The Indian Railways has reported its best safety record in five years for the 12-month period from September 2017 to August 2018.
According to the official data, last year (September 2016-August 2017), a total of 80 train accidents occurred in India and they claimed 249 lives, while this year, the number shows a steep decline—the national transporter had to account for 40 deaths, which is an 84% reduction from last year.
This certainly confirms that the Railways has implemented and maintained optimum security measures, and we only hope that this trend will continue.
Citing official data, a senior Railways official said, “Comparing the figures of the period between September 1, 2013 to August 31 2014, to that of the number between September 1 2017, to August 31, 2018, the fatality figures in collisions and derailments (whose causes the railways can address, according to the official) taken together have come down from 62 to 4—a 93 per cent reduction…”
The rest of the 36 deaths were due to mishaps at unmanned level crossings (UMLCs), manned level crossings, coach fire accidents and one has been registered under ‘miscellaneous.’
Elaborating on the number of injuries caused due to collisions and derailments, the official said that the number has come down from 272 last year to 12 this year.
“The total number of collision and derailments have come down from 69 to 56 during this period,” he said.
Renewal of tracks on a large scale, regular safety reviews, improved safety training for staff as well as a close inspection of safety performance done between September 2016 and August 2017 are crucial factors that led to this favourable safety record.
The Railways has also started removing unmanned level crossings—1565 UMLCs were removed in 2017-18 and the railway official said that the plan is to remove 1600 more in the coming year.
In July this year, the Indian Railways has also inducted five futuristic machines that will ensure safer travel. You can read about it in detail here.
From cleanliness, free services and safety precautions, the Indian Railways is always taking steps to make your travel more comfortable and enjoyable. Although 40 deaths in a year is still a high number, the rate of decline in fatalities and accidents is excellent news.
According to the Wildlife Trust of India, train collisions have killed 266 elephants between 1987 to 2017. The collisions seem to occur where there is a high elephant habitat, or places termed ‘elephant corridors’.
There are about 20 spots where the rail track crosses such elephant corridors in India, in the Chapramari Forest in West Bengal, for example.
In April this year, four elephants were hit by the Howrah-Mumbai Express at the double-crossing railway tracks near Telidihi village of Jharsugida district in Odisha, where all four animals were killed on the spot.
To prevent similar incidents in future, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) adopted ‘Plan Bee’ last year.
It uses a device costing about Rs 2,000 which will be installed at level crossings at these accident prone areas. The device works by loudly broadcasting the buzz of swarming honeybees, audible up to 600 meters, a sound that would keep the elephants away. This is because the elephants have a natural fear of the perilous stings of the insects.
Previous methods of accident prevention were seen near an elephant corridor along the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. Here, sensors would be mounted near the tracks, which would alert officers if there were elephants nearby. Officers would then be dispatched to the location to chase away the animals.
Though applicable, the method could not be thoroughly depended upon as there were chances of the sensor failing and the threat to human lives.
Other method involved fencing near the elephant corridors, but as it turned out, the fences stood no chance against the powerful animal.
The buzzer installation, however, has been successful ever since the first one was installed near the Guwahati railway station. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs, recently took to Twitter to praise Plan Bee, calling it an “innovative method”.
Imagine that you are travelling by train and require assistance with something – a medical emergency perhaps – during your journey. What would be your best course of action?
Along with approaching your fellow travellers, the ticket checker or any onboard Railway Police personnel, don’t forget to send out a Tweet to the Indian Railways!
A tweet to the @RailMinIndia handle with a problem has proven very handy in several crucial occasions. Off late, the Railways has gotten quite good at using the social media platform to communicate efficiently with passengers, come to the rescue of the stranded or even investigate the suspicous.
Indeed, a timely response from the Indian Railways to a passenger’s SOS tweets has saved the day many times. Here are five such instances:
The Railways have always swung into action, when contacted through Twitter. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
1. Adarsh Shrivastava was witness to a trafficking racket while travelling by train. Onboard the Muzaffarpur-Bandra-Awadh Express, he wanted an investigation when he saw a group of 26 girls on the train, crying and looking scared.
He created a Twitter account and put out a tweet mentioning all the details of the coach and the train. Fortunately for the girls, the Railways reacted with lightning speed and soon rescued the group.
Read here about how the girls were saved from a grim fate.
2. Namrata Mahajan was on an outstation train in Maharashtra, when she found herself stuck in a precarious situation. She was threatened by a male passenger, whose behaviour was becoming frightening. She sent out an urgent tweet, which received a prompt reply – asking for her PNR number. The Railways quickly organised CRPF Jawans to meet her at the next station and things were turned around for Mahajan.
3. 27 students of Asian School, Dehradun, were on their way to Howrah, aboard the Kumbha Express. The train experienced delays due to track maintenance work, and the students were stranded for around seven hours.
Their teacher, Amit K Narmoli, tweeted the predicament to the Railways’ handle, and the latter responded by organising food packets for the hungry students. A heart-warming gesture indeed.
Read about how the food reached the students here.
