ProUI

Chennai: This loco pilot is a real life saver. The lives of several dozen rail passengers aboard an EMU near Pattabiram would have been in jeopardy but for the alertness of 46-year-old loco pilot D. Kura­larasan of Tiruninravur.

The loco pilot and other passengers had a close shave when a 25KV high voltage overhead electric traction (OHT of the railway line) came perilously close to touching the EMU (train No: 4311-MMC to Pattabiram) in which they were travelling. Thankfully, the loco pilot stopped the train and made all passengers alight, averting a major mishap.

Around 1.30 pm, when Kuralarasan was piloting the EMU towards the terminal stop from Pattabiram, he noticed the OHT swaying. Just as he moved the EMU close to the diversion towards the military siding, he noticed that the OHT was swaying towards the train.

Instantly, he stopped the train, climbed down and alerted all passengers to alight. Nearly 60-odd passengers realised the gravity of the danger lurking over them when they noticed the proximity of the line to the train after alighting.

Further inquiries revealed that the fitting assembly of the OHT on the FCI side had got damaged, leaving the wire sagging. Though there are provisions that make the connection trip as soon as the OHT comes in contact with the train, a mishap could not be ruled out as there was no guarantee that it would trip, said a railway official, preferring anonymity.

Two EMUs, bound to the military side, were returned from Pattabiram owing to the OHT failure.

T.No.06336 Kochuveli – Gawahati Fortnightly Special Express will leave Kochuveli at 20.15 hrs. on 24.09.2013, 08.10.2013, 22.10.2013 & 05.11.2013 (Tuesdays) and arrive Guwahatiat 20.30 hrs. the fourthday.

T.No.06335 Gawahati – KochuveliForthnightly Special Express will leave Gawahati at 15.00 hrs. on 29.09.2013, 13.10.2013, 27.10.2013 & 10.11.2013 (Sundays) and arrive Kochuveli at 11.45 hrs. the fourth day.

Thiruvananthapuram: The cabinet on Friday formed a joint steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary and sanctioned Rs 10.99 crore to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur-Harippad suburban train services.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told meadipersons after the cabinet meeting that the MRVC would hand over the DPR within three months. The government hoped to get World Bank aid for the project which would cost roughly Rs 3,500 crore, he added.The committee with Chief Secretary Bharart  Bhushan as chairman will have S. Anantharaman, chief safety officer, Southern Railway, Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional railway manager, Southern Railway and Ravi Aggarwal, executive director, planning, MRVC, as members. Biju Prabhakar will be the nodal officer and convenor of  the committee.Chandy said the government would form a Special Purpose Vehicle with the centre on a 50:50 basis stakes. “The biggest plus point of the project is that no land acquisition is needed. But the challenge is to manage at least 83 level crossings on the route,’’ he said and added  that 25 stations would be modernised.As part of the project, 10 MEMUs with seven bogies  each would operate on the route at a speed of 60 km per hour. The government has also suggested to the railways to launch a high-speed rail service in the Malabar region with only one stop in each district.

The state government’s suburban rail services initiative has gained importance in view of the union government accepting in principle the demand to restrict the width of highways in the state to 30 metres.

छपरा निवासी आशुतोष कुमार सिंह अपनी प}ी व दो बच्चों के साथ नोएडा में रहते हैं। वहां उनका अपना व्यवसाय है। छपरा में उनकी मां रहती हैं और छठ पर्व पर परिवार के सभी सदस्य घर आते हैं। मां उम्र दराज हो चली हैं इसलिए इस वर्ष से आशुतोष की प}ी को छठ व्रत करना है। उन्हें 1 नवंबर को छपरा आना है। इसलिए 2 सितंबर से ही रेलवे टिकट काउंटर का चक्कर लगा रहे हैं। अभी तक उन्हें आरक्षित टिकट नहीं मिला।1रेलवे 60 दिन पूर्व आरक्षित टिकटों की बुकिंग करता है। हर दिन वे आरक्षण काउंटर खुलने से पूर्व लाइन में खड़े होते हैं, लेकिन उनका नंबर आने तक सीटें फुल हो जा रही हैं। आशुतोष की तरह कई ऐसे लोग हैं जो आधी रात के बाद से ही टिकट काउंटर के बाहर जमा हो जाते हैं, जिससे उन्हें कंफर्म टिकट मिले। हवाई टिकटों की कीमतें पहले से ही आसमान छू रहीं हैं, इसलिए यह विकल्प उनके लिए पहले ही बंद है। 1आशुतोष तो बानगी मात्र हैं। ऐसी ही स्थिति मुंबई, बंगलुरू , कोलकाता, विशाखापतनम, सूरत, अहमदाबाद, पुणो, चेन्नई, हैदराबाद समेत तमाम छोटे-बड़े शहरों से आने वाली ट्रेनों की है। वहां रहने वाले बिहारी हर हाल में पूजा के दौरान घर आना चाहते हैं। मौजूदा ट्रेनों यात्रियों की संख्या के हिसाब से नाकाफी हैं। लंबी दूरी की लगभग सभी ट्रेनें छठ तक हाउसफुल हो चुकी हैं। कई ट्रेनों में अभी से नो रुम की स्थिति है। टिकट दलालों के पास एडवांस बुकिंग इतनी है कि वे नया बयाना नहीं ले रहे।

