ProUI

03-07-2013
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CHANGE OF TERMINALS OF GORAKHPUR-BANGALORE CITY WEEKLY EXPRESS & KONGU WEEKLY EXPRESS TRAINS
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            Ministry of Railways has decided to change the terminal of the 12591/12592 Gorakhpur- Bangalore City- Gorakhpur Weekly Express & 12647/12648 Hazrat Nizamuddin- Coimbatore Jn.- Hazrat Nizamuddin Weekly Express Trains from Bangalore to Yeshwantpur from the dates as mentioned  below:

·The terminal of 12591/12592 Gorakhpur- Yeshwantpur - Gorakhpur Weekly Express Train will be shifted from Bangalore to Yeshwantpur from 07.09.2013 when departing from Gorakhpur & from 09.09.2013 when departing from Yeshwantpur and will not stop at Bangalore Cantt. & Bangalore East stations as the train will not run in this section. The 12591 Gorakhpur- Yeshwantpur Weekly Express Train will reach Yeshwantpur at 04.20 a.m. while in the return direction, the 12592 Yeshwantpur - Gorakhpur Weekly Express Train will depart from Yeshwantpur at 05.20 p.m.

·The terminal of 12647/12648 Hazrat Nizamuddin- Coimbatore Jn.- Hazrat Nizamuddin Weekly Express Train will be shifted from Bangalore to Yeshwantpur from 08.09.2013 when departing from Coimbatore Jn. & from 11.09.2013 when departing from Hazrat Nizamuddin and will not stop at Bangalore Cantt. station as the train will not run in this section. The 12647 Coimbatore Jn.- Hazrat Nizamuddin Weekly Express Train will reach Yeshwantpur at 11.20 p.m. while in the return direction, the 12648 Hazrat Nizamuddin- Coimbatore Jn. Weekly Express Train will reach Yeshwantpur at 01.10 a.m.

‍For the convenience of the railpassengers and to increase the passenger carrying capacity of trains, Railway has decided to augment  the 12303/12304 & 12381/12382 New Delhi- Howrah- New Delhi Poorva Express trains by Two Additional Sleeper Class coaches each o­n temporary basis as per the under-mentioned  programme:

The 12303 & 12381 Howrah- New Delhi Poorva Express Trains will be augmented by Two Additional Sleeper Class coaches each o­n 15,16,19 & 20.07.2013 and 18, 21 & 24.07.2013 respectively when departing from Howrah. In the return direction, the 12304 & 12382 New Delhi- Howrah Poorva Express Trains will be augmented by Two Additional Sleeper Class coaches each. o­n 17, 20 & 25.07.2013 and 16, 19, 22 & 23.07.2013 respectively when departing from New Delhi. The other features like timings, route, stoppages etc. will remain as unchanged.

Photographs of Sonia Gandhi and the prime minister sitting in a railway carriage as it zoomed through the newlymade Banihal Tunnel linking the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the state last week brought back vivid memories.

I had seen the tunnel under construction in 2009 while writing a book called Linking Paradise on the new line from Anantnag to Baramulla. Every turn of the 120 km long broad gauge line brought delightful surprises.

Rolling green rice fields — just like my native Bengal so far away — golden mustard blooms, magnificent chinar trees, proud poplars marching into the blue yonder, apple and walnut orchards, quaint villages and the Pir Panjal and Zanskar ranges standing guard over this delicate, beauteous vale.

The new tunnel was then but a hole in the Pir Panjal range beyond a station called Qazigund, but it held such promise. For it would finally link the rest of India's venerable railway system — that began back in 1853, a mere half century after the first public railway opened in Britain — to the Kashmir Valley's very first line, over 150 years later. A lot has been said about the Konkan Railway, which winds its way through the scenic Western Ghats, beside the Arabian Sea.

It is truly a great feat of engineering. As indeed is the new Banihal Tunnel, which, at 11.2km is India's longest railway tunnel — about 9km longer than the 56-year-old and mostly snow-bound Jawahar road tunnel, 440m above it. But making the Kashmir Railway meant much more. For it entailed building lines and bridges not only in the Valley but also to its people.

It was thus not only an engineering achievement but a political, economic and diplomatic one too. The men who built it didn't merely have to deal with the terrain but also negotiate issues that still confound political leaderships. As a fan of great engineering projects I marvelled at the 811 bridges fording the very scenic brooks and dales that had so enchanted Emperor Jehangir centuries ago. Practically every section of the line also demonstrated the great sensitivity on the part of the railway teams who could have just retreated behind their professional hardhats.