4. As reported by The Hindu, Siddharth Roy of Kolkata alerted the Ministry of Railways through Twitter that his father, a neuro patient, was travelling alone in a train from Chennai to Howrah.
The Twitter controller was KVSRC Murthy, who was on duty in the Vijayawada division. The passenger was travelling in an unreserved compartment, yet he was identified, and promptly attended to with medical help. Things could have taken a very bad turn, but thankfully help was quickly at hand!
5. A passenger on the Yesvantpur-Bikaner train, Pankaj Jain, was travelling with his father, who suffers from paralysis. Pankaj was taking him to Butati Dham, Rajasthan, where free treatment is offered, with Merta Road being the closest stop.
The train barely stops for 3-5 minutes at the stop, and Pankaj needed help in alighting with his ailing father. A friend suggested he tweet the Railways. The national carrier swung into action to help Pankaj’s father, who got a wheelchair as well as help by attendants.
Read here about how the arrangements were made in a jiffy!
Social media not only has its amusements but can also help you out in a tricky situation. So keep this in mind the next time you take a train ride!
On February 21, 2014, Ramila Devi, a resident of Mysuru was travelling along with her family from Bengaluru to Rajasthan. They were on board the Garib Nawaz Express.
Minutes after the train started moving, Ramila picked up her water bottle to have some water. Just then, a man came down from the top berth, grabbed her bag and jumped out of the moving train. According to a report in The Times of India, the handbag that Ramila was carrying contained 488 gms of gold and cash worth Rs 90,000.
Ramila’s husband immediately pulled the emergency chain, which brought the train to a stop. He then informed the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) of the theft and asked him about the procedure to be followed.
In the petition that Ramila filed before the court, she mentioned that on the advice of the TTE, they continued the journey since the TTE informed them that a formal complaint could be lodged after 30 days of the crime.
Despite several attempts at approaching the police to file a complaint, Ramila and her family got no respite. It was then that they decided to file a formal complaint with the Bangalore IV Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum on November 27th, 2014.
If you’re caught in a similar situation while travelling on trains, here’s what you can do:
1. The first thing you must do is to approach the TTE/ coach attendant/ or guards and lodge a complaint.
2. An FIR form will be given to you. Fill it out to the best of your knowledge.
3. This complaint will then be forwarded to the Police Station for investigation.
4. Do remember that you do not need to alter your travel plans to lodge this complaint. The complaint you raise with the TTE will be forwarded to the concerned police station.
In Ramila’s case, the litigation lasted for over ten months. At the end of it all, she was awarded Rs 4,42,100 and an additional Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs. The judge, while passing the order, criticised Ramila for being careless with her bag and also pulled up the railway authorities for not being stringent with their security measures.
GiveIndia and The Better India have come together to help Rebuild Kerala by supporting 41,000 affected families. You too can be a part of this movement and help us raise funds for the NGOs working to rehabilitate these families. If all of us come together with a small monthly contribution, we can make a real and meaningful difference in helping restore normalcy to those who need our help the most.
The Farrukhnagar railway station in Gurugram has undergone a complete revamp by the Northern Railways, reports the Times of India. According to officials quoted in the publication, the renovation work was completed in 5 months, cost Rs 3 crore, and carries the theme of the station’s history.
The station had fallen into disrepair over time. Speaking to TOI, Deepika Gill, Assistant Divisional Engineer, Delhi Sarai Rohilla, said, “When Ashwani Lohani became the chairman of Indian Railways, he visited this station and inspired us to restore it and give it a heritage look. It was planned to make this station a hub of social activities. We have restored the old dilapidated railway quarters and the station area, planted more than 3,000 saplings, developed an amphitheatre, ‘akhara,’ kabbadi ground, volleyball court, community shelter and shed. We have also provided portable toilets, a tubewell and a 5,000-litre underground tank.”
While renovating the station, officials suddenly realised that there was no drinking water at the station. Gill explained that Farrukhnagar’s water is salty, so a water connection was taken from the Public Health Engineering Department, and Rs 40 lakh was invested only on the water pipeline.
Describing the renovation work, Gill explained how red sandstone was used for the floors, and the history of Farrukhnagar and the name of the station embossed on a separate and specially-ordered red stone. Brick tiles were brought from Rajasthan, and arches have been used to add to the traditional look.
What’s more, the station has a community centre, which has free WiFi on its premises. The TOI report also mentioned a statement by the Northern Railways, according to which a park will be set up for the benefit of villagers, who will get access to free medical care, and routine health check-up facilities including ECG, urine and blood tests
Well, the work surely looks great and invokes nostalgia of times bygone. Here are a few stunning photos of the railway station.
The stunning Farrukhnagar station, Gurugram. Image Credit: Northern Railway
The interior of the Farrukhnagar station, Gurugram. Image Credit: Northern Railway
The beautiful artwork of the Farrukhnagar station, Gurugram. Image Credit: Northern Railway
The beautiful artwork inside the Farrukhnagar Railway Station Image Credit: Northern Railway.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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The Indian Railways is one of the largest networks in the world, with millions of passengers travelling every day. It has long remained as the ideal mode of travel irrespective of the distance.
