ProUI

MUMBAI: Central Railway's suburban and long distance services were affected on Monday afternoon owing to a work-to-rule agitation by a shunting driver of a long distance train.

The agitation was a fallout of the action taken by the administration against a few personnel for not following rules while carrying out shunting operations.

"A shunting driver was to bring 17031 Mumbai CST-Hyderabad Deccan train on platform no. 8, which departs at 12.45pm, but he asked for a pilot to guide the train. Technically he is right, but in Mumbai, a train is guided by signalling points," said a source. The train was held up from 12.12pm to 1.45pm between CST and Masjid. As a result, a few mail/express trains were regulated at Dadar, while others were delayed by 20 minutes due to bunching of services up to Byculla.

मुम्बई. लोको पायलट (शंटिग ड्रायवर) द्वारा वर्क टू रूल की आड़ में किए गए अघोषित आंदोलन के कारण सोमवार को मध्य रेलवे की अप फास्ट लाइन (मस्जिद से सीएसटी के बीच) डेढ़ घंटे तक जाम रही, जिसके कारण के-66 (लोकल सेवा) जहां पौने घंटे तक बीच रास्ते में अटकी रही, वहीं कई लंबी दूरी की गाडिय़ों भायखला और दादर के बीच रोकना पड़ा.

बीच रास्ते में याद आया रूल

सीएसटी-हैदराबाद एक्सप्रेस के खाली रेक को वाशिंग साइडिंग से प्लेटफार्म नंबर 8 पर ले जाना था. जब संबंधित लोको पायलट वाशिंग साइडिंग से रेक लेकर निकला तब उसे रूल याद नहीं था, पर जैसे ही गाड़ी मस्जिद के पास पहुंची, उस लोको पायलट  को नियम और कानून याद आ गए और बीच रास्ते में गाड़ी रोक कर शंटिंग पायलट की मांग करने लगा.

पटरियों पर चलने को मजदूर हुए यात्री

लोको पायलट के इस अघोषित आंदोलन के चलते के-66 समेत दो लोकल गाडिय़ों (जो बीच रास्ते में खड़ी अटक गई थी) के यात्री गाड़ी से कूद कर पटरियों पर चलने के लिए मजबूर हो गए. के-66 में सवार दिनेश सिंह ने कहा कि आधे घंटे से अधिक समय तक इंतजार करने के बाद भी जब गाड़ी आगे के लिए रवाना नहीं हुई तो लोग पैदल चलने के लिए मजबूर हो गए.

ALLAHABAD: GRP sleuths nabbed three suitcase lifters at Allahabad railway junction on Monday. Equipments for committing theft were recovered from their possession.The nabbed persons were identified as Lakhan Singh of Aligarh, Suresh Kumar Bind of Bahariya of Allahabad and Sudhir of Pratapgarh. These persons were planning to loot passengers at the Howrah end of platform number 1 of Allahabad railway junction when GRP personnel swung into action and nabbed them.GRP sources informed that they are mostly active in Mumbai and Delhi bound trains and looted luggage of the passengers.

25-06-2013
A brief on Revised Refund Rules effective from 01.07.2013
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1.0Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of fare) Rules, 1998 have not been substantially revised in the last 15 years during which period a large number of changes have taken place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways.Firstly, Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) have proliferated. Reservation through internet has also been introduced through which 45% of the total reserved tickets are issued. Integrated Train Enquiry System -- 139 is functional through which ticket status can be obtained through SMS. The above developments warranted that the refund rules be revised comprehensively.

2.0Accordingly, Revised Refund Rules have been notified and shall come into force w.e.f. 01.07.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund claims.

3.0The major changes in the existing rules and the amendments in refund rules are as under:-


3.1Unused (unreserved) tickets o­n which no reservation has been made:

Existing rule
Amended rule
If a ticket o­n which no reservation of a seat or berth has been made is presented to the station master for cancellation refund of fare shall be made o­n every such ticket after deducting the clerkage.
(i) within three hours after the actual departure of the train for which the ticket is issued or
(ii) for any ticket valid for the whole day, within three hours after the actual departure of the last train of the day for the destination station
If a ticket o­n which no reservation of a seat or berth has been made is presented for cancellation, refund of fare shall be made o­n every such ticket after deducting the clerkage.
(i)The ticket shall be presented for cancellation within three hours of issue of ticket.
(ii) In case of tickets issued in advance the ticket is presented upto 2400 hours of the day preceding the day of journey.

