ProUI

Puducherry Railway Projects Coordination Committee comprising government officials and engineers inspected all the 25 known locations in Karaikal region of the Union Territory where a road crosses the proposed alignment of Peralam- Karaikal new line project sanctioned in Railway Budget of 2013-14.

The new line is to be laid on the same route as the old railway line which existed during the French period, but was subsequently removed by the Southern Railways after Karaikal became part of the Indian Union.

During the inspection by the team on Tuesday,  it was observed that part of the alignment is now used by the agriculturists as rural road and some encroachments are observed in the urban limits, according to Gopal Dalmia, member of the Coordination Committee.

It is evident that the New Line Project is not a revival of the old MG line or a gauge conversion of a dormant route. It is a full- fledged new line on the land that is still available. All the road crossings have to be addressed afresh, he said.

In some places a Limited Height Subway (LHS) might be the best solution while at other locations these may not be the best option due to their proximity to water channels. The railways may willingly construct the subway, but keeping it free from flooding will be the State responsibility, suggested the committee.  

There are locations which are suited for Road Over Bridge (ROB) and they have to be investigated in detail before the site can be selected for ROB, said Dalmia

The Thirunallar halt station in the former days was a rudimentary side platform accessed from the north. On inspection it was observed that this station needs to be planned well, considering the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine. Ambagarattur and Pattecouddy station old sites were visited. Both the locations need to be planned with 25 years horizon.

There were several locations where electric high tension and low tension over head lines across the alignment. At two locations power grid lines also cross. The crossing of cables also needs to be addressed.

Much water has flowed down the Arsalar since the MG line was uprooted. The BG Line has to be considered as New Line Project. The railways have already cleared up the vegetation from much of the old formation.

With the rise in volume of traffic under Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR), railways is giving a facelift to Danapur station, one of the oldest ones in the eastern zone. Railways is planning to develop it as a terminal point of the division under its Vision 2020 to cope with the increasing load of rail traffic and rush of passengers.The DRM said the newly built Patliputra station, which will be thrown open for traffic by the end of this month, is linked to Danapur station. Soon after its commissioning, railways has to cope with a huge rush of traffic at Danapur end also. It intends to build a route relay interlocking (RRI) system at Danapur station in future, Jha said.

According to Danapur DRM L M Jha, the station needs proper development keeping in view passengers amenities and traffic operation. The station is the main artery of the division while Patna Junction is the hub of passenger trains, he said.

Jha said railways has started building intermediary block huts (IBH) to increase the line capacity on the mainline section of the division right from Jhajha to Mughalsarai. The long section of IBH is being reduced to a minimum distance so that there is no hurdle in movement of passenger trains from both Up and Down directions, he said, adding that loop lines are being built at six important places on the mainline for the smooth passage of traffic load.

While a spacious circulating area of station is under construction, railways has decided to build a state-of-the-art refreshment room and two retiring rooms at Danapur station. A spacious waiting hall for sleeper class passengers would also be constructed outside the station. Railway has already built a VIP lounge at the station, Jha said.

Under the new plan, railways would build a separate building to house the present passenger reservation system (PRS) building at the west end of the station. Besides, railways has no option than to develop Danapur station where there is enough space to carry out development plan, Jha said, adding that Patna Junction and Rajendra Nagar Terminal are already saturated from traffic operation or maintenance of coaches point of view. Thus, Danapur station could be developed as the next terminal of the division to fulfil the operational needs of railways, Jha said.

After the launch of work on the metro rail in the commercial capital of Cochin, ground has been set for setting up elevated rapid transport system in the other two major cities of Trivandrum and Calicut in Kerala.The state government has appointed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as general consultant for building the metro rail systems in the two cities. An agreement in this regard was signed here on Wednesday. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed were present on the occasion.The agreement makes DMRC responsible for the design, preparation of tender document, selection of contractors, supervision, and quality certification for the 22.2km monorail in Trivandrum and 14.2km in Calicut. The projects will be implemented by Kerala Mono Rail Corporation (KMRC), the special purpose vehicle floated by the government earlier. The DMRC will get 3.25 per cent of the estimated cost of Rs55.81 billion as consultancy fee. Of the total cost, Rs35.9 billion is expected to be incurred for the Trivandrum monorail project and Rs19.91 billion for the one in Calicut.

The elevated mass rapid transport system will run from Technocity to Karamana in the state capital and from Government Medical College to Meenchantha in the northern city of Calicut. The monorail in Trivandrum will have provisions for extension towards the south up to Neyyattinkara as well as towards north to Attingal.

There is another proposal to extend the network to the Trivandrum International Airport.

