RailEnquiry

  Indian Railways News  / Salient Features of the Railway Budget 2012 pertaining to South Central Railways

Shri G N Asthana, General Manager, South Central Railway held a Press Meet today, i. e. ,
14th March 2012 at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad in connection with the Railway Budget 2012-13 presented by Shri Dinesh Triwedi, Hon’ble Minister for Railways in the Parliamenttoday.

1)The GM stated that this Railway Budget is exceptionally good as this will improve Railway’s financial position and generates surplus for developmental works. This Budget is also noteworthy for the fact that as many as 15 of the 75 Mail/Express which are to be introduced will originate from S. C. Railway. Another 10 would pass through this Railway. Thus, 1/3rd of the total Mail/Express trains to be introduced during the next Financial Year would be passing through S. C. Railway.  Allotment of such high percentage of trains for SCR has never been done in the past.

2)During the current year, SCR is completing 131 Kms of new lines, out of total of 725 Km o­n Indian Railways.  This is a record breaking, unprecedented performance. Very ambitious expansion of MMTS Phase-II project covering 103 Kms has been sanctioned in this Budget o­n cost-sharing basis.  This is an important step in the development of proper transport infrastructure in twin cities.

3)GM thanked the State Government of Andhra Pradesh for providing every help in execution of Railway Projects in the state including commitment to support MMTS services. It is o­nly because of this, that so much of thrust could be given for A. P.  Projects.
He highlighted the salient features of the Railway Budget 2012 pertaining to South Central Railway which are as follows:

A.  PROJECTS

    MMTS Phase–II in Twin Cities Sanctioned

Strengthening the suburban system of Hyderabad–Secunderabad under MMTS Phase–II at an estimated cost of Rs. 632 Cr out of which State Government has agreed to bear 2/3rdof the cost.

        Moula-Ali 'C' Cabin - Sanathnagar (21. 85 Km) Doubling & Electrification
        Moula-Ali - Malkajgiri - Sitaphalmandi (10 Km) Doubling & Electrification
        Secunderabad - Bolarum - Medchal (28 Km) Doubling & Electrification
        Falaknuma - Umdanagar - Shamshabad (20 Km) New Line, Doubling & Electrification
        Moula-Ali 'C' Cabin - Ghatkesar (12. 2 Km) Quadrupling & Electrification
        Telapur - Patancheru (8. 75 Km) Restoration of Old Line

Doubling : 60 Km; Third Line 12. 2 Km
New Line : 15. 6 Km
No.  of Stations : 27 (Existing : 18, New : 9)

    New Lines to be completed in 2011-12

        Jagayapet- Melacheruvu
        Metpally-Mortad
        Raichur-Pandurangaswamy (Part)
        Nossam-Banaganapalle
        Devarakadra-Krishna (Part)
        Homnabad-Hallikhed

    New Line Projects Sanctioned in 2012-13

        Bhadrachalam - Kovuur
        Akkanpet - Medak

    New Lines targeted to be completed in 2012-13

        Banaganapalli-Nandyal
        Marikel-Makhtal
        Raichur-Gadwal
        Morthad-Armoor
        Cuddapah-Ganganapalli

    New Line Projects sent to Planning Commission for appraisal

        Armoor-Adilabad via Nirmal
        Donakonda-Bitragunta
        Kinwat-Mahur
        Kondapalli-Kothagudem
        Manuguru-Ramagundam stn.
        Markapur-Shrisailem
        Pandurangpuram-Bhadrachalam
        Piduguralla to Nairusaraopet
        Kadiri- Puttaparthy
        Srinivasapura-Madanapalli
        Zaheerabad-Secunderabad

    New Lines Surveys to be taken up during 2012-13

        Nanded-Latur Road
        Gunupur -Narsipattanam Road via Kurupam, Parvatipuram, Makkava, Salur, Narsipatnam
        Machhilipatnam - Repalle. via Nizampatnam
        Rail link from Singareni Colleries to Gandhipuram

    Doubling Works to be completed in 2011-12

        Tadipatri - Rayalacheruvu
        Aspsri-Isivi
        Nagore - Adoni
        Adoni-Isivi

    New Doubling Projects Sanctioned in 2012-13

        Kazipet - Vijaywada Third Line

    Doubling Works targeted to be completed during 2012-13

        Raghavapuram -Peddampet
        Isivi-Kupgal
        Kosigi-Mantralayam

    New Doubling Projects sent to Planning Commission for appraisal

        Bibinagar-Nallapadu
        Dornakal Jn. -Manuguru - Doubling with electrification

    Railway Electrification Surveys sanctioned in 2012-13

        Bibinagar (Pagidipalli)-Nallapadu
        Manmad-Mudkhed-Lingampalli – Dhone

    New Railway Electrification Projects Sanctioned in 2012-13

        Nallapadu- Guntakal
        Hospet - Guntakal and Torangallu – Ranjitpuraa

    List ofProjects being executed with State Governments' Cooperation

Andhra Pradesh

        Kotipalli-Narsapur
        Cuddapah-Bangalore (Bangarapet)
        Nadikude-Srikalahasti
        Vijaywada-Gudivada-Bhimavaram-Narsapur, Gudivada-Machlipatnam & Bhimavaram-Nidadavolu DL with Electrification
        Munirabad-Mahabubnagar

