No unmanned railway crossing by 2015-16

Following the train-bus collision that killed eight people in Bihar, Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa announced Thursday that there would be no unmanned railway crossing in the country by 2015-16."Railways has set a goal to convert all unmanned railway crossings into manned by 2015-16," Muniyappa told mediapersons here."There are about 14,000 unmanned railway crossings across the country. We have decided to work for safety of railway and its passengers," Muniyappa said.

NO SERVICE TAX ON RAILWAY TICKETS ISSUED BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2012

The railways ministry has made partial modification in levy of service tax on passenger fares in the AC classes/first class from October 1, 2012. The ministry clarified on Friday that service tax of 3.7% on passenger fares will not be levied on tickets issued and booked before October 1, 2012. Therefore, for people who bought tickets in advance, the service tax would not be collected on board, an official release said.

Cabinet clears Rs. 2300 crore One rank One Pension

After the DA/DR hike announcement, its another bonanza for the ex-servicemen. The union government has set aside Rs 2,300 crore for the implementation of the one-rank-one-pension - a demand that has been pending for years. This has been a major irritant between the armed forces and the bureaucracy.

In recognition of this demand, the Prime Minister in his Independence Day address this year, had mentioned about the OROP, apart from several other measures. A high level committee was formed to look into the demands of the ex-servicemen. According to the scheme, every ex-serviceman will be eligible for the same pension at his rank, regardless of when he joined or retired.

The Union Cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth was put in charge of a committee that has submitted its report, though after more than a month's delay.

OROP implies that servicemen of the same rank and same period of service should get the same pension, irrespective of when they retired. It also means that as and when pension is enhanced, the benefit will also be passed on to those who have retired earlier.

Dearness Allowance hiked by 7% to 72%

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) met today evening and cleared the dearness allowance hike. The meeting which supposed to take place last Friday was postponed due to political reasons. The hike will be 7 per cent and the new DA will be 72 per cent of the basic pay for all central government employees. The hike will be effective from July 1, 2012, and employees will get arrears from that date.

The hike is expected to cost government an additional Rs. 7,400 crore a year on the exchequer. The decision, which would benefit about 50 lakh of employees and 30 lakh pensioners of the central government

The government had last increased DA in March this year from 58 per cent to 65 per cent, which was effective from January 1, 2012.

The government periodically hikes the DA, which is calculated based on the consumer price index for industrial workers (CPI-IW). The consumer price index (CPI) based on movement in retail prices, soared to 10.03% in August, from 9.86% in July, which means a higher DA hike next time.

Cabinet likely to approve DA hike (7%) on Friday (21st Sept, 2012)

The Union Cabinet is likely to approve the hike in the dearness allowance of the employees and pensioners, on Friday. Once approved, the dearness allowance for the employees and the dearness relief for pensioners will become effective from July 1, 2012. It may take few more days for the issue of the order by the Finance Ministry.

The hike, which is calculated based on CPI-IW is supposed to be to 72 per cent from the current 65 per cent. The CPI is currently around 10%, that may push for an even higher DA hike during January 2013. This hike will benefit 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensioners. However the hike may be negligible when compared to the price hike that we can expect from the recent fuel price hike.

According to confirmed sources, the proposal to increase dearness allowance (DA) by 7 per cent of the basic pay is scheduled to come up for consideration of the Union Cabinet on Friday.

The Last DA hike effective from Jan 2012 was also 7%.

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The meeting of the Union Cabinet, which was scheduled to consider the DA hike for the central government employees and pensioners, has been put postponed to next week.

"The Cabinet, CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) and CCI (Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure) meetings scheduled for Friday, have been postponed," an official announcement said.

Cabinet meetings are supposed to take place on Thursdays, but they have been postponed owing to political turmoil.

However the the figures (7%) as well as cabinet approval for the DA hike is just a formality and may not include a decision as it is based on the CPI-IW which has already been published. Even after the cabinet approval, it will take few days for the Finance Ministry to issue order.

BEML begins delivery for stainless steel EMU

Railway Gazette reported that Bharat Earth Movers Limited has begun delivering a development batch of 10 nine car electric multiple units built to a revised design which features stainless steel car bodies.

