ProUI

Train traffic through the new broad gauge line between Palakkad and Pollachi is likely to be delayed further owing to delay in construction of a railway bridge across the Yakkara river.Palakkad Railway Divisional Manager Piyus Agarwal had announced at a press conference last week that trains would start services through the new broad gauge line by March next.When the meter gauge rail line was dismantled for broad gauge conversion in December 2008, the Railway authorities had promised that the work would be completed in 16 months and train services from Palakkad to Palani would be resumed.Sources in the railways said the services are likely to begin only by September next.

Work on only two of the four pillars across the river has been completed.

Monsoon

Construction work was delayed owing to heavy rain during the southwest monsoon from June to September.

Work on the remaining two pillars can be completed only by August next, sources said.

Officials of the company that has taken up the contract said work can be taken up only after the northeast monsoon (October-November). The project is estimated to cost Rs. 10.8 crore. Work on the Palani-Pollachi stretch of the railway line in Tamil Nadu has been completed and trains have started running on an experimental basis.

Train services at Canning section of Sealdah south section was disrupted for five hours today due to passengers' agitation alleging late running of trains. Railway officials said the driver of an early morning train being ill couldn't remember where he had kept the keys and so the train was delayed.When the 6:30 a.m. Up Canning local got delayed in leaving the Canning station due to the loss of keys, the daily passengers started an agitation in the platform and put up a rail block demanding immediate departure of the train.

The driver took 15 minutes to find the keys, but when the train was ready to leave the station the passengers continued to block its passage. The blockade spread to Betberia and Ghola stations also. 

In the meantime, railway officials took the decision to turn back all Canningbound trains to Sealdah from Champahati station. Then the passengers who were going to Canning started a blockade at Champahati station. 

The agitation continued for five hours and at 11:30 a.m. and after the intervention of higher officials the trains in that section started running as usual.

Every time S. Inbarasan, a resident of Pattabiram, had to book a train ticket to his hometown Madurai, he used to go to a nearby internet centre. Inbarasan does not have a smart phone. But now, thanks to a recent initiative by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), he can book a ticket merely by sending an SMS on his regular mobile phone.Many city residents have begun using this facility — launched in June — and say it is very convenient. Across the country, around 200 people use it every day, railway officials said.“Over 2 lakh people book tickets online daily through the IRCTC website. But people find SMS booking convenient, as they can do it from their homes. The problems are that the software will accept entries only in English, and you cannot book tickets between 8 a.m. and noon. However, tickets can also be cancelled with this facility,” said a railway official.For those with the Airtel network, booking a ticket by SMS is made simpler because they can pay through Airtel money. Airtel users can dial *400# and they will be directed to a series of dialling options based on a menu. “We wanted everybody to be able to book tickets from any place at any time without facing any trouble,” said Murali Kittu, chief operating officer, Bharati Airtel, Tamil Nadu.

People using other mobile networks have to send an SMS to 139. “The SMS should contain details including the station names, travel date, class, name of the passenger, his/her age and gender and their bank’s name: BOOK 22105 KYN PUNE 3008 2S Rakesh 55 M ICICI.

The user will receive a transaction id, ticket amount, IRCTC service charge, total amount and seat availability. “After this, the user has to send the transaction ID and the last six digits of her bank account number. She will then receive a booking confirmation through SMS,” said the official.

To avail of the facility, residents first have to register their mobile number with IRCTC as well as their bank. The bank provides a Mobile Money Identifier (MMID) and a One-Time Password (OTP) to authorise the payment.

Basher, a student from Chennai who uses Airtel money, said that he used to book tickets online earlier. “But SMS ticketing is much more convenient as I do not need to be connected to the internet,” he said.

A senior BSNL official said they were also working on applications for users to book tickets on their mobile phones.

The facility, begun in June, is now used by 200 people every day

No internet connection is needed to book train tickets through it

The big, empty spaces at the city’s MRTS stations may soon be filled up – with Amma canteens.The Chennai Corporation is planning to ask Southern Railway for space at the MRTS stations, as it is finding it difficult to get large plots of land to set up these budget eateries in various parts of the city.If the proposal goes through, Amma canteens are likely to be set up on the mezzanine floors of the Mandaveli, Greenways Road, Kotturpuram, Kasturba Nagar, Indira Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur stations. Even though CRZ regulations ban the commercial exploitation of these stations, the mezzanine floors alone can be used, officials said.The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Southern Railway officials are due to meet shortly to work out the details.However, the rent may be a problem, as the civic body is asking for reasonable amounts to be fixed while the Railways is likely to demand a huge amount depending on the commercial value of the space, a Corporation official said.M. Pandian, Corporation councillor of Chintadripet, is hoping the proposal goes through.“We want to have five eateries in our ward. One has already been commissioned, but it will be practically impossible to find four more locations. Space at the MRTS station will be useful if the rent is affordable,” he said.