Karnataka

        Gulbarga-Bidar (Suppl. )

B.  NEW TRAIN SERVICES

    Originating Express Trains ( 15)

        Secunderabad – Shalimar AC Express (Weekly via Vijayawada)
        Kakinada – Secunderabad AC Express (Tri Weekly)
        Secunderabad – Bidar Inter City Express (Six days a Week)
        Secunderabad – Belampalli Inter City express (Daily via Kazipet)
        Kacheguda – Madurai Express (Weekly via Dharmavaram, Pakala, Jolarpettai)
        Secunderabad – Darbhanga Express (Bi-weekly via Ballarshah, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Ranchi, Jhajha)
        Tirupati –Bhubneshwar Express (Weekly via Visakhapatnam, Gudur)
        Secunderabad - Jaipur Express (Weekly via Nagda, Bhopal, Narkhar, Amravati, Akola)
        Adilabad – Huzur Saheb Nanded Express (Daily via Mudkhed)
        Secunderabad – Porbandar Express (Weekly via Viramjam, Vasai Road)
        Tirupati – Mannargudi Express (Tri-weekly via Thiruvarur, Villupuram, Katpadi)
        Secunderabad – Nagpur Express (Tri-weekly via Kazipet)
        Karimnagar – Tirupati Express (Weekly via Peddapalli)
        Hyderabad – Ajmer Express (Weekly via Manmad, Itarsi, Ratlam)
        Huzur Saheb Nanded - Amritsar Express (Weekly)

    Originating Passenger Trains (1)

1. Yerraguntla – Nosam/Nanganapalli (Daily)

    Pass Through Mail/Express Trains (10)

        Vishakhapatnam – Chennai express (Weekly)
        Visakhapatnam – Sainagar Shirdi Express (Weekly via Vijayawada, Manmad)
        Indore – Yeshwanthpur Express (Weekly via Itarsi, Narkher, Amravati, Akola, Kacheguda)
        Amravati – Pune Express (Bi-weekly via Akola, Purna, Latur)
        Puri – Yeshwanthapur Garib Rath Express (Weekly via Visakhapatnam, Guntur)
        Shalimar – Chennai Express (Weekly)
        Mysore – Sainagar Shirdi Express (Weekly via Bangalore, Dharmavaram, Bellary)
        Sholapur – Yeshwanthpur Express (Tri-weekly via Gulbarga)
        Chennai – Puri Express (Weekly)
        Asansol – Chennai Express (Weekly via Purulia, Sambalpur, Vizianagaram)

    Extension of Originating Trains (3)

1. 16779/16780Madurai – Tirupati Express to Rameshwaram
2. 57502/57503Bodhan – Nizamabad Passenger to Kamareddi
3. 56011/56012Arakonam – Nandalur Passenger to Cuddapah

    Extension of Pass Through Trains (1)

1. 12687/12688 Dehradun - Chennai Express to Madurai (via Erode)

    Increase in Frequency of Originating Trains (4)

1. 12731/12732Secunderabad – Tirupati Express2to 4 days
2. 17003/17004Hyderabad – Kolhapur Express2to 7 days
3. 16779/16780Madurai – Tirupathi Express2to 3 days
4. 12485/12486SriGanganagar – Huzur Saheb Nanded Exp1to 3 days

    Increase in Frequency of Pass Through Trains (2)

1. 22603/22604Villupuram– Kharagpur Express1 to 2 days
2. 12641/12642 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Kanyakumari Express1 to 2 days

C.  PASSENGER AMENITIES
Towards Passenger Amenities 124. 7 Crs Budget has been allotted as against 81 Cr.  last year. Six new Adarsh Stations have been announced in this budget as against 3 announced last year.

    Adarsh Stations

1. Jalna 2. Macherla 3. Piduguralla 4. Pokarni Narsimha 5 . Sattenapalli 6. Vinukonda

  Train Discussion  / CHANGE IN DAYS OF SERVICE OF TRAIN 12732/12731 AND 12764/12763

With effect from 8thJune 2012, the days of service of Train Numbers 12732/12731 Secunderabad-Tirupati-Secunderabad Express and Train Numbers 12764/12763 Secunderabad-Tirupati-Secunderabad Padmavati Expresswill be revised as indicated below:
1) Train No. 12732 Secunderabad-Tirupati Express will depart Secunderabad o­n Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Monday and Wednesday as at present.
In the opposite direction Train No.12731 Tirupati-Secunderabad Express will depart Tirupati o­n Wednesday and Thursday instead of Tuesday and Thursday as at present.
2) Train No.12764 Secunderabad-Tirupati Padmavati Express will depart Secunderabad o­n Monday,Friday,Saturday,Sunday and Thursday instead of Tuesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday and Sunday as at present.
In the opposite direction Train No.12763 Tirupati-Secunderabad Padmavati Express will depart Tirupati o­n Tuesday,Friday,Saturday,Sunday and Monday instead of Wednesday, Friday, Saturday,Sunday and Monday as at present.

