ProUI

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.

On Howrah-Mumbai rail route passenger traffic goes up many fold during Durga Puja and Diwali.To tackle the rush, the railways have decided to run Puja Special trains between Santaragachhi and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus as well as between Santaragachhi and Rajkot Terminus.The weekly Puja Special train between Santaragachhi and Lokmanya tilak Terminus will run on October 9 while between Santaragachhi and Rajkot it will run from October 16.According to railway sources, to tackle the rush of passengers till Diwali,  Puja Special train will leave Rajkot 16 and 19 October while Santaragachhi Rajkot Puja Special will leave Santaragachhi on October 16, 23 and 30 and November 6, 13, 20 and 27. Likewise, the puja special will leave Rajkot for Santaragachhi on every Saturday i.e. on October 19 and 26 and November 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.The weekly Puja Special train will have 16 coaches comprising two SLRs, four General bogies, eight Sleeper class bogies and two AC-II bogies. Reservation for this train has commenced even as in other trains running on normal days reported non availability of berths till October 15.

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.

रेलवे संरक्षा आयुक्त आरके करदम ने गुरुवार को धमारा रेल हादसे की जांच के क्रम में स्टेशन के अधिकारियों से जहां पूछताछ की वहीं स्थल का भी मुआयना किया। वे खगड़िया में कुछ देर रुकने के बाद दिन के लगभग 12 बजे मानसी जंक्शन पहुंचे। जहां से वे कोपरिया स्टेशन गए और वहां से लौटने के बाद धमारा स्टेशन पर पहले तोड़-फोड़ का जायजा लिया। इसके बाद उन्होंने स्टेशन अधीक्षक आरबीआर राजेश व डयूटी पर तैनात विजय कुमार वर्मा से घटना को लेकर पूछताछ की। इसके बाद वे ट्राली पर सवार होकर सिंगनल सिस्टम को देखने गये। इसके बाद वे 52 नंबर पुल से पहले कात्यायनी स्थान के सामने रुक गये। उनके वहां रुकते ही कात्यायनी स्थान में पूजा को पहुंचे लोग जमा हो गये। संरक्षा आयुक्त श्री करदम इसके बाद वे अपने सैलून से मानसी लौट गये। जहां से वे खगड़िया के लिए रवाना हो गये। वे शुक्र व शनिवार को खगड़िया जंक्शन पर जिले के लोगों से घटना के बारे में जानकारी लेंगे। उनके साथ समस्तीपुर के डीआरएम अरुण मल्लिक, सीनियर डीसीएम एएमआई हिमायू, सीनियर डीईओ दिलीप कुमार आदि कई पदाधिकारी साथ में थे। उनके आगमन को लेकर मानसी व धमारा में सुरक्षा को लेकर कड़े प्रबंध किए गये थे। डीआरएम समस्तीपुर ने बताया कि बताया कि धमारा रेल हादसे के संबंध में किसी को कुछ बताना है तो वे खगड़िया स्टेशन पर जांच को पहुंचे संरक्षा आयुक्त से अपनी बात बता सकते हैं।

नागपूर: सणांमुळे होणारी प्रवाशांची गर्दी लक्षात घेता संत्रागाछी- राजकोट व्हाया नागपूर अशी विशेष गाडी सोडण्याचा निर्णय दक्षिण पूर्व मध्य रेल्वेने घेतला आहे. या गाडीचा तपशील असा - ०८०४९ संत्रागाछी- राजकोट ही विशेष गाडी १६, २३ व ३० ऑक्टोबर तसेच १३, २० व २७ नोव्हेंबर रोजी (दर बुधवारी) संत्रागाछीवरून २१.२५ वाजता सुटेल. गुरुवारी १७.५० वाजता ही गाडी नागपूरला पोहचेल व १८.०० वाजता राजकोटसाठी रवाना होईल.

०८०५० राजकोट - संत्रागाछी ही विशेष गाडी १९ व २६ ऑक्टोबर तसेच २, ९, १६, २३ व ३० नोव्हेंबर रोजी (दर शनिवारी) राजकोटवरून ९.०० वाजता सुटेल व रविवारी १०.५० वाजता नागपूरला पोहचेल. ११.०५ वाजता संत्रागाछीसाठी रवाना होईल.

या गाडीत १६ कोचेस आहेत. यात २ तृतीय श्रेणी वातानुकूलित, ८ स्लिपर क्लास, २ एसएलआर, ४ साधारण कोचेसचा समावेश आहे. खडगपूर, चक्रधरपूर, राऊरकेला, झारगुडा, बिलासपूर, रायपूर, दुर्ग, राजनांदगाव, गोंदिया, नागपूर, भुसावळ, सूरत, बडोदा, अहमदाबाद या स्थानकांवर या गाडीला थांबा देण्यात आला आहे. संबंधित प्रवाशांनी या विशेष गाडीचा लाभ घेण्याचे आवाहन दपूमरेने केले आहे.

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.

