ProUI

The Rs15K-crore project may go the Churchgate-Virar corridor way, thanks to CR-MRVC differences.


Even before the work on Rs15,000-crore Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)-Panvel elevated corridor has begun, numerous hurdles have already started cropping up.

The project is threatening to go the way of the jinxed Oval Maidan-Churchgate-Virar corridor with the Central Railway (CR) writing to Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) over four major differences between the two agencies.

The letter, written by the operations department of CR on July 26, touches upon issues which officials say might hit the project in terms of time and money.

Here are some of the major differences between CR and MRVC over the CST-Panvel elevated corridor:

Gauge the hurdle
One of the oldest debate in the Indian Railways is whether to go for the standard gauge, like all developed countries, or stick to the broad gauge that is the staple across rail lines across India.

The elevated corridor between CST-Panvel is being envisaged as a fully air-conditioned high-speed line which will start at CST and end at the proposed new airport at Navi Mumbai.

The project will be a public-private partnership (PPP) with the state government and the MRVC favouring the standard gauge and Central Railway opting for broad gauge. The MRVC and state government argument is that the private firm that will build and operate the line can easily buy standard gauge coaches off the shelf from developed countries. It would not have to wait for the railway’s production units to build broad gauge air-conditioned coaches.

The two major arguments in the letter is that the standard gauge would make the CST-Panvel new corridor a ‘standalone’ one and in case of emergencies, existing rakes of the CR will not be able to ply on it.

Loaded with woes
The Central Railway said that having standard gauge trains, that too with only eight coaches, would not be sufficient to take the load from the super-saturated Harbour lines.
The Harbour line at the moment is possibly the fastest growing suburban section in the country with a passenger growth of 9.22% against the annual average of 3% for both Western Railway and CR’s mainline.

The point CR officials are raising is that unlike the 3.66m broad gauge train which could carry lot of passengers, the 3.2m wide standard gauge train would not be able to do so.
“Remember if the elevated CST-Panvel corridor becomes a fully air-conditioned standard gauge system, it might be unable to take the load from the existing twin lines of Harbour line. The passengers on Harbour line also includes the lower income groups and it would be unfair on them,” said an official advocating the traditional broad gauge.

Station tussle
While the MRVC for the sake of speed wants the first station on the elevated line to be Wadala, 8 kms away from CST, Central Railway officials want the first station after CST to be Dockyard Road.

“The proposed CST-Kalyan elevated line will have its first station after CST at Byculla. We want Dockyard to be Byculla’s counterpart on the CST-Panvel high-speed corridor because we believe there might be a lot of changes in the port area between CST and Wadala in the next few decades. And this would require a station like Dockyard to cater to these changes,” said an official.

Alignment issue
It is more of a technical issue with CR having certain differences in the alignment of the line once it crosses Sandhurst Road to go towards CST Terminus. The CR contention is that the twin lines of the elevated corridor should be somewhere between the suburban and the long-distance lines so that both types of commuters can use it. “It is something that will have to be worked out progressively,” said an official.

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Four passenger lifts and pre-paid taxis and auto-rickshaws are coming up at Madurai railway junction for the benefit of passengers.

After hoisting the national flag on the occasion of the 67{+t}{+h}Independence Day, Divisional Railway Manager Ajai Kant Rastogi said while Madurai railway junction would get four passenger lifts, Tirunelveli and Dindigul railway stations would get three each. The carrying capacity of each of the lift would be 20 persons, he added.

The railway administration recently commissioned six escalators at the Madurai railway junction.

The DRM also promised the passengers pre-paid taxis and autorickshaws at the junction soon.

On rail safety, the DRM said the division had planned to man 20 unmanned level-crossings, convert 30 level-crossings into limited use subways, introduce 30 diversions and 20 outright closures this financial year.

The electrified Dindigul-Madurai-Virudhunagar section would be opened for traffic after clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety who was scheduled to inspect the section on August 21, he noted.

Earlier, Mr.Rastogi inspected the guard of honour presented by the Railway Protection Force, Scouts and Guides and students of Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School and Southern Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation Matriculation School. The students presented a colourful cultural programme.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager V.Ajith Kumar and other officials were present.