The Corporation is also mulling over the idea of using space at the MRTS stations for night shelters. A large number of homeless people can use the train services to get to the night shelters, and will benefit from the Amma canteens too.

For instance, the Velachery station has over 2.58 lakh sq. ft. of space for commercial exploitation and would be ideal for a night shelter, officials said. Taramani and Perungudi stations each have nearly 1.94 lakh sq. ft. available.

Commercial exploitation of the space in MRTS stations is not a new idea. However, over the years, many projects have failed to take off.

According to a report submitted by a consultancy firm to the CMDA a few years ago, the rental values in areas near the stations were low, affecting the viability of projects.

Some years ago, CMDA had proposed the exploitation of space in nine stations across 11.16 km of the second phase of MRTS.

However, permission was only given to develop Taramani, Perungudi and Velachery, but even this was later deferred as there was surplus commercial space already available in these areas.

MANGALORE: The Southern Railway has increased the stoppage timings of following trains at Feroke station up to October 9 and from October 31 up to November 15 for the benefit of Haj pilgrims. They are: train No. 16629 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Malabar Express which will leave Feroke at 4.27am; train No. 16630 Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Malabar Express at 11.22pm; train No. 16605 Mangalore-Nagercoil Ernad Express at 11.57am; and train No. 16606 Nagercoil-Mangalore Ernad Express at 12.12pmLikewise, train no.16347 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express will depart Feroke at 5.45am; 16348 Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Express at 7.07pm; 16649 Mangalore-Nagercoil Parasuram Express at 9.22am; 16650 Nagercoil-Mangalore Parasuram Express at 3.17pm; 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express (monsoon) at 2.37pm; 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express (non-monsoon) at 5.07pm.

Train No.12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Mangala Express (monsoon) will leave at 7.27am; 12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Mangala Express (non monsoon) at 5.17am; 16333 Veraval-Thiruvananthapuram Express (monsoon) at 8.47pm; 16333 Veraval-Thiruvananthapuram Express (non-monsoon) at 6.02pm; 16335 Gandhidham -Nagercoil Express (monsoon) at 8.47pm; 16335 Gandhidham-Nagercoil Express (non-monsoon) at 6.02 pm.

Train No. 16337 Okha-Ernakulam Express (monsoon) will leave Feroke at 8.47pm; 16337 Okha Ernakulam Express (non monsoon) at 6.02pm; 16334 Thiruvananthapuram-Veraval Express at 11.57pm; 16336 Nagercoil-Gandhidham Express at 11.57pm; 16338 Ernakulam-Okha Express at 11.57pm; 12601 Chennai Central-Mangalore Central Mail 7.24am; 12602 Mangalore Central-Chennai Central Mail at 5.37pm.

Train 16859 Chennai Egmore-Mangalore Central Express will depart Feroke at 3.52pm; 16860 Mangalore Central-Chennai Egmore Express at 11.32am; 16307 Alappuzha-Kannur Express at 8.42pm; 16308 Kannur-Alappuzha Express at 6.52am. Trains 16313 Ernakulam-Kannur Express leaving Ernakulam on October 3, 5, 31, and November 2, 7, 9 and 14 will leave Feroke station at 8.42pm. Train 16314 Kannur-Ernakulam Express leaving Kannur on October 3, 5, 31, and November 2, 7, 9 and 14 will leave Feroke station at 6.52am.

Train timings: The Road Over bridge work at Devathar Level crossing gate, between Tanur and Tirur stations has not been completed. Hence the line block is extended up to October 5. The pattern of train service on October 5 is as follows: Train No. 56324 Mangalore Central-Pallippuram Passenger Special will be terminated at Kozhikode and will run as 56323 Passenger Special from Kozhikode to Mangalore Central. Trains 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express, 16650 Nageroil-Mangalore Parasuram Express and 12202 Kochuveli - Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Garib Rath Express will be regulated for 15 minutes between Shoranur and Tirur stations.

Trains to be regulated: Due to non-interlocked working at Shoranur, there will be a five hour block on the route for signal remodelling work from 9.15 am to 2.15 pm from October 6 and 7. Consequently trains on the Mangalore route towards Kerala and Chennai would be regulated from 45 minutes to three hours. There will also be partial cancellation of some trains.

