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Rail traffic on old Yamuna bridge, which was affected on Delhi-Sahadara route due to the rising water level of Yamuna, was restored today.

Regular train service with restricted speed was allowed over the 145-year-old bridge after flood waters began to recede today, a senior Northern Railway official said.

The movement of trains except EMU service was suspended over the Yamuna bridge from 12 noon yesterday. It was restored at about 11 am today.

Most Recent Jiah Khan's suicide very unfortunate, says Vidya Balan Temple Run for Windows Phone 8 updated to work on devices with 512MB RAM Services of over 50 trains were affected yesterday due to the rising water level of Yamuna. The water level had touched 207.32 metres yesterday. It was recorded at 206.83 metres at 2 pm, which is two metres above the danger mark.

Central Railway

Press Release

CLOSURE OF NERAL – MATHERAN DIRECT SERVICES

Central Railway has decided to close the Neral-Matheran Section for passenger traffic during monsoon season with immediate effect.  However, 14 daily shuttle services between Matheran and Aman Lodge will be run during the monsoon season, details of which  are as under:-

MATHERAN TO AMAN LODGE

Train No. Matheran Dep.  Aman Lodge Arr

2          09.00 hrs      09.15 hrs.

4          10.00 hrs      10.15 hrs

6          11.05 hrs      11.20 hrs

8          11.55 hrs      12.10 hrs

10        13.00 hrs      13.15 hrs

12        14.15 hrs      14.30 hrs

14        15.30 hrs      15.45 hrs

AMAN LODGE TO MATHERAN

Train No.  Aman Lodge Dep.  Matheran Arr

1          09.30 hrs        09.45 hrs

3          10.30 hrs        10.45 hrs

5          11.30 hrs        11.45 hrs

7          12.25 hrs        12.40 hrs

9          13.25 hrs        13.40 hrs

11        14.40 hrs        14.55 hrs

13        15.50 hrs        16.05 hrs

Passengers are requested to note the above.

-----------------------------

Date: 20th June 2013.

This news comes to you from the Public Relations Department, Central Railway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai.

1 Hindi Press Release (216 KB)

How Britain developed a truly competitive rail freight market Jun 22nd 2013

The engine that could ONLY esoteric trainspotters pay much attention to freight locomotives. By comparison with passenger trains, they generate few furious letters to local newspapers. Freight is rarely cited in rows over the effects of rail privatisation in the 1990s. Yet rail freight is growing (see chart) and is an excellent argument for railway reform.Between 1965 and 1985 rail freight slumped from 25 billion net tonne kilometres a year (a measure of the weight and distance of goods carried) to 15 billion. All of the freight businesses were then owned by British Rail, which invested little in them. Road hauliers were eating into their business, helped by a liberalised market and new licensing rules for lorries.Since privatisation in 1994, though, £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) has been invested in rail wagons, locomotives and other improvements. The amount of freight moved increased by 65% between 1995 and 2006. Volumes dipped following the financial crisis, but have recovered. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) estimates that the market will grow at least 10% more by 2019. Freight has become far more efficient. Between 1998 and 2008 the number of staff per freight train million kilometres travelled fell from 100 to 65. On passenger railways, by contrast, the number of staff per train kilometres increased slightly. “It is the most transformed sector in the rail industry since privatisation,” says Richard Price, the chief executive of ORR.

The business has become far more competitive. Seven freight rail companies directly compete with each other on the tracks, as well as with road haulage companies. Unlike passenger networks, they receive no direct subsidy and are not franchised. Whereas their passenger equivalents tend to monopolise regions, freight networks can charge up and down the country. Rail freight is not encumbered by the short-term contracts common in the passenger railway system, which make train companies petrified of strikes and strengthen the hand of drivers’ unions.

Raw materials have long been moved by rail, but so, these days, are consumer goods. Between 2001 and 2011 the amount of containerised goods transported by rail increased by 80%. At Felixstowe, Britain’s largest container port, the proportion of containers leaving by rail has jumped from 14% in 2002 to 27% now. Two weeks ago a third terminal was opened there which should double the number of containers sent out by rail again.

Many of those goods come from China. But there is also an upsurge in the domestic market, says Maggie Simpson of the Rail Freight Group. Supermarkets are starting to use the railways, which are often quicker than roads. Tesco has five dedicated freight trains that run each day. Improved temperature-controlled services have boosted the amount of freight through the Channel Tunnel from southern Europe.

Bumps lie ahead. Coal still accounts for a third of the freight rail market. As use of the fuel is scaled back to hit EU carbon targets, this will decline. Freight fanatics are also anxious about the possible introduction of 25-metre-long “megatrucks” to Europe. And the shift from transporting manufactured items to consumer goods has squeezed margins, says Tim Robinson of Network Rail. Whereas bulk goods such as aggregates, steel and other materials could only really be shipped by rail, the rise of consumer-goods transport means that freight must compete more directly with the roads.

