ProUI

To lower its power bill by around Rs 3.5 crore, the Central Railway (CR) is pushing for traction conversion on slow and fast lines between Kalyan and Thane and on 5th and 6th lines between Kalyan and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and is awaiting the mandatory nod from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), which is likely to come by August-end. A CRS inspection is tentatively planned for August 17 and 18, said railway sources, adding that the CR has been trying to get a nod for the conversion since May this year.

CR is in the process of converting the suburban section between Kalyan and Thane from 1500-volt Direct Current (DC) to 25,000-volt Alternate Current (AC) and the same on the 5th and 6th lines between Kalyan and LTT. The section between Thane and CST will take at least a year to be completed.

Mukesh Nigam, divisional railway manager, CR, said: "The conversion will take place as soon as the CRS inspection is undertaken. There is no fixed date for the conversion yet."

A primary reason for the delay is a set of crossovers at Vidyavihar, Vikhroli and Mulund, which are presently used by mail/express trains to cross over from 5th and 6th lines to Up and Down suburban fast lines in emergencies.

It is learnt that Chetan Bakshi, the CRS (central zone), has expressed apprehensions about trains crossing over after the conversion work is complete. His reservations stem from an incident that took place at Reay Road in December last year. During an inquiry, it was found that the AC switch of the AC-DC local was mistakenly switched on the DC section, causing damage to equipment and resulting in fire in the train.

Railway officials said CRS has asked CR to commit that the crossovers in the DC section will not be used by mail/express trains until beyond Thane.

When asked about the condition put on CR, Bakshi said, "All issues have been sorted now. However an official word from CR is awaited."

Expressing doubt about the commitment asked for, a senior railway official requesting anonymity said, "There will be repercussions if the crossovers are made non-functional. There could be instances where the trains have to be diverted on fast lines between LTT and Thane. An assessment of the implications of such a commitment will have to be made before the administration goes ahead with the conversion."

NEW DELHI
Date: 10.08.2013
..

SPECIAL TRAIN FROM VARANASI TO DELHI JN & NEW DELHI TO LUCKNOW
..

        For the convenience of the rail passengers, Northern Railway has decided to
run single trip of  special Train No. 04209 from Varanasi to Delhi Jn o­n 11.08.2013 and Special train No. 04208 from New Delhito Lucknow for single trip o­n 14.8.13 as per the undermentioned programme:

04209  special train from Varanasito Delhi Jn. (1 trip)

The 04209  special train from Varanasito Delhi Jn will depart from Varanasion 11.08.2013 at 03.15 p.m. to reach Delhi Jn  at 10.10 am the next day.

Comprising of o­ne second AC cum third AC, o­ne A.C. 3 Tier, Ten Sleeper Class, Two Second Class cum Luggage Van coaches, the special Train No. 04209 from Varanasito Delhi Jn will stop at Bhadohi Jn.,  Janghai, Pratapgarh Jn., Amethi, Raebareli Jn., Lucknow, Bareilly Jn., & Moradabadstations enroute in both the directions.

04208  special train from New Delhi to Lucknow(1 trip)   

The 04208  special train from New Delhi to Lucknow will depart from New Delhi o­n 14.08.2013 at 7.30 p.m. to reach Lucknow  at 04.45  am the next day.

Comprising of o­ne Ist AC, Four AC 2 Tier, Eight A.C. 3 Tier & Two Second Class cum Luggage Van coaches, the special Train No. 04208 from New Delhi to Lucknow Jn will stop at Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur & Hardoi stations enroute in both the directions.

BANGALORE: Even as Bangalore Metro rail is gearing up for running its reach-3 route between Sampige road to Peenya, the state government on Saturday transferred its head N Sivasailam. Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola has been posted as managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited.Sivasailam a 1985 batch IAS officer has been heading the BMRCL since 9 June 2008. The motive behind transfer is said to be deteriorating road conditions near metro works. Bangalore in-charge minister R Ramalinga Reddy was reportedly unhappy with Sivasailam over BMRCL's response and coordination with BBMP on road works.The issue was repeatedly raised on the floor of the house recently by the MLA and MLCs representing Bangalore City. Also there were complaints from the elected representatives regarding inaccessibility and transparency against the Metro Man.
However, when it came to project execution Sivasailam was considered task master.Recently, the high court also had warned BMRCL for violating labour norms at metro work site. The observation from the court had come following a PIL which raised concern over the safety at metro work sites. The PIL was filed in the wake of repeated casualties at the project site which also involved injuries to labourers working for the project.

