WITH SUCCESSFUL OPENING OF PIR PANJAL TUNNEL, HISTORIC RAILWAY LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN KASHMIR VALLEY AND JAMMU REGION
RAILWAYS LAUNCHES TOLL FREE HELPLINE NUMBER FOR CATERING RELATED COMPLAINTS
COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS UNDERTAKEN FOR PILGRIMS OF KUMBH MELA – 2013
FOUNDATION STONE LAID FOR SETTING UP OF MEMU COACHES MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT BHILWARA & FORGE WHEEL FACTORY AT RAEBARELI
INDIA AND FRANCE SIGN MOU TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN RAILWAY SECTOR
NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS APPROVED BY CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (CCEA)
IMPLEMENTATION OF RAILWAY PROJECTS FOR COAL CONNECTIVITY
ADVANCE RESERVATION PERIOD FOR BOOKING RESERVED TRAIN TICKETS REDUCED TO 60 DAYS
Wi-Fi FACILITY ON HOWRAH RAJDHANI EXPRESS TRAIN LAUNCHED
COMMEMORATION OF 160 YEARS OF INDIAN RAILWAYS
RAILWAYS TO LAUNCH TICKET BOOKING THROUGH NON-INTERNET BASED MOBILE PHONES
RAILWAYS TO PROVIDE BRAILLE SIGNAGE IN PASSENGER COACHES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PASSENGERS
RAILWAYS NOW RUNNING 1400 COACHES WITH BIO-TOILETS IN VARIOUS TRAINS
LAUNCHING OF HIGH SPEED RAIL CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
INDIA AND JAPAN SIGN MoU FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY OF HIGH SPEED RAILWAY SYSTEM
FIRST EVER DUAL CAB FREIGHT DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE ‘VIJAY’ FLAGGED OFF
INDIAN RAILWAYS BAGS HIGHEST EVER 22 NATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2013
The year 2013 has been significant for the Railways in achieving goals and targets with regard to the following:
RAILWAYS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ON FAST TRACK
The infrastructure projects of Indian Railways are being put on fast track. Under the direction of the Prime Minister an Inter-Ministerial Group of Railways, Finance and Planning has been formed with the task of coming up with a creative financing-cum-implementation mechanism. The flagship projects of Railways such as the two Loco Manufacturing Projects, Elevated Rail Corridor, the Dedicated Freight Corridor and station redevelopment are being monitored for expeditious implementation.
GROWTH IN REVENUE GENERATION
The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during 1st April to 30th November 2013 were Rs. 89339.64 crore compared to Rs. 78871.47 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 13.27 per cent. The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 54482.80 crore during 1stApril – 30th November 2012 to Rs. 60150.41 crore during 1st April – 30th November 2013, registering an increase of 10.40 per cent. The total passenger revenue earnings during 1st April – 30th November 2013 were Rs. 24523.69 crore compared to Rs. 20423.28 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 20.08 per cent. The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during 1st April – 30thNovember 2013 were 5662.38 million compared to 5695.10 million during the same period last year. Indian Railways have carried 677.56 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during April-November 2013. The freight carried shows an increase of 30.55 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 647.01 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.72 per cent. In the January to November 2013, Indian Railway has achieved scrap sale of Rs. 2971.65 crore till November 2013.
WITH SUCCESSFUL OPENING OF PIR PANJAL TUNNEL, HISTORIC RAILWAY LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN KASHMIR VALLEY AND JAMMU REGION
The Indian Railways added another feather in its cap with the historic milestone of connecting Kashmir valley with the Jammu region. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh dedicated the newly constructed railway line between Banihal (Jammu region)-Qazigund (Kashmir valley) section to the nation by flagging off the first DEMU train from Banihal through the Pir Panjal tunnel- the longest transportation tunnel of India, from Banihal Railway station in Jammu & Kashmir in the month of June 2013. This 17.7 km long rail link has paved way for the future railway connectivity of Kashmir region with the national railway network. IRCON International Ltd., a PSU under the Ministry of Railways, has been the principal executing agency for Northern Railway to execute the work of Dharam-Qazigund Section of USBRL Project which includes Banihal-Qazigund section and Pir Panjal Tunnel. The Kashmir Valley railway ( Qazigund-Baramulla section) is a 119 km long modern railway line that became completely operational earlier in October 2009, which was an island railway, not connected to the Indian Railway network. It was connecting Baramula in the western part ofKashmir Valley to Qazigund at the other end of the Valley, via Srinagar. With the dedication of this Qazigund Banihal project to the nation, the extension of this railway line beyond the Pir Panjal Mountains in to the Jammuregion has been achieved.
INDIAN RAILWAYS ENTERED ONE BILLION TONNE SELECT CLUB AFTER EXCEEDING REVISED FREIGHT LOADING TARGET FOR THE YEAR 2012-13
The Indian Railways achieved yet another significant milestone when it entered the one billion tonne select club in freight movement joining Chinese, Russian and USA railways. In 2012-13, Indian Railways have been able to achieve an originating freight loading of around 1010 million tonnes (i.e. one billion plus) which shows an incremental loading of 40 million tonnes (4.1% growth) over the last financial year. Under the freight loading strategy adopted by Indian Railways, special focus was given to enhancing evacuation of coal from Coal India Limited (CIL) sources and during the month of March’13, on an average 228 rakes/day were loaded from CIL sources.
NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS APPROVED BY CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (CCEA)
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved new railway projects on 7th February 2013.These are; New Broad Gauge line between Gevra Road and Pendra Road- (121.70 km.) in South East Central Railway with anticipated cost of Rs. 838.02 crore; New Broad Gauge line to connect the coal belt of Raigarh (Mand Collieries) to Rail network at Bhupdeopur (63 Km)- South East Central Railway ( Korichhapar to Bhupdeopur ) with anticipated cost of Rs. 379.08 crore; and doubling of Broad Gauge line between Palanpur and Samakhiali (247.73 km) with anticipated cost of Rs. 1266.89 crore.
RAILWAYS’ RLDA PLANS TO DEVELOP 75 MULTI-FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXES DURING CURRENT FISCAL
Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), a statutory authority established by the Ministry of Railways for generating non-tariff revenue from railway land, has prepared an action plan for fast tracking the development of 75 Multi Functional Complexes (MFC) sites in current year for which bidding process is being initiated in phases. So far, RLDA has invited nine bids in the current year for development of 43 MFCs in Northern, Western and Southern India. Prominent stations are Dehradun, Ujjain, Vasai Road, Anand, Somnath, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Gulbarga, Vijayawada, Amritsar, Amethi and Chandigarh. In the current year, there has been very good response for the last bidding carried out in Western Railway in which a total of 25 financial bids were received. Financial bids for these MFCs were opened on September 10th and the total present value of the lease premium and annual lease rent received for MFCs at eight stations is Rs. 20.27 crore which is much more than the minimum expectation of RLDA from these sites. Multi Functional Complex project offers unique opportunity for retailers, hotel chain operators, developers and other such stakeholders for expanding and enlarging their footprint across hundreds of important towns and cities in the country.
HIGH SPEED TRAIN TRAVEL
High speed rail travel has two segments – one talks of speeds over 300 kmph, while the other has a maximum speed of 200 kmph. In case of the former, the Ministry of Railways has identified seven corridors and undertaken pre-feasibility studies. In one such corridor– Mumbai-Ahmedabad – the Ministry of Railways is conducting the feasibility study with JICA to gather details about traffic assessment, alignment and technological options. The French Railway is also doing a business development study for this corridor. An international conference “high-speed travel, low-cost solution” was organised in New Delhi in the month of October to focus on trains with speeds upto 200 kmph on the existing network. Many important recommendations were mooted and the Railway Board is now working on a few pilot projects.
LAUNCHING OF HIGH SPEED RAIL CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
The Railway Minister formerly launched High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd. (HSRC), a subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) and also revealed the logo of HSRC that has been designed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. HSRC has been formed to develop High Speed Rail (HSR) Corridors in Indiato run passenger trains at speeds upto 350 km per hour. It will undertake the project activities such as preparation of project related studies, preparation of the technical standards for HSR Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and any other corridor decided by the Government. It will provide support to Ministry of Railways and Government of India in finalizing the financial and implementation models.
INDIA AND JAPAN SIGN MoU FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY OF HIGH SPEED RAILWAY SYSTEM
India and Japan have signed MoU to undertake a joint feasibility study of High Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. This is in pursuance of the Joint Statement between the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, dated May 29, 2013, which provided that the two sides will co-finance a joint feasibility study of this High Speed route. The objective of the Joint study is to prepare a feasibility report of High Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route with speed of 300-350kmph. The cost of the study will be shared 50:50 between India and Japan. The study shall be completedwithin18 months from its commencement. The study will do traffic forecasting, alignment surveys and undertake comparative Study of High Speed Railway Technology and System.
INDIA AND FRANCE SIGN MOU TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN RAILWAY SECTOR
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi on 14.2.2013 between the Ministry of Railways, Government of India and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), the French National Railways, for Technical cooperation in the field of Railways. Four areas of cooperation have been identified in the MoU. These are: 1) High speed and semi-high speed rail; 2) Station renovation and operations; 3) Modernisation of current operations and infrastructure; 4) Suburban trains. Under the High Speed Cooperation Programme, the Parties decided to carry out jointly an ‘operations and development’ feasibility project on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail. This project will be funded by SNCF with a support from the French Ministry of Finance.
THE STATE-OF- THE ART HIGH SPEED LARGE SIZE AUTO CAR WAGON AND FIRST-EVER LOCOMOTIVE FITTED WITH COMPACT AIR CONDITIONING UNIT IN DRIVER’S CABIN ROLLED OUT
The state-of- the art high speed large size autocar wagon, could named ‘BCACBM’ designed by RDSO, capable of carrying 12 motor cars of a normal size per wagon has been flagged off. The rake consisting of such wagons will have a capacity to carry a maximum number of 318 cars in various combinations against the present capability of maximum 265 cars per rake. These wagons are of low cost with improved efficiency and productivity. The design of this wagon will enable Indian Railways to capture a sizeable share of the growing automobile transport market in India. In addition, the first-ever locomotive fitted with compact Air Conditioning Unit in driver’s cabin was also rolled out. This air conditioned cab will give relief to loco driver and assistant loco driver while performing their duties. Developed by Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi, this air conditioned cab in the locomotive will have both cooling and heating capacity and is maintenance free. It is proposed to create such improved cabins in all the locos in a phased manner.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRAINS
A total number of 126 new trains, 60 extension and 27 increase in frequency of existing trains were announced in the Railway Budget 2013-14 (including announced in Parliament. As on date 24.12.2013 60 new trains, 45 extension and 10 increase in frequency have been implemented. Also during the year 2013-14, 29 new trains, 2 extension and 5 increase in frequency as announced in Railway Budget 2012-13 have been introduced. Further, 3 DEMU trains and one passenger train announced in Railway Budget 2010-11 and 2011-12 have been introduced during the year 2013-14. During the year 2013-14, 444 coaches were permanently augmented upto September 2013 and 464 experimental stoppages were provided in various trains during the year 2013 on 24.12.2013.
