ProUI

Irate passengers sent out a station manager and locked up his room at Nagireddypalem station protesting the delay in clearing the train from the station.Train no -77678 Miryalaguda-Kachiguda passenger train arrived at the station (Nalgonda District) of Guntur Railway Division at 7:16 a.m. on Monday.The train had to wait at the station for clearance and crossing of two express trains, being a single line section.About 50 passengers of the passenger train approached the station master to inquire about the delay. He explained to them about the operational constraints involved on single-line sections and sought their co-operation.But the passengers insisted on the station master to start the train and when he refused to heed to their request, they dragged him out and locked the room, disrupting the railway working system in the section, endangering train movements and passenger safety.

Finally the station master resumed train operations in the section.

Senior Divisional Railway Manager C. Ramakrishna appealed to all rail users to refrain from such activities that affect train operations directly or indirectly.

Amritsar:
Limited number of platforms, large number of trains and Railways' adamant approach in keeping Shatabdi Express parked on platform No. 1 for a better part of the day is causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers arriving in the holy city daily. Other trains are consequently made to wait for hours on the outskirts of the city.The Railways had to recently pay Rs 32,000 to Jatinderpal Singh on the directions of the Amritsar Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. He said he was travelling with his family in Hirakund Express from Ambala to Amritsar on March 27, 2011. However, the train was stopped at the unscheduled Manawala station, near Amritsar. While other trains were allowed to cross, the train they were in remained standing for over 2:30 hours.The platform No. 1 of the Amritsar railway station is booked for a larger part of the day. The passengers are either forced to use the overbridge or take risks to cross the tracks on foot. No other train is allowed to enter the platform No. 1 as Shatabdi Express and Swaran Shatabdi Express remain parked for nearly 11 hours. Members of the Sis Ganj Sahib Sewak Jatha, a Delhi-based Sikh religious organisation, had taken up the matter by writing a communiqué to then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee some time back.Manmohan Singh, a passenger, said he had been observing for over two years that the Shatabdi trains were invariably parked on the platform No. 1, causing inconvenience to the passengers, especially the infirm and aged. He said these trains could easily be taken to a yard like other trains for maintenance and washing.Shatabdi Express arrives from Delhi at 10.25 pm and remains parked on the platform until it leaves for the same destination at 5 am. Similarly, Swaran Shatabdi Express remains parked on the platform No. 1 after it arrives from Delhi at 1:25 pm till 4:55 pm when it again departs for Delhi. All major amenities, including waiting halls, toilets for handicapped, bathrooms, ticket windows, enquiry, dispensary and platform ticket window facilities and offices of the Railways are located on the platform No. 1.Railways officials maintained that the trains were parked on the platform No. 1 for security reasons and had costly furniture. Beside, offices of Railways employees were situated on the same platform that made surveillance quick and reliable, added the officials.

Thousands of curious school students, escorted by scores of teachers, thronged the Cuddalore Port Junction on Tuesday to get to see what the ‘Science Express - Biodiversity Special’, an exhibition on wheel, had to offer them.The students, all in uniforms moved at a snail’s pace in single pile, and in neat rows of twos and threes clogged the foot-over-bridge leading to Platform No. 4 of the railway junction where the special train is stationed. It will stay put there till August 3.For the students of the Nedungudi government primary school at Karaikkal, it was an outing with an educative experience. The chief educational officers of the region have already sent a circular to the schools under the jurisdiction announcing the arrival of the special train and instructing the teachers to take students there.In the air-conditioned comfort of 16 coaches, the students and visitors could learn about the rich biodiversity in the 10 bio-geographic zones spanning across the country such as the Trans-Himalayas and Himalayas, the Gangetic plain, the North-East region, the Western Ghats, the deserts and semi-arid zone, the Deccan peninsula, and the coasts and islands.

Consider warned

Just by taking a walk through these coaches one could get a panoramic view of the entire country and how richly it is endowed with natural resources, flora and fauna. However, every coach has a warning signboard put up prominently both at the entry and exit point.

The crisp but disturbing message reads as follows: “By the time you have gone through this exhibition one or two species of plant or animal would have become extinct from the planet.” This manages to convey the grave threat that the plant kingdom and animal kingdom are facing from humans who are plundering the natural resources and making earth a highly polluted planet.

Each zone has unique characteristics in terms of animals and other creatures endemic to the zone. Unfortunately, these species have become either endangered or extinct. Such information would certainly alert the student community to the impending disaster that is waiting to happen, in the form of global warming, climate change and heat waves.

The thematic exhibition drives home the point that only when the students are initiated into the kaleidoscopic composition of nature in all its colour and splendour, they could develop empathy and help make earth a liveable place.

Preservation

The expo also highlights how 102 national parks, 515 wildlife sanctuaries, 47 conservation reserves and four community reserves have helped in saving and preserving the species from imminent extinction.