But they didn't. They swapped it ever so often for the bareheaded empathy and adaptability of social workers. The amazing Veith Bridge over the Jhelum is a case in point for it incorporated a specially-made 45.7 metre steel span instead of only standard 30 metre ones, just so that its pylons would not disturb a small cemetery revered by local residents.

Indeed, the sentiments of the Valley folk had to be considered at all times so the indefatigable engineers of the Indian Railways had to use not only their technical skills but also their EQ to plan and execute this project. No canals could be converged to save on culverts, no chinar trees could be cut or orchards razed to make the shortest track alignment, and so on.

I remember musing that the track embankments — made with reinforced material, as the local soil is very soft — were the most bewitching in India if not the world, for they were covered with wildflowers, rather than the usual ordure. And the stations were modern but designed to incorporate features of the Valley's traditional architecture. The waiting hall of the Srinagar station, in fact, has got to be the most magnificent in the world.

Much of the building's interiors, including the waiting hall's stunning triple-height ceiling, is covered with the intricately carved woodwork called khatambandh, a speciality of the Srinagar area. The city's people can truly look upon it as a showcase of their talent.

There was more. Though the government poured money unstintingly into this project, ingenuity was needed too. Moving equipment was expensive and often logistically impossible so impromptu alternatives had to be devised. Trucks retrofitted with railway wheels towing ballast machines to sweep snow instead of gravel were double innovations! The transport of the sleek train coaches needed even more quick thinking.

Given the approach to the Srinagar Airport and the size of it, the coaches had to come by road — 294 km. Dry runs were done with custom-made 32-wheeled trailers towed by 10-wheeled trucks driven at walking speed to check if the roads were wide enough. But the real challenge was the Jawahar Tunnel. Bogies mounted atop the trucks were far higher than the height of the tunnel. So the engineers' first move was to separate the wheel-base from the compartment. That ensured that the bottom halves made it through.

Photographs of Sonia Gandhi and the prime minister sitting in a railway carriage as it zoomed through the newlymade Banihal Tunnel linking the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the state last week brought back vivid memories.

I had seen the tunnel under construction in 2009 while writing a book called Linking Paradise on the new line from Anantnag to Baramulla. Every turn of the 120 km long broad gauge line brought delightful surprises.

Rolling green rice fields — just like my native Bengal so far away — golden mustard blooms, magnificent chinar trees, proud poplars marching into the blue yonder, apple and walnut orchards, quaint villages and the Pir Panjal and Zanskar ranges standing guard over this delicate, beauteous vale.

The new tunnel was then but a hole in the Pir Panjal range beyond a station called Qazigund, but it held such promise. For it would finally link the rest of India's venerable railway system — that began back in 1853, a mere half century after the first public railway opened in Britain — to the Kashmir Valley's very first line, over 150 years later. A lot has been said about the Konkan Railway, which winds its way through the scenic Western Ghats, beside the Arabian Sea.

It is truly a great feat of engineering. As indeed is the new Banihal Tunnel, which, at 11.2km is India's longest railway tunnel — about 9km longer than the 56-year-old and mostly snow-bound Jawahar road tunnel, 440m above it. But making the Kashmir Railway meant much more. For it entailed building lines and bridges not only in the Valley but also to its people.

It was thus not only an engineering achievement but a political, economic and diplomatic one too. The men who built it didn't merely have to deal with the terrain but also negotiate issues that still confound political leaderships. As a fan of great engineering projects I marvelled at the 811 bridges fording the very scenic brooks and dales that had so enchanted Emperor Jehangir centuries ago. Practically every section of the line also demonstrated the great sensitivity on the part of the railway teams who could have just retreated behind their professional hardhats.

But they didn't. They swapped it ever so often for the bareheaded empathy and adaptability of social workers. The amazing Veith Bridge over the Jhelum is a case in point for it incorporated a specially-made 45.7 metre steel span instead of only standard 30 metre ones, just so that its pylons would not disturb a small cemetery revered by local residents.

Indeed, the sentiments of the Valley folk had to be considered at all times so the indefatigable engineers of the Indian Railways had to use not only their technical skills but also their EQ to plan and execute this project. No canals could be converged to save on culverts, no chinar trees could be cut or orchards razed to make the shortest track alignment, and so on.

I remember musing that the track embankments — made with reinforced material, as the local soil is very soft — were the most bewitching in India if not the world, for they were covered with wildflowers, rather than the usual ordure. And the stations were modern but designed to incorporate features of the Valley's traditional architecture. The waiting hall of the Srinagar station, in fact, has got to be the most magnificent in the world.