India’s railway network is the largest in Asia where the typical blue colour characterising the national carrier not just stands as a thread uniting diversities in various states but also seamlessly integrates cultural and economic groups with its ease, access and uniformity.
However, there is room for improvement in the quality of services offered by the national carrier. Here are some factors that merit consideration.
1. Hygiene: Improper washroom facilities, poor standard of canteen food, mucky compartment walls are some of the foremost complaints of passengers. The Ministry should try to keep trains clean with all necessary facilities, along with provisions for emergency situations.
2. Enquiry Counters: There are many instances where passengers’ queries go unattended, and in some cases, no one is present at the counter.
3. AVTM: The Automatic Vending Ticket Machines (AVTM) are often out of order. The functional AVTMs always have long queues, further dissuading passengers from taking this recourse. Increasing the efficiency and numbers of AVTM machines can benefit the smartcard holders.
4. Time Table: Delays and cancellations of trains is a common occurrence; they are also often stranded at stations for long hours. Regulating the timelines of trains is of utmost urgency.
5. Filthy linen: In air-conditioned coaches, it is not uncommon to find bed liners and blankets with stains of food or pillow covers that smell of grime and oil. There is also no other alternative other than to use them.
It is not easy or safe to use these clothes as they might cause health issues for passengers. It is a more suitable alternative to outsource the maintenance of these fabrics or have more stringent safety standards for maintaining sanitary conditions of the linen.
6. Theft: Instances of passengers’ luggage, jewellery or money being stolen, at night or during boarding/deboarding are not uncommon either. In most cases, passengers don’t get enough support from the railway police and their lost valuables are never recovered. Trains should have tighter security systems to avoid thefts.
As a consumer, if you feel that the services provided do not justify the cost, or if you had any problems on a journey, you could file a case at a consumer forum. There have also been quite a few reforms on this front, with the process becoming easier and more customer-friendly.
Here are few significant examples of how consumers have availed the benefits of filing consumer complaints against the poor maintenance of the system.
1. According to a report by Indian Express in 2016, a passenger from Chandigarh travelling to New Delhi was baffled as he was served with food contaminated by insects. When the concerned pantry authorities on board were informed, they offered to replace the food. The passenger refused, questioning the quality of the food from the same stock.
He went on to file a complaint vindicating the poor quality of food. Also, as the ticket fare was inclusive of the food, which does not take the passengers’ choice into question, he took it up to be filed under an unfair trade practice
Though the IRCTC redirected the issue to the northern railway post-catering policy, it was imposed with a penalty of Rs 30,000 for providing unhygienic food to the passengers, besides the compensation of complaint and the ticket refund.
2. In yet another case that hit the headlines was the witness of a dead cockroach in the food served on a train to Kolkata. Being served with such sub-standard food came as a shock to the hungry passenger which eventually led him to file a case against the IRCTC. As the case was intensely perceived, the court imposed one lakh rupees as penalty to the IRCTC for providing adulterated food for the passengers. It also imposed a huge sum of Rs11.50 lakhs on several caters including IRCTC.
Furthermore, the court penalises the Railways for stale or sub-standard food distribution with amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to one lakh.
With the above examples, it is evident that one needn’t hesitate to file charges against the unlawful maintenance.
The complainants will be assigned a unique ID number which will then be auto-assigned to the concerned railway functionary for redressal. The ID will help them track the progress of complaints.
On these two platforms, prescribed slots for station name, train number and PNR number have been built into the application for user convenience.
3. SMS-based complaint system – For those without an active internet connection, a complaint can be registered by sending an SMS to the number – 9717630982. Additionally, suggestions may also be sent to the URL- www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.
Pankaj Maurya was on his usual way to the office in Mumbai when a tragedy struck. He got caught between two railway tracks. Reports have failed to mention how exactly he got in this situation but he was severely injured. He might have stayed there for hours–if not for the quick action of a local train driver.
PD Lokey was driving a semi-fast local train when he saw a man, later identified as Pankaj, lying injured on the tracks. The man was visibly stuck, and his injuries were preventing him from getting to a safe place.
Within seconds, Lokey hit the brakes of the train.
Speaking to Navbharat Times, Lokey said, “Just as we crossed Diva (in Thane), I saw that a person was lying between two tracks. I stopped the train and informed the guard, M D Aalam. Together, we helped him get in a train going in the opposite direction as ours.”
This helped Pankaj get to a hospital in time and tend to his injuries. Now under the observation of medical staff, Pankaj’s condition is improving.
Lokey and Aalam had kept aside their professional duty to do a kind deed.
Taking note of this, the spokesperson of Central Railways, Sunil, applauded their act and assured that the department is recommending their names for a reward.
Earlier this year, a tweet by a passenger had prompted the Railways to bust a trafficking racket. Here’s the entire story about how the department rescued the girls.