INTRODUCTION OF PREMIUM AIR-CONDITIONED SPECIAL TRAINS
With a view to meeting the peak demand for travel on the eve of Christmas/New Year, Indian Railways operated a few trips of premium Air-conditioned special trains on the busy New Delhi-Mumbai sector between 24th December 2013 to 2nd Jan 2014. The advance reservation period will be shorter, that is a maximum of 15 days, and the fare shall be equal to or higher than the Rajdhani Tatkal fare. The fare is also likely to increase depending on the demand intensity. The premium A/C special trains no. 22913/22914 have already become operational on an experimental basis.
AC DOUBLE DECKER TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN HABIBGANJ AND INDORE IN MADHYA PRADESH FLAGGED OFF
The AC Double Decker train between Habibganj and Indore, the first ever such train service in the state of Madhya Pradesh, was flagged at Habibganj railway station in Bhopal on 27th September 2013. This LHB AC Double Decker is the fifth such train in the country. In addition to this, four other trains are already running between Jaipur-Delhi, Mumbai- Ahmedabad, Chennai-Banglore and Howrah-Dhanbad. Coaches of these LHB AC Double Decker trains are having better passenger amenities such as reclining chairs, snack tables bottle holders, automatic AC compartment entrance doors etc. Based on the initial feedback from passengers, continuous upgradation in passenger amenities is being carried out for future AC Double Decker trains like, provision of fire and smoke detection system, RO (reverse osmosis) water plant, provision of automatic vestibule doors etc.
ADVANCE RESERVATION PERIOD FOR BOOKING RESERVED TRAIN TICKETS REDUCED TO 60 DAYS
The Ministry of Railways has decided that the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for booking reserved train tickets has been reduced from existing 120 days to 60 days (excluding the date of journey) from tomorrow i.e. 1st May 2013. With effect from 01.05.2013, the ARP is be of 60 days (excluding the day of journey) and booking is done accordingly. However, all the bookings done upto 30.4.2013 under the ARP of 120 days remain intact. Cancellation of the booking made beyond the ARP of 60 days is, however, be permitted. There is no change in the case of certain day time express trains like Taj Express, Gomti Express etc. where lower time limits for advance reservations are at present in force. There is also be no change in the case of limit of 360 days for foreign tourists.
IMPROVED PASSENGER RESERVATION SYSTEM (PRS) FACILITY
Passenger Reservation System (PRS) facility has been commissioned at additional 35 locations since 01.06.13 to take the total number of PRS locations to 3139. Unreserved Ticketing System Vending Machines (ATVMs) have been installed at different stations taking the total number ATVMs installed over Indian Railways to 1029. The 7th Mobile Ticketing Van (‘Mushkil Asaan’) has been started at Solapur for taking the ticketing to the doorstep of the customers. The other six mobile vans are functioning at Delhi, Anad, Vapi, Jaipur and two at Kolkata. In its continuing efforts to enhance access to its popular e-ticket portal, Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a Public Sector undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, has launched a new application (App) for Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices so as to facilitate the users with a new channel of booking e-tickets in addition to the existing portal. This new IRCTC-App, which has been launched in collaboration with Microsoft, provides ANYTIME, ANYWHERE access to IRCTC services.
PROVISION FOR CARRYING ID PROOF DURING JOURNEY
In continuation to instructions regarding carrying of any of the ten prescribed proof of identity in original for undertaking journey in any reserved class, attested photocopy of ration card with photograph and nationalized bank passbook with photograph are to be accepted as a prescribed proof of identity in case of reserved ticket booked through computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters, for undertaking journey in sleeper (SL) and second Reserve Sitting (2S) counter. The photocopy of ration card with photograph and nationalized bank passbook with photograph are to be attested by a Gazetted Officer or the Chief Reservation Supervision or Station Manager/Station Master. In addition, with a view to facilitate Station Managers/Assistant managers to concentrate better on train operations and also to facilitate passengers to get unreserved tickets, instructions have been issued for appointment of Station Ticket Booking Sevaks (STBS) on commission basis at ‘E’ category stations as a pilot project for one year. Instructions have been issued for introduction of Tatkal scheme in reserved classes of those passenger trains where average utilization during the previous financial year has been more the 60 per cent.
RAILWAYS TO LAUNCH TICKET BOOKING THROUGH NON-INTERNET BASED MOBILE PHONES
With an aim to further facilitate the passengers, Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, launched a pilot project of ticketing through non-internet based mobile phones with effect from 1st July 2013. This would enable people using non-internet based mobile phones to easily access Railway ticketing services through SMS/IVRS/USSD. The scheme is user-friendly, secure and also eco-friendly, as no print out is required. The objective was to tap the potential of mobile phone market in India and thereby facilitate the common man, by providing him any-where any-time and hassle free booking option.
