ProUI

Railway officials described the train tragedy at Dhamara Ghat as an “incident” and not an “accident”, seeking to blame the victims as solely responsible for inviting the fate they met.The officials are of the opinion that the victims made an “illegal trespass” on the tracks to come in front of a speeding train. But given the political compulsions in a democracy, no official chose to come on record to blame the people for the “mass suicide” kind of incident and said an inquiry had been ordered into the tragedy. Officials said given the scale of the tragedy it appeared that the crowd tried to stop the speeding train.Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge too termed the tragedy an “unfortunate incident” and sought to blame the victims for the tragedy but refrained from stating it in clear terms. On “humanitarian grounds” he announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said two passenger trains were stopped at Dhamara Ghat station to give passage to the “super fast” train that ran over the people. He said people from the two stationary trains “got down on the non-platform side”, clearly hinting that the victims were at fault.

“Some passengers got down (from the two trains) on the non-platform side. In the meantime train number 12567 (the super-fast train) arrived,” Kharge told the House and added that the driver of the speeding train tried his best but could not save the people.

“The loco pilot after passing the home signal saw some persons on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. However, by the time the train stopped some people got run over,” the minister told the Rajya Sabha, terming the incident “unfortunate”.

“It is not an accident but an incident. What is the fault of the railways if people don’t take care and come in front of a speeding train?” asked an angry railway officer at Rail Bhavan. He said that there was no “advisory” from the state administration to slow speed of the train in view of gathering of devotees.

Statistics compiled by the railways shows that in the past four years over 50,000 people have been killed on “railway tracks and level crossings because of trespassing”. Till June this year, over 8,000 lives had been lost due to trespassing.

Railway officials said in all these cases the deaths were due to the fault of the victims but in some cases they had to pay compensation owing to political compulsions, like today’s tragedy.

Officials said the railways are compelled to look guilty given the political and public outrage. Today’s incident too led to hectic politicking and demands for big compensation amounts.

Former railway minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the dead. Lalu’s alliance partner, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan went ahead and demanded Rs 20 lakh. He also demanded chief minister Nitish Kumar’s resignation and alleged that the state government had failed to take precautionary measures despite being well aware that a big crowd was scheduled to gather.

The tragedy also appears rooted somewhere between the mistaken notion that a large headcount would be enough to stop a train hurtling at 80-kmph and the reality that Indian Railways cannot curb all jaywalking, psychologists said.

Clinical psychologists believe a phenomenon called groupthink that allows members of a group to engage in high-risk behaviour with little regard for its consequences may explain why dozens of men, women and their children put themselves in harm's way, walking along railway tracks.

“A group is perceived as stronger than its individual members,” said Jamuna Rajeswaran, an associate professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore. “The members of the group probably did not expect a train to come along, but are also likely to have collectively assumed that any train would allow them to pass.”

Scientists say many of those who were run over by the train at the Dhamara Ghat station this morning are also likely to have been influenced by a process called social learning in which individuals tend to follow the observed behaviour of others.

“When they saw others walking along the tracks without any immediate safety consequences, they would have felt safe too,” said Dherandra Kumar, a consultant clinical psychologist in New Delhi.

“And personal responsibility for collective behaviour goes down when individuals are members of a group,” Kumar said. “Safety is seen as the group’s responsibility than an individual's responsibility.”

Experts also say the lack of enforcement of rules related to jaywalking on railway tracks are also contributing to the choice made by possibly thousands of people across the country every day to ignore the risks of being run over by speeding trains. “When there is little enforcement, people will follow the norm — even if the norm violates the law,” Kumar said.

“When something wrong is very commonly practised, and there is no punishment at all, people convince themselves that it’s okay to do that,” Rajeswaran said.

Khagaria (Bihar):
Thirtyseven pilgrims, including women and children standing on rail tracks, were killed when a speeding express train ploughed into them today in Bihar's Khagaria district, triggering angry protests by locals who attacked train drivers, set ablaze a coach and vandalised the station.‘Kanwarias’ or devotees of Lord Shiva were walking along the tracks at Dhamara Ghat station after alighting from the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger when the Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express travelling at 80 kmph, ran over them, a senior railway official said. Khagaria is about 160 km from Patna.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that 37 persons, including women and children, were killed. Among them were 13 women, four children and 20 men. The victims hailed from Khagaria, Sahrsa, Munger and Naughachia. Twentyfour others, who sustained injuries, were admitted to the hospital here.