MUMBAI: Soon, you will get clarity in railway announcements as Western Railway is embarking on a computerized sensor-based public address system-the first-ever for suburban railways.A pilot project is being carried out at Borivli station in which the system tries to identify the number of commuters standing on a platform using sensors. "If there are more passengers during peak hours, the system will amplify the volume of the announcement and make it more sharper for people to understand what is being relayed," said a senior WR official. "On the other hand, if the platform has just a few commuters, the system will ensure that the announcement is made in a softer, audible tone. The objective is to have clarity. Every passenger should be able to comprehend what is being announced," he stated.Several commuters had complained in the past about the poor announcement system on platforms. "When indicators are blank and there are no trains arriving on platforms, we depend completely on the announcements. If there is no announcement or it is inaudible, it is frustrating for commuters," said Kapil Gokhale from Andheri.

The WR, during its I-Day message to public, also announced plans to instal 500 ATVMs between Churchgate and Virar to reduce crowds at ticket counters, 21 new trains, and at least 30 services to cater to passengers from far flung suburbs between Borivli and Virar.

General manager Pramod Kumar said his team had registered an impressive growth in freight traffic. CR's general manager B P Khare promised to instal tri-lingual display indicators. It also announced installation of nearly 200 doorframe metal detectors, close to 1,000 handheld detectors to prevent terror attacks on CR premises and in trains. It also has eight vehicle scanners, 26 x-ray baggage scanners and 69 dogs in RPF Dog Squad.

"The CR recently completed important projects like new model station building at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus with modern features like AC dormitories, retiring rooms, waiting halls, spacious car parking, etc,'' Khare added.

Said Kumar, "As a result of various drives undertaken by RPF to check crime and anti-social activities, more than a lakh persons were apprehended in WR and fine of about Rs.1.8 crore recovered." On CR, round-the-clock surveillance is being carried out through 1,530 CCTV cameras and 146 monitors on 66 stations

The WR runs 1,305 services as on date, with 20 new services between Churchgate and Dahanu. The CR, on the other hand,runs 1,618 services.

What you can expect in coming weeks:

Western Railway

* Computerised sensor-based public address system

* Installation of 500 ATVMs between Churchgate and Virar

* At least 30 new services to cater to passengers from far flung suburbs between Borivli and Virar

* New escalators at Dadar, Borivli and Andheri

* Refurbished the first class AC coach of Mumbai - Delhi Rajdhani Express, giving it a plush look with added facilities.

Central Railway

* Tri-lingual display indicators (Marathi, Hindi and English) at all platforms

* Ticket reservation counters for outstation trains open for longer hours on Sundays at Thane, Kalyan, Nashik, Pune and Nagpur.

* Installation of nearly 200 doorframe metal detectors, close to 1,000 handheld detectors to prevent terror attacks

* More 15-car suburban services from CST to far flung suburbs

A major train accident was averted on Thursday following the timely alert provided by some youngsters who spotted a crack in the railway track that passed through NGGO Colony near Rakkipalayam on the Coimbatore – Mettupalayam section.

According to residents in the area, some youngsters who were passing by the railway track during the early hours of Thursday noticed the crack.

They immediately alerted a railway lineman who informed the railway authorities and halted the Coimbatore - Mettupalayam Passenger Train, which usually passed by the location around 8.15 a.m.

Railway maintenance personnel rushed to the spot and carried out emergency repair works.

The train, which was delayed by nearly an hour, was instructed to travel at a speed of 10 km per hour while crossing the damaged portion of the track.

Sources said that full repair works were completed by around 1 p.m. after which trains were allowed to pass through at the regular speed. The cause of the crack is yet to be ascertained. Further investigations are under way.

With the commissioning of the an escalator on Platform No. 4 and 5,  the seventh in the station and of two lifts, one each on Platform No 1 and 10 in the second week of August, Secunderabad has emerged as the first railway station in the country to be equipped with escalators on all its 10 platforms and lifts on the main platforms at the station’s both entrances.

The South Central Railway has spent Rs 6.60 crore on the seven escalators, civil engineering works, electrical power supply and other arrangements.

The two lifts have cost the SCR about Rs 98 lakh. Each lift has the capacity to carry 20 persons at a time. Each escalator can carry 180 persons per minute. It is estimated that around 43,000 passengers use escalators on any given day.

Escalators and lifts not only facilitate easy and quick movement of passengers but have also proven to be a boon to the elderly, sick and physically challenged.