CENTRE FOR RAILWAY INFORMATION SYSTEMS LAUNCHES NEW ENHANCED INTERFACE FOR TRAIN ENQUIRY
Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the IT wing of Indian Railways, has developed an enhanced new interface for the www.trainenquiry.com for dissemination of information to public. National Train Enquiry System (NTES) developed by CRIS is the backend system which collects information about train running on near real time basis and disseminates information through various interfaces like nationwide unique number 139, Website (www.trainenquiry.com), face to face enquiry, mobile interfaces etc. The new interface is accessible through www.trainenquiry.com or www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in. The new interface for the website was made public for past one week as field trial to get users’ feedback. The new interface, which offers quick and easy access to essential information for passengers, has been largely appreciated for its speed, simple interface and richness of information and smooth user experience. This new interface has been launched with effect from 6th September 2013.
FARE RAILWAYS UNDERTAKES FUEL ADJUSTMENT COMPONENT (FAC) LINKED REVISION IN PASSENGER AND FREIGHT TARIFF In the Railway Budget for 2013-14, the proposal to implement Fuel Adjustment Component (FAC)-linked tariff revision, bi-annually in sync with movement in fuel costs in either direction was introduced. While the proposal was implemented in the case of freight tariffs w.e.f. 01.04.2013, passenger fares were kept out of the purview of FAC-linked revision at that time, primarily on grounds that these had been revised upwards after a hiatus of ten years only recently, i.e. w.e.f. 22nd Jan’2013. The next review became due in October 2013 and the Ministry of Railways has decided to revise passenger fare and freight tariffs linking it with Fuel Adjustment Component (FAC). The revised passenger fare became effective from the midnight of 6TH October and 7th October 2013 (i.e. 0000 hours of 7th October 2013). The revised freight tariff became effective from the midnight of 9th October and 10th October 2013 (i.e. 0000 hours of 10th October 2013).
INDIAN RAILWAYS UNDERTAKEN COMPREHENSIVE REVISION OF ITS REFUND RULES
The Ministry of Railways has revised and amended Refund Rules in a very comprehensive manner and notified them which have come into force with effect from 1.7.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund claims. This exercises became necessary as Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of fare) Rules, 1998 had not been substantially revised in the last 15 years during which period a large number of changes took place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways like proliferation of Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS), introduction of Reservation through internet and development of facilities like Integrated Train Enquiry System -- 139 (through which ticket status can be obtained through SMS) etc.
RAIL TARIFF AUTHORITY
Indian Railways is now in the process of setting up the Rail Tariff Authority (RTA). It is a big initiative in streamlining the tariff mechanism. The objective of setting up this authority is to systematically address the issue of rail tariff in a more rational way. The exercise of setting it up will be completed shortly.
RAILWAYS LAUNCHES TOLL FREE HELPLINE NUMBER FOR CATERING RELATED COMPLAINTS
Indian Railways has set up a central monitoring cell with the toll free number i.e. 1800-111-321 for the convenience of railway users to register their complaints regarding railways’ catering services like food quality, over charging etc., both at railway stations and in running trains. This facility is available all seven days from 7 A.M. to 10 P.M. when during this time generally the food is served to the passengers. As soon as the complaint is registered, all possible actions will be taken on real time basis to address that complaint.
MYSORE RAILWAY STATION GETS TOURIST FRIENDLY RAILWAY STATION AWARD OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Mysore Railway Station of Mysore division of South Western Railway has bagged the Tourist Friendly Railway Station Award which is part of the National Tourism Awards for the year 2011-12, instituted by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Mysore Railway Station is hailed as a heritage marvel. The magnificently lined Corinthian columns make this rail station a landmark in the heritage city of Mysore. Designed by famed architect Shri D.V. Narasimha Rao (1889-1975), the founder member of renowned engineering institute, National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore and completed in early 1900, this station stands testimony to the glorious past of Mysore State Railway. Visitors are overwhelmed as they enter this nearly one hundred year old, partly two-storied architectural splendor which now boasts of modern facilities and amenities for the passengers.
Wi-Fi FACILITY ON HOWRAH RAJDHANI EXPRESS TRAIN LAUNCHED
The Wi-Fi- facility as a pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani Express (train no. 12302), was launched in April 2013. To introduce internet access in moving train was a technological challenge considering that the train passes through all type of terrain and continuous internet access in all weather is to be provided. After due deliberations on various options for providing internet access, Indian Railways decided for satellite communication link to the train and Wi-Fi connectivity to different coaches. After successful technical trails, Indian Railways launched the pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani express in both the directions simultaneously i.e. 12301/12302 at Howrah and New Delhi respectively. This facility has been extended free of cost to the travelling passengers. The facility has been introduced for the first time on Indian Railways through state-of-the-art Technology at a total cost of Rs. 6.30 crore covering all the three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express. The satellite communication link is arranged through satellite hub facility, set up by Indian Railways.
RAILWAYS NOW RUNNING 1400 COACHES WITH BIO-TOILETS IN VARIOUS TRAINS
In its commitment to provide hygienic environment to passengers, Indian Railways continued with its most ambitious programme of providing bio-toilets in more and more coaches and at present is running 1400 coaches with 3800 bio-toilets in various trains. In the first four months of the current year, Indian Railways have fitted more bio-toilets on coaches than the entire number of bio-toilets fitted in the past three years. In the first four months of the current financial year i.e. from April’13 to July’13 the number of bio-toilets fitted in passenger coaches were 2285 in comparison to 1337 bio-toilets fitted in 2012-13, 169 in 2011-12 and 57 in the year 2010-11. The first train, Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express, fitted with bio-toilets is running since January 2011. After receiving encouraging feedback from the users and railway maintenance staff, the pace of fitment of these bio-toilets in Indian Railways passenger coaches has been ramped up. In its endeavour to take all necessary steps to keep station premises clean, Indian Railways is now manufacturing all new conventional passenger coaches fitted with bio-toilets.