Another coach named ‘Kids Zone’ is exclusively dedicated to children where they are taught the intricacies of the daunting environmental problems, through play-by-method and through hands-on experience. For the serious-minded visitors, there is another coach equipped with a laboratory to explore the unfathomable wonders of nature, aptly named as ‘Joy of science lab’.

While the students find the exhibition an exhilarating and enriching experience, the teachers feel that it certainly provides the quintessence of what India is within a short span of time and a brief walk through the aisles of the coaches. The well-lit and tastefully decorated coaches provide the right ambience to imbibe knowledge about the country which one could be rightfully proud of.

Collaboration

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forsests has partnered with the Department of Science and Technology and many reputed institutions to put up the show.

It would be open to all from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Further details could be obtained from the manager aboard the train on 09428405407.

MUMBAI: LokmanyaTilak Terminus, considered to be the city's worst face presented to a visitor, is on track for a facelift. Central Railway has decided to build a travelator to link LTT and Kurla suburban railway station, to ease commuters' woes.CR plans to initiate the bidding process for the project after the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, is opened. LTT is considered to be the city's most inaccessible station because of its poor road and suburban rail connectivity and a large number of auto and taxi drivers outside it who are infamous for fleecing and even assaulting commuters.CR's divisional railway manager Mukesh Nigam said, "We plan to build a 700m-long moving walkway to connect LTT to Kurla station. Passengers will then be able to cover this distance with luggage in tow in 5 to 7 minutes. But we will able to firm up plans only after the SCLR project is complete." Work on the travelator can only begin after railway land is cleared of construction material and debris from the much-delayed SCLR project, and a proper vehicular traffic pattern is established.Though built as a modern terminus, travelling to and from LTT is a commuter's nightmare. Commuters, especially women, have had nightmarish experiences at LTT. In November last year, a starlet was taken for a "long ride" by auto drivers from LTT and assaulted before she managed to escape. "A cartel of drivers is in cahoots with local police and RTO. It is difficult to break the cartel unless the RTO launches a drive to weed out unscrupulous elements," said activist Anil Galgali. He said several autos fleece passengers with pre-decided fares and don't ply by meter. Principal secretary (transport) Shailesh Sharma said, "We plan to streamline the auto service outside LTT by introducing a prepaid stand." But a prepaid taxi service started at LTT a few months back hasn't deterred rogue cabbies, sources said. A L Quadros, whose union manages the prepaid taxi service at LTT, said, "There is chaos . We have complained several times to the transport department and railways, but the situation has not changed. The RTO and traffic cops too have done precious little to keep the notorious drivers at bay." An activist said, "Passengers arriving by early-morning or late-night trains have no option but to depend on autos and taxis. They are often gullible victims for rogue drivers who even enter the platform premises."

A senior CR official said, "Though final estimates are yet be prepared, the project is likely to cost Rs 9 crore." CR also plans to increase platforms at LTT to 12 from the existing five.

The Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection Council-Goldenrock branch urged the railways to introduce facility of booking reserved tickets for the PTO (privilege ticker order) of the railway employees at the newly opened computerised passenger reservation system (PRS) counter at the Ponmalai post office.The long-pending demand of the residents of the Goldenrock Township for the introduction of a PRS counter has become a reality now.But, the non availability of tickets for the PTOs is a major setback for a large number of railway employees residing in the township.The facility is not available in the already functioning reservation counter in front of the Railway Hospital, Goldenrock, council secretary H. Ghouse Baig said in a statement here on Wednesday.

MANGALORE: The extended service of train 12081 Kannur - Thiruvanathapuram Jan Shatabdi express will be flagged off by K Sudhakaran, Member of Parliament at Kannur Railway station on August 2 at 4.45pm.AP Abdulla Kutty, MLA, Roshni Khalid, Chairperson, Kannur Municipality and K A Sarala, District Panchayat President will be present at the function. Train 12082 Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express leaving Thiruvananthapuram on August 2 will come up to Kannur. These trains will have 3 AC Chair Car, 13 Second Class Chair Car and 2 Luggage-cum-Brake Van coaches.On the same day at 10am, MP Sudhakaran will inaugurate the cleanliness drive, tree plantation, garden development and spreading of awareness on safety measures at Kannur Station.

A number of school/college going students and some commuters were found travelling with either irregular tickets or time-barred season tickets in a surprise check conducted by the Commercial Staff and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), under the direct supervision of Senior Divisional Commercial Manager M. Yelvender Yadav at Vizianagaram railway station.The Railway officials counselled the students and other irregular ticket holders on the need to purchase proper tickets for their journey.The surprise check resulted in a steep increase in window sales and Monthly Season Tickets (MST s). Around 12,000 tickets were sold at the General Booking counter raking in a revenue of Rs.2.30 lakh, with a variation of 179 per cent over the previous day.The sale of MSTs showed an increase of 205 per cent over the previous day.More such massive ticket checking drives will be organised by Waltair Division to check ticket-less travel and other irregular travellers, according to Mr. Yelvender Yadav.The objective is to create awareness among the passengers travelling without proper tickets and those without platform tickets and invalid MSTs.