Indian Railways is planning to use the new design to gradually replace existing steel EMUs in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai which suffer from corrosion. The EMU is intended to offer a modern appearance, with 3+3 seating equivalent to sophisticated metro cars.

Following approval by the Research Designs & Standards Organisation and RITES, the first unit has begun trials on Eastern Railway's Sealdah division.

RAILWAYS BURDEN TO RISE BY 1200 CRORES EVERY YEAR

The diesel price hike has come as a shocker for the Railways,which is reeling under a financial crunch.However,there is no immediate plan to increase freight tariff.

The Rs 5 hike in the price of diesel is expected to put an additional burden of around Rs 1,200 crore every year on the cash-strapped Railways,headed by Trinamool Congress nominee Mukul Roy.There is no move as yet to increase freight charges though the increase in diesel price will hit us badly.As of now,we have no plan to shift the burden on freight operators, a senior railway official said.

The railways had effected a 20-25 % hike in freight rates before the rail budget this year. The transporter consumes about 280 crore litres of diesel every year to run its fleet of around 4,500 diesel locomotives,hauling both freight and passenger trains. The Railways paid about Rs 13,209 crore in the current fiscal and Rs 11,741 crore during the last fiscal towards its fuel bill.The increase in fuel consumption every year is due to addition of new services and more freight haulage.

Since nearly six months have already passed in 2012-13,the additional cost of the fuel bill will be around Rs 100 crore per month this fiscal, an official said.

The three oil PSUs IndianOil, HPCL and BPCL supply fuel providing a subsidy of 30 paisa per litre as the Railways is a bulk consumer.

Engineers Day, M. Visvesvarayya Birth Day

Engineers Day, M. Visvesvarayya Birth Day from sanjay_asati

Railway Revenue Earnings Up by 19.79 Per Cent during April- August 2012

The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during 1st April – 31st August 2012 were Rs. 49211.40 crore compared to Rs. 41082.67 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.79 per cent.

The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 27445.00 crore during 1st April – 31st August 2011 to Rs. 34070.85 crore during 1st April – 31st August 2012, an increase of 24.14 per cent.

The total passenger revenue earnings during first five months of the financial year 2012-13 were Rs. 13005.44 crore compared to Rs. 11692.59 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 11.23 per cent.

The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs. 1261.13 crore during April-August 2012 compared to Rs. 1152.93 crore during the same period last year, an increase of 9.38 per cent.

The total approximate number of passengers booked during April-August 2012 were 3567.51 million compared to 3418.86 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 4.35 per cent. In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the number of passengers booked during April-August 2012 were 1840.09 million and 1727.42 million compared to 1773.50 million and 1645.36 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 3.75 per cent and 4.99 per cent respectively.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87730)

Indian Railways Carry 405.54 Million Tonnes of Freight during April-August 2012

Indian Railways have carried 405.54 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during April-August 2012. The freight carried shows an increase of 16.45 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 389.09 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.23 per cent.

During the month of August 2012, the revenue earning freight traffic carried by Indian Railways was 78.43 million tonnes. There is an increase of 2.64 million tonnes over the actual freight traffic of 75.79 million tonnes carried by the Indian Railways during the same period last year, showing an increase of 3.48 per cent.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87753)

राष्‍ट्रीय स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य बीमा योजना

रेल राज्‍य मंत्री श्री भरत सिंह सोलंकी ने रेलवे की अपने लाइसेंसधारी कुलियों, रेहडी वालों तथा फेरी लगाने वालों के लिए राष्‍ट्रीय स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य बीमा योजना (आरएसबीवाई) शुरू करने के बारे में एक प्रश्‍न के लिखित उत्‍तर में आज राज्‍य सभा में बताया कि रेलवे ने यह योजना शुरू की है। श्रम एवं रोजगार मंत्रालय के परामर्श से राष्‍ट्रीय स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य बीमा योजना में रेलों के लाइसेंसधारी पोर्टरों, लाइसेंसधारी वेंडरों और लाइसेंसधारी फेरीवालों को भी शामिल किया गया है। रेलें, संबंधित राज्‍य सरकारों द्वारा लागू की जा रही योजना में गरीबी रेखा से नीचे के लाभार्थियों को भी शामिल करने में सहायता कर रही हैं। उक्‍त गरीबी रेखा के लाभार्थियों के मामले में प्रीमियम के 75 प्रतिशत भाग या 565 रूपये प्रति परिवार प्रतिवर्ष, में से जो भी कम होगा, उसे रेलवे द्वारा वहन किया जाएगा और शेष 25 प्रतिशत भा्ग का अंशदान लाभार्थियों द्वारा दिया जायेगा, जिन्‍हें पंजीकरण/नवीनीकरण शुल्‍क के रूप में 30 रुपये प्रति परिवार प्रतिवर्ष का भुगतान भी करना होगा।