The national carrier has also helped a pregnant woman deliver her baby while on the train!
In Tripura, a poverty-stricken father and his young daughter had helped avert a major train accident. A simple but brave act of theirs had saved over 2,000 lives. Wondering how? Here‘s the whole story.
Inspiring stories like these have restored the belief that there are countless heroes in the Indian Railways.
Despite knowing that crossing railway tracks on foot instead of using a foot-over bridge is extremely risky, many Indians continue to engage in the daredevil activity with zero regards to their personal safety, and this has often resulted in casualties and serious accidents.
At Navi Mumbai’s Juinagar railway station, yet another passenger was inches away from death as she did not notice a train speeding towards her from the opposite direction, because she was busy attempting to cross the tracks.
Her hurry to get to the other side would have most probably resulted in a tragedy, had it not been for a policeman at the platform who quite literally jumped to her rescue and pulled her back in the nick of time.
Although the incident occurred on September 29, news about the lifesaving episode come to the fore only after the footage from the CCTV camera at the station began circulating.
The CCTV footage, despite being grainy, clearly captures the girl as mentioned earlier jumping down from one platform and walking over the tracks to reach the opposite platform. In a span of seconds, one can see a train approaching the track she was on.
What failed to catch her notice ended up alerting the policeman who was sitting on a bench at the same platform. He rushed towards her, and pulled her away to safety.
By the time he had helped her climb back to the platform, the train had already crossed.
The girl was lucky enough to live and tell the tale, but only because of the policeman’s timely action. This incident is a lesson for all of us who like to flout rules which have been put in place for our own safety.
We should keep in mind that not everyone has a guardian angel like the girl at Juinagar station and that spending a few extra minutes to climb the stairs will actually end up extending our lifespan.
The Indian Railways has been introducing new trains with amazing amenities (like the Utkrisht trains) and even giving a makeover to existing ones, providing them with a fresh lease of life, furnishing them with enough creature comforts to make your journey feel like a hotel stay.
A great example of an old train getting a fresh makeover is the Rajdhani Express Superfast train, the 20839/20840, that runs from Ranchi to New Delhi, reports the Financial Express. Sporting enhanced aesthetics and passenger comfort, the train has been upgraded under the Project Swarna initiative of the Indian Railways.
Under Project Swarna, a detailed programme to significantly improve passenger amenities and experiences on the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains has been implemented across the following parameters:
Real-time feedback on the above parameters is continuously given to officials, keeping an eye on the quality of passenger experience.
The makeover of this train is called ‘Gold Standard,’ and costs upwards of Rs 50 lakh per rake.
Thus the Ranchi Rajdhani has been provided with many modern features, like LED lighting, modern toilets and CCTV cameras, vinyl wrapped anti-graffiti interiors, digital watches, a new paint scheme, GPS enabled passenger announcements, and an information system.
The Gatimaan Express, the fastest train in the Indian Railways network, has also been included under this scheme. You can read ten interesting facts about this train here.
Well, if the pictures below are anything to go by, the Ranchi Rajdhani, with swanky interiors and passenger-centric amenities, looks extremely impressive!
The Ranchi Rajdhani, which underwent a makeover. Image Credit: DRM Ranchi
The brand new interiors of the Ranchi Rajdhani. Photo Source: DRM Ranchi
The IRCTC website is perhaps one of the busiest web portals on the internet. Millions of people travel on the national transporter, and among them, a considerable percentage use the site to book tickets and make reservations.
Keeping user-experience in mind, the IRCTC has always made timely changes to its website, and the latest addition is the chatbot—Ask Disha.
The IRCTC website now has a chatbot to help customers. Image Credit: IRCTC
Offering improved and intuitive customer support, by answering customer queries pertaining to all aspects of IRCTC’s services, Ask Disha, will support several regional languages, and improve the customer’s experience on the website according to India Today.
A statement by the Indian Railways, quoted in the Times of India, also states that the chatbot will soon be integrated with the IRCTC android app. This is a joint initiative between IRCTC and CoRover Pvt Ltd, a Bengaluru-based company which builds travel-focused chatbots.
A chatbot is nothing but a computer program based on artificial intelligence, that conducts a conversation through text or audio messages. Such programmes are often designed in a way to perfectly depict human conversation.
According to a railway official quoted in Republic World, IRCTC is the first and only government corporation to launch such a service, which promises to take out the stress from travel bookings. The optimistic official is hopeful of the helpdesk service program and claims that Ask Disha will provide a smooth experience to domestic as well as international travellers, on the Indian Railways network.
1. It can quickly answer customer queries, and provide round the clock customer support.
2. Elimination of time wastage to get customer issues solved, and the ability to multitask.
Apart from the chatbot, the IRCTC website has a host of new functions, like a ‘confirmation probability’ feature, which you can read about here.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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Remember those long train rides when you quietly sat and stared out of the window? While travelling on a train is always fun, there’s a limit to watching the same scenery pass by. For some of us, the journey gets downright boring after a while, and we sorely miss having a book around.