Much of the building's interiors, including the waiting hall's stunning triple-height ceiling, is covered with the intricately carved woodwork called khatambandh, a speciality of the Srinagar area. The city's people can truly look upon it as a showcase of their talent.

There was more. Though the government poured money unstintingly into this project, ingenuity was needed too. Moving equipment was expensive and often logistically impossible so impromptu alternatives had to be devised. Trucks retrofitted with railway wheels towing ballast machines to sweep snow instead of gravel were double innovations! The transport of the sleek train coaches needed even more quick thinking.

Given the approach to the Srinagar Airport and the size of it, the coaches had to come by road — 294 km. Dry runs were done with custom-made 32-wheeled trailers towed by 10-wheeled trucks driven at walking speed to check if the roads were wide enough. But the real challenge was the Jawahar Tunnel. Bogies mounted atop the trucks were far higher than the height of the tunnel. So the engineers' first move was to separate the wheel-base from the compartment. That ensured that the bottom halves made it through.

Protection walls would be constructed and strong iron rods laid to prevent frequent landslides on Nilgiris Mountain Rail track, running over a stretch of 40 KM, a top Southern Railway official said today.

The railways has identified the spots, where frequent landslides occurred on the track and concrete walls would be constructed to prevent such incidents in future, General Manager of Southern Railway Rakesh Mishra told reporters here.

Mishra, who was here to inspect various stations on the route, said, the department was in the process of carrying out maintenance on Mettupalayam-Coonoor Track, which would be completed in a year.

Due to reduced allocation for Southern Railway from Rs 1,200 crore last year to Rs 600 crore in this year's budget, new works cannot be taken up in the region, he said.

To a question on introducing special trains between Udhagamandalam to Coonoor to attract more tourists, Mishra said the issue would be considered after looking at the feasibility.

The third oil-fired engine being manufactured at Golden Rock Workshop in Tiruchirapalli, for NMR would be received by September end, Mishra said.

It's been two months since disgraced Western Railway general manager Mahesh Kumar was arrested on bribery charges, but a public notice bearing his name and title continues to greet commuters at Mumbai Central station.

Ironically, the notice, painted on a black background, urges commuters to report demands for bribes from railway officials to Kumar.

"Do not pay bribes. If anybody demands a bribe or you have information about a bribe seeker, you can complain to Mahesh Kumar, general manager," reads the notice, painted in English, Hindi and Marathi on a wall outside senior divisional commercial manager's office.

Railway officials say the warning, painted last year, cannot be changed or removed until the painter's contract is renewed.

Kumar was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for landing a higher railway position after allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 90 lakh to the then Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew.

Kumar wanted to become a member (electrical) on the Railway Board, the top decision-making body of the Indian Railways. The position would have given him the authority to take calls on railway contracts worth hundreds of crore.

"It's sad that despite his alleged involvement in the crash-for-promotion scam, Kumar's name continues to be on the notice against paying bribes," said Subhash Gupta, a member of the National Railway Users' Consultative Committee, a forum of government officials and citizens that suggests ways to improve railway services. "His name should have been struck out."

An official in Mumbai Central's commercial department said that the notice would be re-painted once the painter's contract was renewed. "It will be dealt with soon," he said.

After Kumar's arrest, R C Agarwal, North Western Railway general manager, has taken the additional charge of WR general manager.

It's not just notices at stations. The Western Railway's website also continues to name Kumar as its general manager. The site was last updated on December 7, 2012.

Kumar, meanwhile, continues to be in jail. The CBI on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against him and nine others, including Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla.

Southern Railway GM cites security-related constraints to operate additional services

General Manager of Southern Railway Rakesh Mishra on Tuesday cited practical difficulties in replacing oil-fired locomotives with diesel locomotives on the Nilgiris Mountain Railway and inability to operate additional services on the NMR section owing to safety-related constraints.

He was on a routine inspection of the NMR along with the Divisional Railway Manager, Salem, Sujatha Jeyaraj, for assessing the stability of the track and other operational difficulties.

Mr. Mishra told reporters that Railways would initiate measures through agencies concerned for clearing the choked rainwater drain systems at various places along the NMR section and measures would be initiated for putting mesh type nets at places which are vulnerable to landslip during rainy season. As regards locomotives, Mr.Mishra said that indigenously-manufactured oil-fired locomotives have brought respite from the earlier operational problems caused by coal fired locomotives. The locomotives have adequate hauling capacity.