RAILWAYS TO PROVIDE BRAILLE SIGNAGE IN PASSENGER COACHES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PASSENGERS
As a part of its social commitment to make Railways more passenger-friendly towards especially abled passengers, Indian Railways has decided to provide Braille stickers in coaches to facilitate visually impaired passengers. Presently coaches are provided with signage, instructions, seat-numbers etc. which are mostly in the form of vinyl stickers/metallic plates and have no Braille characters and can not be read by visually impaired passengers. Now it is planned to use stickers with metallic base with printed characters embedded into it. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), a production unit of the Indian Railways has developed the specification for integrated Braille signages in coaches in consultations with Blind associations and input received from Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO) and issued to Railways.
THRUST ON SAFETY RELATED ISSUES
Thrust on safety related issues was given during the year, particularly to enhance safety at level crossings, prevention of incidents of fire in trains and in pantry cars, prevention of cases of Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) by loco pilots, etc. During the current year from January to 15th December 2013, safety drives were launched by Board on prevention of cases of SPAD, prevention of accidents at unmanned level crossings, observance of rules and precautions during shunting, prevention of cases of fire in pantry cars, observance of rules for working of push trolleys, etc. One conference of Chief Safety Officers was organized for detailed discussions on various issues relating to safety and rules for train operations. Decisions taken during this conference were circulated for compliance. High Level Safety Review Committee (HLSRC) submitted its report on 17.02.2012. The HLSRC has made 106 recommendations covering the various aspects of Indian Railways. The report of the committee was circulated to various Directorates for comments. The comments of various Directorates have since been compiled and sent to Board Members for discussion during Board Meeting. Loss of human life in train accidents excluding UMLC accidents during April to 15th December 2013, has decreased from 75 to 12 in comparison to the corresponding period of previous year.
FINAL REPORT OF HIGH POWER COMMITTEE (RUNNING & SAFETY) PRESENTED TO CHAIRMAN, RAILWAYS BOARD
The High Power Committee (Running & Safety) headed by Shri D.P.Tripathi, former Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Food Processing has submitted its final report to Shri Arunendra Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board. Other three Members of the Committee which was constituted by the Ministry of Railways were Shri V.K.Manglik, former General Manager, West Central Railway, Shri Amar Nath, former General Manager, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and Shri M. S. Khan, former Additional Member/Budget, Railway Board. The Committee was constituted to look into pending demands of Labour Federation regarding working hours of Running Staff (Guards and Drivers) and review of Safety Categories staff over Indian Railways. The Committee conducted wide ranging consultation with Railway Administrations, Federations and staff all over Indian Railways and prepared a comprehensive report as per terms of reference. The Report is presently under consideration and examination of the Railway Board.
STEPS TAKEN TO ENHANCE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN
In order to enhance the safety and security of women under the Nirbhay Fund Scheme set up the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Railways has also proposed a pilot scheme of setting up an SOS alert system in trains in select zones. The railway helpline system will have the features like: (i) The facility will cover all the service providers from all the telecom circles of mobile and landline networks, (ii) Call recording i.e. recording of the conversations between passengers and Call Centre Agents, (iii) Upgradability/Compatibility for SMS service and (iv) To start with, the proposed call centre will support English and Hindi as languages of communication. However the system is flexible to be upgraded to a distributed mode wherein calls from a centralized call centre can be transferred to regional call centres. On October 25, 2013, the work was awarded to CRIS (Centre for Railway Information systems) with a completion period of 13 months for conducting pilot projects at Central Railway and Western Railway.
TRAIN PROTECTION WARNING SYSTEM & TRAIN COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM
TPWS is a safety system based on international Safety Standards and conforming to European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-1. It eliminates the accidents caused by human error like Signal Passing at Danger and over speeding. TPWS system has been introduced in commercial service on one AC rake on Dum Dum- Kavi Shubhash section of Kolkata Metro (25 RKMs) on 26.10.13 with SIL4 certification. Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an Automatic Train Protection System developed indigenously by RDSO in association with Indian Vendors. This system is aimed at providing dual capability of preventing train accidents caused due to Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) or non observance of speed restrictions by train drivers as well as preventing train collisions caused due to non-observance of rules in case of manual operations. RDSO has finalized the Specification for the first phase i.e. suitable for Absolute Block System through the process of Expression of Interest wherein six Indian vendors were shortlisted. Based on the successful demonstration of proof of concept trials of the technology in October 2012, extended field trials with multi-vendor, interoperability features have been planned by RDSO on 250 km section on SCR. Accordingly, a work costing Rs. 29 Cr. has been sanctioned and has been awarded to three indigenous firms. Extended field trials were conducted by RDSO in Tandur to Kurugunta section in Secunderabad division of South Central Railway during August / September 2013. Next round of extended field trials is planned in December 2013.Operational deployment of TCAS on Railways will be considered after successful extended field trials which are expected to be completed by September 2014.
MODERN SIGNALLING SYSTEM
To increase efficiency and enhance Safety in train operations, modern Signalling system with Route Relay Interlocking (RRI)/ Panel Interlocking (PI)/ Electronic Interlocking (EI) along with Multi Aspect Colour Light Signalling (MACLS) in replacement of Over-aged Mechanical/Multi Cabin Signalling system has been provided at 214 stations. Route Relay Interlocking commissioned during the period at 12 major Stations. In addition, Electronic Interlocking has been commissioned at 90 Stations and Panel Interlocking has been commissioned at 112 Stations during the period. Cross Approval for Electronic Interlocking of M/s Kyosan, Japan has been accorded by RDSO in Octber 2013 in endeavour to develop more vendors. To increase line capacity and reduce headway, Automatic Block Signalling has been commissioned on 160 Route Kms. To increase line capacity, by splitting longer block sections, Intermediate Block Signalling (IBS) has been provided in 30 block sections. To improve reliability and visibility of signals, incandescent filament signal lamps are being replaced by long life, highly durable LED signals. 467 stations have been provided with LED signals, covering 18500aspects.
TRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
TMS on suburban section of Central Railway in Mumbai from Mumbai CST to Kalyan extending over 54 km and covering 26 stations has been made operational in November, 2013. TMS system gives assistance to Controllers in planning train movements in a better way, especially in case of train disruption due to unusual occurrences, through live monitoring of train running. With direct operation from TMS system on ‘Online’ basis, display of Expected Arrival in Minutes (EAIM) of next train and Automatic train announcement at Station entrance, platforms and FOBs helps commuters in getting right information about train running. TMS has also been integrated with Integrated Coaching Management System (ICMS) which has facilitated dissemination of real time suburban train information to the commuters.
INTRODUCTION OF FUEL EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR DIESEL ENGINES
Yet another milestone in introduction of fuel efficient technologies for diesel engines has been achieved with Indian Railways manufacturing the first multi-genset locomotive in India. Indian Railways have undertaken development of prototype multi-genset locomotives in the medium horse power range with 3 gensets of 800 Horsed Power (HP) each amounting to a gross HP of 2400. The trial of first multi-genset locomotive is already undergoing as a pilot project at Itarsi of Bhopal Division in West Central Railway. Multiple small engines work only when there is power demand; i.e. for higher power demand all the 3 engines work and the lower power demand may be met by a single engine. These locos promise to reduce the fuel consumption by about 20 per cent for delivering the same power. As a result the resultant NOx emissions will be far less and these locos will have a smaller carbon footprint
PUBLIC –PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is an important tool for mobilizing resources in the development of Railway infrastructure projects. The Ministry of Railways has given in principle approval for PPP projects of Rail connectivity to the ports of Jaigarh (Maharashtra), Ashtaranga (Odisha), Rewas and Hazira and Dharma port. Indian Railways has initiated a request for qualification (RFQ) for a high-power electric locomotive factory at Madhepura and a high-power diesel locomotive factory at Marhowrah, which are both PPP joint ventures. RFQ bids have been opened and evaluation of qualification is underway. The PPP model is being adopted in re-development of railway stations.
FOUNDATION FOR NEW MEMU COACH FACTORY LED LAID AT BHILWARA
The foundation stone was laid on 22nd September 2013 for setting up Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) Coach Factory near Rupaheli Station, Bhilwara District, Rajasthan. MEMU Coach Factory has been approved in the Rail Budget 2013-14 at an estimated cost of Rs. 800 crore. This factory is a joint effort of Indian Railways, Government of Rajasthan and BHEL. MOU between Ministry of Railways and BHEL was signed for setting up for this factory on 25.02.2013. MOU between Ministry of Railways and Government of Rajasthan for providing 518 acres of land free of cost for setting up for this factory was signed on 21.09.2013. Once operational, this factory will meet the demand of MEMU Coaches on Indian Railways to a large extent. Besides, it will generate direct and indirect employment & give thrust to area development. With establishment of the factory Bhilwara will now have a new identity that of MEMU Coach Factory, besides being a textile city.
FOUNDATION LAID FOR FORGED WHEEL PLANT AT RAEBARELI
Foundation stone has been laid in October 2013 for setting up of a Forged Wheel Plant at Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. This factory is a joint efforts Indian Railways and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - RINL (a PSU of Ministry of Steel).
PERFORMANCE OF ELECTRIFICATION
Eighteen mobile charging points in each cabin and side berth instead of existing two mobile charging points near toilet area are being provided in sleeper class coaches since July 2013 art ICF. GPS based LCD passenger information system has been provided on trial basis in Kalka Shatabdi Express. Such system shall be progressively provided in main line coaches. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has produced 183 electric locomotives including 92 high horse power three phase electric locomotives during 2013-14 against 166 locos last year. This is the highest ever production of locomotive ex CLW for this period. Out of 92 three phase locomotives, 44 were fitted with ‘state-of-the-art’ IGBT propulsion equipment. First high horse power three phase locomotive fitted with completely indigenously developed three phase propulsion system has been turned out by CLW in Nov’2013. Provision of vigilance Control Device on 100% electric locomotives completed. Railways engaged M/s C-Quest for replacing 1.4 million incandescent lamps with energy efficient CFLs in the Railways Residential Quarters under CDM CFL project. The CFLs were supplied free of cost to the Railways by M/s C-Quest. Total 20,509 nos (Eastern Region), 20,551 (Southern & North Eastern Region) and 44,624 (Western Region) of Certified Emission Reduction (CER) were issued by UNFCCC between June 2013 and December 2013 in favour of the project out of which 3% of the CERs would be transferred in favour of the Ministry of Railways. Railways Energy Management Company (REMC), a newly formed Joint Venture of RITES and Indian Railways, became functional. The Company has planned to establish 25 MW wind mill plant besides taking other initiatives for getting electricity at economic tariff through power trading, bilateral arrangements etc. Capacity addition of 7.8 MW of solar power with about 40% subsidy from MNRE has been planned at 200 Railway Stations, roof top of 26 buildings and at 2000 Level Crossing gates.