Well, there’s good news for book lovers in Maharashtra. The State Government and the Indian Railways have joined hands, and the resultant venture called the ‘Library on Wheels,’ has been implemented on the Deccan Queen and Panchavati Express trains.
The Deccan Queen will have a ‘Library on Wheels’. Image Credit: Soul Travel Blog
Passengers travelling in the monthly season ticket coaches of the trains—Deccan Queen travels from Mumbai to Pune and Panchavati travels from Mumbai to Manmad—will now be able to procure books, read and return them before alighting the trains. The best part is that this facility is free, reports the Times of India.
The service was inaugurated on October 15 by state Education minister Vinod Tawde. Incidentally, October 15 is celebrated as ‘Reading Day,’ to mark the birth anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam.
The books are courtesy volunteers of the Marathi Vikas Sanstha of the Marathi Language Department of the State Government. The volunteers will give passengers books before the journey begins, and collect them when the journey ends.
Travellers are excited at the prospect of Marathi Literary works from the government library. Speaking to TOI, Sanjay Ketkar, a daily commuter from Nashik to Mumbai, said, “This is an excellent way to help over 100 daily passengers to use their time meaningfully.”
Commuters will initially be offered books on Marathi literature, history, politics, mystery, biographies and even translated works. “It will be beneficial for people who love to read. We shall be introducing more books in English and Hindi as well,” said Vinod Tawde, state Education minister to DNA.
As per DK Sharma, the General Manager of Central Railway Zone, the facility will be expanded depending on the passenger demand.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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As of 2016-17, 8,116 million passengers used the national transporter, while the total track kilometres recorded was 1,21,407. Behind these numbers is a complex mechanism that employs teams of countless individuals who ensure that the Indian Railways continues to be the lifeline of the country, connecting distant locations.
These people work tirelessly to ensure that each journey is smooth, and spring into action the moment something goes wrong.
After the Maoist attack, the gangmen and station master ensured passengers were not affected. Image Source.
Like the two gangmen and a station master, who remained alert after Maoists blew up the train tracks near Jharkhand’s Chaudhary Bandh Railway Station on Monday Night.
Once the tracks were destroyed, the three bravehearts sprang into action, and quickly informed authorities in Dhanbad about the blast, in effect saving the lives of hundreds of passengers aboard trains bound for the fateful lines, reports The New Indian Express.
According to Anil Kumar Mishra, Divisional Rail Manager, Dhanbad, “Although we have already felicitated them at our level, Railway Board Chairman Ashwini Lohani also wants to felicitate them on his own and has called them to New Delhi.”
Mishra claimed the gangmen were on duty near the spot, where the Maoist’s blasts took place and informed the station master immediately. He also praised the station master, saying he immediately stopped trains running on the up and down lines on the route.
Had there been no information, the train tracks would have claimed several lives, as at least half a dozen trains were running on the route.
Rail traffic on the Dhanbad-Gaya route was restored within five hours of the Maoist twin blasts. The brave men in question departed for Delhi via the Rajdhani Express, travelling in the AC First Class coach.
As passengers, we must be thankful for dutiful men like these, who leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we have a safe journey.
Incidentally, the Indian Railways recently recorded the best safety record in five years. The renewal of tracks on a large scale, regular safety reviews, improved safety training for staff as well as a close inspection of safety performance was done between September 2016 and August 2017.
Read here, about how the Railways continues to make travel safe for passengers.
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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Train journeys are indeed special, and India is known for its picturesque views, which fly by as trains snake from one village to another.
Well, if you are travelling to Himachal Pradesh, your journey might just end inside a tunnel, as according to this report in the New Indian Express, the state is all set to get the country’s first railway station inside one!
Built at a height of 3,000 metres on the strategic Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line which is close to the Sino-India border, the Keylong station in Himachal Pradesh will be the first on the railway network to be inside a 27-km long tunnel, said a senior official to PTI, quoted in the New Indian Express.
Keylong happens to be the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti district, 26 km north of Manali and 120 km from the Indo-Tibetian border. Its proximity to the Sino-Indian border can facilitate movements of goods and personnel to the frontier areas.
The Himachal Pradesh train station in a tunnel will be the first of its kind in India. Representative Image Only. Image Credit: Chirag Sagar
When the ambitious project is completed, all important locations between Bilaspur and Leh, like Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Keylong, Koksar, Darcha, Upshi and Karu, as well as other towns of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir will be connected.
It will also cut the duration taken to cover the Delhi-Leh distance by around half, according to General Manager, Northern Railway, Vishwesh Chaube in The New Indian Express.
DR Gupta, the Chief Engineer of Construction Northern Railway, told PTI that the Keylong station would be inside the tunnel as per the first phase of the location survey, and depending on when the final surveys are completed, there could be many such stations on the route.
The final location survey is slated to be completed in 30 months, after which a detailed project report will be made and submitted to authorities for due consideration.
Incidentally, according to the first phase of the survey done for the project, the Bilaspur-Leh-Manali line is the highest rail line in the world, and has 74 tunnels, 124 major bridges and 396 minor bridges. Read more about this remarkable engineering feat, here.