The trains that will be regulated on Sunday are: Train No.16649 Mangalore Central - Nagarcoil Parasuram Express to be regulated enroute for 240 minutes; Train No.16650 Nagarcoil - Mangalore Central Parasuram Express to be regulated in Thiruvananthapuram Division for 45 minutes; Train No.16345 Lokmanya Tilak - Thiruvananthapuram Central Netravathi Express to be regulated enroute for 175 minutes and Train No.12998 Hapa- Tirunelveli Express to be regulated enroute for 210 minutes.

The trains that will be regulated on Monday are: Train No.16650 Nagarcoil - Mangalore Central Parasuram Express will be regulated in Thiruvananthapuram Division for 120 minutes.

MANGALORE: The Southern Railway has increased the stoppage timings of following trains at Feroke station up to October 9 and from October 31 up to November 15 for the benefit of Haj pilgrims. They are: train No. 16629 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Malabar Express which will leave Feroke at 4.27am; train No. 16630 Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Malabar Express at 11.22pm; train No. 16605 Mangalore-Nagercoil Ernad Express at 11.57am; and train No. 16606 Nagercoil-Mangalore Ernad Express at 12.12pmLikewise, train no.16347 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express will depart Feroke at 5.45am; 16348 Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Express at 7.07pm; 16649 Mangalore-Nagercoil Parasuram Express at 9.22am; 16650 Nagercoil-Mangalore Parasuram Express at 3.17pm; 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express (monsoon) at 2.37pm; 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express (non-monsoon) at 5.07pm.

Train No.12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Mangala Express (monsoon) will leave at 7.27am; 12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Mangala Express (non monsoon) at 5.17am; 16333 Veraval-Thiruvananthapuram Express (monsoon) at 8.47pm; 16333 Veraval-Thiruvananthapuram Express (non-monsoon) at 6.02pm; 16335 Gandhidham -Nagercoil Express (monsoon) at 8.47pm; 16335 Gandhidham-Nagercoil Express (non-monsoon) at 6.02 pm.

Train No. 16337 Okha-Ernakulam Express (monsoon) will leave Feroke at 8.47pm; 16337 Okha Ernakulam Express (non monsoon) at 6.02pm; 16334 Thiruvananthapuram-Veraval Express at 11.57pm; 16336 Nagercoil-Gandhidham Express at 11.57pm; 16338 Ernakulam-Okha Express at 11.57pm; 12601 Chennai Central-Mangalore Central Mail 7.24am; 12602 Mangalore Central-Chennai Central Mail at 5.37pm.

Train 16859 Chennai Egmore-Mangalore Central Express will depart Feroke at 3.52pm; 16860 Mangalore Central-Chennai Egmore Express at 11.32am; 16307 Alappuzha-Kannur Express at 8.42pm; 16308 Kannur-Alappuzha Express at 6.52am. Trains 16313 Ernakulam-Kannur Express leaving Ernakulam on October 3, 5, 31, and November 2, 7, 9 and 14 will leave Feroke station at 8.42pm. Train 16314 Kannur-Ernakulam Express leaving Kannur on October 3, 5, 31, and November 2, 7, 9 and 14 will leave Feroke station at 6.52am.

Train timings: The Road Over bridge work at Devathar Level crossing gate, between Tanur and Tirur stations has not been completed. Hence the line block is extended up to October 5. The pattern of train service on October 5 is as follows: Train No. 56324 Mangalore Central-Pallippuram Passenger Special will be terminated at Kozhikode and will run as 56323 Passenger Special from Kozhikode to Mangalore Central. Trains 12617 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Express, 16650 Nageroil-Mangalore Parasuram Express and 12202 Kochuveli - Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Garib Rath Express will be regulated for 15 minutes between Shoranur and Tirur stations.

Trains to be regulated: Due to non-interlocked working at Shoranur, there will be a five hour block on the route for signal remodelling work from 9.15 am to 2.15 pm from October 6 and 7. Consequently trains on the Mangalore route towards Kerala and Chennai would be regulated from 45 minutes to three hours. There will also be partial cancellation of some trains.

The trains that will be regulated on Sunday are: Train No.16649 Mangalore Central - Nagarcoil Parasuram Express to be regulated enroute for 240 minutes; Train No.16650 Nagarcoil - Mangalore Central Parasuram Express to be regulated in Thiruvananthapuram Division for 45 minutes; Train No.16345 Lokmanya Tilak - Thiruvananthapuram Central Netravathi Express to be regulated enroute for 175 minutes and Train No.12998 Hapa- Tirunelveli Express to be regulated enroute for 210 minutes.