Soon after the incident at 8.40 am, a violent mob assaulted the train driver, set on fire an AC compartment and engine of another train, vandalised the station and even held a few rail staff hostage.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Chief Minister appealed for calm.

Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar said the express was not supposed to halt at Dhamara Ghat and was given clearance to pass through, but the pilgrims on the tracks thought they could stop the train.

Though the driver applied the emergency brakes, it was too late by then, he said, adding an internal inquiry has been ordered into the accident. The pilgrims were going to nearby Katyani Sthan temple to offer ‘jalabhishek’ to Lord Shiva on the fourth and final Monday of the holy month of Shrawan.

Superintendent of Police S K Jha said the engine of the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger train and an AC coach of Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express were set on fire by enraged local people.

The two drivers of the express train, Rajaram Paswan and Sushil Kumar Suman, fled from the spot after being attacked. They later contacted railway officials to informing them that they were safe, ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar said.

The Prime Minister “appealed for calm in the area so that the relief and rescue operations can be carried out without any hindrance,” a statement by PMO said.

The Prime Minister has directed the Railway Ministry to deploy all available resources for rescue and relief operations, it said.

Minister of state for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the express was travelling at a speed of 80 km per hour when the accident occurred.

He said although relief trains carrying doctors and nurses were sent from Saharsha and Barauni, they could not reach the spot as the law and order situation there was not conducive because of protests by angry people.

The Bihar Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for family of each of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured.

He ruled out lapse by the state administration. He said he had talked to Railway minister Malliarjun Kharge and urged him to provide the maximum compensation to victims considering the fact that "this is a rarest of rare incident". — PTI

Brakes applied too late

* The train was not supposed to halt at Dhamara Ghat and was given clearance to pass through

* The pilgrims on the tracks thought they could stop the train

* Though the driver applied the emergency brakes, it was too late

* An internal inquiry has been ordered into the accident

Compensation announced

* Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of each of the deceased

* Says an inquiry by a railway safety commissioner would be conducted

* Ruled out lapse by the state administration

* Has urged Railway Minister Malliarjun Kharge to provide the maximum compensation to victims considering the fact that “this is a rarest of the rare incidents”

Back

For the convenience of passengers , WR will run o­ne Special train service between Bandra T - Vailankanni o­n 27/08/2013(Tuesday) to clear extra rush.



Bandra Terminus – Vailankanni Special Train (on 27/08/2013)


Train No.09013 Bandra T - Vailankanni Special Train will leave Bandra T at 23.55 hrs o­n 27/08/2013(Tuesday). It will reach Vailankanni at 12.30 hrs o­n Thursday, 29/08/2013.



Similarly, in return direction train No.09014 Vailankanni– Bandra T Special Train will leave Vailankanni at 17.00 hrs o­n Thursday, 29/08/2013.It will reach Bandra T at 07.35 hrs o­n Saturday.



The train will halt at Borivali, Vasai Road, Kalyan, Pune, Solapur, Wadi, Raichur, Manthralayam Road, Guntakal, Gooty,Verraguntla ,Cuddapah, Reningunta, Tirupati, Katpadi, Vellore, Arni Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tirukkovilur, Villupuram, Tirupadaripulliyur, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam stations in both directions.



The train will have AC 2-tier cum AC 3-tier; Sleeper class and II class general coaches.



The booking for 09013 will open at all Passenger Reservation Centers o­n 22nd August, 2013.

