RailEnquiry

  Indian Railways News  / Govt panel formed for installing fire alarm system in trains

Expressing concern over repeated fire incidents in trains, a parliamentary panel has asked the Railways to find a solution to the problem with the help of technology and experts to prevent recurrence of such incidents.The Standing Committee on Railways has also asked the national transporter to install automatic fire alarm system in all trains urgently.The panel headed by DMK MP TR Baalu held a meeting on August 3 to discuss the recent fire incident in the Tamil Nadu Express and recommended several measures to prevent fires in trains.A sleeper coach of Tamil Nadu Express had caught fire on July 30 last claiming 32 lives.Recommending that help of latest technology be taken, the committee has asked the Railways to explore the possibilities of adopting best practices in fire fighting exercise available in other countries. “Experts from India and outside could be asked to give their views on measures that can be taken in this regard. Best practices in fire-fighting available with the railways in other countries could be studied,” the committee suggested. It also advised setting up of Fire Safety Audit teams comprising experts from different segments of the Railway system to keep regular and periodic check on fire hazards in the Railways. “Railways may urgently consider installing automatic fire alarm system in all its trains. Sprinklers and other dousing systems could be provided in coaches. Fire-fighting equipment should be provided in more coaches in a train so that small incidents can be attended to in an effective manner,” the panel noted.Advocating for the use of more fire retardant materials in the coaches, the committee has suggested the replacement of aluminium with copper in electrical fuses. The RPF staff could also be given basic training in fire-fighting so that they can be of assistance in emergencies, it suggested.The committee has also sought basic fire-fighting training for all railway personnel who work aboard running trains in different capacities.

  Indian Railways News  / 20% Indian offline travel agencies closed down due to rise in online bookings: IATA

Around 20 per cent of offline travel agents in India have shut shop over the last few years, according to statistics of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Globally, too, the numbers have fallen drastically. IATA membership in the UK has fallen to 3,000 from 60,000 in the last decade.

Supporting these statistics, a study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) found that the ticketing business in India has largely moved to the online platform, due to which, revenues of offline travel agents have taken a beating. Online bookings of train and airline tickets rose 36 per cent in June, 2012, compared with the previous year. While railways registered 5.83 million online bookings in June, 2012, versus 4.30 million last year, airlines witnessed 1.45 million online bookings against 1.07 million, according to IAMAI.

Moreover, excessive discounts and personalised services offered by offline travel agents have also worked against their interests. Nonetheless, smaller agents who do not enjoy economies of scale, and therefore cannot offer specialised services, are finding it hard to compete, the study revealed. Further, the economic slowdown made it even more difficult for the travel industry, especially the smaller or regional players, many of whom have been looking for a buy-out.

The study cited examples of Cox & Kings, which is fast building its online expertise, and Thomas Cook, which, to cater to the unique Indian consumer needs, is offering options of buying online and paying offline.

The travel space is already seeing consolidation with mergers and acquisitions taking place in both online and offline travel industry. Yatra’s acquisition of Travel Services International, and MakeMyTrip’s buying a stake in the Singapore-based Luxury Tours and Travels Pte Ltd are part of this consolidation process, the study said.

  Indian Railways News  / End of the line for Kalka-Shimla that became a film star

One of the world's most celebrated, romantic railway trains, the British "rail motor car" of Himalayan Kalka-Shimla line may have made its last journey after officials said they could no longer source essential spare parts.The train, one of four, which has plied the railway that once spirited colonial officials and their families away from the heat of India's northern plains to the summer capital Shimla in the pine forests foothills, was suspended last month. Its suspension and likely retirement has brought pangs of regret throughout India where it is warmly remembered not only by those who have made the five-hour crawling rail journey to Shimla but by millions of Bollywood film fans who have seen the train star in countless romantic classics.The train was built in 1927, 24 years after the Kalka-Shimla railway was opened as one of the world's most ambitious engineering projects. It had been constructed to dramatically reduce the travel time to the British summer capital from several days by elephant, horseback and hand-pulled rickshaw to a humane four-and-a-half hours. Its 60 miles of track cross more than 800 bridges and viaducts. It has more than 900 switchback hairpin bends to make the climb from just over 2,000ft to just below 7,000ft and passes through more than 100 tunnels to offer clear views of the Himalayan snow caps above grassy meadows.

The train itself has featured in a number of Bollywood films, including the 2007 hit Jab We Met, and also in Michael Palin's acclaimed television series Himalaya. The train played a part in India's successful campaign for the railway to be declared a Unesco world heritage site along with the country's other mountain train lines in Darjeeling and the Nilgiri Hills in 2008.

But according to railway officials the celebrated train has finally run out of puff with no manufacturers able to supply key parts for its maintenance.

Indian Railways divisional manager for Ambala, PK Sanghi, told The Daily Telegraph that the train was suspended three weeks ago on safety grounds after wear and tear on its wheels could no longer be overlooked. "The wheels are not in shape to be in service," he said. He and his colleagues have been searching for steel manufacturers to make new cast iron for several months and have issued a tender, but former suppliers have moved on to higher technology manufacturing, he said.

"The wheels or steel tyres are made of special cast steel and we have difficulty in getting them. We are changing the 'tyres' for the first time after its inception. The rail technology has changed drastically and manufacturers are not making spare parts for heritage trains," he said.

  Indian Railways News  / TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF MOVEMENT OF TRAINS BETWEEN DELHI JN. AND DELHI SHAHADARA FROM 6.40 A.M TO 8.