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Attention Railway lovers! The Indian Railways is all set to roll out the country’s first engine-less and Made in India train by October 29.
Train 18, which is set to replace the legendary premium Shatabdi Express is said to have been built by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, in a record time of 20 months!
If you are yet to catch up on the sight of this divine beauty, check out the pictures below with some interesting facts about Train 18!
The swanky train is a 100% ‘Make in India’ project, manufactured at the ICF (Integral Coach Factory), Chennai. It is claimed to be built at half the cost of a similar train set that is imported, mentions a Financial Express report.
The full AC train is equipped to run at a speed of up to 160 kmph as against Shatabdi’s 130 kmph which will cut down travel time by 15 per cent, once the tracks are fit to suit Train 18’s speed.
T-18 is not only a self-propelled engine-less train (similar to the Metro trains) but also energy-efficient as its coaches will be fitted with LED lights.
The train is set to have 16 chair-car type coaches, both executive and non-executive. Every train will have two executive coaches and 14 non-executive coaches.
While the seating capacity of the executive chair is 56 passengers, non-executive cars will accommodate 78. The chairs in the executive class will be fully rotatable, and all coaches will have luggage racks.
Notably, these coaches will
be equipped with CCTV cameras,
have automatic doors and retractable footsteps,
be inter connected with fully sealed gangways
along with a GPS-based Passenger Information System.
Moreover, infotainment and on-train Wi-Fi will ensure passengers can enjoy their journey.
According to the Financial Express report, Train 18 will also be equipped with zero discharge bio-vacuum toilets and have dedicated spaces to park wheelchairs for differently-abled passengers.
Replacing the loco-hauled Shatabdi Express, Train 18 will set out on the 707 km route between Delhi and Bhopal soon.
Check out this short video of the train’s testing in progress.
On October 19, a speeding train in Amritsar mowed down 60 Dussehra revellers and injured 72, while the guard who was 400 meters away failed to alert them.
Most people who lost their lives were oblivious to the approaching train. A part of which can be attributed to the noise of firecrackers drowning all other sounds around them.
While the Indian Railways maintained that it wasn’t at fault as it wasn’t notified about the Dussehra celebrations, the transport giant is now taking measures to prevent such incidents.
It has launched a pan-India campaign to create awareness against trespassing, while also stipulating dos and don’ts for train drivers, guards and even the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
According to an Zee Business report, Senior Divisional Operational Manager, Northern Railway, issued a letter to all divisions of the zone on October 23.
A few important points include:
If you see a crowd of people around the railway tracks, events related to some festival taking place, a fair or any public activity that is unusual, while working, control your speed.
Inform the nearest station about it. Ensure you provide the information in writing to the stationmaster on the train’s next scheduled stop.
When at work during the festive season, ensure you continuously “whistle” near crossings and work sites.
If during duty hours, a gateman, loco-pilot, guard or any railway staff or any member of the public informs the station master of any crowd or activity on the tracks, then the station master should act immediately by informing the RPF, GRP, local police and divisional controller, who will take the required action.
If the RPF gets notified about crowds on the tracks, they should also act accordingly and inform relevant authorities at the earliest.
And while the above letter aims at creating awareness among railway staffers, an India Today report adds instructions the Railways has issued for passengers too.
These include:
Passengers must not carry explosive items and inflammable substances. (e.g. firecrackers, gas cylinders, gunpowder, kerosene, petrol etc.).
Smoking is prohibited inside the train compartments or stations.
Avoid lighting up stoves too.
Do not engage in any practices that threaten your safety, and most importantly–trespassing on railway tracks.
According to the report, in 2017, more than 2,150 persons were arrested and prosecuted by the RPF for trespassing, with fines imposed to the tune of Rs 8,41,370.
Similarly, until September 2018, 1,557 people were arrested and prosecuted for trespassing on railway tracks, fined to the tune of Rs 4,97,860.
Under Section 147 of the IR Act, 1989, any person found trespassing on the railway tracks will be prosecuted. This will make them liable to a punishment which entails imprisonment for up to six months or a fine Rs 1,000 or both.
Similarly, those carrying dangerous or offensive goods unlawfully will be liable for a fine of up to Rs 1,000 or imprisonment for a term up to three years, or both. They shall also be liable for any loss, injury and damage caused because of bringing such goods on the train.
Let’s hope that this tragedy helps people, as well as Railway personnel, follow the rules diligently to prevent any tragedies in the future.
The Ghaziabad Junction is a busy transit point for Delhi, Haridwar, Kanpur and Bareilly-bound trains, among others.
Around two lakh passengers use it every day, touted to be more than 100 years old.
Unfortunately, over time, the neglectful and callous attitude of the people has buried the station under layers of filth, dirt and pan-spit.
Well, no more.
The old pan-stained walls of the Ghaziabad Railway Junction, are replete with ‘stress-free paintings’. The magnificent arches, long corridors and pedestrian bridge at the station complex all bear a new facade, reports the Hindustan Times.