किऊल-मोकामा रेलखंड में अशोकधाम रेलवे हाल्ट पर सोमवार को एक और बड़ा ट्रेन हादसा हो जाता। मगर, ड्राइवर व गार्ड की सूझबूझ से यह हादसा टल गया। सुबह 7:24 बजे डाउन लाइन पर पटना की ओर से आ रही 12024 पटना-हावड़ा जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन की चपेट में आने से सैकड़ों श्रद्धालु बच गए। सभी श्रद्धालु हाल्ट से सटे प्रसिद्ध श्री इंद्रदमनेश्वर महादेव मंदिर अशोकधाम में सावन की अंतिम सोमवारी पर पूजा-अर्चना ¬ शेष पृष्ठ 15 परलखीसराय : किऊल-मोकामा रेलखंड में अशोकधाम रेलवे हाल्ट पर सोमवार को एक और बड़ा ट्रेन हादसा हो जाता। मगर, ड्राइवर व गार्ड की सूझबूझ से यह हादसा टल गया। सुबह 7:24 बजे डाउन लाइन पर पटना की ओर से आ रही 12024 पटना-हावड़ा जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन की चपेट में आने से सैकड़ों श्रद्धालु बच गए। सभी श्रद्धालु हाल्ट से सटे प्रसिद्ध श्री इंद्रदमनेश्वर महादेव मंदिर अशोकधाम में सावन की अंतिम सोमवारी पर पूजा-अर्चना कर वापस घर जाने के लिए हाल्ट पर ट्रेन का इंतजार कर रहे थे। अशोकधाम हाल्ट पर अप व डाउन लाइन के ट्रैक पर सैकड़ों की संख्या में महिलाएं, युवक व युवतियां बैठकर ट्रेन का इंतजार कर रही थी। इसी बीच डाउन लाइन पर जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन आ पहुंची। ट्रेन को करीब आते देख पटरी पर जहां-तहां बैठे श्रद्धालुओं में भगदड़ मच गई। वे इधर उधर भागने लगे। इस क्रम में दर्जन भर से अधिक श्रद्धालु ट्रैक पर गिरकर चोटिल हो गए। ट्रेन के गार्ड व चालक ने अपनी सूझबूझ का परिचय देते हुए इमरजेंसी ब्रेक लेकर ट्रेन को रोक दिया।

किऊल-मोकामा रेलखंड में अशोकधाम रेलवे हाल्ट पर सोमवार को एक और बड़ा ट्रेन हादसा हो जाता। मगर, ड्राइवर व गार्ड की सूझबूझ से यह हादसा टल गया। सुबह 7:24 बजे डाउन लाइन पर पटना की ओर से आ रही 12024 पटना-हावड़ा जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन की चपेट में आने से सैकड़ों श्रद्धालु बच गए। सभी श्रद्धालु हाल्ट से सटे प्रसिद्ध श्री इंद्रदमनेश्वर महादेव मंदिर अशोकधाम में सावन की अंतिम सोमवारी पर पूजा-अर्चना ¬ शेष पृष्ठ 15 परलखीसराय : किऊल-मोकामा रेलखंड में अशोकधाम रेलवे हाल्ट पर सोमवार को एक और बड़ा ट्रेन हादसा हो जाता। मगर, ड्राइवर व गार्ड की सूझबूझ से यह हादसा टल गया। सुबह 7:24 बजे डाउन लाइन पर पटना की ओर से आ रही 12024 पटना-हावड़ा जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन की चपेट में आने से सैकड़ों श्रद्धालु बच गए। सभी श्रद्धालु हाल्ट से सटे प्रसिद्ध श्री इंद्रदमनेश्वर महादेव मंदिर अशोकधाम में सावन की अंतिम सोमवारी पर पूजा-अर्चना कर वापस घर जाने के लिए हाल्ट पर ट्रेन का इंतजार कर रहे थे। अशोकधाम हाल्ट पर अप व डाउन लाइन के ट्रैक पर सैकड़ों की संख्या में महिलाएं, युवक व युवतियां बैठकर ट्रेन का इंतजार कर रही थी। इसी बीच डाउन लाइन पर जनशताब्दी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन आ पहुंची। ट्रेन को करीब आते देख पटरी पर जहां-तहां बैठे श्रद्धालुओं में भगदड़ मच गई। वे इधर उधर भागने लगे। इस क्रम में दर्जन भर से अधिक श्रद्धालु ट्रैक पर गिरकर चोटिल हो गए। ट्रेन के गार्ड व चालक ने अपनी सूझबूझ का परिचय देते हुए इमरजेंसी ब्रेक लेकर ट्रेन को रोक दिया।

Railway officials described the train tragedy at Dhamara Ghat as an “incident” and not an “accident”, seeking to blame the victims as solely responsible for inviting the fate they met.The officials are of the opinion that the victims made an “illegal trespass” on the tracks to come in front of a speeding train. But given the political compulsions in a democracy, no official chose to come on record to blame the people for the “mass suicide” kind of incident and said an inquiry had been ordered into the tragedy. Officials said given the scale of the tragedy it appeared that the crowd tried to stop the speeding train.Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge too termed the tragedy an “unfortunate incident” and sought to blame the victims for the tragedy but refrained from stating it in clear terms. On “humanitarian grounds” he announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said two passenger trains were stopped at Dhamara Ghat station to give passage to the “super fast” train that ran over the people. He said people from the two stationary trains “got down on the non-platform side”, clearly hinting that the victims were at fault.

