ProUI

NOIDA: If all goes well, 81 year old metro man Elattuvalapil Shreedharan will join Noida Metro Rail Corporation. The Noida Authority has requested to join NMRC as advisor. The authority officials hope that E Sreedharan will not only help in execution but also bring positive sentiments.Noida and Greater Noida Authority chairman and CEO Rama Raman told TOI that he has verbally requested E Sreedharan to join NMRC. "E Sreedharan recently had visited Noida. During his visit I had requested him to join NMRC as advisor. Soon we will in written will request Sreedharan," Raman said."Since he has vast experience of building and running metro network, his guidance on NMRC will be crucial and valuable for us. E Sreedharan is a big name in the country and especially in terms of metro rail expension. His association will bring positive sentiments and it will also boost our moral," Raman added.E Shreedharan hails from Palakkad district in Kerala had served DMRC between 1995 and 2012.NMRC's first project will be of building -29 kilometers long metro link to connect Noida's City Center to Greater Noida's Bodaki. This 29 km long metro project will require a budget of R 5, 000 crore said officials.

Uttar Pradesh state cabinet is likely give its approval to NMRC in its first upcoming assembly session told officials.

"Once state cabinet approves the proposal pertaining to NMRC formation, it will be sent for further approvals by center. We want an expert like Shreedharan as an advisor so that NMRC's quality of work reaches to the level of Delhi metro rail corporation (DMRC) that had built Delhi metro," Raman further said.

"NMRC is likely to start functioning by the end of this year. UP cabinet has given its go ahead to NMRC formation in principal. The proposal will be moved for the Central government approval," Raman said.

Raman said that the final touch is being given to the proposal. "We are exploring all options to raise fund. Some rules and condition were also discussed and finally incorporated in the final proposal." Notably the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Jawed Usmani had announced that a 29.5km Metro rail route will come up between Boraki and Noida city centre to link Noida and Greater Noida. Usmani said that it is the need of time to expand the metro route to de-congest the city roads, increase connectivity and smoothen traffic. "Work on the proposed line was likely to be completed by 2017. A total of Rs 5,000 crore would be spent on the ambitious Metro rail link. The project would be developed on the lines of the proposed Metro projects in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal and Kerala."

Right after the UP government gave its in principle approval to NMRC formation and expedited work 29km metro link, realtors in both Noida and Greater Noida welcomed the decision and hoping that this decision will charge the market.

"This decision will not only enhance the connectivity of the region and strengthen the capital values of real estate. Formation of NMRC will be a bench mark for the development of entire UP because teh NMRC will not only reduce to Noida but it will also cater other cities also. Metro connectivity along Noida Expressway including Greater Noida, will infuse a positive sentiment into real estate market," said Vijay Gupta of Assocham.

"Expansion of metro rail in Noida and Greater Noida is a very positive step towards adding to the better infrastructure, this region provides. The enhancement is important to make sure the region is future ready. With good connectivity, more and more home aspirants will choose to make their dream home in these two cities," Brijesh Bhanote, director of the 'The 3C Company'.

MUMBAI: A video clip, which shows a group of children performing a dangerous stunt on the railway tracks, has gone viral on instant messengers on smartphones.

The clip shows three young boys running towards a railway track while their fourth associate records the goings-on. The trio then lies down flat on the tracks, fitting themselves between the concrete sleepers. Their fourth associate shouts aloud that a fast train is about to arrive. The trio does not move till the train passes above them. They then get up, demonstrating how they haven't been hurt. The boys appear to be aged between 12 and 14 years.

The clip does not show the location where the stunt has been performed. Kumar said the GRP has been continuously cracking down on youths performing stunts, arresting as many as 25 on the Western Railway on Tuesday.

Reacting to the clip, GRP commissioner Prabhat Kumar on Thursday said people should desist from performing stunts, which often put life at risk. He added action could be taken under the Railway Act if the identities of the youngsters were established.

NEW DELHI: Urban Development (UD) ministry has sent a status note on the Airport line metro to an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) underlining several issues related to the service, including debt.The airport metro line is being operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) after Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Ltd (DAMEPL) pulled out of the venture.However, the issue pertaining to an estimated debt burden of around Rs 2,000 crore remains unresolved.DMRC has already written to the UD ministry stating it would need financial assistance from the government, although the government itself feels that Delhi Metro should raise the funds on its own.Sources said that the ministry has sent the note to the EGoM on Mass Rapid Transit System, headed by Defence Minister AK Antony, for its consideration and guidance.The ministry is learnt to have apprised the EGoM about all the issues related to the Airport line, including the two- member inquiry report which looked into the defects in the service, leading to a temporary suspension of operations.

The ministry is also learnt to have raised with the EGoM issues related to the security of the line, sources said.

While DAMEPL had been reluctant to use CISF for security, sources said that with DMRC taking over, there could be no hurdle in deploying the force.

DMRC had taken over the operations of the Airport line after concessionaire DAMEPL had said they would not be able to run the services beyond June 30, 2013.