The initiative has been carried out by the csDishaa Foundation, whose national president Udita Tyagi told the publication that the bridge is used by thousands of people every day, and those with a habit of spitting pan and gutkha, have made the passage unsightly and unhygienic.
Cleaning the passage and coming up with paintings had taken a huge effort. Sadly, this did not deter the pan-chewing lot, as they even spat on the paintings.
Udita, however, isn’t ready to give up educating people to keep the city clean.
The project, expected to span two years, encompasses the volunteers, painters and artists, painting the walls with prominent themes including nature, popular dance forms and the first war of independence, as well as putting various dance forms on the pedestrian bridge that connects Vijay Nagar to the city area.
The team is presently occupied with painting nearly 100 arches, and corridors of the old building and adjoining platforms, numbered 3 and 4. The 15-foot high arches pose the only challenge to the painters.
Incidentally, the painters have waterproofed the arches and walls, and are using high-grade colours so that the paintings retain their sheen for another ten years.
The arches will have portraits of eminent personalities from the first war of independence, and paintings of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Begum Hazrat Mahal and Tatya Tope, among others. Others will also have war scenes with a description, Tyagi told HT.
Some passengers have a long waiting time, and the paintings she said, will provide a stress-free environment, and also beautify the old walls.
The 100-plus-year old station building needed a clean-up, and the paintings will clean up the surroundings, uplifting passenger spirits. csDishaa has taken up this work after an understanding with the Indian Railways, according to Mahesh Yadav, Area Traffic Manager, Ghaziabad.
The NGO will offer the walls and arches for public adoption and upkeep, on completion. Check out the fantastic photos of this unique art initiative that makes Indian history come alive.
The beautiful Ghaziabad railway junction with paintings on the walls. Image Credit: csDishaaA volunteer painting a portion of the Ghaziabad junction. Image Credit: csDishaaThe first War of Independence, illustrated on the Ghaziabad junction facade. Image Credit: csDishaaThe striking art on the walls and arches of the Ghaziabad Railway Junction. Image Credit: csDishaa
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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The Indian Railways, the nation’s pride and carrier, had modest beginnings on April 16th,1853, when the first passenger train set out on a 34-kilometre journey, from Mumbai to Thane, carrying around 400 people.
It has been 165 years since, and the Railways has spawned into the world’s largest, covering over 151,000 kilometres of track, 7,000 stations, 1.3 million employees, and carrying around 24 million people every day.
Hence it is fitting that Google, via its online Arts and Culture project, is celebrating the rich history and heritage of the Indian Railways with over 100 exhibitions. In addition to scenic routes and historic events, this project will tell you the story of the Railways and the people who keep this huge machinery running, reports The Quartz.
The project aims to make India’s rich rail heritage more accessible to Indians.
Dive into the rich history of the Railways . Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Get ready for a lifetime’s worth of tales, from trackmen and keymen to the pioneering women who became signal engineers and rail managers, in what used to be a male-dominated industry. These are the stories of the men and women who keep the trains running all day, every day throughout India.
Like Ganey Khawas, the oldest living former worker of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, who born in 1916, and still remembers the days of the steam engines. Or Balbahadur Majhi a 76-year-old former locomotive pilot, who worked on the job during natural disasters.
Women like M Kalavathy, one of the first female signal engineers, who was from the 1981 batch of railways aspirants, and Mona Srivastava, from the 1998 batch, who became the first woman to join the Indian Railways service of engineers.
Get to know about the Nilgiri mountain rails and Delhi’s local trains, and explore several routes that were previously unheard of, thanks to Google.
You can do all this and more by visiting the Google Arts and Culture website and app, a virtual museum that celebrates the rich history of our vast rail network, through a collection of over 3,000 images and around 150 videos.
And the best part? No queues, no fee, and accessible with a touch of the finger. So what are you waiting for? Dive right into the rich history of the Indian Railways.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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53-year-old Krishna Poojary works at a roadside eatery in Udupi’s Korangrapady village. A few months ago, he was diagnosed with an ailment in his leg which led to a loss of strength in that leg. As a result, Krishna was on regular medication and treatment.
However, the treatment did not work well, and he soon had to give up on medication due to his poor financial conditions. His doctor had thus advised him to go on daily walks to regain strength in his leg.
Early Saturday morning, Krishna was on his walk when he spotted a crack on the railway track. Speaking to The Times of India, he said, “I usually take a stroll for around 2 km. I was walking near the tracks around 6.45 am when I happened to see the crack.”
“Soon a train passed by. I could only think of rushing to the officials.”
This train had widened the crack and thus posed a risk to the next train that passed. The Udupi resident did not want to risk the lives of thousands of passengers and decided to approach railway officials before another train passed the track.
Speaking to Shashanka Shivathaya, a citizen journalist who approached him on behalf of The Better India, Poojary recalled a gruesome incident that he had witnessed 40 years ago. As a young boy, he would often visit a railway station near his home, to look at the trains passing by.