In another key transfer, BWSSB chairman Gaurav Gupta has been replaced by MS Ravishankar. Gupta has been posted as regional commissioner, Bangalore division.
Other postings include: SN Jayaram (commissioner, social welfare), Naveen Raj Singh (director, Karnataka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency), S Shankaranaryan (director, mines and geology), AM Kunjappa (Member, KAT), DS Vishwanath (commissioner, employment and training), Anurag Tiwari (deputy commissioner, Kodagu), Rohini Sindhuri Dasari (director, self employment programme),DK Ravi (deputy commissioner, Kolar), Rame Gowda (director, pre university education and executive director KEA), GS Shivaswamy (director, tribal welfare), N Panali (managing director, Karnataka Silk Marketing Board) and BS Shekharappa (deputy commissioner, Chickmagalur).

Siva tweets:
One tenure has ended. Look forward to the next job when assigned. Not a dull day over 62 months (just 2days short of 62 months). Thanks to the wonderful team at NammaMetro, the like of which I have never seen in my career. Can't say, whether I will see - N Sivasailam,

In a bid to fulfil the light refreshment requirements of passengers boarding and alighting trains at railway stations, 45 stations under the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division are getting new catering stalls. Of this, 39 stations are in Kerala. Stations coming under the lower income D, E categories and halt stations in the F category are getting the stalls. Ten stations are in the D category and 29 are in the E category. The only F station where the stall is being installed is in Tamil Nadu. All these stalls are coming up for the first time in the respective stations. In some stations stalls are coming up on two platforms.  Of this, permission has been granted to install stalls in 19 stations. Whereas in some stations, none has responded. “For the stations where no applications have been received, we would invite fresh applications,” said a railway official.

When some stations which have lowest income got no takers, the stations which witness large number of passengers too evoked no response. For all these stations, fresh applications will be invited, including the B category stations, the official said.

PATNA: New divisional railway manager (DRM) N K Gupta of the Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) has said that safety of passengers and punctuality of trains would be his top priority. The division is facing several problems, posing a serious challenge to the DRM.

The division lacks proper infrastructure to maintain smooth run of about 200 and odd pairs of passenger trains either originating or passing through the division. It has Up and Down lines on the main line only, particularly between Mughalsarai and Jhajha. The proposal for the third line between Ara and Fatuha is still pending with railway ministry for sanction, sources said.

Though the third line is the need of the hour, railways has maintained silence on the issue for long causing unnecessary detention of mail and express trains at outer stations or signals. That apart, the division has no contingency plan to cope with heavy traffic. Patna Junction is a hub of passenger trains. About one lakh passengers move here everyday. Yet there is no proper planning to cope with passengers’ rush during peak hours. The entire concourse area is full of unauthorized people and vendors. As a result, it is very difficult to move freely with luggage.

The division transports a large number of daily passengers on the Buxar-Patna, Patna-Mokama, Patna-Gaya, Kiul-Gaya and Bakhtiarpur-Rajgir sections of the division. For them, the division has provided several pairs of local trains including MEMUs. But, barring MEMUs, none of the local trains is running on time causing hardship to passengers, mostly office-goers.

Illegal stoppage of trains, rampant alarm chain pulling, frequent attacks on railway property by miscreants, drugging menace and luggage lifting are some of the other problems faced by the Danapur division which have badly affected the normal movement of trains. The new DRM will have to work hard to ensure that all safety rules are strictly followed.

Cleanliness on railway platforms, not only at Patna Junction but at all major stations of the division, is another challenge for the new DRM. Punctuality of trains, at least for those trains originating from the division, would be another uphill task.