NOIDA: If all goes well, 81 year old metro man Elattuvalapil Shreedharan will join Noida Metro Rail Corporation. The Noida Authority has requested to join NMRC as advisor. The authority officials hope that E Sreedharan will not only help in execution but also bring positive sentiments.Noida and Greater Noida Authority chairman and CEO Rama Raman told TOI that he has verbally requested E Sreedharan to join NMRC. "E Sreedharan recently had visited Noida. During his visit I had requested him to join NMRC as advisor. Soon we will in written will request Sreedharan," Raman said."Since he has vast experience of building and running metro network, his guidance on NMRC will be crucial and valuable for us. E Sreedharan is a big name in the country and especially in terms of metro rail expension. His association will bring positive sentiments and it will also boost our moral," Raman added.E Shreedharan hails from Palakkad district in Kerala had served DMRC between 1995 and 2012.NMRC's first project will be of building -29 kilometers long metro link to connect Noida's City Center to Greater Noida's Bodaki. This 29 km long metro project will require a budget of R 5, 000 crore said officials.

Uttar Pradesh state cabinet is likely give its approval to NMRC in its first upcoming assembly session told officials.

"Once state cabinet approves the proposal pertaining to NMRC formation, it will be sent for further approvals by center. We want an expert like Shreedharan as an advisor so that NMRC's quality of work reaches to the level of Delhi metro rail corporation (DMRC) that had built Delhi metro," Raman further said.

"NMRC is likely to start functioning by the end of this year. UP cabinet has given its go ahead to NMRC formation in principal. The proposal will be moved for the Central government approval," Raman said.

Raman said that the final touch is being given to the proposal. "We are exploring all options to raise fund. Some rules and condition were also discussed and finally incorporated in the final proposal." Notably the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Jawed Usmani had announced that a 29.5km Metro rail route will come up between Boraki and Noida city centre to link Noida and Greater Noida. Usmani said that it is the need of time to expand the metro route to de-congest the city roads, increase connectivity and smoothen traffic. "Work on the proposed line was likely to be completed by 2017. A total of Rs 5,000 crore would be spent on the ambitious Metro rail link. The project would be developed on the lines of the proposed Metro projects in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal and Kerala."

Right after the UP government gave its in principle approval to NMRC formation and expedited work 29km metro link, realtors in both Noida and Greater Noida welcomed the decision and hoping that this decision will charge the market.

"This decision will not only enhance the connectivity of the region and strengthen the capital values of real estate. Formation of NMRC will be a bench mark for the development of entire UP because teh NMRC will not only reduce to Noida but it will also cater other cities also. Metro connectivity along Noida Expressway including Greater Noida, will infuse a positive sentiment into real estate market," said Vijay Gupta of Assocham.

"Expansion of metro rail in Noida and Greater Noida is a very positive step towards adding to the better infrastructure, this region provides. The enhancement is important to make sure the region is future ready. With good connectivity, more and more home aspirants will choose to make their dream home in these two cities," Brijesh Bhanote, director of the 'The 3C Company'.

Special inaugural run of the train will be launched on September 28

Train commuters in Puducherry can expect another announcement in the railway budget to reach fruition on Saturday.

The Mangalore- Tiruchi Weekly Express will be extended to Puducherry from this weekend, as announced earlier this year.

RESERVATION TODAY

The special inaugural run of the Mangalore- Puducherry train will be launched on September 28 and will be flagged off at Mahe by V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, said a release from the Tiruchi division of Southern Railways. Advance reservation for the special train will commence on Friday.

The inaugural special (train no. 06858) will leave Mangalore at 1.45 pm on Saturday and reach Tiruchi at 05.30 am on September 29. The train will arrive at Puducherry at 10.00 am the same day. The special train will comprise of First Class AC 2-tier, First class AC 3-tier, four sleeper class, six general second class and two second class cum luggage coaches.

The extension of the Mangalore- Tiruchi express to Puducherry follows close on the heels of the weekly Tirupati- Puducherry express that was launched by the Railway Minister last week.

Regular service will commence from Mangalore on September 29 and from Puducherry on October 5. The Puducherry Mangalore Weekly express (Train No. 16857) will leave Puducherry station on Saturdays at 4.35 pm and reach Tiruchy at 8.40 pm, Mahe at 6.06 am the next morning and Mangalore at 9.50 am. On its return, the Mangalore-Puducherry Weekly Express (16858) will leave Mangalore station at 4.50 pm on Sundays and reach Mahe at 7.40 pm, Tiruchi at 5.15 am on Monday and arrive at Puducherry station at 10 am the same day.

The train will stop at Kasargod, Kanhangad, Payyanur, Kannur, Thalassery, Mahe, Kozhikkode, Tirur, Shoranur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Tiruchi, Srirangam, Ariyalur, Vriddhachalam and Villupuram.

CHENNAI: Travelling by Southern Railway's special trains is not going to be pleasant experience this season. The Basin Bridge train care centre, which is responsible for maintenance of trains, has been hit by a severe shortage of manpower and lacks basic infrastructure.