3.2Unused tickets o­n which reservationhas been made:

(i) if the ticket is presented for cancellation more than forty eight hours instead of the existing 24 hours in advance of the scheduled departure of the train, a minimum per passenger cancellation charge shall be deducted at the flat rate of rupees o­ne hundred and twenty for air-conditioned first class/executive class, rupees o­ne hundred for air-conditioned-II tier/first class, rupees ninety for air-conditioned III-tier/ 3 economy/air-conditioned chair car, rupees sixty for sleeper class and rupees thirty for second class.

(ii)if the ticket is presented for cancellation between forty eight hours and upto six hours instead of existing 24 hours and upto 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charge shall be twenty five per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iii)if the ticket is presented for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours irrespective of distance instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation charge shall be fifty per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iv) No refund shall be granted o­n the reserved ticket if it is surrendered for cancellation after two hours of the actual departure of the train.

(v)In case, o­n a party ticket or a family ticket issued for travel of more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hoursinstead of existing 3 hours after actual departure of the train”.

3.3Unused waitlisted or RAC tickets:–

Existing rule
Revised rule
If the ticket is presented for cancellation upto 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, except deduction of clerkage;
Provided that for night trains leaving between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours (actual departure), refund shall be admissible at the station within the time limits specified above or within first four hours after the opening of reservation office, whichever is later.
If a Waitlisted/RAC ticket is presented for cancellation, refund of fare shall be admissible after deducting the clerkage.
(i) The ticket is presented for cancellation upto three hours after the actual departure of the train irrespective of the distance.
(ii) The passenger may get the tickets cancelled from any PRS counters or the designated current counters.
(iii) No refund of fare shall be granted o­n RAC ticket /Waitlisted ticket after three hours of the actual departure of the train.
(iv) In case no current counters are available at journey originating station for night trains leaving between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours(actual departure , refund shall be admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation office.
(v) In remote and hill areas as identified by the zonal Railways with the prior approval of the General Managers and print in their Time Tables for train leaving between 1900 hours and 0600 hours (actual departure) refund shall be admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation/booking office, in case there is no reservation counters/booking office/ current counters. Available in that area.
3.4Cancellation of e- tickets.-

·The e- ticket may be booked and cancelled through internet and the refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account after deducting the charges applicable.

·In case of a confirmed e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused tickets o­n which reservation has been made. In case of RAC e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted and RAC tickets.

·In case ofthe waitlisted e-ticket o­n which status of all the passengers is o­n waiting list even after preparation of reservation charts, names of all such passengers booked o­n that Passenger Name Record (PNR) shallbe dropped from the reservation chart andrefund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s accountafter deducting the clerkage.

·In case o­n a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n the list of RAC and waiting list, then in case of passengers o­n RAC or waitlisted not travelling, a certificate has to be obtained from the ticket checking staff to that effect and refund of fare shall be processed o­nline through TDR, indicating the details of the certificate issued by ticket checking staff.

·The o­nline TDR shall be filed upto seventy two hours of actual arrival of the train at passenger’s destination and the original certificate issued by the ticket checking staff is to be sent through post to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The fare shall be refunded by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to the customer’s account after due verification.
·In case of e-tickets (confirmed or RAC), if the reservation charts have beenprepared, o­nline TDR is required to be filed for obtaining refund. No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n e- ticket having confirmed reservation in case the request for refund is filed o­nline after two hours of the actual departure of the train.
·No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n RAC e-tickets in case the request for refund is filed o­nline after three hours of the actual departure of the train.

3.5 Refund o­n Tatkaltickets:

·No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n confirmed Tatkal ticket.
·In case of Tatkal ticket o­n waitlist, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted or RAC tickets.
·In case o­n a party Tatkal ticket or a family Tatkal ticket issued for travel for more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire Tatkal ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours before the scheduled departure of the train or upto two hours of the actual departure of the train.
3.6 Postponement or preponement of journey o­n a reserved, RAC or waitlisted ticket.

Thepostponement or preponement of journey o­n confirmed or RAC or waitlisted ticket shall be allowed in the same class and for the same destination instead of any longer distance or any higher class by the same train or by any other train for any subsequent days,subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered during the working hours of reservation office and at least forty eight hours instead of existing 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the train in which originally booked.

3.7Non-commencement or missing of journey due to late running of trains. -

·No cancellation charge or clerkage shall be levied and full fare shall be refunded to all passengers holding reserved, RACand waitlisted tickets, if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of the train by more than three hours of the scheduled departure of the train from the station commencing the journey subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered upto the actual departure of the train instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train
·in case of e-tickets, the TDRis filed o­nline before the actual departure ofthe train for availing full refund.
·In case the ticket is cancelled or surrendered or if the request for refund of fare is filedonline after the actual departure of the train, no refund of fare shall be admissible.
3.8Lost, misplaced, torn or mutilated tickets: -

If the reservation status of a lost, misplaced, torn or mutilated ticket, at the time of receipt of the application for issuance of a duplicate ticket for the purpose of undertaking journey, is confirmed or RAC and that the duplicate ticket is sought before preparation of reservation chartof the concerned train, the station master shall issue a duplicate ticket in lieu of the original ticket o­n payment of rupees fiftyper passenger in case of second and sleeper class andrupees o­ne hundredper passenger for other classes instead of existing clerkage charge.