  Indian Railways News  / RAIL BUDGET 2012-2013, HIGHLIGHTS PERTAINING TO NORTHERN RAILWAY

Extract of Rail Minister’s Rail Budget 2012-13 Speech

(Announcements Pertaining to Northern Railway)

Fare

I propose to rationalise the fares to cause minimal impact o­n the common man and to keep the burden within tolerance limits in general. I am asking for an extra o­nly 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class. Similarly, increase for mail express second class will be by o­nly 3 paise per km; for sleeper class by only 5 paise per km; for AC Chair Car, AC 3 tier & First Class by o­nly 10 paise per km; AC 2 Tier by o­nly 15 paise per km; and AC I by o­nly 30 paise per km. Corresponding rationalisation in minimum distance and fare chargeable in various classes has also been proposed.

I am aware that a large number of passengers face problems at ticket windows because of non-availability of loose change. This causes a lot of hardship and delays the ticket dispensing process leading to longer queues. Incidences of passengers having to forego the change due towards them are also not uncommon. In order to address this problem, I have decided to incorporate a rounding off mechanism in the fare structure. For all ordinary and mail/express trains, rounding off will be to the next nearest five rupees. However, for the suburban passengers, I propose to permit a limited exception in the form of downward rounding off also in a few cases. By way of example, a fare of 11 will become 10 and 6 will become 5. The minimum fare chargeable and the platform ticket will now be 5.

The proposed revisions will have marginal impact o­n the fares. The increase in fares for suburban second class passengers travelling 35 km will be o­nly 2. For non-suburban second class ordinary passenger travelling a distance of 135 km, increase will be 4 o­nly. For second class mail/express passenger travelling a distance of 375 km, the addition to the fare will be o­nly 12 and that for a 750 km journey by sleeper class o­n mail/express train will be o­nly 40. An AC 3 tier passenger travelling a distance of 530 km will be required to pay an additional 57. The increase for AC 2 tier and AC I passenger travelling over same distance will be 84 and 163 respectively.

Dedicated Freight Corridor

Indian Railways have taken up the iconic infrastructure project of construction of Dedicated Freight Corridors from Ludhiana to Dankuni and Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, for efficient freight transportation to and from ports and to facilitate decongestion of the HDN routes. This is o­ne of the biggest infrastructure projects under execution spread over 3300 kms, covering eastern, northern and western part of the country. Funding assistance from World Bank and JICA has been tied up. A total of 6500 hectares of land, out of 10700 hectares required, has been acquired so far. The bidding process for the civil and track works has commenced. It is expected that the contract for civil and track works for about 1000 route kilometers o­n Eastern and Western DFCs would be awarded during 2012-13.

Progress of rail based Industries

The Rae Bareli Coach Factory is now ready for rolling out coaches and 10 coaches have already been manufactured. The phase-II of this factory would be commissioned in 2012-13.

Passenger Amenities

It has already been mentioned about formation of an Indian Railway Station Development Corporation to redevelop 100 stations in the next five years. Indian Railways however have more than 8000 stations and it is necessary that efforts towards improved availability of amenities like waiting halls, benches, adequate lighting, drinking waters, toilets, proper platform services etc. are made in a concerted manner. With this concern, I propose to raise the allocation under passenger amenities from 762 crore in 2011-12 to 1,102 crore in 2012-13.

Some of the passenger and other user friendly measures introduced or being proposed during 2012-13 are:-

To facilitate easy movement of passengers, installation of 321 escalators at important stations of which 50 will be commissioned during 2012-13;

12 State of Art mechanized laundries already set up and 6 more to become functional during 2012-13;

SMS o­n passenger mobile phone in case of e-ticket along with an ID proof to be accepted as proof of valid reservation;

Introduction of regional cuisine at affordable rates through catering service to cater to local palate;

To meet the needs of changing times and customer demand, launching of “Book-a–meal” scheme to provide multiple choice of meals, like low cost meal, diabetic meal etc. through SMS or email;

To set up AC Executive lounges at important stations to provide value added services at a charge, offering facilties such as wifi internet, buffet services, wash and change, concierge services for pre-departure and post-arrival assistance to passengers;

Expansion of housekeeping schemes for trains such as Clean Train Station, o­n Board Housekeeping Services for cleaning en-route and mechanized cleaning at originating/terminating stations;

Introduction of ‘Rail Bandhu’ o­n-board magazine o­n Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Duronto Trains;

Introduction of coin/currency operated ticket vending machines as a pilot project;

Introduction of Alternate Train Accommodation System (ATAS) as a pilot project to accommodate waitlisted passenger o­n alternate trains;

Introduction of first model rake with world class interiors;

Upgradation of stations as Adarsh Stations

Construction of Multi-functional Complexes;

Sale of PRS tickets throughpost offices;

Implementation of electronic transmission of Railway Receipts for freight traffic direct to the customers.

SIMRAN

Railways have recently introduced satellite based Real Time Train Information System (RTIS), also called SIMRAN, to provide accurate train running information to passengers through SMS, internet etc. The system has already been activated o­n 36 trains covering Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Durontos and it will be introduced in all mail/express trains in the next 18 months. o­n-board passenger displays with indication of next halt station and expected arrival time to passengers in running trains through inputs from RTIS will also be introduced in all mail/express trains progressively.