Two oil-fired locomotives from the Golden Rock Workshop at Tiruchi have already joined the NMR system and of the remaining two, one would reach Mettuppalayam by September .

Increase in number of locomotives would not help in introducing more services.

Mr. Mishra pointed out that line had to be inspected in the morning by railway employees by foot and clear the track for the first service and in the evenings there is a need for operating the return trip early because of the risk of wild elephants. Hence, it would not be practically possible to operate more services or add extra coach in the existing service.

Diesel locomotives would not be feasible as they are not compatible with the rack and pinion system of operation in the ghat section for hauling the train in and having a grip while descending steep gradients. Mr.Mishra also said that Southern Railway was managing to offer passenger-friendly services despite the fall in budgetary allocation.

Protection walls would be constructed and strong iron rods laid to prevent frequent landslides on Nilgiris Mountain Rail track, running over a stretch of 40 KM, a top Southern Railway official said today.

The railways has identified the spots, where frequent landslides occurred on the track and concrete walls would be constructed to prevent such incidents in future, General Manager of Southern Railway Rakesh Mishra told reporters here.

Mishra, who was here to inspect various stations on the route, said, the department was in the process of carrying out maintenance on Mettupalayam-Coonoor Track, which would be completed in a year.

Due to reduced allocation for Southern Railway from Rs 1,200 crore last year to Rs 600 crore in this year's budget, new works cannot be taken up in the region, he said.

To a question on introducing special trains between Udhagamandalam to Coonoor to attract more tourists, Mishra said the issue would be considered after looking at the feasibility.

The third oil-fired engine being manufactured at Golden Rock Workshop in Tiruchirapalli, for NMR would be received by September end, Mishra said.

MANGALORE: Soil slippage between Aravali Road and Sangameshwar stations in Ratnagiri region on Konkan Railway route had disrupted train services on Tuesday night and has been restored early on Wednesday night.

Incessant rains in Konkan region for past two days and a continuing heavy rainfall in the region had disrupted the traffic on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway as well as Konkan Railway since Tuesday evening.

According to Konkan Railway authorities, after conducting restoration work on war footing with the help of more than 50 labour at the affected site between Aravali Road and Sangameshwar stations in Ratnagiri region, Konkan Railway has restored the railway track at 3:15 am and the two affected trains - namely 12449 Goa Sampark Kranti Express and 16345 Netravati Express - which were controlled at different stations for four4 hours, have been restarted. The heavy rains continue to lash the Konkan region.

Konkan Railway witnessed soil slippage at Km 157/5-6 between Aravali Road station and Sangameshwar station in the Ratnagiri region. Heavy water logging on the highway has resulted in water logging on adjacent Konkan Railway track too which is affecting early restoration of railway services.

Konknan Railway has despatched Poclain on railway wagon for clearing the track. Restoration continued from both sides. Earlier due to the soil slippage, two trains were controlled in Ratnagiri region.

Southern Railway GM cites security-related constraints to operate additional services

General Manager of Southern Railway Rakesh Mishra on Tuesday cited practical difficulties in replacing oil-fired locomotives with diesel locomotives on the Nilgiris Mountain Railway and inability to operate additional services on the NMR section owing to safety-related constraints.

He was on a routine inspection of the NMR along with the Divisional Railway Manager, Salem, Sujatha Jeyaraj, for assessing the stability of the track and other operational difficulties.

Mr. Mishra told reporters that Railways would initiate measures through agencies concerned for clearing the choked rainwater drain systems at various places along the NMR section and measures would be initiated for putting mesh type nets at places which are vulnerable to landslip during rainy season. As regards locomotives, Mr.Mishra said that indigenously-manufactured oil-fired locomotives have brought respite from the earlier operational problems caused by coal fired locomotives. The locomotives have adequate hauling capacity.

Two oil-fired locomotives from the Golden Rock Workshop at Tiruchi have already joined the NMR system and of the remaining two, one would reach Mettuppalayam by September .

Increase in number of locomotives would not help in introducing more services.

Mr. Mishra pointed out that line had to be inspected in the morning by railway employees by foot and clear the track for the first service and in the evenings there is a need for operating the return trip early because of the risk of wild elephants. Hence, it would not be practically possible to operate more services or add extra coach in the existing service.

Diesel locomotives would not be feasible as they are not compatible with the rack and pinion system of operation in the ghat section for hauling the train in and having a grip while descending steep gradients. Mr.Mishra also said that Southern Railway was managing to offer passenger-friendly services despite the fall in budgetary allocation.