The trains that will be regulated on Monday are: Train No.16650 Nagarcoil - Mangalore Central Parasuram Express will be regulated in Thiruvananthapuram Division for 120 minutes.

MARGAO: The multi-crore, geo-safety works undertaken in phases by the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) to stabilize the cuttings and slopes along its rail route from Roha in Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka are nearing completion. But the results are already, pleasantly, showing.Save for a minor landslide that caused a large boulder to fall onto the tracks near the Adavali station in Ratnagiri, disrupting traffic for only a couple of hours, the recent monsoon season has been trouble-free for the KRC, say its officials.The rains, in past seasons, have been a time for delayed and even disrupted rail travel, with minor and major landslides commonplace.Towards putting an end to this annual monsoon nightmare, the KRCL has incurred, since its inception, an expenditure of nearly 300crore, says Baban Ghatge, senior public relations manager, KRCL.Of this, 26crore has been spent just on various geo-tech safety works along the route in the current year. Railway sources say another 200crore has been earmarked for undertaking permanent measures during the next three years.Ghatge explains that the works undertaken include earthwork for flattening of cutting slope and provision of berms, catchwater drain lining, reinforced cement concrete retaining walls, gabion walls, concreting, rock bolting, soil nailing, micro-piling, etc.

"The emphasis on safety works this time was on stabilizing cuttings and tunnels and improvement of track in order to ensure safe passage for trains," he says.

Sources say 340crore has been earmarked for undertaking permanent measures in tunnels and cuttings for a five-year period from 2011-12 to 2015-16.

KRCL chief public relations officer, Siddeshwar Telugu told TOI that earth stabilization works have been completed in 87 cuttings along the Maharashtra-Karnataka route so far.

"The incidences of boulder fall/soil slips have been reduced considerably on completion of flattening of deep-cutting slopes, rock bolting/shotcreting of tunnels, construction of lined catchwater drains etc," says Siddeshwar.

Pointing out that ground settlement (sinking of earth) at Nivsar station near Ratnagiri had turned out to be a bottleneck for the smooth running of train traffic, he says the problem was tackled by providing a diversion line at Nivsar station yard before the monsoon of 2011.

"Thereafter, there has been no unusual occurrence of ground settlement and traffic has been running uninterrupted," he says with a smile.

Pomendi cutting in Ratnagiri region with the depth of cutting (excavation) exceeding more than 45 m, was another problem zone for the KRCL.

Railway sources say that as per the recommendations of the expert committees constituted for the purpose, various geo-tech safety works were carried out.

These included widening of the deep-cutting slopes by providing berms, concrete-lined catchwater drains, berm water drains, cross drains, side drains, retaining wall, grass plantation to help preventing soil erosion, etc, for making the slopes stable.

Approximately three lakh cu m of earthwork was executed and approximately 1,200 cu m of concrete lining done in the region to prevent any unusual landslide, say sources. The positive effect is already there to see. Post a comment

The Central Railway (CR) will run two air-conditioned superfast special trains between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Hazrat Nizamuddin. 02109 AC will leave Lokmanya Tilak Terminus on Tuesday, October 8 at 2.30 p.m. and arrive at Hazarat Nizamuddin at 10.20 a.m. the next day. 02110 AC will leave Hazarat Nizamuddin on Wednesday, October 9 at 3.50 p.m. and arrive at LTT at 11.50 a.m. the next day. The trains will stop at Nashik Road, Bhusawal, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior and Agra cantonment. “Bookings for train No.02109 will open from Septemeber 4,” a CR spokesperson said.

2 special trains for Santragachi CR will run four festival special trains, in addition to 82 festival specials already announced.  Two will be between Mumbai CST and Santragachi while the other two will be between LTT and Santragachi during the festive season. Train No. 01069 will leave Mumbai CST at 11.05 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8 and will arrive at Santragachi at 7.15 p.m. the next day. Train No. 01070 will leave Santragachi at 06.05 a.m. on Thursday, October 10 and will arrive at Mumbai CST at 2.10 p.m. the next day.  Train No. 01073 will leave LTT at 00.45 a.m. on Thursday, October 10 and will arrive at Santragachi at 12 noon the next day. Train No. 01074 will leave Santragachi at 06.05 a.m. on Saturday, October 12 and will arrive at LTT at 1.55 p.m. the next day.  All the four trains will halt at Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nashik Road, Manmad, Bhusawal, Akola, Badnera, Wardha, Nagpur, Gondia, Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Chakradharpur, Tatanagar and Kharagpur.  “Bookings for 01069 and 01073 will be open from Sept. 4,” a CR spokesperson said.