“Some passengers got down (from the two trains) on the non-platform side. In the meantime train number 12567 (the super-fast train) arrived,” Kharge told the House and added that the driver of the speeding train tried his best but could not save the people.

“The loco pilot after passing the home signal saw some persons on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. However, by the time the train stopped some people got run over,” the minister told the Rajya Sabha, terming the incident “unfortunate”.

“It is not an accident but an incident. What is the fault of the railways if people don’t take care and come in front of a speeding train?” asked an angry railway officer at Rail Bhavan. He said that there was no “advisory” from the state administration to slow speed of the train in view of gathering of devotees.

Statistics compiled by the railways shows that in the past four years over 50,000 people have been killed on “railway tracks and level crossings because of trespassing”. Till June this year, over 8,000 lives had been lost due to trespassing.

Railway officials said in all these cases the deaths were due to the fault of the victims but in some cases they had to pay compensation owing to political compulsions, like today’s tragedy.

Officials said the railways are compelled to look guilty given the political and public outrage. Today’s incident too led to hectic politicking and demands for big compensation amounts.

Former railway minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the dead. Lalu’s alliance partner, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan went ahead and demanded Rs 20 lakh. He also demanded chief minister Nitish Kumar’s resignation and alleged that the state government had failed to take precautionary measures despite being well aware that a big crowd was scheduled to gather.

The tragedy also appears rooted somewhere between the mistaken notion that a large headcount would be enough to stop a train hurtling at 80-kmph and the reality that Indian Railways cannot curb all jaywalking, psychologists said.

Clinical psychologists believe a phenomenon called groupthink that allows members of a group to engage in high-risk behaviour with little regard for its consequences may explain why dozens of men, women and their children put themselves in harm's way, walking along railway tracks.

“A group is perceived as stronger than its individual members,” said Jamuna Rajeswaran, an associate professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore. “The members of the group probably did not expect a train to come along, but are also likely to have collectively assumed that any train would allow them to pass.”

Scientists say many of those who were run over by the train at the Dhamara Ghat station this morning are also likely to have been influenced by a process called social learning in which individuals tend to follow the observed behaviour of others.

“When they saw others walking along the tracks without any immediate safety consequences, they would have felt safe too,” said Dherandra Kumar, a consultant clinical psychologist in New Delhi.

“And personal responsibility for collective behaviour goes down when individuals are members of a group,” Kumar said. “Safety is seen as the group’s responsibility than an individual's responsibility.”

Experts also say the lack of enforcement of rules related to jaywalking on railway tracks are also contributing to the choice made by possibly thousands of people across the country every day to ignore the risks of being run over by speeding trains. “When there is little enforcement, people will follow the norm — even if the norm violates the law,” Kumar said.

“When something wrong is very commonly practised, and there is no punishment at all, people convince themselves that it’s okay to do that,” Rajeswaran said.

തിരുവനന്തപുരം - ചെങ്ങന്നൂര്‍ പാതയില്‍ സബര്‍ബര്‍ മെമു തീവണ്ടി സര്‍വീസ് ആരംഭിക്കുന്നതിന് സാധ്യതാപഠനം മുബൈ റെയില്‍വികാസ് കോര്‍പ്പറേഷന് കൈമാറാനുള്ള നിര്‍ദേശം അടുത്ത മന്ത്രിസഭായോഗം പരിഗണിച്ചേക്കും.

തിരുവനന്തപുരം-ചെങ്ങന്നൂര്‍, തിരുവനന്തപുരം- ഹരിപ്പാട് പാതകളിലാണ് മെമു സബര്‍ബന്‍ തീവണ്ടി ആരംഭിക്കാന്‍ റെയില്‍വേ സംസ്ഥാന സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ സഹായം തേടിയത്. 2500 കോടി രൂപയോളം വേണ്ടിവരുന്ന പദ്ധതിക്ക് സംസ്ഥാന സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ സാമ്പത്തിക പങ്കാളിത്തമാണ് റെയില്‍വേ പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നത്. നിലവിലുള്ള ട്രാക്കുകള്‍ ഉപയോഗിച്ച് കൂടുതല്‍ പാസഞ്ചര്‍ (മെമു) തീവണ്ടികള്‍ ഓടിക്കാമെന്നതാണ് പദ്ധതിയുടെ നേട്ടം. എല്ലാ സ്റ്റേഷനുകളിലും നിര്‍ത്തുമെന്നതിനാല്‍ പ്രതിദിന യാത്രികര്‍ക്ക് മെമു സബര്‍ബന്‍ സര്‍വീസുകള്‍ ഏറെ പ്രയോജനകരമായിരിക്കും. നിലവിലെ യാത്രാക്ലേശം പരിഹരിക്കാനും ഇതിലൂടെ കഴിയും.

തിരുവനന്തപുരം റെയില്‍വേ ഡിവിഷന്‍ അധികൃതര്‍ സമര്‍പ്പിച്ച പദ്ധതിയുടെ പ്രായോഗികതയെക്കുറിച്ച് പഠിക്കാന്‍ ചീഫ് സെക്രട്ടറി ഭരത്ഭൂഷണ്‍, ഫുട്‌സേഫ്ടി കമ്മീഷണര്‍ ബിജുപ്രഭാകറെ ചുമതലപ്പെടുത്തിയിരുന്നു. ഈ റിപ്പോര്‍ട്ടാണ് മന്ത്രിസഭയുടെ പരിഗണനയ്‌ക്കെത്തുന്നത്.

സ്ഥലം ഏറ്റെടുക്കല്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടെയുള്ള വൈതരണികള്‍ നേരിടേണ്ടിവരില്ലെന്നത് പദ്ധതിക്ക് സ്വീകാര്യത നല്‍കുന്നുണ്ട്. കൂടുതല്‍ മെമു റേക്കുകളും അനുബന്ധ സജ്ജീകരണങ്ങളുമാണ് വേണ്ടത്. സിഗ്‌നല്‍ സംവിധാനത്തിന് 1000 കോടി രൂപ വേണ്ടിവരുമെന്നാണ് പ്രാഥമിക നിഗമനം. തീവണ്ടികള്‍ക്ക് 1500 കോടി രൂപയും വേണ്ടിവരും. രണ്ടരക്കൊല്ലംകൊണ്ട് പദ്ധതി നടപ്പാക്കാന്‍ കഴിയും.

ഓട്ടോമാറ്റിക് സിഗ്‌നല്‍ സംവിധാനമാണ് സബര്‍ബന്‍ റെയില്‍വേയുടെ നെടുംതൂണ്‍. വന്‍ മുതല്‍മുടക്ക് വേണ്ടിവരുന്ന ഈ സംവിധാനത്തില്‍ ട്രാക്ക് പൂര്‍ണമായും സ്വയം നിയന്ത്രിത സിഗ്‌നല്‍ സംവിധാനത്തിലേക്ക് മാറ്റപ്പെടും. ട്രാക്കിനെ ഒരു കിലോമീറ്റര്‍ വീതമുള്ള സ്വതന്ത്ര സിഗ്‌നല്‍ യൂണിറ്റുകളായിട്ടാണ് തിരിക്കുന്നത്. ഇടവിട്ട് സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്ന സിഗ്‌നല്‍ യൂണിറ്റുകളാണ് ഗതാഗതം നിയന്ത്രിക്കുന്നത്. തീവണ്ടി ഒരു സിഗ്‌നല്‍ യൂണിറ്റ് പിന്നിട്ടാലുടന്‍ പിറകെ അടുത്ത തീവണ്ടി അയയ്ക്കാന്‍ കഴിയും. രണ്ടും മൂന്നും കിലോമീറ്ററുകള്‍ വ്യത്യാസത്തില്‍ തീവണ്ടികള്‍ ഓടിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയുമെന്നതാണ് ഈ സംവിധാനത്തിന്റെ പ്രത്യേകത. ഒരേ ദിശയിലെ തീവണ്ടികള്‍ തമ്മിലുള്ള സമയവ്യത്യാസം കുറയ്ക്കാന്‍ കഴിയും.

സ്റ്റേഷനുകള്‍ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ചുള്ള സിഗ്‌നല്‍ സംവിധാനമാണ് റെയില്‍വേ ഇപ്പോള്‍ ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത്. ഒരു സ്റ്റേഷനില്‍ നിന്നും പുറപ്പെടുന്ന തീവണ്ടി അടുത്ത സ്റ്റേഷന്‍ പിന്നിട്ടാല്‍ മാത്രമേ അടുത്ത തീവണ്ടി പിറകെ അയയ്ക്കാന്‍ കഴിയുകയുള്ളൂ. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന് കൊച്ചുവേളിയില്‍ നിന്നും പുറപ്പെടുന്ന തീവണ്ടി കഴക്കൂട്ടം സ്റ്റേഷന്‍ പിന്നിട്ടാല്‍ മാത്രമേ അടുത്ത തീവണ്ടിക്ക് സിഗ്‌നല്‍ കിട്ടുകയുള്ളൂ. എന്നാല്‍ ഓട്ടോമാറ്റിക് സിഗ്‌നല്‍ സംവിധാനത്തില്‍ കൊച്ചുവേളിയില്‍ നിന്നും പുറപ്പെടുന്ന തീവണ്ടി ഹ്രസ്വദൂരത്തിലുള്ള ഒരു സിഗ്‌നല്‍ യൂണിറ്റ് പിന്നിടുമ്പോള്‍ അടുത്ത തീവണ്ടി പിന്നാലെ അയയ്ക്കാന്‍ പറ്റും.

ട്രാക്ക് സര്‍ക്യൂട്ടുകള്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടെ വന്‍ മുതല്‍മുടക്ക് വേണ്ടിവരുന്ന സജ്ജീകരണങ്ങള്‍ ഓട്ടോമാറ്റിക് സംവിധാനത്തിന് വേണ്ടിവരും. ട്രാക്കില്‍ തീവണ്ടിയുടെ സാനിധ്യം തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നത് ഇത്തരം സര്‍ക്യൂട്ടുകളാണ്. ഒരു കിലോമീറ്റര്‍ പരിധിക്കുള്ളില്‍ നിരവധി ട്രാക്ക് സര്‍ക്യൂട്ടുകള്‍ സജ്ജീകരിക്കണം. സിഗ്‌നല്‍ ബോക്‌സുകള്‍, കേബിള്‍, ബാറ്ററികള്‍ എന്നിവയെല്ലാം ഇതിന്റെ ഭാഗമായി വേണ്ടിവരും.

ചെന്നൈ, മുംബൈ എന്നിവിടങ്ങളിലാണ് നിലവില്‍ സബര്‍ബന്‍ റെയില്‍വേയുള്ളത്. വന്‍ മുതല്‍മുടക്ക് വേണ്ടിവരുന്ന പദ്ധതി യാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യമാക്കാന്‍ ഉന്നതതല സ്വാധീനത്തിന് പുറമെ കൂട്ടായ പ്രയത്‌നവും ആവശ്യമാണ്. കോച്ച് ഫാക്ടറി, നേമം ടെര്‍മിനല്‍, കൊച്ചുവേളി സ്റ്റേഷന്‍ നവീകരണം തുടങ്ങി റെയില്‍വേയുടെ നിരവധി പദ്ധതികള്‍ വര്‍ഷങ്ങളായി പാതിവഴിക്ക് ഉപേക്ഷിക്കപ്പെട്ട അവസ്ഥയിലാണ്.

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government today approved the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the proposed Lucknow metro rail project.The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The chief minister was authorised to consult the Centre on the DPR and make amendments and changes in the future.The cabinet decided to implement north-south corridor from airport to Munsi Pullia on priority basis in the first phase, a UP government spokesman said.The chief minister was also authorised to take decision on practical problems faced in the implementation of the proposed north-south corridor.An estimated 6.45 lakh passengers will use this corridor in the year 2020, the 'peak hour peak direction traffic (PHPDT)' of this corridor is estimated to be 20,976 in 2020.The metro service is expected to start operations in December 2016.The constitution of the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) is underway with the memorandum of association and articles of association having been prepared.DMRC is working on the depot design for north-south corridor, which is proposed to be developed in the first phase, he said.The underground portion of north-south corridor was reduced from 7.5 km to approximately 3.5 km from Charbagh to Hazratganj, he said adding that 22 stations are proposed in the first phase, out of which three stations are underground and 19 stations elevated, he said.One rake would consist of six coaches with a passenger strength of 1,574. Initially, the train will run at an interval of 7 to 14 minutes but with the increase in traffic the interval will be reduced to 2 to 4 minutes.

The completion cost of the first phase of the project is estimated at Rs 6,757 crores.

All possible efforts are being made to obtain necessary approvals and financial sanction from the Centre as these are mandatory to start actual construction on this corridor by the target date of December 2013, a senior officer said.