INDIAN RAILWAYS BAGS HIGHEST EVER 22 NATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2013
The President Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave away National Energy Conservation Awards-2013 at a function in New Delhi today. Indian Railways bagged 22 National Energy Conservation awards out of total awards of 112 during 2013 from 829 applicants which is the highest by any organisation. Ministry of Power has instituted “National Energy Conservation Award” which is given on “National Energy Conservation Day” on 14thDecember every year. The respective General Mangers of different Railway organisations received the awards along with other recipients. Awards are given to 54 category (like different industries-cement/steel sugar etc, power plant, Railways, Railway Stations, Railway Workshops, hospitals, office buildings, other general categories) mainly on the basis of improvement in specific energy & Energy Conservation initiatives. Achieving such a stupendous feet at national level by Indian Railways has been possible.
IMPLEMENTATION OF RAILWAY PROJECTS FOR COAL CONNECTIVITY
Ministry of Railways in consultation with Ministry of Power and Ministry of Coal has jointly identified 30 coal connectivity projects for swift evacuation and transportation of coal during 12th Five Year Plan period and beyond. Railways are holding regular meetings at the highest level to monitor the progress of coal connectivity projects so that the roadblocks are removed expeditiously and the projects are completed in a time bound manner. Prime Minister’s Office has constituted the Inter Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Chairman, Railway Board with Secretary, /Ministry of Coal, Secretary,/Ministry of Power and Secretary,/Ministry of Environment & Forest as members. Concerned Railway officers along with senior officers of CIL, CCL, RITES, MCL, SECL and IRCON are regularly in touch with each other for implementing the projects..
INDIAN RAILWAYS TAKE GLOBAL LEAD IN DEVELOPING COMMON RAIL ELECTRONIC DIRECT FUEL INJECTION
In order to alleviate the effect of rising fuel prices and increasing pollution from transport sector, Research Development Standard Organisation (RDSO), the research wing of Indian Railways is in the process of developing a highly fuel efficient, Common Rail Electronic Direct Fuel Injection (CReDI) system for its fleet of diesel locomotives. On diesel locomotives, however, this technology is beginning to be implemented world over recently. Indian Railways has taken a global lead in starting development of the CReDI for its fleet of diesel locomotives. For this purpose, an Indian manufacturer has established a joint venture with a reputed firm fromSwitzerland for design and development of the system under overall supervision of RDSO. Final testing of the system will be done at the large bore engine laboratory of RDSO. Fuel savings in the range of 3 to 4 per cent and emissions reductions by about 20-30% are expected. Once the systems are implemented on the complete fleet of locomotives, savings will be about Rs. 500-600 crore annually.
RCF, KAPURTHALA RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE
Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, a production unit under the Ministry of India received ‘Par Excellence Award’ from Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI), in Chennai on 14th September 2013. RCF acquired this award for successfully implementing modern quality tools such as ‘5S’, Kaizen and Quality Circles and achieving the better house-keeping and work-place management etc. By implementing ‘5S’ work place management system, RCF improved manufacturing of coaches from 1568 coaches in the year 2009-10 to 1680 coaches in 2012-13. The generation of scrap increased from 4868 metric tonnes in the year 2009-10 to 6291 metric tonnes in the year 2012-13as part of the cleaning up process and generated additional revenue. The number of minor incidents involving safety at work-place also reduced from 34 in 2009-10 to 21 in the year 2012-12.
INDIAN RAILWAYS SWITCHES OVER TO 100% E-AUCTION FOR SCRAP DISPOSAL
In yet another move aimed at transparency for the benefit of bidders, Indian Railways have switched over to 100% e-auction for disposal of scrap eliminating need for physical presence/physical bidding by purchasers. Indian Railways disposes scrap worth Rs.3500 crore every year. Till recently, scrap disposal by Indian Railways was being carried out through public auctions requiring physical presence of purchasers for bidding. This e-auction system has been developed in house by the Ministry of Railways. In this auction system, electronic bidding system has been designed to enable participation in auction through internet using digital certificate (DSC) for security. No physical presence of purchaser is required for biding. Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi will be shining in the glory of ‘Golden Jubilee’ year when it will be completing 50 years of its production service next year i.e 2014 since its inception in 1964.
INDIAN RAILWAYS INSTALL NEW TECHNIQUE TO DETECT FAULTS IN COACHES, WAGONS & LOCOS WHILE ON RUN
In its continuous endeavour to enhance safety in Railway operations, the Indian Railways is now adopting first ever unique modern technology for maintenance of its passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives. The new maintenance technique which uses acoustic method of diagnostics is known as Acoustic Bearing Detectors (ABD) & Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD). When used in combination together they are known as Online Monitoring of Rolling Stock (OMRS) systems. This technique involves placing arrays of microphones and sensors that record the audible noise and forces generated by the running coaches, wagons and locomotives. Conventional method to maintain passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives is to physically examine when these are in stationary condition at the maintenance depots. Under the new technique, the faults in the Rolling stock can be detected while on run which is a big advantage as it will make maintenance faster reducing turn around time for Rolling stocks thereby ensuring availability of high number of wagons/coaches etc. for operation.
FDI IN RAILWAY SECTOR
A proposal for seeking Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and private investment in infrastructure projects of Indian Railways is underway for which the Ministry of Commerce has been approached to make suitable changes in the existing norms.