उन्‍होंने यह भी जानकारी दी कि रेलवे लाभार्थियों की संख्‍या की पहचान कर रही है और राज्‍य सरकार की नोडल एजेंसियों के संपर्क में हैं। लाभार्थियों की सही संख्‍या की जानकारी के बाद वार्षिक प्रीमियम का आकलन किया जाएगा।

मीणा/इंद्रपाल/सुमन-4399

‎'INCREASE IN FARES MUST TO SAVE RAILWAYS'

NAGPUR: Saying that the financial condition of the railways was becoming very precarious, Mr.M Raghavaiah, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR). He added that if situation got any worse, railways could go the way of Air India.

"To save the railways increasing the fares is a must. It should be hiked to 60% of the price of bus tickets," Raghavaiah said. He was addressing the first All India Loco Inspectors Meet held on Saturday in which representatives from all 17 zones of Indian Railways took part. It was hosted by the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS) Nagpur.

Raghavaiah blamed politicians for the fares not being hiked for nine years now. "The public is not opposed to price hike if they get good service," he said, adding that even the 2 lakh vacancies, especially in the safety department, need to be filled up.

Indian Railways to get more than INR 400 crore from RLDA

Rail Land Development Authority, a statutory authority established by Ministry of Railways for generating non-tariff revenue from railway land, today announced that it is soon going to restart offering sites for development of Multi Functional Complexes and railway land for commercial development. RLDA has now targeted for earning more than Rs. 400 crore during current financial year.

RLDA has prepared an action plan for fast tracking the development of projects and realization of expected revenues. RLDA has lined up 60 more new MFC sites and 8 other standalone sites for which bidding process is being initiated in phases within a fortnight. Many real estate consultants like Knight Frank, IL&FS, PWC, E&Y and JLLM are advising RLDA in Planning and Marketing the MFC/Commercial sites. MFC buildings, which are likely to come at railway stations in important tourist and religious destinations across India, will provide facilities for rail users at one centralized complex within the station premises. Facilities such as shopping, food stalls/ restaurants, book stalls, ATMs, medicines and variety stores, budget hotels, parking etc are to be provided. Several leading brands, retail, hotel chains and developers have expressed their interest in MFCs being developed by RLDA and prominent among them are Pantaloon, Cafe Coffee Day, The Loot, Woodland, Apodis Hospitality, Krishnan Palace Residency, WH Smith (Travel News Services). MFCs at 26 railway stations developed jointly with IRCON ISL and RITES have already been completed and are waiting for being leased out, prominent places being Haridwar, Udaipur, Raipur, Madurai, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Burdwan, Manmad, Guntur.

There was tremendous response when last bidding was carried oput by RLDA for 6 MFCs in year 2010-11 when a total of 15 bidders submitted 28 financial bids with RLDA getting offers much higher than their assessments. Multi Functional Complex project offers a 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. The selected railway stations will provide assured footfalls and wide exposure in the heart of town/ city. Carefully selected railway land generally in the range of 1,000 Sq.m. to 3,000 Sq.m. at the station with passenger interface is identified for development of MFC. Bids are invited in a combination of one time Lease Premium and Annual Lease Rent and bidder offering highest present value of all payments at a discount rate of 15% is selected. A bidder can either bid individually for separate MFCs or can bid for a cluster of MFCs together so that they have chance of winning a group of sites in one go. The developer winning the bid would get railway land on 45 years lease and shall have to develop phase-I of the MFC of a minimum built up area of 200 Sq.m. within a short period of 9 months. Multi Functional Complex is a win-win model for Indian Railways, rail users and developers. Indian Railways get passenger facilities developed at no cost to Government and further gets additional present and future revenues, rail users get better facilities in the shortest period of time and developers get assured market and opportunity for developing such project at large number of railway stations across India. The MFCs so developed will be part of the railway operational buildings and will be transferred back to the railways once the lease period ends.