MADRID: Development Minister Ana Pastor said her department was "conducting a general review" of speed limits throughout Spain's rail network with a view to improving safety conditions.Pastor appeared before the lower house of parliament two weeks after a high-speed train went off the rails July 24 near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela, killing 79 people.The minister, who oversees Spain's railways, Friday told lawmakers a review also was being carried out of the "protocols and systems" of "the entire rail network in the wake of the accident".The review of speed limits is the first action taken since Pastor ordered an audit of her portfolio the day after the derailment to ensure the Spanish rail network's safety and regulatory compliance.Referring to possible steps to improve safety, the minister mentioned the installment of warning lights along stretches of track with "significant" reductions in speed and the development of a satellite signaling system.She also said her department was considering stricter hiring requirements and medical and psychological examinations for engine drivers, as well as ways to better monitor their activity while on the job.
The high-speed passenger train went off the tracks along the route linking Madrid and the Atlantic coastal city of Ferrol, killing 79 people and injuring 150.
Driver Francisco Jose Garzon, who has been charged with 79 counts of negligent homicide and numerous other crimes, admitted that he was going at double the 80 kph speed limit on the A Grandeira curve.
The driver, who has been released without bail pending trial, told investigators that he managed to hit the brakes but it was too late.
Garzon acknowledged in his testimony July 28 that the accident was not caused by mechanical problems or the condition of the train, and he blamed "human error" for the deadly derailment.

Jammu: Rail services were disrupted on Saturday on the Jammu-Pathankot route as the ABVP activists stopped a train at the Kathua railway station protesting the recent clashes at Kishtwar district. Demanding sacking of the Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo over the Kishtwar incident, the activists of ABVP blocked the railway tracks and raised anti-government slogans, police said. The Ahmedabad-bound train from Jammu was stopped for a brief period by the activists at the Kathua station. However, the rail services were restored when the protesters left the spot. Several political parties, including BJP, have blamed Kitchloo for the clashes between the two communities and demanded a high-level probe by independent authority. Meanwhile, VHP condemned the communal violence in Kishtwar and asked the Centre to take immediate steps in this regard, otherwise it would have "far reaching repercussions". "The killing of five jawans by the militants along the LoC is a well-planned conspiracy and the terrorists were responsible for the communal clashes in Kishtwar on Friday," VHP spokesperson Prakash Sharma said in a statement here.

The activists of ABVP blocked the railway tracks and raised anti-government slogans demanding sacking of the Minist "The Centre should take urgent measures to protect the minority communities and should or otherwise the incident would have far reaching repercussions," Sharma added. Clashes between two communities left two people dead and at least 20 injured, several business establishments and vehicles gutted in arson in Kishtwar district where curfew was clamped and Army called in to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order on Friday.

नार्थ फ्रंटियर रेलवे डिब्रूगढ़ से चंड़ीगढ़ तक साप्ताहिक स्पेशल ट्रेन चलाई गई है, जो 22 सितंबर तक हर रविवार को मुरादाबाद होकर जाएगी।
अपर मंडल रेल प्रबंधक हितेंद्र मेहरोत्रा ने बताया कि डिब्रूगढ़ (05903) से यह ट्रेन शुक्रवार को चल दी है, यह ट्रेन रविवार की सुबह 7.35 बजे मुरादाबाद पहुंचेगी। मुरादाबाद में ट्रेन का ठहराव दस मिनट रहेगा। सुबह 7.45 बजे यहां से रवाना होगी और दोपहर 1.10 बजे चंडीगढ़ पहुंच जाएगी। वापसी में यह ट्रेन (05904) चंडीगढ़ से रविवार की रात 11.15 बजे चलेगी और सोमवार की सुबह 5.30 बजे मुरादाबाद पहुंचेगी। यह ट्रेन बुधवार की शाम को डिब्रूगढ़ पहुंचेगी। यह ट्रेन 22 सितंबर तक सप्ताह में एक दिन चलायी जाएगी।

Bhubaneswar: East Coast Railways has introduced a weekly train between Puri and Shirdi. It will leave Puri at 10.15pm on August 16 and reach Shirdi on Sunday at 6.25pm. In the return journey, the train will depart from Shirdi on Sundays at 1pm and arrive at Puri on Mondays at 11pm.

Bhubaneswar: East Coast Railways has introduced a weekly train between Puri and Shirdi. It will leave Puri at 10.15pm on August 16 and reach Shirdi on Sunday at 6.25pm. In the return journey, the train will depart from Shirdi on Sundays at 1pm and arrive at Puri on Mondays at 11pm.