Employees at the centre say it will be a hassle to service any more trains than they already do. Southern Railway is likely to announce special trains for the Puja holidays, Diwali and Pongal in the coming months and more trains have already been introduced on weekends but the centre cannot deal with the increase in workload, they say.

The railway has failed to improve pit lines, where the undercarriage of engines and coaches are checked. It is also yet to appoint more staff despite repeated demands and protests by employees. Basin Bridge maintenance men have made several representations to railway officials and staged protests but to no avail.

The employees say they have stressed that passenger safety is being compromised because staff shortage does not allow them to inspect the trains thoroughly before they certify that they are fit for a journey.

The centre maintains 52 rakes or 1,010 coaches every day and needs at least 500 more employees to do the work, which has now increased with the introduction of new and special trains, an official said.

The sanctioned staff strength is 1,532, including supervisors, technicians and others, but there is a shortage of 251 employees.

A resolution adopted by the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors Association (IRTSA) demanded that vacancies be filled and additional posts created as needed.

A 24-coach train needs 30 people for technical maintenance and 20 more for cleaning. It also requires four ancillary employees like carpenters, painters and welders. "We should have a certain number of employees for each train, but manage with fewer people," a Basin Bridge train care centre employee said.

The yard lacks good pit lines, an efficient garbage clearance system and proper equipment to clean trains. Of the 16 pit lines, only two conform to standards prescribed.

"This lack of concern by senior officials is bound to have an impact on safety as every component in the undercarriage and bogies have to be inspected, attended to and certified before a rake can make a journey," the official said.

BCCI east-zone curator Ashish Bhowmick visited East Coast Railway Stadium here on Thursday. As the railway team adopted the ground as their home ground since 2012. Before the ranji season as like every year I use to visit the grounds to ensure the preparatory work. This ground is good for the matches, last year we also organised matches here, said Ashish.

Already six weeks is there, the match would be held on November 7. The ground staffs here are putting a team effort to complete the ground well before the schedule. Already the ECoR stadium is having a good reputation and I am hopeful that Railway team once again adopt this as their home venue.

AHMEDABAD: The cancellation of numerous Mumbai-bound trains from the city for the third day in succession due to heavy rains in South and Central Gujarat, has led to a diversion of passengers to airlines. The airlines have registered an increase of 15-20% in passenger traffic.For the third continuous day, railway traffic remained disrupted and several trains were cancelled. Officials said that, on Wednesday, a breach in the tracks between Vadodara and Bharuch was reported. With only one pair of tracks functioning, many trains had to cancelled."With only one track in working condition, important trains like Shatabadi left from Ahmedabad one hour late. Only important trains were allowed to pass. The rest were cancelled," a railway official said. A total of 20 trains were cancelled, three were diverted and another five were terminated before their final destination. Officials said that another 18 trains had to be diverted to alternate routes.

In the last three days, airlines operating out of Ahmedabad airport have seen an increase of 15-20% in flight bookings.

"Due to the rains, we have seen a jump of 15% in flight bookings from Vadodara. In the case of Ahmedabad, there was a rise of 10-15% on Wednesday passenger traffic to Mumbai and southern regions," said a manager of a private airlines.

Many passengers seeking air tickets had to return disappointed because of advance bookings. "We received a lot of queries for flights to Mumbai in the last three days. We could not give bookings to all as flights were booked in advance", said another airline manager.

According to airport authority officials, there were no flight delays in the last three days and the runway was kept clear of rainwater.

Bhubaneswar: More than one lakh additional berths have been created by the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to clear the waitlisted passengers during the ensuing Durga Puja season.

The ECoR would run special trains to various destinations from its jurisdiction and also by augmenting additional coaches in different mail/express trains, official sources said.

Through this, over one lakh additional berths have been created to provide comfortable journey to the passengers during this peak Puja-rush season, they added.

Similarly, the Railways is running 16 Special Trains from and through the ECoR jurisdiction out of which seven special trains (65 trips) are originating from the ECoR System, officials added.

These trains are as follows, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi AC Super fast Express via Angul and Sambalpur City, Bhubaneswar-Yesvantpur AC Super fast Express, Visakhapatnam-Tata via Keonjhar, Puri-Santragachhi, Puri-Sealdah, Visakhapatnam-Kollam and Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad AC Super fast Express.

Bhubaneswar: More than one lakh additional berths have been created by the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to clear the waitlisted passengers during the ensuing Durga Puja season.

The ECoR would run special trains to various destinations from its jurisdiction and also by augmenting additional coaches in different mail/express trains, official sources said.

Through this, over one lakh additional berths have been created to provide comfortable journey to the passengers during this peak Puja-rush season, they added.

Similarly, the Railways is running 16 Special Trains from and through the ECoR jurisdiction out of which seven special trains (65 trips) are originating from the ECoR System, officials added.

These trains are as follows, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi AC Super fast Express via Angul and Sambalpur City, Bhubaneswar-Yesvantpur AC Super fast Express, Visakhapatnam-Tata via Keonjhar, Puri-Santragachhi, Puri-Sealdah, Visakhapatnam-Kollam and Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad AC Super fast Express.