Several important sites for commercial development of surplus railway land including Katra, Amritsar, Chennai, Vizag, Vijayawada and Bangalore are also soon going to be offered for bidding for leasing up-to 45 years. These sites are attractively located in the respective cities and are suitable for shopping malls, entertainment, offices, hotels and other such real estate developments. Several of these sites are expected to be awarded during this financial year.

RLDA has also been entrusted by Ministry of Railways for development of 5 Railway Stations at Chandigarh, Anand Vihar (Delhi), Bijwasan (Delhi), Habibganj (Bhopal) and Shivajinagar (Pune) into modern railway stations with excellent facilities for rail users. These stations are being developed through Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd., a joint venture company created by IRCON and RLDA in which the former is the majority partner. The company has already started operation and Business and Legal advisers have been appointed. These stations will be developed by leveraging the real estate and retail potential at the railway stations.

Security Arrangements at Stations and in Trains

Prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of law and order over Railways is the statutory responsibility of States. For this purpose a separate wing of State police in the name of Government Railway Police (GRP) has been constituted by the States. 50 per cent cost on GRPs is shared by Railways with respective States. Railways, through the Railway Protection Force (RPF), are supplementing efforts of States in providing security over Railways.

For supplementing efforts of States, security has been identified as one of the priority areas by Railways for strengthening and upgradation. Efforts made to strengthen railway security in recent past include nomination of 202 stations for installation of Integrated Security System, procurement of modern security related equipment, setting up of an All India Security Help Line, networking of RPF Posts and Security Control Rooms, establishment of a commando training center and three new Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) Battalions, upgradation of RPF training centers etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87616)

On Board Housekeeping Services Important Trains

On Board House Keeping Services (OBHS) has been planned to be implemented in all Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and other important long distance Mail/Express trains (including Garib Rath) for frequent cleaning of coach toilets, doorways, aisles and passenger compartments during the run of the trains. The scheme has so far been implemented in around 300 trains. Other important trains as identified by Zonal Railways are also planned for provision of OBHS.

OBHS facility can be provided on those trains satisfying laid down parameters such as journey time/period, coach type etc. Identification of trains for provision of OBHS scheme, as per requirements, is an ongoing process. Cost of provision of OBHS may vary from train to train and depends upon the number and type of coaches, journey time/period etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87617)

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana has been extended to licensed porters, licensed vendors and licensed hawkers on the Railways in consultation with Ministry of Labour & Employment. Railways are facilitating below poverty line beneficiaries for coverage under the scheme being implemented by the concerned State Governments. In the case of above poverty line beneficiaries, 75 per cent of the premium will be borne by the Railways subject to a maximum of Rs. 565/- per family per annum, whichever is less and the remaining 25 per cent to be contributed by the beneficiaries, who will also have to pay an amount of Rs. 30/- per family per year as registration/renewal fee.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87618)

Safety Audits Conducted by Railways

Two types of safety audits are being conducted by Railways regularly, i.e. one by individual railway of its own divisions once in two months period and another inter railway safety audit which is conducted twice a year i.e. from January to June and July to December. Safety Audit is conducted by a team of five Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) level officers of Civil, Mechanical, Signal, Electrical and Safety departments. The teams carry out audit/inspection and focus on pinpointing deficiencies found in the system including ancillary activities. Staff training, material supply, availability of funds, system failures, defective policies/rules etc. Zonal Railways submit their Reports/Action taken reports to the Ministry of Railways. These reports are analyzed by the Railway Board which gives them further necessary instructions as and when necessary.

Indian Railways have adopted safety standards which are comparable to global norms. All the trains are being provided with fire extinguishers in SLRs (Guard cum brakevan) and in locomotive for attending fire emergencies. Besides, all AC coaches and pantry cars in trains are also provided with fire extinguishers. Doors and emergency windows in functional condition are provided in all the trains. Vestibules serve as exit route to adjacent coaches.