But the shift to renewable energy could prove a boon. Biomass—pulped wood burnt to generate electricity—must be shipped carefully to prevent it from decaying and releasing methane. This is easier by rail. Planned upgrades worth £9.4 billion to Britain’s railway lines due to start in 2014 include an “electric spine” between Yorkshire and the West Midlands to ports on the south coast. This will boost capacity and could lead to the electrification of freight lines. The mooted high-speed railway, known as HS2, ought to free up capacity on the southern part of the West Coast mainline, which could be used for freight instead. And with less fuel needed to haul a tonne of goods by rail than by trucks lumbering along congested roads, the rise of freight looks unlikely to stop soon.

लखनऊ।। रेलवे ने यात्रियों की जेब में फिर हाथ डाल दिया है। यात्रा के दौरान अगर आपकी तबीयत बिगड़ी तो अब मुफ्त इलाज नहीं हो पाएगा। डॉक्टर की फीस से लेकर मरहम-पट्टी तक का खर्च यात्री से वसूला जाएगा। डॉक्टर की फीस के तौर पर रेलवे 20 रुपए वसूले करेगा। दवा की कीमत अलग से लगेगी।

उत्तर-मध्य रेलवे के मुख्य चिकित्सा निदेशक डॉ. पदम सिंह ने इलाहाबाद, कानपुर समेत मंडल के सभी स्टेशन अधीक्षकों को इस बाबत पत्र भेजे हैं, जिसमें कहा गया है कि रेलवे ट्रेन हादसों में घायल होने वालों का मुफ्त इलाज कराना अपना दायित्व समझता है। लेकिन सफर के दौरान बीमार पड़ने वाले यात्री से अब डॉक्टर की फीस के रूप में 20 रुपए वसूले जाएंगे।

डॉ. सिंह के मुताबिक, दवा की कीमत प्रति खुराक एक रुपया लिया जाएगा। इंजेक्शन और ऐंटिबायॉटिक का वही मूल्य लिया जाएगा जो स्ट्रिप पर दर्ज होगा। घाव की ड्रेसिंग के पांच रुपए लगेंगे।

[ जारी है ]

उल्लेखनीय है कि केंद्र से लेकर प्रदेश तक की सरकारें आम आदमी के इलाज पर अरबों खर्च कर रही है, लेकिन रेल में सफर के दौरान बीमार पड़े यात्रियों को अब कोई रियायत देने को तैयार नहीं है। अभी तक यह व्यवस्था थी कि ट्रेन में कोई यात्री बीमार पड़ जाए तो स्टेशन मास्टर के बुलावे पर डॉक्टर स्टेशन पर हाजिर हो जाता था और यात्री का पूरा इलाज मुफ्त होता था।

In a bid to ensure that metro users do not crowd busy arterial roads after deboarding trains and walk through fast-moving traffic, the Delhi Metro is planning to construct skywalks at nine existing elevated metro stations.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) decided on this after it was suggested by the Delhi Traffic police.The traffic police conducted a survey to identify metro stations where pedestrians are vulnerable to road accidents.These stations include, Moolchand, Pragati Maidan, Netaji Subhas Place, Rajouri Garden, Kirti Nagar, Inderlok, Dhaula Kuan and Dilshad Garden.Commuters currently enter these stations from the footpaths and in the absence of proper pedestrian facilities, are forced to walk through the busy roads to go to their destinations and thus endanger their lives.Police said such movement not only put commuters, especially women, children and differently-abled persons at risk, but also caused traffic disruptions.

"We have proposed to the Delhi Metro to build skywalks connecting the main destination points with the respective stations. Now, Delhi Metro will work out the layout plan for the skywalks," said Taj Hassan, special commissioner of police (traffic).

In several cities abroad such as Bangkok and Singapore, the metro authorities identify places around the metro stations such as market places, malls, bus stands and offices, which register a huge footfall and construct skywalks integrating these places with the metro stations, said traffic police sources.

"In association with the traffic police, we have decided to come up with skywalks in some existing stations. Such skywalks will also be constructed in many metro stations to be built in phase 3," said Mangu Singh, chief of DMRC.

The DMRC officials said that the process of preparing the layout for these skywalks would start soon and then the construction work would begin near busy metro stations.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, however, is yet to decide if it would engage any private agency to construct these skywalks, said sources.

Five youths from Kerala were arrested for allegedly eve-teasing a woman on board Chennai-Dhanbad Alappujha (Alleppy) Express in Jharkhand, sources said today.

The youths were arrested by GRP yesterday at Dhanbad railway station on the complaint of the woman, who was coming from Coimbatore.

The victim in her FIR said that the accused forcibly brought down her from the berth and made lewd gestures all the night from Sambalpur railway station.