Security of Passengers

Security of our passengers has been of prime concern to us. I am pleased to inform that I intend to complete the unfinished task of installation of Integrated Security System at all 202 identified stations during 2012-13. Additionally, escorting of trains by RPF/GRP has been extended to almost 3500 trains. It is also now proposed to integrate the RPF Helpline with the All India Passenger Helpline to facilitate much faster response to the security needs of passengers.

Disaster Management (Safety Villages)

Railways must possess modern, well-trained and equipped disaster management machinery. The rescue and relief teams for the accident sites need specialized training where they can be engaged in hands o­n drills. I plan to set up three training centres named as “safety villages” at Bengaluru, Kharagpur and Lucknow.

Cooperation with NID

The National Institute of Design (NID) at Ahmedabad is internationally acclaimed as o­ne of the foremost multi-disciplinary institutions in the field of design, education and research. I had occasion to visit this Institute with a view to harnessing their expertise in design so as to leverage it for bringing out design related improvisations in the facilities available to passengers and other rail-users. A dedicated Railway Design Centre is proposed to be set up in the NID campus with an endowment fund of 10 crore to be utilised for developing concepts in various areas such as station architecture, coach layouts, luggage storage in coaches, toilets, ticketing kiosks and o­nline services, freight service systems etc.

Specialised House-keeping Body

The standards of hygiene and cleanliness need to be improved substantially. This is a very specialised activity which comes under the core area of House-keeping. Indian Railways is duty bound to provide high standards in both, as this is giving a bad name to the otherwise efficient rail system. It is proposed to set up a specialised House-keeping body to take care of both, i.e. stations and the trains.

Initiatives for differently-abled persons

Indian Railways has always been alive to its social responsibility towards ensuring comfortable train journey for differently-abled persons. Besides providing several travel concessions to such persons, Indian Railways has taken initiative to start manufacturing especially designed coaches having earmarked compartments and toilets adapted to the needs of wheel chair borne/differently-abled person. Each differently-abled friendly compartment provided in specified coaches has a berthing capacity for 4 passengers including two attendants along with toilet and other amenities. Indian Railways has so far manufactured about 2,100 specially designed coaches. It will be our endeavour to have o­ne such coach in each mail/express train. Besides, all Garib Rath rakes are provided with AC compartments for differently-abled persons in the power cars. Efforts are being made to ensure ease of access to platforms and other areas at stations for differently-abled persons.

Catering Policy

Given the fact that catering is a passenger service, there is an urgent need to redefine railways’ approach towards catering and to address demands of the entire spectrum of passengers. The need for visible improvements in the service through pantry cars and base kitchens is a priority since expectations of young India are high and they expect services especially o­n premium trains, to be of international standards.

I therefore propose that reputed professional agencies which are providing such services internationally be engaged through global tenders for pantry cars and base kitchens under departmental supervision and management. By engaging such specialised international professionals, a benchmark shall be set for modernisation and upgradation. A pilot project will be launched o­n a few premium trains to introduce international expertise o­n Indian Railways for catering services.

High Speed Initiatives

Indian Railways have decided to construct High Speed Passenger Rail corridors in the country for running trains at speed of 250-350 kmph. As decided earlier, pre-feasibility studies o­n six corridors have already been taken up. o­ne more corridor to be studied this year is Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur.

Green Initiatives

It is well known that railways are extremely environment friendly and we are committed to protect our environment. The year 2011-12 was declared as the “Year of Green Energy” by Railways. Several measures initiated/proposed to be initiated to promote clean environment are:-

Setting up of earmaked remote railway stations as “Green Energy Stations” powered entirely by solar energy;

Providing solar lighting system at manned level crossing gates in non-electrified territory to improve illumination and enhance safety of road users.

Introduction of mobile emission test car to measure pollution level of diesel locomotives;

Acceptance of SMS o­n mobile phones as proof of valid reservation, thus saving paper; and


Green Toilets

The problem of environmental degradation and corrosion of tracks due to night soil has been engaging the attention of the railways for a long time. The rail corrosion costs railways more than 350 crore every year. As also pointed out by both Kakodkar and Pitroda Committees, there is an urgent need to replace the conventional open-discharge toilets with ‘Green Toilets’ with a view to having cleaner, hygienic and safer railway ecosystem. The DRDO developed bio-toilets are currently under extended trial to test their efficacy and suitability. In the next year, 2,500 coaches will be equipped with these bio-toilets. Trials with retention-evacuation type toilets such as vacuum toilets are also planned o­n a few premium trains. Based o­n experience, more number of coaches would be equipped with such green toilets.

New line projects targeted for completion in 2012-13

1.Udhampur-Katra

2.Qazigund-Banihal

3.Bhambewa-Gohana

4.Khamano-Sahnewal

New Line Projects sent to Planning Commission for appraisal:

1.Baddi-Kalka

2.Bilaspur to Leh (via Kullu & Manali)

3.Faizabad-Lalganj via Akbarganj, Maharajganj and Raibarely

4.Ferozepur-Patti

5.Ghanauli-Baddi

6.Ghanoli-Dehradun via Baddi, Nalagarh, Jagadhari, Surajpur, Kala Amb, Paonta Sahib.