Regular inspections are carried out for all safety equipment. It is ensured that all fire extinguishers are refilled at their due time. Regular exercise is carried out to check the knowledge of staff to operate the fire fighting equipment by the individual department. Indian Railways have adopted fire retardant interior finishing material including wall paneling, flooring, roof-paneling to minimize the risk of fire accidents.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

AKS/HK/LK/TR (Release ID :87619)

Railways plan to curb cellphone menace

Showing concern over increasing number of complaints regarding talking loudly on mobile phones by passengers and irritating sound of objectionable ring tones buzzing inside the coaches which affect the comfort level of fellow passengers, the Railway Board has decided to create awareness among people through mass media and public address system at the stations.

In this connection, director, passenger marketing in the Railway Board Monica Agnihotri has written letters to all chief commercial managers of Indian Railways including North Central Railway. The number of letter is 2012/TG-V/19/02 dated July 23.

The letter states that the matter has been examined by Board and with a view to making the use of mobile phone annoyance free to other passengers, inside the compartment, it has been decided that passengers be educated about the adverse impact on the comfort of fellow passengers of such usage.

It is pertinent to mention that there were large number of complaints regarding talking loudly on cell phones, long conversations by the passengers and sound of objectionable ring tones buzzing inside the enclosed space of coaches, especially inside AC coaches.

This effects the comfort level of other passengers and has been brought to the notice of the Board from time to time.

The letter mentions that as long conversations, talking loudly on phones and buzzing of ring tones having questionable contents in high volume disturb co-passengers, the co-operation of the passengers should be solicited to keep their mobiles on silent/vibration mode or the ringtone at low volume and also to avoid talking loudly and make their conversation shorts as far as possible by making announcement through Public Address System, wherever the same is available. Further, stickers should be displayed in coaches, especially AC coaches.

The Chief public relations officer of North Central Railway Sandeep Mathur informed that the zone would undertake awareness drive among the passengers that they should use mobile phones in such a way that it should not cause problems to the fellow passengers.

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Input from Er. Ethirajan Ramesh

China’s rail link to Singapore intensifies exports race in S-E Asia

Even as China’s manufacturing activity continues to slide, with its purchasing managers index (PMI) falling below the 50% mark in August, the country has completed a rail link between two of its provinces, as part of a pan-Asian network that eventually stretches up to Singapore, with an eye on improving exports to south-east Asia. The rail line between Yuxi and -Mengzi in Yunan province of China is part of the pan-Asian network that will become operational by December, according to Chinese media, at a cost of $707 million, and has been completed ahead of schedule. The line connecting China with most countries of Association of South-East Asian Countries (ASEAN) would run from Kunming Laos, Thailand and Malaysia, to Singapore with alternate routes through Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. This would mean easier transportation of goods and services via rail instead of shipment over the South China sea. However, Indian business and trade officials are confident the new Chinese rail link will not significantly impact Indian trade with south-east Asia. Abhijit Das of Center for WTO Studies says the new line will make India’s trade with the ASEAN market slightly more difficult. “China is faster in completing infrastructure projects. But India and China can work together to come to a mutually beneficial solution,” says Das. Sanjay Budhia, member of the CII National Committee on Exports and Imports, says the new development in China should not affect India-China relations. "Competition is always welcome but not at the expense of one country having exclusive advantage over the other," says Budhia. The line now has a total length of 141 km passing through 35 tunnels and 61 bridges, accounting for 55% of its total length. Daya Sharma, director of Super Freight, opines that the new rail link will make insignificant difference to India’s exports to ASEAN. “The only difference will be in transportation cost. India access will be through shipping while China will use the rail link. Since manufacturing cost will stay the same, I do not see China’s rail affecting our exports,” says Sharma. A top official from the commerce ministry says the upcoming Mekong-Ganga meeting with the ASEAN countries in December might facilitate greater trade understanding. The Mekong-Ganga meeting will mark the 20 th anniversary of India-China dialogue partnership. The commerce ministry has planned an expedition by Indian Naval ship, Sudarshini, from September 15 to trace the ancient trade routes which followed the monsoon winds to highlight the maritime linkage between India and the south-east Asian countries. India’s exports to the ASEAN region for 2011-12 (April-December) stood at $26,790 million. The region is emerging as a trade hotspot with even United States negotiating a free trade agreement, known as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), with ten other countries, including Singapore: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam. China’s new rail link has been completed at a time when many firms in China’s export hub Wenzhou are closing down in face of the global economic meltdown. This wise move by China will revive China’s trade which was hit by cancellation of purchase contracts by recession-hit West, thus not only facilitating movement of goods and people, but also geopolitical stability. China is currently among the top ten exporters in the world.