Residents, who alight at Beach railway station and cross the tracks instead of using the foot overbridge, may now have to pay the penalty.A total of 16 cameras were installed at the station at a cost of Rs. 45.57 lakh on Tuesday as part of the Integrated Security System (ISS) in Southern Railway.This is the seventh and last station in Chennai that is being covered under the ISS. The facility was inaugurated earlier this year in stations such as Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram, Mambalam, Tiruvallur amd Basin Bridge.“There is heavy passenger traffic in this station and such an enhanced security system is very essential,” said a senior railway official.The cameras will be monitored in a control room on the first floor above the Railway Protection Force (RPF) inspector’s office in the station. “From the control room we can monitor the entire station and tracks as the cameras will rotate. We can also zoom till the end of the station and get good visuals,” said an RPF officer in the control room.The data can be stored for 30 days. Most of the cameras will be able to pan, tilt and zoom. “Now data from the under-vehicle scanning system, baggage x-ray and other scanning systems will be directed to the control room. This will ensure better surveillance,” said the officer.Senior police officers said they had been able to crack many cases using the advanced CCTV cameras installed as part of the ISS. “In June this year we were able to nab a person who stole the suitcase of a motorman in Tambaram station. This month, we nabbed a chain-snatching offender in the central suburban station,” said the officer.

The facility was inaugurated at Beach railway station by S. Manohar, chief signal and telecommunication engineer, Southern Railway.

The CCTV facility has been introduced at the station at a cost of Rs. 45.57 lakh

The 45{+t}{+h}Tiruchi Town Official Language Implementation Committee meeting was held here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Manjula Rangarajan, Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi.Rajbhasha rolling shield and certificates were awarded on the occasion to the best Central government offices, undertakings, and nationalised banks for implementation of Official Language for 2012-13.Among the Union government offices, the Divisional Railway Manager’s Office, Tiruchi, was awarded the first place and Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project secured the second place.This is the second consecutive time that the Tiruchi division is winning the shield.In public sector undertakings, the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited, Karur, bagged the first place and BHEL secured the second place.Among nationalised banks, Canara Bank bagged the first place and State Bank of India secured the second place.A magazine brought out by TOLIC titled “Rockfort Rajbhasha” was released on the occasion.Prior to the meeting, a Rajbhasha exhibition was organised in which 15 member offices participated and exhibited their Official Language implementation models, a Southern Railway release here said.

In view of Independence Day on August 15, the Sunday pattern of EMU services will be operated, instead of week day services, in Chennai Beach – Tambaram – Chengalpattu and Chennai Beach – Velacherry sections.The ladies special EMU running between Chennai Beach – Arakkonam – Chennai Beach will not run on August 15.

भागलपुर : रांची से भागलपुर पहुंचने वाली वनांचल एक्सप्रेस के एसी-3 बोगी में शनिवार को बारिश का पानी टपकने से यात्रियों को काफी परेशानियों का सामना करना पड़ा. हालांकि यह पहली बार नहीं, इससे पहले भी कई बार रेलवे को शिकायत मिली है कि एक्सप्रेस ट्रेनों की बोगियों में बरसाती पानी टपकता है. इसके बाद भी रेलवे की ओर से किसी प्रकार की कोई पहल नहीं होती है.

MANGALORE: The gross earnings of Salem Division up to July 2013 is Rs 173 crore which is 13% more than what was earned during the same period last year, said SujathaJayaraj, divisional railway manager, Salem division.She was speaking during the 67th Independence Day celebrations at Salem. Sujatha said despite being the youngest Division of Southern Railway, Salem Division, has grown exponentially since its inception in the year 2007 and has bagged the runner up shield for overall efficiency shiled among the Divisions of Southern Railway.Recalling the historic opening of Salem-Karur newly laid BG line thrown open to passenger traffic since May 25 this year, she listed out a few developments that are taking place, such as nearing completion of new subway in Coimbatore Railway Junction, new Foot Over Bridge and Passenger Lifts in Salem Junction, extension of Salem Station Building and improvement of Circulating area therein, provision of airconditioned waiting room in Salem Junction, etc.

She also said that extension of subway in Salem Junction has been approved and the front elevation of Tirupur junction is nearing completion. Improvement of Parking area, frontage of the station building and concourse area of Erode Junction are also being undertaken and a model information counter has been instituted at Karur Junction.

She further observed that Peelamedu station has been declared as an Adarsh station and all efforts are being taken to make the Nilgiri Mountain Railways' journey safe and enjoyable. On the safety front, Sujatha pointed out that the Safety records of Salem Division continues to be excellent with no accident involving coaching or goods services.