Weekly Express to Hubli CR will introduce a new Weekly Express train between LTT and Hubli.  Train No 17318 Weekly Express will leave LTT at 12.25 p.m. every Tuesday w.e.f. October 8 and will arrive at Hubli at 04.35 a.m. the next day. Train No 17317 Weekly Express will leave Hubli at 6.50 p.m. every Monday from October 7 and arrive at LTT at 11.05 a.m. the next day. This train will halt at Lonavala, Pune, Satara, Karad, Sangli, Miraj, Kudachi, Ghatprabha, Belgaum, Londa and Dharwar. “Bookings for Train No. 17318 will open from October 5 onwards,” said a CR spokesperson.

PATNA: The commissioning of newly built Patliputra railway station has been delayed several times for one reason or the other despite getting clearance from commissioner of railway safety (CRS), eastern region, R P Yadav.Railways had already announced two or three dates for the commissioning of this station to streamline train traffic in Danapur division of the ECR.According to sources, the residents of Jalalpur under Rupaspur police station area are demanding a separate road over Khagaul canal to reach Bailey Road easily. Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Jalalpur, said people of the village and its adjoining areas would find it difficult to reach Bailey Road if railways closes the approach road for the traffic from Patliputra station to Danapur or Patna Junction via Phulwari.According to Kumar, JD (U) leader and Patliputra MP Ranjan Yadav has taken up their problems with the railway authorities. However, no concrete decision has been taken so far. "Unless railways provides them a separate approach road to Bailey Road from Khagaul canal side, they would not allow Patliputra station to be made functional," he said.According to ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar, railways would sort out the problems soon. Moreover, the newly built station is likely to benefit the common people most, he said.Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore as part of the Digha Ganga rail bridge located on Bailey Road near Rukunpura, railways intends to run two pairs of passenger trains from this station. In future, four pairs of passenger trains would originate from here for Delhi and Howrah. Patliputra station has been given a direct connectivity to both Danapur and Phulwari-Patna end to ease traffic flow, an ECR official said, adding that Danapur station would become a junction point after commissioning of Patliputra station.

Though Patliputra station is having three platforms now, there is a provision to increase their number to cope with passengers rush. As per the new plan, railways would develop it as a terminal point in future. Railways has already announced that it would build a separate washing pit at this station so that maintenance work of passenger train rakes could be carried out there smoothly, sources said.

According to sources, railways has not yet decided any new date for the commissioning of Patliputra station. Had it been made functional, it could have eased huge traffic from Patna Junction and Danapur station during festivals, sources said.

PATNA: The commissioning of newly built Patliputra railway station has been delayed several times for one reason or the other despite getting clearance from commissioner of railway safety (CRS), eastern region, R P Yadav.Railways had already announced two or three dates for the commissioning of this station to streamline train traffic in Danapur division of the ECR.According to sources, the residents of Jalalpur under Rupaspur police station area are demanding a separate road over Khagaul canal to reach Bailey Road easily. Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Jalalpur, said people of the village and its adjoining areas would find it difficult to reach Bailey Road if railways closes the approach road for the traffic from Patliputra station to Danapur or Patna Junction via Phulwari.According to Kumar, JD (U) leader and Patliputra MP Ranjan Yadav has taken up their problems with the railway authorities. However, no concrete decision has been taken so far. "Unless railways provides them a separate approach road to Bailey Road from Khagaul canal side, they would not allow Patliputra station to be made functional," he said.According to ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar, railways would sort out the problems soon. Moreover, the newly built station is likely to benefit the common people most, he said.Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore as part of the Digha Ganga rail bridge located on Bailey Road near Rukunpura, railways intends to run two pairs of passenger trains from this station. In future, four pairs of passenger trains would originate from here for Delhi and Howrah. Patliputra station has been given a direct connectivity to both Danapur and Phulwari-Patna end to ease traffic flow, an ECR official said, adding that Danapur station would become a junction point after commissioning of Patliputra station.

Though Patliputra station is having three platforms now, there is a provision to increase their number to cope with passengers rush. As per the new plan, railways would develop it as a terminal point in future. Railways has already announced that it would build a separate washing pit at this station so that maintenance work of passenger train rakes could be carried out there smoothly, sources said.

According to sources, railways has not yet decided any new date for the commissioning of Patliputra station. Had it been made functional, it could have eased huge traffic from Patna Junction and Danapur station during festivals, sources said.