Input from Er. Ethirajan Ramesh

Rail reservation charts to have TTEs name too

The Railway Board has given instructions to zonal railways for mentioning the names of Train Ticket Examiners (TTE) in the reservation charts so that passengers may identify them and get their problems solved.

In this connection, executive director, passenger marketing in the Railway Board A Madhukumar Reddy has written letters to all the chief commercial managers of the zonal railways so that the order can be implemented soon.

It is worth mentioning that duties of ticket checking staff manning reserved coaches include guiding the passengers of the trains, and rendering assistance by co-coordinating with the railway staff of other department in case of need.

The presence of on-board ticketing checking staff in the assigned coaches wearing proper uniform and identity badge is essential for ensuring proper guidance and assistance to the passengers.

The letter mentions that several instances have come to notice in which the passengers could not be able to locate the ticket checking staff for seeking guidance.

In order to enable the passengers to locate easily the ticket checking staff manning the trains for seeking assistance in case of need, it has been decided that the names of TTE/COR/Dy TS/TS responsible for manning the coaches shall be printed on the respective reservation charts of coaches through the PRS from the train originating station.

The names of the TTEs/ conductors manning the coaches on end-to-end basis shall be printed on the reservation chart through the PRS. For all other trains, names of ticket checking staff deployed on the first leg will be printed on the chart at the train originating station.

In case of a last minute change, the TTE/ conductor should make necessary correction in the chart by writing his name and designation on the chart. Zonal railways have been asked to issue suitable instructions for ensuring the above system.

Instructions should also be issued that the names of the outstation TTEs/conductors manning the coaches many be obtained by the train originating station and incorporated in the reservation charts through the PRS.

The letter further mentions that printing of reservation charts at any location should not be however delayed on this count.

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With Input from Er. Ethirajan Ramesh

Soon, machine that can lay 1-km railway track each day

For the first time, the Indian Railways is planning to utilise track-laying machines that would help put in place one kilometre of railway lines each day.

Offered by US-based Harsco Rail, the machine would be first used for laying tracks on the 66-kilometre New Kawadia-Durgapur section of India’s eastern freight corridor — scheduled for inauguration in December 2013.

Costing Rs. 70 crore, the model is being imported on a trial basis by the Ferrovia Trans Rail Solutions Private Limited. The JV was awarded theRs. 156 crore contract for building tracks on the New Kawadia-Durgapur section. The first set of the track-laying machines is expected to arrive by December.

"This technology will mean a generational jump in rail track construction systems, and will help overcome labor issues," said RK Gupta, managing director of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).

Given the huge potential for laying rail tracks in India, these machines are expected to be in huge demand in coming years

At present, it takes approximately 10 days — besides nearly 3,000 labourers — to lay a kilometre of railway track through the use of semi-mechanised methods.

Railways’ Pilot Project on Using CNG as Alternate Fuel

Indian Railways have taken initiative of using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternate fuel on pilot project involving Diesel Power Car (DPC) of Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU). Contracts for conversion of 50 DPCs have been placed on three different firms by Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels (IROAF) for Northern Railway Shakurbasti Diesel Shed homing DEMUs. Fitment of these kits is under progress. Such technology has not been tried out on any other major railroad on such a scale. It involves extensive trials and testing.

Cost of fitment on 50 DPCs is about Rs. 55 crore and savings in fuel consumption can be assessed only where these kits are positioned.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri K. H. Muniyappa in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 25.08.2012.