railways stated that all passenger train services including Mail/Express trains, premium trains, Kolkata Metro, suburban trains and Konkan Railway shall continue to remain cancelled till 2400 hours on May 3. Additionally, all the counters for booking of train tickets, whether reserved or unreserved, will remain closed both on railway stations and outside the station premises.

Earlier, the national transporter had cancelled all passenger train services till April 14 but continued to take bookings for trains scheduled from April 15. With the lockdown being extending till May 3, no passenger train services will operate till that date and passengers will be given a full refund for their train tickets.

While IRCTC e-ticket holders will be refunded automatically without the need to cancel their tickets, the PRS counter ticket holders have been asked avoid going to railway stations to claim a refund. For this purpose, Indian Railways has extended the time till which the refund can be claimed so that passengers don’t rush to stations amidst lockdown.

Indian Railways continues to run its freight trains to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country. E-commerce giants like Flipkart and even India Post are now using Indian Railways special parcel trains to ferry goods. The national transporter has introduced 109 parcel train services over 58 routes.

The national transporter is also innovating with its production units and workshops making ventilator prototypes, contactless doctor check-up booths, making masks, sanitizers and PPEs. The Railway Board has also directed all its zones to convert old train coaches into isolation wards for Coronavirus patients. As many as 20,000 train coaches are planned to be converted into isolation wards, providing over 3 lakh beds for quarantine. In the first phase, 5,000 coaches have already been converted. These isolation wards have proper facilities for doctors and nurses as well. With trains being converted into COVID-19 patient wards, India now has unique “movable hospitals on wheels” which can be moved depending on the need in a particular area.

Indian Railways’ fight against the novel Coronavirus outbreak continues! In this time of crisis, when the entire nation has been put in a lockdown till 14 April 2020, Indian Railways is making efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. In a bid to help the government, the national transporter has taken several significant steps to provide medical facilities to the public across the nation. From manufacturing masks and sanitizers to converting train coaches into isolation wards for COVID-19 patients, Piyush Goyal chaired Railway Ministry is implementing various innovations to tackle the deadly virus pandemic. Here, take a look at some of the top innovations introduced by Indian Railways to fight COVID-19 infection:

Production of ventilators: The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, recently developed a prototype of a ventilator, which would be used in the isolation or quarantine facilities of Indian Railways. The newly developed prototype ventilator has an original design and moreover, it will cost almost a fraction of the cost of a regular ventilator. Besides, the Production Units of Indian Railways are also manufacturing ventilators, PPEs as well as other medical equipment to meet the needs to fight novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Isolation wards or quarantine facilities: The national transporter has converted as many as 5,000 train coaches across the nation into isolation or quarantine facilities with around 80,000 beds for COVID-19 patients. The aim is to convert as many as 20,000 coaches if the need arises.

Mobile doctor booth for check-ups: The Coach Rehabilitation Workshop of the national transporter, located in Bhopal has launched a mobile doctor booth called “CHARAK”. The mobile booth facilitates zero-contact check-ups of patients and also ensures the safety of the medical professionals or doctors in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Fumigation/disinfection tunnel: Indian Railways is setting up fumigation or disinfection tunnels at various places. So, when someone enters through it, the fumigation spray begins and sanitizes the entire body of that person. A Fumigation Tunnel has been set up at Indian Railways’ Jagadhri Workshop. Also, a disinfection tunnel has been made available at Electric Loco Shed, Bhusawal.

Manufacturing of masks and sanitizer: According to a press release issued by the Railway Ministry, till 7 April 2020, the national transporter manufactured a total of 5,82,317 reusable face masks as well as 41,882 litres of hand sanitizer in-house in the zones of Indian Railways, Production Units as well as PSUs to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection.