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  Indian Railways News  / Unending wait for autos at Central station

CHENNAI: Passengers arriving at Central Railway Station and opting for pre-paid autorickshaws have a hard time as they have to wait long hours to get an auto for their onward journey. The pre-paid auto drivers say that the Metro Rail construction work has taken up most of the space they previously used as a stand, forcing most of them outside the station complex. Kritika, who arrived from Bangalore on the Shatabdi Express at around 11 am, complained about the increased waiting period to get a pre-paid auto. Stating that going around looking for an auto in the hot sun was tough she said, “I waited for about 45 minutes to get an auto. It is not just me, there is a big queue waiting to get autos. I cannot compare the pre-paid auto service here with the system in Bangalore, which is near perfect. Looking for an auto becomes even tougher with luggage and kids in the overcrowded station premises,” she said.

Members of Chennai Central Railway Station Auto Drivers and Commuters Welfare Society, which runs the service, said that there used to be a stand for close to 1,200 autos in front of the railway station, but after the metro rail construction began in January, hardly 35 autos were able to park inside the station premises. “The rest of them drive around on the roads and we have to call them every time we need their service. Not that it has affected us in terms of revenue. But it affects the passengers,” said G Arumugam, president of the society. Arjun, a techie from Delhi who arrived at around 8.15 pm and waited patiently in the queue for about 30 minutes, decided to walk out of the station to find an auto. “I have come here on official work and I can’t afford to waste time like this,” he said. Sheela arrived with her family from a holiday in Ooty and claimed that the pre-paid auto service had gone from bad to worse. “As it is they have their issues and make us wait till they bring the auto of their choice. Now there is space only for few autos and we are forced to go out and search and bargain with auto drivers to get to our destination,” she said.

  Indian Railways News  / रेलवे स्टेशन से भुक्की तस्कर काबू

बठिंडा : रेलवे पुलिस के एंटी नारकोटिक्स सैल ने रेलवे स्टेशन पर बीकानेर से आई एक ट्रेन से उतरे एक यात्री को दो किलो भुक्की समेत काबू किया है। पुलिस ने आरोपी जगसीर सिंह के खिलाफ एनडीपीएस एक्ट के अधीन मामला दर्ज कर जांच शुरू कर दी है। सैल प्रभारी एएसआई शिवराज सिंह ने बताया कि शनिवार को वह पुलिस टीम समेत रेलवे स्टेशन पर रूटीन चेकिंग कर रहे थे। शाम करीब सवा चार बजे प्लेटफार्म नंबर दो पर बीकानेर से आई ट्रेन नंबर 54702 से उतरा यात्री जगसीर सिंह पुत्र छोटा सिंह निवासी कनाल माजरा जिला बरनाला टीम को देखकर घबरा गया। पुलिस ने जब उसकी तलाशी ली तो उससे दो किलो भुक्की बरामद हुई। एएसआई शिवराज सिंह के मुताबिक आरोपी को अदालत में पेश करने के बाद जेल भेज दिया गया है।

  Indian Railways News  / REGULATION OF TRAINS DUE TO NON INTERLOCKING WORK AT RAMPUR STATION

Due to non-interlocking work at Rampur station in connection with yard remodeling of Moradabad Division of Northern Railway from 16.5.2012 to 20.5.2012, the rail traffic will be blocked for five days. As a result, the following trains will be partially cancelled/ diverted as under:
PARTIALLY CANCELLATION OF TRAINS
ØThe 55302/55301 Kathgodam-Mordabad-Kathgodam passenger train will run between Kathgodam-Chamrua- Kathgodam and will remain partially cancelled between Chamrua-Moradabad –Chamrua.
DIVERSION OF TRAINS
ØThe 54251/54252 Lucknow-Saharanpur passenger train will be diverted to run via Moradabad-Chandausi-Bareilly instead of Moradabad-Rampur-Bareilly.
ØThe 54075/54076 Delhi-Sitapur Cantt. passenger train will be diverted to run via Moradabad-Chandausi-Bareilly instead of Moradabad-Rampur-Bareilly.

  Indian Railways News  / Metro Phase III will connect key markets in South Delhi

The four major commercial hubs of South Delhi will be connected via the Metro, once the Phase III of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is complete (DMRC) in 2016.Officials in the Delhi Metro said Sarojini Nagar and South Extension will have dedicated stations, while the the existing stations at INA Market and Lajpat Nagar will be converted into interchange stations.The upcoming 59-km-long Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar-Shiv Vihar corridor has been specially aligned from Bhikaji Cama Place towards Sarojini Nagar to provide direct connectivity.The line will further connect the other three shopping centres. According to a detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the DMRC, a surge in the Metro ridership is likely in the future. Officials expect about 2 lakh more passengers to use this mode of transport, primarily to reach these prominent markets in the city.The projections indicate that about 1.3 lakh people are likely to use the Delhi Metro to reach the INA Metro station. As many as 54,454 people are expected to use Lajpat Nagar station, 8,317 are expected on South Extension and 15,000 at Sarojini Nagar station, every day.“This will also provide a boost to the markets of South Delhi. The DMRC’s plan of constructing Metro stations at Sarojini Nagar, INA, South Extension and Lajpat Nagar with inter-station distances ranging from less than a kilometre to approximately one and a half kilometre. This will provide a great impetus to businesses in the area,” a senior DMRC official said.The underground Metro station at the Sarojini Nagar market will be below the MCD public convenience. The station will have two access points — one 20 metres from the main market and the other opposite Sarojini Nagar post office.Officials said no shops will be displaced but at least six residential buildings, with as many as 24 flats, will have to be demolished. “Since these are government quarters, the Ministry of Urban Development has agreed to rehabilitate the affected residents. We have already held community interaction programmes with the market association representatives, shopkeepers and residents in the area, to explain the project and have received a very enthusiastic response,” said a DMRC spokesperson.The DMRC has also drawn up a traffic integration plan for the Sarojini Nagar station, with separate drop-off bays for autorickshaws and vehicles.

  Indian Railways News  / New rail link to boost trade

Silchar : The Centre is planning a railway link between Mahisashan village in south Assam's Karimganj district and Kulaura ' a tea-trading hub in Bangladesh ' in a bid to boost trade in the region. Railway minister Mukul Roy revealed the move in a recent official communication to the Congress MP from Karimganj, Lalit Mohan Shuklabaidya. He said the Indian foreign office had already written to the Bangladesh government seeking details of the railway network between Mahisashan and Kulaura. Roy, a Trinamul MP, said the rail link had figured in the high-level talks that were held last September when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka to convince Sheikh Hasina on the urgent need to establish more practical transit facilities from the remote areas of the Northeast to Bangladesh. If the Bangladesh government quickly sends the project report, the rail service from Mahishasan, which has been stalled since the 1965 Indo-Pak war, will get rolling after it is upgraded into broad gauge, Roy said. However, it was not revealed if the railways alone would foot the bill to improve the 108-year-old metre gauge track, which use to carry Cachar tea and timber to the mainland before Partition. One problem staring in the face of authorities in both countries is the illegal occupation of railway land on both sides of the border. Shuklabaidya has also insisted on making use of the road link between Suterkandi border checkgate, 14km west of Karimganj, for hauling goods from Bangladesh to India. He had placed the demand for the road and rail link in Lok Sabha on April 26 this year. The goods transit rail route would continue to Akhaura near Agartala, which the railways have decided to upgrade for a large sum. Last night, Shuklabaidya said the Mahisashan-Kulaura rail link would facilitate export of goods from south Assam and Meghalaya to Bangladesh. Transportation of goods such as tea, coal and forest items to other parts of India would also be more feasible owing to the low cost of railway transportation.