The total requirement of land for the first phase of the mono rail in Trivandrum is 17.170 hectares. Of this, 13.75 hectares is government land; 0.58 hectares with railways; and 2.820 hectares with private parties. Only 39 families and 65 shops would be affected as per the detailed project report. The government has already announced four-laning of the Kazhakuttom-Kesavadapuram road in the capital city for the mono rail under a Rs100-billion package cleared by the state government for the development of roads. Public Works Minister Dr Ibrahim Kunj said the government will soon acquire land for the project.

The government had earlier proposed a metro rail for Trivandrum but it was rejected as the city did not have enough ridership. Shortage of land for building the metro rail also prompted the government to go for mono rail.

Monorails can be built on the medians of existing roads, without affecting the road traffic or disrupting life.  The overall width of the cars is only three metres, while the guide way width is just 69to 80 cms. The reduced size of the support structures cuts down on costs.

Monorails can negotiate steeper grades and sharper curves, and being elevated, there is no danger of a collision with surface traffic. Since the cars straddle the guide way, there is little chance of derailment, which adds to the safety factor. — news@khaleejtimes.com

New Delhi: Rescue teams were finally able to evacuate some of the people stranded in higher reaches of Uttarakhand on Wednesday even though damaged roads and washed away bridges continued to hinder evacuation throughout the day. The government, on its part, has pumped in immediate relief funds and rescue choppers to the battered north Indian state, which has been devastated due to torrential rains that have caused massive landslides and fatal floods. The Indian Army managed to rescue 9,000 people from areas around Uttarkashi even though thousands still remained without any help in the state's remotest part - Kedarnath. Special mountain rescue teams have been formed by the Army to provide immediate relief to the stranded tourists and pilgrims. This is the season for many pilgrimages that take place in the state, resulting in high number of people congregating in different part of Uttarakhand. Many tourists also head over to the hilly state to escape harsh north Indian summer. Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the state's Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna have warned that the death toll - currently at 150 - is likely to swell further as many still remain missing or without help. PM Manmohan and Congress President Sonia Gandhi did an aerial survey of the affected parts of the state, post which the PM announced that Rs 1000 crore would be released as disaster relief fund. He also said Rs 145 crores would be provided to the state as immediate relief fund and the families of those who have perished in the tragedy would receive Rs 2 lakh. People whose houses have been completely destroyed would get a help of Rs 1 lakh while those whose homes have been partially damaged would receive Rs 50,000.

Twenty-two helicopters have been pressed into rescue work and the strategy is to airlift people from the worst hit areas. But on the ground, the movement of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel has been crippled by landslides. Even though aerial surveys and rescue missions by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and clearing skies provided some aid to the people, places that have been most affected by the nature's fury have remained inaccessible due damaged transport and road services. Lack of manpower also added to the woes, though Bahuguna sought to clarify that there are enough resources and funds available in the state. However, he admitted that there is no estimate of the exact death toll yet and that he did not expect the monsoon havoc to turn into a calamity of this proportions. Bahuguna confirmed that 500 roads and 175 bridges in the state have been washed away. He further added that thousands still remain stranded in the state. According to CNN-IBN, around 70,000 people are stuck in the state. Bahuguna also said it would be difficult for the Kedarnath Yatra to be resumed for a year. "I don't think we can resume the Yatra there for one year. 18 km of road has been damaged. Kedarnath is in debris. The temple has been saved but there is eight to ten feet of debris all around," he told reporters. The Chief Minister said until the road is constructed, the debris cannot be removed. "We need machines, cooperation of the Army, Air Force. So, it is a problem of large magnitude. The state government and the central government together are doing their best," he said. Bahuguna said if the weather is favourable in the coming days, then things will improve. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh tried to defend Bahuguna's visit to Delhi, which many see as inappropriate as his state is suffering from such a huge crisis, and said the Chief Minister barely stayed in Delhi for half hour. Singh also said the rescue conditions are very difficult but that the paramilitary forces are doing their best. He confirmed that roads have severely been affected in Kedarnath hampering the rescue operation. "But our primary concern is to make people safe and secure. This is a problem of huge magnitude," he said. MoS Home also said there will be no discrimination done in evacuating people as reports of VIPs receiving special treatment and being rescued earlier than other citizens surfaced. "Whoever is worst affected and whoever we reach first will get help. There will be no special treatment given to anybody," Singh said. Noting that the government's first priority is to evacuate the people who are in grave danger, Singh said, "It's not that 60,000 people are stranded in hills and water. Some of them are in hotels and homes." He declined to go into the remarks of BJP leaders including Sushma Swaraj with regard to the disaster, saying, "Instead of making slogans, what is important is what we do...I would not like to make it a political issue or give it a colour of politics." Meanwhile, Railways decided to press services of special trains to rescue people stranded due to the flash floods at Haridwar, Rishikesh and other areas. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has instructed the Railway Board to do whatever possible to rescue people from the flood affected areas, said a senior Railway Ministry official. Special trains will be pressed into service from stations like Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar for stranded passengers. Moradabad division has been asked to arrange trains for the stranded passengers. Special counters will be opened at stations for these passengers, said the official. Passenger profile will be carried out to know their destination and accordingly train services will be launched, the official said. However, the vast destruction in the state that damaged routes of several important pilgrimages prompted the government to cancel batches 2 to 10 of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The road between Almora and the road-head at Tawaghat has been washed away at several places and some major bridges have also been damaged. Helpline numbers: Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161 Chamoli: 01372-251437 Tehri: 01376-233433 Rudraprayag: 01732-1077 The ITBP helpline and control room numbers: 011-24362892, 9968383478 Army medical emergency helpline numbers: 18001805558, 18004190282, 8009833388 Uttarakhand Helpline numbers: 0135-2710334, 2710335, 2710233