आसनसोल स्टेशन पर नई दिल्ली से हावड़ा तक चलने वाली पूर्वा एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन का तीसरा आधुनिक रैक बुधवार को पहुंचा। बताया जाता है कि उक्त रैक की स्लीपर बोगियों में 80 बर्थ है। रैक में एसी, स्लीपर क्लास सहित सामान्य डिब्बे को भी पहले की तुलना में काफी आरामदायक बनाया गया है। नए रैक में अग्निशमन व्यवस्था को और बेहतर बनाया गया है।

Services on the Airport Express line will open earlier in the mornings and the frequency of trains during peak hours will also be revised starting from August 1.While the first train from both terminal stations, Dwarka Sector 21 and New Delhi Railway Station, will start at 4-45 a.m., the last train will depart from the New Delhi station at 11-30 p.m. The last train from Dwarka Sector 21 will be at 11-15 p.m.At present, trains start running from 5-15 a.m. from Dwarka Sector 21 and 5.30 a.m. from the New Delhi station. As for the frequency of the trains during peak hours, it will be revised to 10 minutes and 30 seconds instead of the existing 15 minutes. During off peak hours, it will remain 15 minutes as before.As a result, daily train trips will increase to 180 from 146 at present. The peak hours – 7-30 a.m. to noon in the morning and 3 p.m. to 7-30 p.m. in the evening – have been decided keeping in view the arrival and departure of flights at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation hopes the change in schedule will tremendously help passengers of the Shatabdi Express, which departs from the New Delhi Railway Station early in the morning and returns late at night.“Now the Shatabdi Express passengers coming from the airport or nearby areas will be able to take the early morning services of the Airport Link and reach the New Delhi Railway Station. Similarly, passengers arriving by train at New Delhi late in the night, with the intention of going to the airport will be able to take the last Airport Link service from New Delhi,” said a DMRC statement.

In the event that the Shatabdi Express is delayed, the Airport Express services will wait an extra 15 minutes, till 11-45 p.m. The operating speed of the trains on the Airport Express Line will also be increased to 80 kmph from the existing 70 kmph.

“The changes have been made on the basis of the feedback received from the commuters of the line,” the statement said.

मोबाइल से रेलवे टिकट बुक करने के साथ अब यात्रियों को एक नई सुविधा मिलेगी। बिना इंटरनेट वाले मोबाइल से भी टिकट बुक करवा सकेंगे।
इसके लिए जरूरी नहीं कि यात्री के पास स्मार्ट फोन हो, सामान्य मोबाइल फोन से भी यह सुविधा मिल जाएगी। हालांकि इस सेवा के लिए एयरटेल की सिम जरूरी है। भुगतान एयरटेल मनी के माध्यम से होगा। एसएमएस प्रभार की जरूरत नहीं
भारतीय एयरटेल लि. के आंध्रप्रदेश, एमपी-सीजे के हब चीफ एक्जीक्यूटिव ऑफिसर रमेश मेनन का कहना है यह सेवा मोबाइल उपकरणों पर कार्य करेगी। इसके लिए किसी तरह के डाटा या एसएमएस प्रभार की जरूरत नहीं है। यूएसएसडी (अनस्क्चर्ड सप्लीमेंट्री सर्विस डाटा) प्रौद्योगिकी के माध्यम से टिकट बुक होगा। आईआरसीटीसी में पंजीयन जरूरी : सेवा का उपयोग करने के लिए आईआरसीटीसी में पंजीयन होना जरूरी है। यदि पंजीयन नहीं है तो आईआरसीटीसी की वेबसाइट पर यूजर आईडी बनाएं और मोबाइल रजिस्टर्ड करवाएं।
: यह टिकट सुबह 8 से दोपहर 12 और रात 11.30 से 12.30 बजे तक नहीं बन सकेंगे। तत्काल के टिकट इस सेवा से नहीं बनेंगे। ऐसे करें टिकट बुक
: एयरटेल सिम से मोबाइल से *400# टाइप करें। इसके बाद एयरटेल मनी एक्सप्रेस के लिए पंजीयन करें।
: एयरटेल मनी आउटलेट पर जाकर या एयरटेल वेबसाइट पर ऑनलाइन एयरटेल मनी अकाउंट में रुपए डाल दें। रेल टिकट बुकिंग शुरू करने के लिए *400# पर बुक टिकट के विकल्प को चुनेँ। इसके बाद आगे की प्रक्रिया मोबाइल पर आएगी। इसमें यात्री को यात्रा की तारीख, यात्रियों के नाम, उम्र आदि डालनाहो गी। बाद में एयरटेल मनी अकाउंट से रुपए जमा होंगे। टिकट बनने के बाद यात्री को मोबाइल पर मैसेज आ जाएगा।