PROGRESS ON THE DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR
Indian Railways’ ambitious project of ‘Dedicated Freight Corridor’ (DFC) continued its implementation momentum during this year. There has been progress on both the corridors namely 1499 km long Western DFC from Jawahar Lal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri/Tughlakabad (Near Delhi) and 1839 km longEastern DFC from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni (Near Kolkata). 94 percent of land acquisition work has been completed till November 2013.
The process for Project Management Consultancy (PMC) Services Contract for the second phase of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project from New Bhaupur to Mughalsarai (402 kms.) has been set in motion and 16 international companies in joint venture with leading Indian companies have submitted application while participating in Expression Of Interest (EOI) in November 2013. The Project Management Consultant will assist DFCCIL for review of preliminary, definitive design, Contract Management , Construction Supervision, review of contractors’ documents, review of Quality Assurance Plan, Contractor Safety Plan, Environmental Management Plan, RAM Plan and assist in coordination with different agencies, management of interface, co-ordination with utility authorities etc. with Services respect to Civil, Structures, Track Works for Bhaupur–Khurja Section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
In case of Western Corridor, Civil works in Rewari-Iqbalgarh for length 625 Rkms, have commenced from 30.08.2013. The action on various other sections of Western Corridor is also at differently stages of execution.
FIRST EVER DUAL CAB FREIGHT DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE ‘VIJAY’ FLAGGED OFF
The first ever Dual Cab 4500 HP Freight Diesel locomotive, ‘Vijay’ flagged off from Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, a production unit of Indian Railways, on 6th November 2013. Keeping in mind the requirement of Zonal Railways, DLW has also delivered in the area of technology upgradation and designing of new variants of locomotives. Be it Dual cab passenger locomotive WDP4D, Hotel load locomotive, 5500 Horse power locomotive WDG5 and now the first ever Dual cab diesel freight locomotive WDG4D, DLW has always lived-up to it's promise. The very fact that the design of WDG4D is a completely indigenous effort of DLW and RDSO.
7TH MEETING OF RAILWAYS OF SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES HELD IN NEW DELHI
The 7th Meeting of Railways of South and South East Asian Countries was held in New Delhi in the month of March 2013. The annual meetings of railways of South and South East Asian Countries provid an effective forum for sharing experiences and for launching important cooperative initiatives in the rail sector. These meetings have been held in various countries including Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and India. This 7th meeting deliberated on major issues confronting the railways of the region and suggested solutions taking cognizance of the environmental challenges, change in the role of the state in financing of infrastructure, emergence of end-to-end logistics, etc.
RAILWAY FORMULATES AUTOMOBILE FREIGHT TRAIN OPERATOR SCHEME 2013
The Ministry of Railways has formulated a policy on Automobile Freight Train Operator (AFTO) Scheme 2013 which supersedes earlier AFTO Scheme of 2010. This Policy aims at increasing Indian Railways’ modal share in transportation of automobile traffic which is presently very meager. In addition, this policy provides an opportunity to logistics service providers and road transporters to invest in wagons and use advantage of rail transport to tie up with end users and market train services to create a win-win situation for railways and themselves. AFTO can either operate their trains between private terminals equipped to handle the traffic for which AFTO must have a tie up with such private terminals or use its own terminal/sidings for handling of such traffic or move from any rail terminal to any rail terminal on Indian Railways provided suitable handling facility is available and subject to payment of Terminal Access Charges as prescribed by Indian Railways from time to time.
INDIAN RAILWAYS SUCCESSFULLY TACKLED TRAIN OPERATIONS DURING ‘PHALIN’ CYCLONE CRISIS
The Indian Railways geared up its entire machinery in a big way in the most efficient and prompt way to ensure and manage smooth and safe railway operations in the areas affected by the recent cyclonic storm ‘‘PHAILIN” which hit the east coast of the country. Senior officials of Railway Board were always there to give suitable guidance and directions to the Railway administration for taking all precautionary measures to ensure safety and convenience of passengers. The affected Railway Zones namely, East Coast Railway (Headquarters Bhubneshar), South Central Railway (Headquarters Secunderabad), South Eastern Railway (Headquarters –Kolkata) activated emergency control rooms at zone level as well as at division level to handle the challenge effectively, General Managers of these zones personally monitored and supervised all arrangements. The meticulous planning, emergency plan of action and constant review and monitoring of the developing situation were the hallmarks of these arrangements. Crisis Management Groups were formed and all protocols of disaster management were implemented. Regular flow of information to public, additional enquiry counters, additional refund counters, emergency medical facilities, facilities of food and water were among the steps taken for the convenience of the passengers. The Public Relations Departments of the affected zone worked almost round the clock to disseminate information through media which too was taken on board for this crisis.
INDIAN RAILWAYS MADE EFFORTS IN A BIG WAY FOR THE EVACUATION OF PASSENGERS STRANDED IN UTTRAKHAND
In the wake of huge tragedy caused due to massive floods in the Uttrakhand hills, Indian Railways made elaborate arrangements for the evacuation of passengers stranded in that tragedy. Railway Board gave directions for the best possible Railway arrangements. Northern Railway and its Muradabad Division were fully geared up for making appropriate arrangements (Uttarakhand falls mostly under Muradabad Railway Division of Northern Railway). Such passengers who were stranded in the flood affected area of Uttarakhand were allowed to travel by the special trains from Haridwar and Dehradun free of charge. Additional coaches were also arranged for being attached to the regular trains to accommodate the flood affected passengers to proceed for their destinations. The officers camped at Rishikesh, Dehradun & Haridwar stations and liaisoning/ coo