KOLKATA: In the wake of the torrential rainfall that has lashed north India, the state government has decided to write to the Railway Board, requesting a special train from Dehradun in Uttarakhand that could bring back stranded pilgrims from Bengal.State ministers Madan Mitra and Rachpal Singh have already reached Dehradun to monitor the rescue operations of these tourists.On Tuesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said that there were around 1,700 tourists and pilgrims from Bengal who were stranded in Uttarakhand.Mamata had also called up Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and assured him of all possible help from her government to combat the situation. The state government officials have been in touch with their Uttarakhand counterparts as well.State fire services and disaster management minister Javed Khan who is keeping tabs on the development from Writers' Buildings said on Wednesday that one route had been opened through which the stranded pilgrims were coming towards Dehradun.

"The two ministers (Madan and Rachpal) are supervising the rescue operations from Dehradun. Our chief secretary will send a letter to the Railway Board requesting them if a special train could be provided or extra coaches could be added to a train to bring back the pilgrims. The pilgrims are expected to return in two to three days," Khan said.

The state is sending a letter to the railway board requesting to provide a special train from Dehradun to bring back the stranded Uttarakhand pilgrims. Ministers Madan Mitra and Rachpal Singh have reached Dehradun to monitor the rescue and evacuation process of the tourists who had gone from the state.

On Tuesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said that there were roughly 1,700 tourists and pilgrims from Bengal who have got stranded in Uttarakhand.

State fire services and disaster management minister Javed Khan, who is keeping updated on the developments from Writers' Buildings said that one route has been opened through which the stranded pilgrims are coming towards Dehradun. "The two ministers are supervising the rescue operations from Dehradun. Already air lifting the pilgrims in helicopters have started to bring out them. Our chief secretary will send a letter to the railway board requesting if a special train could be provided or extra coaches could be added to a train to bring back the pilgrims. The pilgrims are expected to return in two to three days," Khan said on Wednesday.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had personally called up Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Tuesday and assured him that the Bengal government will help as much as possible to combat the situation and for the safe return of the pilgrims who have been stranded at Uttarakhand. The state government have been keeping constant touch with their Uttarakhand counterpart.

अगर आप रेलवे स्टेशन पर ट्रेन से संबंधित जानकारी लेने के लिए जा रहे हैं तो आपको निराश होकर लौटना पड़ेगा। क्योंकि स्टेशन पर काउंटर तो है, लेकिन बताने के लिए कर्मचारी नहीं है।
जनपद में हाथरस जंक्शन, हाथरस सिटी और हाथरस किला तीन रेलवे स्टेशन हैं। यात्रियों की सुविधाओं के लिए यहां पर पूछताछ काउंटर स्थित है। जानकारी देने के लिए माइक आदि सभी सुविधाएं मौजूद हैं, लेकिन इन काउंटरों से कर्मचारी नदारद रहते हैं। ऐसे में यात्रियों को भारी परेशानी हो रही है।
सबसे अधिक समस्या हाथरस जंक्शन पर है। यहां पर दो रुट हैं। एक अलीगढ़ दिल्ली जाने वाली आदि ट्रेनेँ नीचे से होकर जाती है, दूसरी कासगंज मथुरा आदि जाने वाली ट्रेनें ऊपर स्थित रेलवे स्टेशन से होकर जाती हैं। यात्री को ट्रेन की जानकारी नहीं होने पर इधर उधर भटकते रहते हैं। इन हालात में उनकी ट्रेन भी छूट जाती हैं।
इनसेट
सिस्टम की सुनेँ :-
यात्रियों को जानकारी देने के लिए कर्मचारी नियुक्ति हैं। अगर इसमें लापरवाही बरती जा रही है तो उनके खिलाफ कार्यवाही की जायेगी।
- राजेन्द्र सिंह, पीआरओ, पूर्वोत्तर रेलवे।