3.9Application for refund of Passenger Reservation System (PRS) tickets in other circumstances:-

For refund of fare under circumstances other than those specified in these rules or under circumstances like ‘bandh’ or agitations or floods,etc., the passengers could not reach the reservation counter or station or current counters for cancellation of tickets, in those cases, a TDRshall be issued to the passenger and the passenger may apply for refund of fare within ten days instead existing 90 days from the day of commencement of journey to the Chief Commercial Manager (Refunds) of the railway administration under whose jurisdiction the TDR issuing station comes, enclosing the original TDR. The TDR shall be issued o­nly upto three days instead of existing 30 days after the scheduled departure of the train.

******

A golden opportunity has been given by the Railway Board to end the problems of Waltair Division. The Board has sent a letter to the East Coast Railway (ECoR) Zone headquarters in Bhubaneswar seeking information on issues like: the number of platforms in Visakhapatnam Railway Station, number of trains handled, pressure on the railway station, and the advantage of having additional platforms.The Board was convinced of the need to lay a third line between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatnam and construction of four additional platforms to prevent the detention of trains, according to sources. Though the number of platforms was increased from five to eight a few years ago, Visakhapatnam being a terminal station needs more platforms.The Board also felt that the creation of the additional facilities would also solve most of the traffic problems and would come in handy in case a new zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters was created .

The Zone has written to the Divisional authorities seeking their comments, in detail, on issues covering various aspects like: justification for the new platforms, new line, operational requirements, commercial viability and technical feasibility. It had sought an early reply but it’s learnt that the Divisional authorities are yet to respond.

The construction of additional platforms and third line to Gopalapatnam can end most of the problems like holding up of trains beyond Gopalapatnam due to non-availability of platforms and also rule out the need to divert through trains via Duvvada and end the woes of hundreds of passengers of the city.

It’s high time that the Divisional authorities concerned acted immediately on the issue.

Our MPs should also take up the issue on a priority and bring pressure on the authorities to address the long-pending problem.

“We haven’t received any such letter so far,” Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar told The Hindu on Monday.


It’s high time MPs pressurise authorities to solve long-pending problems of the rail division

Although the North-Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) has scheduled city bus services from the railway station to the Central Bus Stand, commuters are forced to look for alternative means of transport because of the high-handedness of some drivers and conductors.Vishwanath Kambi, a resident of Belgaum, shared his experience on Facebook on Sunday, when he boardeda city bus near Belgaum Railway Station with his wife and child. On boarding the bus, the conductor told him that the bus would leave after half an hour and advised him to go by an autorickshaw, later adding that if he travelled on sharing basis, it would cost him the same.Mr. Kambi noted down the bus number and the names of the conductor and driver from their nametags. Fearing trouble, the crew entered the bus and started for Central Bus Stand.

RANCHI: Come rain and Ranchi railway junction turns into a commuter's nightmare. Used everyday by more than 25,000 passengers, slight hint of a rain leads to partial flooding here.

Adding to the passengers' woes are leaking shades on platform numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, which facilitate flooding. "I had to lift my trolley bag while coming out of platform no. one as it was flooded," said Amarnath Singh, a businessman who arrived here on Monday morning.

The asbestos shed on platform number one was constructed eons ago and is in a bad shape with gaping holes at several places. When it rains incessantly, water gushes through the rifts and inundates the platform. "I was stranded on platform no. one last week when it was raining heavily. I had several bags on me when it started raining heavily all of a sudden. I ran for cover but could not carry my luggage to a safe place. While I was drenched, my bags got soaked in the rain," said Ajay Kumar, an Army jawan.

Though passengers have complained about the problem to the railway authorities, nothing has been done so far. The matter was eventually brought to the notice of the Jharkhand Passengers' Association.

"We have submitted an application to the DRM and demanded immediate solution," said R K Sarawgi, president of the association. The problem is being reported from all the platforms. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 are not fully covered, added Sarawgi. Ranchi DRM G Malaya has assured, "All the leaking roofs would be repaired within a week".

One of Indian railways’ biggest train-running headaches — the time spent by hundreds of trains with lakhs of commuters inside trying to enter Borivli Station every day from the Virar - end - can be solved with just a small plot of land no wider than 6 metres and 24 longer. In typical square feet and bedroom-hall-kitchen obsessed Mumbai, it comes to around 1,530 square feet or a spacious 3 BHK flat.