7.Hastinapur-Meerut

8.Kasganj-Khurja via Atrauli

9.Patiala - Jakhal/Narwana via Samana

10.Patiala – Kurukshetra

11.Rishikesh-Doiwala

12.Una - Hoshiarpur

13.Udhampur/ Katra – Doda – Bhadarwah and Doda - Kishtwar

14.Yamuna Nagar-Chandigarh via Sadhaura, Narayangarh

New Line Surveys to be taken up during 2012-13

1.Unnao-Purwa-Maurawan-Lucknow

2.Ambedkar Nagar-Baskhari-Jahagirpuri-Azamgarh

3.Pratapgarh-Mandsaur

4.Pehowa to Ponta Sahib via Jagadhri-Yamuna Nagar.

5.Rail link for supply of coal for Rajpur Thermal plant extended up to Chandigarh with additional chord line between Shambhu-Lalru.

6.Dehradun and Purola alongwith banks of River Yamuna.

7.Badmer-Delhi via Pali, Marwar, Luni, Jaipur

8.Hoshiarpur - Phagwara.

9.Rahon -Samrala



New Line Projects sanctioned in 2012-13:-

1.Unchahar – Amethi

2.Rohtak – Hansi via Meham

Gauge Conversion Projects to be completed in 2012-13

1.Kasganj-Bareilly

Doubling Works for completion during 2012-13:-

1.Palwal-TKD Jn. Cabin

2.Sultanpur-Bhadian

New Doubling Projects sanctioned in 2012-13:-

1.Meerut – Muzaffarnagar portion of Meerut-Tapri section

2.Anandvihar – Tilak Bridge IInd and IIIrd line.

3.Laksar – Haridwar Patch Doubling

New Surveys for Doubling Projects sanctioned in 2012-13:-

1.Barabanki-Faizabad-Ayodhya-Jafrabad

2.Allahabad-Varanasi

3.Khurja-Meerut railway line

New Railway Electrification Surveys sanctioned in 2012-13:-

1.Kurukshetra-Kaithal-Narwana

2.Hisar-Jakhal-Ludhiana

3.Moradabad-Aligarh including Bareilly-Chandausi

4.Hisar-Bathinda-Suratgarh-Phalodi-Jodhpur-Bhildi (including Phalodi- Jaisalmer and Samdari-Munabao)



New Express Trains

1.Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Udhampur AC Express (Tri-Weekly) via Ambala, Jalandhar

2.Ajmer-Haridwar Express (Tri-weekly) via Delhi

3.Firozpur-Sriganganagar Express (Daily) via Fazilka,Abohar

4.Kanpur-Amritsar Express (Weekly) via Farrukhabad, Bareilly

5.Chappra-Lucknow Express (Tri-Weekly) via Masrakh,Thawe,Padrauna

6.Anandvihar-Haldia Express(Weekly) via Mughalsarai, Gomoh, Purulia

7.Amritsar- Hazur Sahib Nanded Express (Weekly)

8.Bandra (T)-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express (Weekly) via Palanpur, Phulera

Additionally, as an endeavour to facilitate rail travel to important places of Sikh pilgrimage, “Guru Parikrama” special trains are proposed to be run o­n Amritsar-Patna-Nanded routes, where also a large number of people from all sects visit.

New Passenger trains

1.Sriganganagar-Suratgarh Passenger (Daily)

2.Rohtak-Panipat Passenger (Daily)

DEMU

1.Hoshiarpur-Firozpur (Daily)

2.Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Farukhnagar (6 days a week)

Extension of trains

1.12037/12038 New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express o­n 2 days to Moga

2.15013/15014 Kathgodam-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express to Jodhpur

3.19781/19782/19771/19772 Jaipur-Amritsar Express to Ajmer

4.12687/12688 Dehradun-Chennai Express to Madurai (via Erode)

5.14553/14554 Delhi-Una Himachal Express to Amb Andaura

6.54033/54032 Delhi-Jind Passenger to Narwana

7.54043/54044 Jind-Sirsa Passenger to Hisar

8.54581/54582 Nangal Dam-Una Himachal Passenger to Amb Andaura

9.74001/74002 Delhi-Muzaffarnagar DEMU to Saharanpur

Increase in frequency

1.15903/15904 Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express 1 to 2 days

2.22451/22452 Chandigarh-Bandra(T) Express 1 to 2 days

3.14009/14010/14019/14020 Chhindwara-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express 4 to 7 days

4.12641/12642 Nizamuddin Kanniyakumari Express 1 to 2 days

5.12453/12454 New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express from 1 to 2 days.

6.12457/12458 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Bikaner Superfast Express from 3 to 7 days.

The Izzat Scheme

The Izzat Scheme was introduced by Mamata Banerjee to enable the underprivileged citizens to travel with pride. Any person with less than 1,500 monthly income can avail benefit of this scheme with a monthly pass for 25 o­nly. To give relief to the poorest sections of the society, I propose to extend the travel distance from 100 km to 150 kms under Izzat Scheme, thus covering all designated suburban sections keeping the rate of 25 unchanged.

Sports

I propose to develop a road map for Railway Sports that facilitates creation of an atmosphere that nurtures excellence, provides the sports-persons the right leverage to excel and equips them with the necessary tools to achieve success. The Railway Sports Promotion Board would be provided the necessary wherewithal to administer promotion of sports in a highly professional manner for ensuring even better performance by railway sports-persons. I also intend to review the entire systems, governance structures and policies relating to sports so that the dominant leadership position of Railways is further enhanced. To begin with, I intend to institute a Rail Khel Ratna Award that would be given to 10 sports-persons every year, based o­n their current performance. The awardees would be provided world class training to hone their skills further.

  Indian Railways News  / CR Related Budget Announcements 2012-2013

CR Related Budget Announcements 2012-13
MRVC Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has successfully completed its flagship project of MUTP Phase I costing Rs.4,500 crore with the cooperation of Government of Maharashtra and other stakeholders.  The work o­n MUTP Phase II at a cost of Rs.5,300 crore is also progressing well and its completion will further boost the suburban transport services in Mumbai. A road map for MUTP III has been prepared to further strengthen and augment the suburban rail infrastructure and MRVC would carry out feasibility study for construction of faster corridors o­n CSTM-Panvel and Virar-Vasai-Diva-Panvel sections through innovative financing mechanisms. The proposed 72 km link between Virar-Panvel 3rd line in the PPP mode will open new avenues for development of northern part of Mumbai and facilitate commuters to transit between eastern and western parts of the city.
Feasibility of a spur from Panvel to Navi Mumbai airport will also be examined.  Mumbai Suburban Railway System has sound potential for mobilizing additional resources from commercial utilization of land and air space, thus providing funds for infrastructure development. MRVC to initiate a pilot project for commercial development.  SUBURBAN Works will be taken up to facilitate running of 12-car rakes o­n Harbour line. A new double line work of Belapur-Seawood-Uran is in progress, which will provide direct passenger connectivity to JNPT.
With a view to further enhancing the carrying capacity of suburban services in Mumbai area, 75 new services in the Churchgate-Virar, Virar-Dahanu Road, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus-Kalyan-Kasara and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus-Kalyan-Karjat sections, Harbour and Trans-Harbour line will be run.
Under Izzat Pass Scheme any person with less than Rs.1,500 monthly income can avail benefit of this scheme with a monthly pass for Rs.25 o­nly. To give relief to the poorest sections of the society, propose to extend the travel distance from 100 km to 150 kms under Izzat Scheme, thus covering all designated suburban sections keeping the rate of Rs.25 unchanged.
COOPERATION WITH STATE GOVERMENT Elevated Suburban Corridor in Mumbai The financial modelling of an elevated rail corridor from Churchgate to Virar to be executed through PPP mode in coordination with the Government of Maharashtra is being firmed up. The proposed project will enable introduction of premium AC suburban rail services. A prefeasibility survey for a similar corridor between CST and Kalyan (55 km) is also proposed to be taken up in due course.
Following new line projects with cost sharing by state government have been sent to Planning Commission for appraisal and ‘in principle’ approval:
1) Manmad-Indore via Malegaon & Dhule
2) Pune-Nasik
Projects being executed with State Cooperation:-
Wardha-Nanded (via Yevatmal-Pusood)
Ahmednagar-Beed-Parli Vaijnath
High Speed Initiatives Construction of  High Speed Passenger Rail corridors in the country for running trains at speed of 250-350 kmph. As decided earlier, pre-feasibility studies o­n six corridors have already been taken up. o­ne more corridor to be studied this year is Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur. Study of Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor has been completed and we are working o­n finalisation of financing of this project.  PASSENGER AMENITIES
Setting up of new Rail Neer Plant atAmbernath in Maharashtra to facilitate smooth supply of water at stations;
List of Adarsh Stations to be taken up in 2012-13:-
Ahmednagar, Burhanpur, Jalgaon, Khandwa,
List of new Express Trains, Passenger Trains, MEMU, DEMU, Extension of run and increase in frequency of trains:-
New Express Trains: 1. Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak (T) AC Express (Weekly) via Katihar, Mughalsarai, Itarsi
2. Dadar (T)- Tirunelveli Express (Weekly) via Roha, Coimbatore,Erode
3. Visakhapatnam-Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) via Vijayawada,Manmad
4. Indore-Yesvantpur Express (Weekly) via Itarsi,Narkher,Amravati,Akola,Kacheguda
5. Amravati-Pune Express (Bi-weekly) via Akola, Purna and Latur
6. Sai Nagar Shirdi-Pandharpur Express (Tri-weekly) via Kurduwadi
7. Solapur-Yesvantpur Express (Tri-weekly) via Gulbarga
Extension of Trains
1) 11017/11018 Dadar-Yesvantpur Express to Puducherry (3 days) via Jolarpettai- Katpadi-Villupuram & to Tirunelveli (3 days) via Dharmapuri-Erode
Increase in Frequency
1. 17003/17004 Hyderabad-Kolhapur Express 2 to 7 days
2. 16535/16536 Yesvantpur-Solapur Express 3 to 7 days
3. 12187/12188 Jabalpur-Mumbai (CST) Express 2 to 3 days
FARE  Rationalise the fares to cause minimal impact o­n the common man and to keep the burden within tolerance limits in general.  o­nly 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class.  mail express second class will be by o­nly 3 paise per km;  sleeper class by o­nly 5 paiseper km;  AC Chair Car, AC 3 tier & First Class by o­nly 10 paise per km;  AC 2 Tier by o­nly 15 paise per km; and  AC I by o­nly 30 paise per km. 
CORRESPONDING RATIONALISATION IN MINIMUM DISTANCE AND FARE CHARGEABLE IN VARIOUS CLASSES HAS ALSO BEEN PROPOSED.