Due to Independence Day Ceremony -2012 at Red Fort on 15th August, 2012, the train movement between Delhi Jn. and Delhi Shahadara will remain temporarily suspended for two hours five minutes from 6.40 a.m. to 8.45 a.m. As a result the following trains will be regulated/ diverted/rescheduled/cancelled on 15th August 2012 as per details:

TRAINS TO BE REGULATED ON 15.8.12

ØThe 12225 Azamgarh- DelhiKaifiyaat Express train will be regulated at Delhi Shahdara Jn.
ØThe 14207 Pratapgarh – Delhi Jn. Padmavat Express train will be regulated at Sahibabad.
ØThe 64111(DKS1) Khurja – Delhi Jn. – Shakurbasti EMU train will be regulated at Sahibabad if required.
ØThe 51914 (2SSD) Saharanpur-Delhi passenger train will be regulated at B/Cabin if required.
ØThe 74002 (2DM) Haridwar- Delhi Jn. DEMU train will be regulated at Ghaziabad if required.
ØThe 54021 Bulandsahar-Tilak Bridge passenger train will be regulated at Ghaziabad if required.
ØThe 74022 (6SD) Haridwar- Delhi Jn. DMU train will be regulated at Noli if required.
ØThe 12312 Kalka – Howrah Mail train will be regulated at Delhi Jn.till clearance.
ØThe 15610 Lalgarh – Guwahati Avadh Assam Express train will be regulated at Delhi Jn. till clearance.

DIVERSION OF TRAINS ON 15.8.2012

ØThe 14042 Dehradun – Delhi Sarai RohillaMussoorie Expresstrain will bediverted to run via Sahibabad-Tilak Bridge-New Delhi-Delhi Sarai Rohilla.
ØThe 64004 (2SDS) Sonepat-Sahibabad EMU train will be diverted to run via Subzi Mandi-New Delhi-Tilak Bridge to Sahibabad.

RESCHEDULING OF TRAINS ON 15.8.12

ØThe 54058 (4SD)Shamli – Delhi passenger train will depart from Shamli at 4.30 a.m instead of 3.15 a.m .
ØThe 14084 Delhi Jn. – Alipurduar Sikkim Mahananda Express trainscheduled for depart at 6.40 a.m from Delhi Jn. will be rescheduled to depart at 8.45 a.m. after clearance.
ØThe 14044 Delhi Jn. – Kotdwara Garhwal Express train scheduled for depart at 7.20 a.m from Delhi Jn. will be rescheduled to depart at 8.55 a.m. after clearance

TRAINS CANCELLED ON 15.8.12

ØThe 64437(GND1) Ghaziabad-New Delhi EMU & 64402 (GD2) -Delhi-Ghaziabad EMU trains will remain cancelled.
ØThe 74021/74024 (1SD/10 SD) Delhi- Shamli – Delhi passenger trains will remain cancelled.

  Indian Railways News  / 5-hour drama atop clock tower

It was high drama at Central Railway Station on Monday, after a 24-year-old man from Nepal, suspected to be mentally-ill, climbed atop the landmark clock tower and held on to a flagpole-cum-lightning conductor for over five hours.It was around 3 pm when railway officials spotted a man atop the clock tower.  After an attempt by police to rescue the man, who locked the latch to the roof, turned futile, fire and rescue personnel from the Vepery and High Court fire stations were drafted around 3.30 pm to bring down the man.The rescue personnel then tried to coax the man, offering him chicken biriyani and water through a small opening, hoping that he would eventually tire out. “When he asked for it, we gave him another plate of briyani. We even promised to get him a good job and buy him whatever he wanted,” a fire and rescue official said.However, the refreshment seemed to have only replenished him as he proceeded to climb up the flagpole on the roof.Meanwhile, the seven-member fire and rescue service team, waited on a narrow ladder leading up to the roof. They then began to break open the asbestos roofing and managed to make it to the roof, even as the man dangled on the flagpole.  He stayed there for over three hours, changing positions often, while the firemen, on wits end, stood around the pole trying to bring him down.

Skylift

As all efforts failed, a Bronto skylift, which could extend up to a height of around 54 metres, was brought from the Teynampet station around 5.30 pm. However, there was reportedly no expert to operate the skylift.

The rescue personnel struggling to operate the skylift, as sources complained that operators, who knew to handle it, were either retired or training juniors at Tambaram.

An hour passed and eventually, a skylift operator, Arogyasamy, who was reportedly on his way home after providing training for juniors at Tambaram, arrived at the spot. Finally, after over five hours, the firemen hopped on to the skylift and pulled the man to safety around 6.50 pm.

Even as the rescue efforts were on, hundreds of spectators — passengers, railway officials and staff from offices around Central station — gathered around the clock tower.

Some even offered suggestions. “Nobody is listening to me. We can splash water on him and hold a net beneath to catch him if he falls,” said an elderly onlooker.Another man, who seemed to be tipsy, said he could be rescued with a helicopter. The onlookers made a mad dash to click the image of the man on their phones.

Railway police, who identified the man as Rupan (24) from Nepal, said they would register a case of attempt to suicide against him. Rupan climbed atop the tower around 1.30 pm as the entry was not locked, officials said, while adding that it was being maintained by a private contractor.  Rupan came here to find a job. He ended up at Central Station after being chased by a group for pelting stones at them, sources said.

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