New Delhi: 
The railways have decided to slap a 15 per cent Busy Season Charge on all commodities, to be moved with effect from October 1.
This charge will be levied between October and June.
The decision comes ahead of the revision in the six monthly exercise to adjust fuel prices, also due on October 1.
Sources expect the fuel adjustment component to push up freight charges by another five to seven per cent.

New Delhi: 
The railways have decided to slap a 15 per cent Busy Season Charge on all commodities, to be moved with effect from October 1.
This charge will be levied between October and June.
The decision comes ahead of the revision in the six monthly exercise to adjust fuel prices, also due on October 1.
Sources expect the fuel adjustment component to push up freight charges by another five to seven per cent.

MUMBAI: The 10-day Ganpati festival brought a major revenue fillip to Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR), with the two collectively earning Rs 10 crore more than usual. The suburban railway network saw an average of 4.30 lakh passengers more per day during Ganeshotsav.

On Monday, September 16, the CR network saw a record-breaking 65 lakh passengers compared to the daily average of 40 lakh, an increase of 62% in passenger traffic.

On the same day, WR saw 49.46 lakh passengers compared to the daily average of 35 lakh, an increase of 42%.

A CR official said the passenger count on September 16 was the highest for a day seen so far on the suburban network. “It surpassed the till-date highest tally of 53 lakh commuters registered on August 20, the day of Rakshabandhan,” the official said.

In fact around 47 lakh commuters used the suburban rail network on August 27, a non-festival day. The highest single-day figure previously recorded was in the last financial year was Rs 43.1 lakh on Diwali day.

A senior WR official said the average per day earning during Ganeshotsav was about Rs 50 lakh more than usual. “We have been able to earn Rs 2.22 crore per day as against the daily average of 1.70 crore,” the official said.

On CR, the collection during Ganeshotsav soared to an average of Rs 2.5 crore per day from the daily average of Rs 2 crore on normal days.

A WR official said many people used Lower Parel station to go to Lalbaugcha Raja.

At Lower Parel, passengers booked on September 16 and 17 were 1.29 lakh and 94,000, respectively, against the daily station average of 69,000. At Charni Road, passengers booked on September 18-the day of the visarjan -were 91,000 against the daily station average of 68,000.

“During big festivals like Ganpati, Navratri or Diwali, rail transport is the swiftest as roads are usually clogged,” a senior official said. “Many vehicles get caught in traffic jams for hours as the road width gets decreased to the erection of pandals, thus blocking the smooth flow of traffic. In such a scenario, even non-rail travelers jump on the train to avoid traffic.”

A WR official said during Ganpati people from nearby places like Baroda and Surat come down to the city to pray to the Lalbaugcha Raja.

Ramesh Shah, a Ghatkopar resident, said he could see trains going towards CST were full as late as 11 pm.

“This seems to be a new trend as I had not seen such large crowds during the Ganpati festival before,” he said.