Decided to incorporate a rounding off mechanism in the fare structure. For all ordinary and mail/express trains, rounding off will be to the next nearest five rupees.
However, for the suburban passengers, I propose to permit a limited exception in the form of downward rounding off also in a few cases. By way of example, a fare of Rs.11 will become Rs.10 and Rs.6 will become Rs.5. The minimum fare chargeable and the platform ticket will now be Rs.5.
The increase in fares for suburban second class passengers travelling 35 km will be o­nly Rs.2.  For non-suburban second class ordinary passenger travelling a distance of 135 km, increase will be Rs.4 o­nly. For second class mail/express passenger travelling a distance of 375 km, the addition to the fare will be o­nly Rs.12 and  for a 750 km journey by sleeper class o­n mail/express train will be o­nly Rs.40.  AC3 tier passenger travelling a distance of 530 km will be required to pay an additional Rs.57. The increase for AC 2 tier and AC I passenger travelling over same distance will be Rs.84 and Rs.163 respectively.
FUEL ADJUSTMENT COMPONENT (DYNAMIC) Contemplating a system of segregating fuel component in the cost associated with passenger services and call it FAC (fuel adjustment component). The FAC will be dynamic in nature and will change in either direction with the change of fuel cost. I must also be forthright and take the House into confidence in mentioning that in the event of any further increase in input costs of railways, it will not be possible for us to keep the passengers cushioned from the impact of such increases.
NEW LINES  Proposed to be completed in 2011-12:-
1) Chandurbazar-Narkhed (Part)
Targeted for completion in 2012-13
1) Ahmednagar-Narayandoh
2)Gulbarga-Sultanpur
Sent to Planning Commission for appraisal
1) Ballarsha to Surjagad(Etapalli)
2) Dhule-Amalner
3) Gadag-Wadi
4) Khandwa-Dhar via Khargone,Badwani
5) Kinwat-Mahur
6) Manmad -Indore via Malegaon & Dhule
7) Pune-Nasik
8) Rotegoan-Puntamba
NEW LINE SURVEYS  To be taken up during 2012-13:
1) Nanded-Latur Road
2) Railway link between proposed Airport at New Mumbai and Thane
3) Nasik - Sinner.
4) Malegaon-Satana-Saki-Chinchpara
5) Rail link between Raipur-Dhamtari BG line upto Jagdalpur via Banskot, Amravati, Kondagaon. Rajnadgaon and Dongargaon upto Chandrapur(Maharastra) via Maanpur village.
6) High Speed Rail Corridor (HSRC) between Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad.
7) Shirdi – Shahpur - Ghoti
GAUGE CONVERSION
Projects sent to Planning Commission:
1) Nagbhir-Nagpur
DOUBLING WORKS  for completion during 2011-12:-
1) Pen-Kasu
2 Panvel-Apta
for completion during 2012-13:-
1) Apta-Jite
2) Kasu-Roha
New Doubling Projects sanctioned in 2012-13:-
1) Wardha (Sevagram) – Nagpur 3rd line
NEW SURVEYS FOR DOUBLING PROJECTS  Sanctioned in 2012-13:-
1) Amla-Chhindwara
2) Vasai-Thane-Diva along with electrification
3) Gadag-Solapur
NEW RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION PROJECTS Sanctioned in 2012-13:-
1) Amla - Chhindwara- Kalumna
NEW RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION SURVEYS sanctioned in 2012-13:-
1) Londa-Miraj-Pune including Miraj – Kolhapur &
2) Panvel-Pen-Roha
GENERAL
To fast track elimination of level crossings in the next five years, I have decided to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named Rail-Road Grade Separation Corporation of India.
Passenger amenities from Rs.762 crore in 2011-12 to Rs.1,102 crore in 2012-13.
Indian Railway Station Development Corporation to redevelop 100 stations in the next five years. 
To facilitate easy movement of passengers, installation of 321 escalators at important stations of which 50 will be commissioned during 2012-13;
12 State of Art mechanized laundries already set up and 6 more to become functional during year 2012-13;
Introduction of Alternate Train Accommodation System (ATAS) as a pilot project to accommodate waitlisted passenger o­n alternate trains;
Upgradation of 929 stations as Adarsh Stations including 84 stations proposed in 2012-13  490 stations have been completed so far;
Construction of Multi-functional Complexes at 24 locations completed;
Sale of PRS tickets through 151 post offices;
Complete the unfinished task of installation of Integrated Security System at all 202 identified stations during 2012-13. 
FOCUS o­n
i. Safety; ii. Consolidation; iii. Decongestion & Capacity Augmentation iv. Modernization; v. To bring down the Operating Ratio from 95% to 84.9% in 2012-13 and to 74% in the terminal year of 12th Plan which would be an improvement over the best ever achieved by Indian Railways.
Five focus areas. Strengthening of the basic infrastructure of Indian Railways resulting in safety, decongestion, capacity augmentation and modernization of system, creating more efficient, faster and safer railways. The areas are: a. Track; b. Bridges; c. Signalling & Telecommunication; d. Rolling Stock; and e. Stations & Freight Terminals
HUMAN RESOURCE & WELFARE
Railway is a 24x7 service available to the rail-users. To run services at this scale, the employees have to put in long hours of duty without any respite round the year and the compulsion of job creates high stress levels. I therefore intend to introduce a wellness programme for them at their work places for early detection of risk factors, prevention and early treatment of diseases caused due to high blood pressure and sugar levels, obesity and other lifestyle related ailments.
IR have recruited over 80,000 persons to fill up some of such vacancies.
During 2012-13, more than o­ne lakh persons are proposed to be recruited. With these recruitments, Indian Railways will also be wiping out the backlog vacancies of SC/ST/OBC and physically challenged persons and complying with the instructions of DOP&T.Railway PSUs
InductIon of 2 new Board Members viz. PPP/Marketing and Safety/Research.
CONCESSION
Extend 50% concession in fare in AC 2, AC 3, Chair Car and Sleeper Classes to patients suffering from ‘Aplastic Anaemia’ and ‘Sickle Cell Anaemia’.
Extend the facility of travel by Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains to Arjuna Awardees.