सहारनपुर-अंबाला रेलमार्ग पर बारिश के बाद रेलवे ट्रैक पर जलभराव से बंद रेल यातायात बुधवार को शुरू हो गया। वहीं हरिद्वार में यात्रियों की भीड़ की आशंका के मद्देनजर रेलवे प्रशासन ने अतिरिक्त ट्रेन चलाने की तैयारी शुरू कर दी है।
याद रहे कि भारी बारिश के बाद सहारनपुर के आगे रेलवे ट्रैक पर जलभराव हो गया था। इसके चलते सहारनपुर से अंबाला के बीच चलने वाली आधा दर्जन ट्रेनें जहां स्थगित कर दी गई थीं, वहीं कई ट्रेनों को परिवर्तित मार्ग से चलाया जा रहा था। एडीआरएम हितेंद्र मल्होत्रा ने बताया कि बुधवार को सुबह 10.50 बजे रेलवे ट्रैक की जांच के बाद ट्रेन संचालन को हरी झंडी दे दी गई है। इसके चलते निरस्त चल रही ट्रेनों का आवागमन शुरू हो गया है। वहीं हरिद्वार में उत्तराखंड में फंसे श्रद्धालुओं की भीड़ बढ़ने की आशंका के मद्देनजर अतिरिक्त ट्रेनों का इंतजाम किया जा रहा है। एडीआरएम ने बताया कि स्थिति पर बारीकी से नजर रखी जा रही है। एसीएम अजय हांडा की वहां व्यवस्था बहाल होने तक तैनाती कर दी गई है। जैसे ही यात्रियों की संख्या बढ़ने की जानकारी मिलेगी अतिरिक्त ट्रेनों का संचालन शुरू करा दिया जाएगा।

Brace yourself for more trouble than usual while travelling by suburban trains over the next two weekends as the Central Railway (CR) is planning mega blocks to switch from the existing 1,500 volt direct current (DC) to 25,000 volt alternate current (AC) between Kalyan and

Thane. According to sources, while there will be four-hour blocks during this weekend for inspection, the actual conversion will take place during a four-hour night block next weekend.

However, since the CR is already under fire for frequent disruption of services because of water-logging and technical failures, officials are reluctant to carry out blocks on consecutive weekends.

“This may lead to more problems for commuters,” said an official.

Being a more powerful and efficient traction system, adopting AC-traction will allow CR to run more trains, increase the speed of those and reduce energy bills, too. After conversion, CR officials also expect reduction in the travel time of suburban locals by a few minutes.

On the slow corridor, the conversion will be completed up to the Kalawa car shed, while on the fast corridor, it will be up to the south-end of the Thane station. AC-traction will also be adopted for the fifth and sixth corridors between Thane and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) stations.

A senior official told HT that inspection work has been proposed to begin on June 21, but four-hour blocks were proposed for June 22 and 23. While the actual process will be completed during four-hour blocks on the midnight of June 29-30, there will be three-hour blocks for post-conversion work.

“A detailed program has been sent to us by the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS), we are awaiting a nod from the general manager,” the official said.

“The schedule for CRS inspection has been sent to the headquarters for an approval. A final decision on the block is is expected on Friday,” said Atul Rane, chief public relations officer of CR.

Puducherry Railway Projects Coordination Committee comprising government officials and engineers inspected all the 25 known locations in Karaikal region of the Union Territory where a road crosses the proposed alignment of Peralam- Karaikal new line project sanctioned in Railway Budget of 2013-14.

The new line is to be laid on the same route as the old railway line which existed during the French period, but was subsequently removed by the Southern Railways after Karaikal became part of the Indian Union.

During the inspection by the team on Tuesday,  it was observed that part of the alignment is now used by the agriculturists as rural road and some encroachments are observed in the urban limits, according to Gopal Dalmia, member of the Coordination Committee.

It is evident that the New Line Project is not a revival of the old MG line or a gauge conversion of a dormant route. It is a full- fledged new line on the land that is still available. All the road crossings have to be addressed afresh, he said.

In some places a Limited Height Subway (LHS) might be the best solution while at other locations these may not be the best option due to their proximity to water channels. The railways may willingly construct the subway, but keeping it free from flooding will be the State responsibility, suggested the committee.  

There are locations which are suited for Road Over Bridge (ROB) and they have to be investigated in detail before the site can be selected for ROB, said Dalmia

The Thirunallar halt station in the former days was a rudimentary side platform accessed from the north. On inspection it was observed that this station needs to be planned well, considering the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine. Ambagarattur and Pattecouddy station old sites were visited. Both the locations need to be planned with 25 years horizon.

There were several locations where electric high tension and low tension over head lines across the alignment. At two locations power grid lines also cross. The crossing of cables also needs to be addressed.

Much water has flowed down the Arsalar since the MG line was uprooted. The BG Line has to be considered as New Line Project. The railways have already cleared up the vegetation from much of the old formation.

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