In the wake of a series of Maoist attacks on trains and rail infrastructure, the railway ministry is likely to seek deployment of paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force to guard its tracks and property in the Naxal-hit areas.
During independence, Indian Railway's system was ahead of China's. However, in 1990s the ambitious neighbour started its rail reforms and left India far behind. The Chinese rail transformation story has many lessons for India.
Aiming at reduction of carbon emission by using clean energy, Indian Railways has embarked upon a renewable energy action plan as part of the national policy to address the impact of climate change.
The finances of the Railways are in dire need of repair.
India has strongly rejected Pakistan's allegations of backing terrorism against that country following the Balochistan train attack. India said Islamabad should look inwards before shifting the blame on others for its "failures " and that the whole world knows "where the epicentre of global terrorism lies ". Pakistan, on the other hand, has accused India of "sponsoring terrorism " without directly implicating it in the Balochistan train attack that killed 21 passengers.
The railways on Tuesday said the RPF constable accused in the Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting incident kept the treatment he would have been undergoing for any mental condition a "secret" and no such ailment was detected in the last periodic medical examination for the force's personnel.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday due to noisy protests by the opposition, who demanded answers regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the Mahakumbh. Opposition members protested after PM Modi's statement and demanded the inclusion of stampede deaths in the statement. The House proceedings were initially adjourned until 1 pm, and when the House resumed, opposition members continued their protests, forcing the Chair to adjourn the proceedings for the day.
On Monday, Railway Board, the apex body in the ministry, issued a circular that the Prime Minister's Office would handle all projects worth Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and above.
'We carry 6.5 billion passengers every year. We have crossed seven billion this year, and are targeting 10 billion by 2030.'
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Jaya Varma Sinha, member of operation and business development, Railway Board said, "According to the preliminary findings, there has been some issue with the signalling. We are still waiting for the detailed report from the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Only Coromandel Express met with an accident. The train was at a speed of around 128 km/h."
The year 2015 has seen eight accidents because of derailments.
Railway officials also indicated that possible 'sabotage' and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the Friday accident.
The Cabinet can take a decision on the matter only after the Election Commission's approval.
Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Friday.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been taken into 18-day custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India. Rana was extradited from the United States after years of legal battles and will be questioned to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the attacks.
IRCTC used to charge Rs 40 per ticket for bookings in AC classes, Rs 20 per ticket in sleeper class
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways at an estimated cost of around Rs 32,500 crore, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The proposed projects, which will be fully funded by the Centre, will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation. The projects covering 35 districts in nine states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal -- will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by 2,339 km and provide employment of an estimated 7.06 crore man-days to the people of the states.
Amid allegations that Railway Board Member Mahesh Kumar had offered bribe to get the plum posting as Member (Electrical), Railway Ministry on Saturday said no "relevant" Board level job is vacant at present and denied any wrongdoing in his present appointment as Member (Staff).
'If his health was good he would have become CM again after polls.' 'Those who are with Nitish Babu today will remain with him till the elections to use his name for votes and would definitely play games with him after the polls.'
A maximum of over 2,200 infections were reported by the South Central Railway, followed by 1,323 cases in the Central Railway, 1,307 in the Northern Railway, 1,145 in the Southern Railway and 1,013 cases in the East Central Railway.
The Railway ministry has been allocated budgetary support of Rs 140367.13 crore in the Union Budget on Tuesday - Rs 20,311 crore more than the revised figures of the previous fiscal. Overall, the national transporter is set to get a capital expenditure (CapEx) push of Rs 2.45 lakh crore in the financial year 2022-23, 14 per cent higher than the budgeted capital expenditure of Rs 2.15 lakh crore for the current financial year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech for 2022-23 said that India will manufacture 400 new, energy-efficient Vande Bharat trains in the next three years.
The Railways has decided to install nearly 900 automatic ticket vending machines at stations across the country for the convenience of daily commuters and reduce queues at counters during rush hours.
As Indian Railways looks to avert the crisis like last summer, preparations are under way to stock up coal at thermal power plants. Much like February and March, thermal coal movement in April was 5 per cent higher than the previous year, data from the Ministry of Railways shows. While India prepares for a hot summer this year, 48.23 million tonnes (mt) of coal for thermal power plants was ferried by Indian Railways in April. The national transporter also moved about 500,000 tonnes--18.4 per cent-- more imported coal for power plants this April than it had done last year.
In a major move to push tourism in the hill states and counter Chinese expansion in the Tibetan region, the Railways ministry has prepared a blueprint to set up an ambitious 480 kilometre Manali - Leh railway line link criss-crossing the treacherous mountains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
'Imagine what will happen when a train running at 128 kmph moves onto a track that is meant to have only a speed less than 30 kmph!' 'Naturally, it will derail, and the coaches will go for a tailspin.'
More than 4,300 employees of the Railways have come under the scanner of its own vigilance department for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices.
The government is looking to give Bharat Global Ports a certain amount of domestic exposure after it set up the state-owned consortium to increase India's global maritime heft, officials aware of the development said. The intended domestic exposure is meant to give the consortium experience and build its credentials for international projects.
The total earnings of Railways during April to November this year were Rs 78,868.17 crore compared to Rs 66,150.48 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.23 per cent.
Getting into the groove, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday got a detailed presentation of the functioning and various aspects of the national transporter including its financial health.
Railways on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the train accident at Sitheri in Tamil Nadu, which has left ten persons dead.
Railways has pledged Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for the Games and a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed between the public sector unit behemoth and the organising committee shortly.
An effort is on to change the fortunes of the country's largest transport network. But it's a long journey ahead.
If the fiscal deficit target of 4.9% of GDP has to be met for 2024-2025, which the government must in view of the uncertainties and challenges emerging both domestically and globally, the finance ministry may see in the composition of the current year's capex a sliver of hope, notes A K Bhattacharya.
Congress, which is an ally of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, on Monday questioned the recurrence of train accidents and said the railway ministry was not safe in the hands of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party.
It was a tumultuous year for the railways as a cash-strapped ministry saw four ministers in quick succession, resulting in indecision and delay in policy making process.
From highways connecting once-remote regions to aviation networks carrying millions, India's infrastructure story is one of transformation.
The total earnings during April-August this year were Rs 48,635.19 crore (Rs 486.35 billion) as against the target of Rs 49,994.28 crore (Rs 499.94 billion), falling short of Rs 1359.09 crore (Rs 13.59 billion), according Railway Ministry data.
A state-of-art computerised system is being deployed by Railways across all crew booking lobbies of both drivers and guards for efficient train operations and safer journey.
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