Western Railway has put in a land request for exactly this much land with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to ensure that every morning, Mumbaikars travelling from Virar towards Churchgate don’t have to suffer an annoying wait as their local trains compete with long-distance trains coming in from the north to get entry into Borivli Station. WR chief spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan confirmed that WR had asked the BMC for the plot of land and the railway ministry has sanctioned Rs50 lakh to start work.

According to WR, some of these long-distance trains — 24 coaches long — take anywhere between seven to 10 minutes to get into Borivli Station after navigating the slew of lines on the northern end of the station. A seven minute delay during the maddening Mumbai rush hour means anywhere between two to three trains getting delayed, the cascading effect delaying another ten-odd trains.

According to the plan prepared by WR’s Mumbai division, if they get the plot of land running along MG Road adjoining the railway boundary on the north-east of Borivli Station, track number 6 — which currently ends 100 metres north of Borivli — can be extended and given a connection — called a crossover in railway jargon — with track number 5 — the line used by fast trains coming into Borivli Station from the Virar-end. Line number five further north has a connector with line number 3 used by slow trains coming in from Virar.

“The extension of track 6 and connecting it to line five will and the newly-built platform number 6A. It will solve the problem of trains having to wait on line 5 - used by fast trains coming from Virar towards Borivli — and also quicken the process of slow trains coming on line 3 from Virar and then moving onto the fast line at platform number 5. During the morning peak hours, a vast majority of train movement is actually from line 3 to 5 — when they become fast trains from Borivli to Churchgate - and this work on line 6 can be a huge relief,” said an official overseeing the plan.

Currently, Borivli Station is a maze of eight platforms. The problem area, according to the officials, is the Dahisar-end platform 6 and the shorter 6A, both of which are used by long-distance trains going towards Mumbai Central or Bandra Terminus. The lines are capable of moving trains in both directions.

“The creation of these two platforms has increased the headache for local commuters. The problem gets compounded by the fact that both line 6 and 6A get truncated because of the lack of space to extend line 6. However, it is not going to be easy since the land we want has structures on it and a considerable amount would have to be spent on R&R. Moreover, at the spot we are looking at, MG road has a sharp curve and also several BEST bus stops,” said an official.

More than 500 residents of Tankuppa block in Gaya travelled 235km on Monday morning to fight for the development of their region.
The protesters, including 100 women, boarded Jammu Tawi Kolkata Chitpur Express and Gaya Asansol and took the three-and-a-half-hour-long train journey to voice their demands for a level crossing and a railway overbridge to Dhanbad railway authorities. The construction of the two will restore communication among those residing on southern and northern sides of the Dhanbad-Gaya rail link.
The protesters claimed that over villages of Tankuppa block situated on the southern side of the Dhanbad-Gaya rail line were deprived of any development due to their inaccessibility, which is bolstered by the lack of a railway crossing and an overbridge.
Gathered under the banner Gaya Dhanbad Grand Chord Railway Vikas Sangharsh Samiti (Bihar and Jharkhand), they staged demonstration in front of the office of Dhanbad divisional railway manager Sudhir Kumar and handed over a memorandum to him.
“All the government offices, police stations and health centres are situated on the northern side of rail line. People residing on the southern end are forced to make a detour of around 20km to reach these places,” said samiti co-convener Vijay Prasad Yadav.
This, however, was not the first time that the authorities were approached. “We have been demanding a level crossing near the eastern side of Tankuppa station and an overbridge for the last 20 years. We have knocked on every possible door. Promises were made, but the demand was never met with. Thus, we were compelled to launch the protest,” said samiti convener Vinod Singh.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Railways to bear 50 per cent of the cost incurred to deploy additional 100 GRP home guards across suburban railway stations and in local trains to ensure safety of women commuters.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha was hearing a suo moto (on its own) public interest litigation based on newspaper reports and a PIL filed by NGO Help Mumbai Foundation regarding women's safety in the city and while travelling in local trains.

The bench was today informed by Advocate General Darius Khambata that on request from the Government Railway Police (GRP) for additional 100 home guards, the state government had sanctioned it but had asked the Railways to bear 50 per cent of the cost. However, the railways did not agree to it.

"The state government had sanctioned 1,500 home guards but the order was withdrawn after the railways refused to accept the 50-50 cost bearing," Khambata said.

Observing that the issue of women's safety was serious, the bench said, "The railways is directed to bear 50 per cent cost for the home guards supplied to the GRP."

The court also directed the state government to take a decision by August 31 on whether it would be accepting the recommendations made by the Justice Dharmadhikari committee set up to look into women safety issues.