  Indian Railways News  / Western Railway Introduces New Trains

Western Railway will introduce three new trains i.e. Train No. 19027/ 19028 Bandra Terminus-Jammu Tawi Vivek Express (Weekly), Train No. 22901/ 22902 Bandra Terminus-Udaipur Tri Weekly Superfast Express and Train No. 19262/19261 Porbandar-Kochuvelli Weekly Express (via Vasai).

Train No. 19027/19028 Bandra Terminus-Jammu Tawi Vivek Express (Weekly)
Train No. 19027 Bandra Terminus-Jammu Tawi Vivek Express (Weekly) will leave Bandra Terminus from 17th March, 2012 at 12:05hrs o­n every Saturday to reach Jammu Tawi at 01:15hrs o­n Monday.On its return journey Train No. 19028 Jammu Tawi-Bandra Terminus Vivek Express (Weekly) will leave Jammu Tawi from 19th March, 2012 o­n every Monday at 09:30hrs to arrive Bandra Terminus at 22:35hrs o­n every Tuesday. The train will have AC two tier, AC three tier, Sleeper and General Second Class Coaches. The train will halt at Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, Anand, Nadiad, Ahmedabad, Mahesana, Palanpur, Abu Road, Falna, Marwar Jn, Pali Marwar, Luni, Jodhpur, Gotan, Merta Road, Degana, Didwana, Sujangarh, Ratangarh, Churu, Sadulpur, Hissar, Duri, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt., Chakki Bank and Kathua in both directions.

Train No. 22901/ 22902 Bandra Terminus-Udaipur Tri Weekly Superfast Express
On its inaugural run Train No 02901 Bandra Terminus-Udaipur Tri Weekly Superfast Express will run o­n 17th March, 2012 ex Bandra Terminus at 12:25hrs to reach Udaipur the next day at 05:15hrs with scheduled stoppages. The regular run of Train No. 22901 Bandra Terminus-Udaipur Tri Weekly Superfast Express will be from Bandra Terminus from 20th March, 2012 o­n every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 23:25hrs to reach Udaipur the next day at 16:30hrs.On its return journey Train No. 22902 Udaipur-Bandra Terminus Tri Weekly Superfast Express will leave Udaipur from 18th March, 2012 o­n every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 21:35hrs to reach Bandra Terminus at 14:15hrs the next day. The train will have AC two tier, AC three tier, Sleeper and General Second Class Coaches. The train will halt at Borivali, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Dahod, Ratlam, Jaora, Mandsore, Nimach, Chittuargarh, Mavli Junction and Ranapratapnagar in both directions.

Train No. 19262/19261 Porbandar-Kochuvelli Weekly Express (via Vasai)
Train No. 19262 Porbandar-Kochuvelli Weekly Express will leave Porbandar from 22nd March, 2012 o­n every Thursday at 18:20hrs to reach Kochuvelli o­n every Saturday at 15:30hrs.Train No. 19261 Kochuvelli -Porbandar Weekly Express will leave Kochuvelli from 25th March, 2012 o­n every Sunday at 10:40hrs to reach Porbandar every Tuesday at 10:30hrs. The train will have AC two tier, AC three tier, Sleeper and General Second Class Coaches. The train will halt at Wansjaliya, Jamnagar, Hapa, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Viramgam, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Ankleshwar, Surat, Vasai Road, Panvel, Ratnagiri, Madgaon, Karwar, Udupi, Mangalore Junction, Kasargodh, Kannur, Kozhikkhode, Tirur, Shoranur, Trichur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kyankulam and Kollam in both directions. The inaugural run of Train No. 09262 Porbandar-Kochuvelli Weekly Express will be o­n 17th March, 2012 ex Porbandar at 09:30hrs to reach Kochuvelli o­n Monday at 12:00hrs with the above stoppages.

Date of Opening for Train No. 19027 (regular cum inaugural), Train No. 22901 (regular) Train No. 02901 (inaugural), Train No. 19262 (regular) and Train No. 09262 (inaugural) will be from 15th March 2012.