The Uttar Pradesh government today approved the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the proposed Lucknow metro rail project. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The chief minister was authorised to consult the Centre on the DPR and make amendments and changes in the future. The cabinet decided to implement north-south corridor from airport to Munsi Pullia on priority basis in the first phase, a UP government spokesman said. The chief minister was also authorised to take decision on practical problems faced in the implementation of the proposed north-south corridor. An estimated 6.45 lakh passengers will use this corridor in the year 2020, the 'peak hour peak direction traffic (PHPDT)' of this corridor is estimated to be 20,976 in 2020.

The metro service is expected to start operations in December 2016.

The constitution of the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) is underway with the memorandum of association and articles of association having been prepared. DMRC is working on the depot design for north-south corridor, which is proposed to be developed in the first phase, he said. The underground portion of north-south corridor was reduced from 7.5 km to approximately 3.5 km from Charbagh to Hazratganj, he said adding that 22 stations are proposed in the first phase, out of which three stations are underground and 19 stations elevated, he said. One rake would consist of six coaches with a passenger strength of 1,574. Initially, the train will run at an interval of 7 to 14 minutes but with the increase in traffic the interval will be reduced to 2 to 4 minutes. The completion cost of the first phase of the project is estimated at Rs 6,757 crores. All possible efforts are being made to obtain necessary approvals and financial sanction from the Centre as these are mandatory to start actual construction on this corridor by the target date of December 2013, a senior officer said.

Khagaria (Bihar):
Thirtyseven pilgrims, including women and children standing on rail tracks, were killed when a speeding express train ploughed into them today in Bihar's Khagaria district, triggering angry protests by locals who attacked train drivers, set ablaze a coach and vandalised the station.‘Kanwarias’ or devotees of Lord Shiva were walking along the tracks at Dhamara Ghat station after alighting from the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger when the Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express travelling at 80 kmph, ran over them, a senior railway official said. Khagaria is about 160 km from Patna.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that 37 persons, including women and children, were killed. Among them were 13 women, four children and 20 men. The victims hailed from Khagaria, Sahrsa, Munger and Naughachia. Twentyfour others, who sustained injuries, were admitted to the hospital here.

Soon after the incident at 8.40 am, a violent mob assaulted the train driver, set on fire an AC compartment and engine of another train, vandalised the station and even held a few rail staff hostage.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Chief Minister appealed for calm.

Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar said the express was not supposed to halt at Dhamara Ghat and was given clearance to pass through, but the pilgrims on the tracks thought they could stop the train.

Though the driver applied the emergency brakes, it was too late by then, he said, adding an internal inquiry has been ordered into the accident. The pilgrims were going to nearby Katyani Sthan temple to offer ‘jalabhishek’ to Lord Shiva on the fourth and final Monday of the holy month of Shrawan.

Superintendent of Police S K Jha said the engine of the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger train and an AC coach of Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express were set on fire by enraged local people.

The two drivers of the express train, Rajaram Paswan and Sushil Kumar Suman, fled from the spot after being attacked. They later contacted railway officials to informing them that they were safe, ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar said.

The Prime Minister “appealed for calm in the area so that the relief and rescue operations can be carried out without any hindrance,” a statement by PMO said.

The Prime Minister has directed the Railway Ministry to deploy all available resources for rescue and relief operations, it said.

Minister of state for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the express was travelling at a speed of 80 km per hour when the accident occurred.

He said although relief trains carrying doctors and nurses were sent from Saharsha and Barauni, they could not reach the spot as the law and order situation there was not conducive because of protests by angry people.

The Bihar Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for family of each of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured.

He ruled out lapse by the state administration. He said he had talked to Railway minister Malliarjun Kharge and urged him to provide the maximum compensation to victims considering the fact that "this is a rarest of rare incident". — PTI

Brakes applied too late

* The train was not supposed to halt at Dhamara Ghat and was given clearance to pass through

* The pilgrims on the tracks thought they could stop the train

* Though the driver applied the emergency brakes, it was too late

* An internal inquiry has been ordered into the accident

Compensation announced

* Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of each of the deceased

* Says an inquiry by a railway safety commissioner would be conducted

* Ruled out lapse by the state administration

* Has urged Railway Minister Malliarjun Kharge to provide the maximum compensation to victims considering the fact that “this is a rarest of the rare incidents”

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