After reaching Ranchi, she rang up her relative who informed the superintendent of rail police (SRP) Prasant Karn.

As the train reached Dhanbad station, the GRP arrested the accused and took statement of the victim. The police had to face sheer hardship in negotiating with them due to language problem.

The arrested youth, who knew only Malayalam, denied the charges, sources said.

Meanwhile, the GRP officials produced the accused today in the court of railway magistrate Rajni Kant Pathak, who remanded them in judicial custody, they added.

Kochi Metro Rail Rail Ltd (KMRL) proposes to commence its tree planting project from tomorrow with 500 saplings to be planted at HMT in nearby Kalamassery. KMRL Managing Director, Elias George, Winston S Suiting, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests K Balachandran, General Manager, HMT, Ernakulam District Collector, P I Sheik Pareeth; Chief Co-ordinator, National Green Corps, Prof P Seetharaman; and DMRC's Principal Director, P Sriram, will participate in the planting of saplings at HMT tomorrow, a press release here said.

The much-awaited railway section, providing all-weather surface link to Kashmir valley, will be launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 26.Singh and Gandhi will jointly flag off the first train on the 18-km-long section between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir, marking start of the service.The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km-long tunnel, will reduce the distance from 35 km (by road) to 18 km. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore.This rail section is very significant as it will provide an all-weather link to Kashmir valley which often gets cut off from the rest of the country due to snowfall during winters.Passengers travelling by train from Kashmir valley to Banihal can avail bus service from there till Udhampur where train service is available for rest of the country.Northern Railway is coordinating with Jammu and Kashmir government for arrangements for the bus service."The bus service will be available from Udhampur to facilitate passengers availing train from Banihal next month," a senior Northern Railway official said.Train service is already operational within Kashmir valley in the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir."It (Qazigund-Banihal section) was a challenging task. Besides the difficult terrain, land was acquired for the Kashmir rail link project in adverse law and order situation in the state," the official said."The mandatory inspection of the track by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is being done and the clearance is awaited. The line is expected to open on June 26," the official said.Trial run on this section was successfully done on December 28 last year and since then trains carrying stones are running on regular basis.

Jammu : The suspended train services have been restored today by the Northern Railways, which were affected by floods in Uttarakhand. The only train from Jammu to Rishikesh, Hemkunt Express, which was suspended and others which were diverted for the last two days, have been restored today.The Hemkunt Express has finally been moved towards Rishikesh after two days from Jammu, and heavy rush was observed at the Jammu Railway Station. However, many passengers had already cancelled tickets due to the uncertainty about the departure of the train.“We were eagerly waiting for the announcement at the railway station with our fingers crossed about the departure of the Hemkunt Express. Finally, we are relaxed when the authorities have confirmed that the train will depart at right time from Jammu,” said Sushil Yadav, a passenger from Rishikesh, who was here to pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.Eight trains from Jammu following this route were affected due to the damage of the railway line on the Ambala-Saharanpur route. Hemkunt Express was suspended, and seven others, Begampura Exp, Jat Anvt Spl, Sealdah Express, Archana Express, Shalimar Exp, Lohit Express and Uhp BSB Spl were diverted to the Ambala-Panipat-Delhi route. The route has been cleared this morning and all the trains have been restored on the said route.RN Meena, divisional traffic manager, Jammu, said, “As the track was damaged due to flood in Uttarakhand, we had to suspend the Hemkunt Express and divert other trains towards the Ambala-Delhi route via Panipat on Monday and Tuesday. However, it has been restored today”.

The Northern Railway today said it was sending four empty coaching rakes trains to Haridwar and Dehradun for evacuation of stranded people from flood-hit Uttarakhand by running special trains as shuttle services between those places and Ambala, Delhi and Lucknow.  
In addition, additional coaches are being arranged from other Zonal Railways which will be used for running long-distance special trains to locations such as Mumbai, Howrah, Ahmedabad, JammuTawi and so on, a press release from the Railway said.  
The release said additional booking and enquiry counters were being set up at Haridwar and Dehradun for handling the expected rush of passengers.  
Adequate arrangements of catering facilities and drinking water have been ensured at these locations.   
Frequent announcements through the public address system regarding status of trains and  other passenger-related services have been ensured, the release said.  
It said the commercial and medical departments have ensured satisfactory sanitation at these locations to minimize passenger inconvenience.  
The carriage & wagon and electrical departments have ensured that adequate staff and material are available at these locations to meet with additional maintenance requirements.  
All other departments involved with station maintenance including passenger facilities have   taken adequate measures to handle the additional passenger traffic expected at these locations, it said.  
The release said senior officers have been deputed to take charge of these efforts at the two places. They will maintain liaison and co-ordination with the State civil authorities and ensure management and dispersal of passengers, the release added.  
Doctors and paramedical staff in sufficient numbers have been deployed  at these stations, the release added.