Railway activist Subash Gupta said, “I am sure many would have also travelled without ticket too due to long queues. During Ganapati festivals, the railway authorities should set up separate stalls a important stations to sell only tourist tickets, which are valid for travel in any part of the city. It is cheaper and will fetch revenue. Increase in suburban passengers during Ganpati”

Thiruvananthapuram: The cabinet on Friday formed a joint steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary and sanctioned Rs 10.99 crore to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur-Harippad suburban train services.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told meadipersons after the cabinet meeting that the MRVC would hand over the DPR within three months. The government hoped to get World Bank aid for the project which would cost roughly Rs 3,500 crore, he added.The committee with Chief Secretary Bharart  Bhushan as chairman will have S. Anantharaman, chief safety officer, Southern Railway, Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional railway manager, Southern Railway and Ravi Aggarwal, executive director, planning, MRVC, as members. Biju Prabhakar will be the nodal officer and convenor of  the committee.Chandy said the government would form a Special Purpose Vehicle with the centre on a 50:50 basis stakes. “The biggest plus point of the project is that no land acquisition is needed. But the challenge is to manage at least 83 level crossings on the route,’’ he said and added  that 25 stations would be modernised.As part of the project, 10 MEMUs with seven bogies  each would operate on the route at a speed of 60 km per hour. The government has also suggested to the railways to launch a high-speed rail service in the Malabar region with only one stop in each district.

The state government’s suburban rail services initiative has gained importance in view of the union government accepting in principle the demand to restrict the width of highways in the state to 30 metres.

छपरा निवासी आशुतोष कुमार सिंह अपनी प}ी व दो बच्चों के साथ नोएडा में रहते हैं। वहां उनका अपना व्यवसाय है। छपरा में उनकी मां रहती हैं और छठ पर्व पर परिवार के सभी सदस्य घर आते हैं। मां उम्र दराज हो चली हैं इसलिए इस वर्ष से आशुतोष की प}ी को छठ व्रत करना है। उन्हें 1 नवंबर को छपरा आना है। इसलिए 2 सितंबर से ही रेलवे टिकट काउंटर का चक्कर लगा रहे हैं। अभी तक उन्हें आरक्षित टिकट नहीं मिला।1रेलवे 60 दिन पूर्व आरक्षित टिकटों की बुकिंग करता है। हर दिन वे आरक्षण काउंटर खुलने से पूर्व लाइन में खड़े होते हैं, लेकिन उनका नंबर आने तक सीटें फुल हो जा रही हैं। आशुतोष की तरह कई ऐसे लोग हैं जो आधी रात के बाद से ही टिकट काउंटर के बाहर जमा हो जाते हैं, जिससे उन्हें कंफर्म टिकट मिले। हवाई टिकटों की कीमतें पहले से ही आसमान छू रहीं हैं, इसलिए यह विकल्प उनके लिए पहले ही बंद है। 1आशुतोष तो बानगी मात्र हैं। ऐसी ही स्थिति मुंबई, बंगलुरू , कोलकाता, विशाखापतनम, सूरत, अहमदाबाद, पुणो, चेन्नई, हैदराबाद समेत तमाम छोटे-बड़े शहरों से आने वाली ट्रेनों की है। वहां रहने वाले बिहारी हर हाल में पूजा के दौरान घर आना चाहते हैं। मौजूदा ट्रेनों यात्रियों की संख्या के हिसाब से नाकाफी हैं। लंबी दूरी की लगभग सभी ट्रेनें छठ तक हाउसफुल हो चुकी हैं। कई ट्रेनों में अभी से नो रुम की स्थिति है। टिकट दलालों के पास एडवांस बुकिंग इतनी है कि वे नया बयाना नहीं ले रहे।

Thiruvananthapuram: The cabinet on Friday formed a joint steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary and sanctioned Rs 10.99 crore to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur-Harippad suburban train services. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told meadipersons after the cabinet meeting that the MRVC would hand over the DPR within three months. The government hoped to get World Bank aid for the project which would cost roughly Rs 3,500 crore, he added. The committee with Chief Secretary Bharart  Bhushan as chairman will have S. Anantharaman, chief safety officer, Southern Railway, Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional railway manager, Southern Railway and Ravi Aggarwal, executive director, planning, MRVC, as members. Biju Prabhakar will be the nodal officer and convenor of  the committee. Chandy said the government would form a Special Purpose Vehicle with the centre on a 50:50 basis stakes. “The biggest plus point of the project is that no land acquisition is needed. But the challenge is to manage at least 83 level crossings on the route,’’ he said and added  that 25 stations would be modernised. As part of the project, 10 MEMUs with seven bogies  each would operate on the route at a speed of 60 km per hour. The government has also suggested to the railways to launch a high-speed rail service in the Malabar region with only one stop in each district. The state government’s suburban rail services initiative has gained importance in view of the union government accepting in principle the demand to restrict the width of highways in the state to 30 metres.