One day, he was at the station when a young man attempted to jump out of a speeding train on to the station. Unfortunately, his bag got caught in the train, and he fell between the train and the track.
“When I saw the crack on the track, this incident came back to me. I prayed to God to give me strength and started running so I could inform an official about this.”
Courtesy: Shashanka Shivathaya.
I know that one train crosses this road about 7 am every day and shortly after, another train passes in the opposite direction,” said Poojary.
With a weak leg, Krishna ran to officials for about 3 km from the crack. His pain wasn’t as important as the lives of thousands of strangers and a train that could have overturned due to the faulty track.
As soon as the officials were informed, they ordered two trains to halt, each at Indrali Railway Station (7 km from the crack) and Padubidri Station (16 km away).
Once this was done, Krishna led the officials to the spot, helping them fix it. Only after the railway track was secure, were the trains allowed to pass.
If not for the brave Udupi resident who did not mind his own pain and ran a long distance, perhaps another train mishap would have made news today. Instead, thousands of passengers are indebted to Krishna Poojary for life.
The Bilaspur-Leh-Manali line along the India-China border happens to have the world’s highest rail track and many other interesting features. It also happens to be the first line to have a train station in a tunnel, which you can read about here.
According to the first phase of the survey, the project has around 74 tunnels, 124 major bridges and 396 minor bridges. Final location surveys for the project are currently underway.
Once completed, the line will connect locations between Bilaspur and Leh, like Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Keylong, Koskar, Darcha, Upshi and Karu, and other towns of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bilaspur-Leh-Manali line will see trains with pressurised cabins. Image Credit:- Rail Analysis India
Well, this track is in the news again, and this time it is because the Railways plans to use aircraft-like pressurised coaches in its trains, so passengers don’t have breathing difficulties on board, reports The Times of India.
The cabins in aeroplanes are pressurised because the thin air makes breathing difficult at the high altitudes at which the planes fly. To prevent complications, the cabins of the aircraft are adjusted to near sea-level pressure, which makes breathing almost the same as at sea level.
Well, the Bilaspur-Leh-Manali line is an ambitious project. Costing around Rs 83,360 crore, the line will sit at the height of 5,360 metres, and be 465 km long. The pressurised coaches to be used on these tracks are the same that are being used on the Quinghay-Tibet Railway Line in China.
“Special pressurised rolling stock to deal with lack of oxygen will have to be used in these trains as passengers might feel uneasy because of the high altitude. These will be like the pressurised cabins used by aircraft to maintain the oxygen levels inside,” said DR Gupta, Chief Engineer (Construction), Northern Railways.
The pressurised Chinese coaches have been manufactured by Canada’s Bombardier Inc, which also makes small planes. These are specially designed so that passengers are comfortable in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere.
The pressurisation ensures that passengers don’t fall prey to severe cases of altitude sickness.
For example, in the Tibetan train, two kinds of systems are used to maintain correct oxygen levels–one is through the main controls which maintain standard oxygen levels, which get switched on at high altitude areas; while the other is through oxygen ports for each passenger, when they feel the need for extra oxygen.
Well, with the new pressurised coaches, passengers who travel on the high-altitude line shouldn’t have altitude sickness, thanks to the Railways!
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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Passengers can now heave a sigh of relief following the decision of the Indian Railways to revise its flexi-fare system. Unlike earlier, where peak fares were capped at 1.5 times the base fare, it will now stand at 1.4 times (the base fare), according to the Financial Express.
Moreover, this surge pricing system will no longer apply to trains with less than 50% average monthly occupancy in the last financial year.
“While the surge pricing system will now not be applicable on 15 premium trains completely and in 32 such trains during lean periods (February, March and August), the capping of the peak fare will be applicable on 101 trains,” reported the Financial Express.
These changes in the flexi-fare system from the advanced reservation period will be tested for six months, and depending on how it fares, the ministry will take the necessary corrective measures.
Back in 2016, the Centre had introduced this surge pricing system in 168 trains including those in the premium class like Shatabdi and Rajdhani, according to which the base fare would rise 10% with every 10% of the seats being booked by customers around the country.
Unfortunately, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India took exception to this system. In a report tabled in Parliament, the CAG said that the system had caused a fall in occupancy across all classes except the sleeper class in the Duronto trains.
Even the AC-3 class category—the only one turning a profit for the Railways—saw a drop in occupancy as a result of this system, according to the CAG.
“Vacant berths increased from 0.66% in [the] pre-flexi period to 4.46% in [the] post-flexi period,” the CAG had said. “In terms of absolute numbers, the Premier trains carried 2,40,79,899 passengers during [the] post-flexi period as compared to 2,47,36,469 passengers during [the] pre-flexi period. There was de-growth of 2.65% despite the availability of a higher number of births/seats, which resulted in sub-optimal utilisation of national assets,” the report added.
The Centre’s actions are a response to the CAG’s concerns, but whether the CAG finds merit in the Centre’s actions remains to be seen.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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