Posters of babas promising miracle cures for any and every problem are a common sight in local trains. These posters are illegal and cause huge losses to the Railways, which claims it is taking action against them. However, rail activists and passengers disagree. In a recent report, the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned that on the Central Railway (CR), three contracts for display of advertisements in local trains had to be foreclosed as the railway administration could not provide a clear site for advertisements to the contractor due to unauthorised display of advertisements on the trains. Railways failed to prevent such displays resulting in loss of `0.73 crore, the report says. The report goes on to mention local trains in the Central and Western Railway (WR) and says, “the deficient record management and lack of vigilance indicates a clear risk of possible collusion between railway authorities and the illegal users/trespassers, resulting in unauthorised display of advertisement and leakage of revenue.” Members of the passengers’ amenity committee, who visited the five stations of WR on Tuesday, also noticed this menace and one member checked with a railway official whether these were given permission. On finding that they were illegal, the member asked the official to remove the posters. Shailendra Kumar, divisional railway manager (DRM) of the Mumbai division of WR, told The Asian Age, “Though Railways has always done its best to remove these illegal bills and posters, these have been cropping up unfortunately. Even members of passengers amenity committee also noticed it. Our administration will soon launch a massive drive to uproot this menace.” Meanwhile, rail activists blame the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for these bills and posters showing up inside local trains as they are pasted during the night itself, when the rake is parked in the carshed or stabling. “I have written so many letters to GM, DRM and security commissioner of the RPF, but nothing happened. On account of my experience, I can say that if the RPF officers show commitment, there won’t be a single poster in the coaches,” said rail activist Anees Khan, who has been following up on this issue with higher rail authorities. Mr Khan added, “This is strange but true that the RPF jawans are hand-in-glove with the boys who paste these posters in the yards. They take a hefty commission inside the yard and let them go.” According to the data, WR registered 14 cases per month in the year 2012 under Section 166 (B) of the Railways Act. This figure went up to 19 cases per month till August this year. CR registered 20 cases per month in the year 2012 and in the current year it registered 40 cases per month till August. However, on the ground things seem different. Pramila Kotian, a regular WR commuter, says, “I feel like tearing these posters and throw it in these Babas’ faces. But I want to ask the railway authorities what they are doing. Are they making these efforts only on paper? Do they ever travel in the local trains?” The recently promulgated anti-black magic and superstition ordinance in the state even creates grounds for the Government Railway Police (GRP) to register an FIR against such babas promising miracle cures. However when contacted, a senior GRP officer said, on condition of anonymity, “Let the ordinance become a bill, we will do that (file FIR), but I fear what is the RPF doing now?” Atul Rane, chief public relations officer (PRO) of CR said, “Our department has been regularly conducting drives to remove these bills and posters. Additionally, we have been making announcements and appealing to commuters not to pay heed to these posters.” A senior official of CR said, “This matter concerns the commercial department too, which should file a civil suit in court.”

IMPHAL: Going ahead with the task of laying the rail track from Jiribam to Imphal, the Northeast Frontier Railway has managed to dig a tunnel more than three kilometres long in Manipur.

According to information received from the Railways the tunnel connects Keimai and Dolakhal and added that work on the tunnel started in April 2011. The tunnel was dug at a cost of Rs 250 crore by two companies, namely, CPL and Hindustan Construction Company Ltd.

Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has said that he would make efforts to start a Bangalore-Vaishno Devi Express and a Bangalore-Ajmer Express trains via Gulbarga. “This has been my dream and I will go all-out to realise the dream before the announcement of Parliament elections,” he added.After flagging off the Solapur-Yeshwanthpur daily express, which was a tri-weekly service till now, here on Tuesday, Mallikarjuna Kharge said work on Udhampur to Katra railway line would be completed within a month and this would facilitate starting of new trains via Udhampur.In the next month, a new train between Hubli and Secunderabad via Gadag, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Hotagi, Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi, Sedam and Tandur would be flagged off, he added.Former chief minister Dharam Singh, who is also the Bidar MP, requested Kharge to speed up the work of Bidar-Gulbarga railway line and to start a Humnabad- Bidar passenger train at the earliest. He also asked him to introduce a train to Bangalore from Gulbarga.

Upward revision of fares

Kharge also hinted at a possible upward revision of passenger fares and freight charges shortly.

The hike in diesel price, reduction in the number of passengers and closure of some of the coal and iron ore mines were forcing Railways to think of increasing fares.

After a detailed study on the quantum of  increase to be effected, fares would be increased on the AC class in the Shatabdi Express and Duronto Trains.

Freight charges would also be increased to some extent, Kharge said.

The Railway Minister said that directions have been issued to take measures for appointing sufficient number of railway women constables and railway women sub-inspectors for the safety of women in the trains and the recruitment process has already commenced.

Adequate number of women railway police would be appointed in Solapur-Guntakal division, he added.

Mallikarjun Kharge said that the number of passengers was very low in April, May and June this year.

The number has increased now and if the railways gets sufficient funds, supplementary budget would be presented in Parliament for announcing new programmes based on the demand.

Minister Mallikharjuna Kharge expressed hope that the revenue generation from the railways would be higher this year compared to last year.

Aland MLA B R Patil also made a similar demand. Central Railway General Manager B P Khare spoke on the occaison.