Year-end Review- 2013
WITH SUCCESSFUL
OPENING OF PIR PANJAL TUNNEL, HISTORIC RAILWAY LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN KASHMIR VALLEY
AND JAMMU REGION
RAILWAYS LAUNCHES
TOLL FREE HELPLINE NUMBER FOR CATERING RELATED COMPLAINTS
COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS UNDERTAKEN
FOR PILGRIMS OF KUMBH MELA – 2013
FOUNDATION STONE LAID FOR SETTING UP OF MEMU COACHES
MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT BHILWARA & FORGE WHEEL FACTORY AT RAEBARELI
INDIA AND FRANCE
SIGN MOU TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN RAILWAY SECTOR
NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS APPROVED BY CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
(CCEA)
IMPLEMENTATION OF RAILWAY PROJECTS FOR COAL
CONNECTIVITY
ADVANCE RESERVATION
PERIOD FOR BOOKING RESERVED TRAIN TICKETS REDUCED TO 60 DAYS
Wi-Fi FACILITY ON HOWRAH RAJDHANI EXPRESS
TRAIN LAUNCHED
COMMEMORATION OF 160 YEARS OF INDIAN RAILWAYS
RAILWAYS TO LAUNCH
TICKET BOOKING THROUGH NON-INTERNET
BASED MOBILE PHONES
RAILWAYS TO PROVIDE BRAILLE SIGNAGE IN PASSENGER
COACHES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PASSENGERS
RAILWAYS NOW RUNNING 1400 COACHES WITH
BIO-TOILETS IN VARIOUS TRAINS
LAUNCHING OF HIGH SPEED RAIL CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
INDIA AND JAPAN
SIGN MoU FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY OF HIGH SPEED RAILWAY SYSTEM
FIRST EVER DUAL CAB FREIGHT DIESEL
LOCOMOTIVE ‘VIJAY’ FLAGGED OFF
INDIAN RAILWAYS BAGS
HIGHEST EVER 22 NATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2013
The year 2013 has been significant for the Railways in achieving goals
and targets with regard to the following:
RAILWAYS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ON FAST TRACK
The infrastructure projects of Indian
Railways are being put on fast track. Under the direction of the Prime Minister
an Inter-Ministerial Group of Railways, Finance and Planning has been
formed with the task of coming up with a
creative financing-cum-implementation mechanism. The flagship projects of Railways such as the two Loco Manufacturing Projects,
Elevated Rail Corridor, the Dedicated Freight Corridor and station
redevelopment are being monitored for expeditious implementation.
GROWTH IN REVENUE GENERATION
The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on
originating basis during 1st April to 30th November 2013
were Rs. 89339.64 crore compared to Rs. 78871.47 crore during the same period
last year, registering an increase of 13.27 per cent. The total goods earnings
have gone up from Rs. 54482.80 crore during 1st April – 30th
November 2012 to Rs. 60150.41 crore during 1st April – 30th
November 2013, registering an increase of 10.40 per cent. The total passenger
revenue earnings during 1st April – 30th November 2013
were Rs. 24523.69 crore compared to Rs. 20423.28 crore during the same period
last year, registering an increase of 20.08 per cent. The total approximate
numbers of passengers booked during 1st April – 30th
November 2013 were 5662.38 million compared to 5695.10 million during the same
period last year. Indian Railways have carried 677.56 million tonnes
of revenue earning freight traffic during April-November 2013. The freight
carried shows an increase of 30.55 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 647.01
million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year,
registering an increase of 4.72 per cent.
In the January to November 2013, Indian Railway has achieved scrap sale
of Rs. 2971.65 crore till November 2013.
WITH SUCCESSFUL OPENING OF
PIR PANJAL TUNNEL, HISTORIC RAILWAY LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN KASHMIR VALLEY
AND JAMMU
REGION
The Indian Railways added another feather in its cap with
the historic milestone of connecting Kashmir valley with the Jammu region. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh dedicated
the newly constructed railway line between Banihal (Jammu region)-Qazigund
(Kashmir valley) section to the nation
by flagging off the first DEMU
train from Banihal through the Pir Panjal tunnel- the longest transportation
tunnel of India, from Banihal Railway station in Jammu & Kashmir in the
month of June 2013. This 17.7 km long rail link has
paved way for the future railway connectivity of Kashmir
region with the national railway network.
IRCON International Ltd., a PSU under the Ministry of Railways,
has been the principal executing agency for Northern Railway to execute the
work of Dharam-Qazigund Section of USBRL Project which includes
Banihal-Qazigund section and Pir Panjal Tunnel. The
Kashmir Valley railway ( Qazigund-Baramulla
section) is a 119 km long modern railway line that became completely operational earlier in
October 2009, which was an island railway, not connected to the Indian Railway
network. It was connecting Baramula in the western part of Kashmir Valley
to Qazigund at the other end of the Valley, via Srinagar. With the dedication of this Qazigund Banihal project
to the nation, the extension of this railway line beyond the Pir Panjal Mountains in to the Jammu region has been achieved.
INDIAN RAILWAYS ENTERED ONE BILLION TONNE SELECT CLUB
AFTER EXCEEDING REVISED FREIGHT LOADING TARGET FOR THE YEAR 2012-13
The Indian Railways achieved yet another significant milestone when it
entered the one billion tonne select club in freight movement joining Chinese,
Russian and USA
railways. In 2012-13, Indian Railways have been able to achieve an originating
freight loading of around 1010 million tonnes (i.e. one billion plus) which
shows an incremental loading of 40 million tonnes (4.1% growth) over the last
financial year. Under the freight
loading strategy adopted by Indian Railways, special focus was given to
enhancing evacuation of coal from Coal India Limited (CIL) sources and during
the month of March’13, on an average 228 rakes/day were loaded from CIL
sources.
NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS
APPROVED BY CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (CCEA)
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved new railway
projects on 7th February 2013.These are; New
Broad Gauge line between Gevra Road and Pendra Road- (121.70 km.) in South East
Central Railway with anticipated cost of Rs. 838.02 crore; New Broad Gauge line to connect the coal belt
of Raigarh (Mand Collieries) to Rail network at Bhupdeopur (63 Km)- South East
Central Railway ( Korichhapar to Bhupdeopur ) with anticipated cost of Rs.
379.08 crore; and doubling of Broad Gauge line between
Palanpur and Samakhiali (247.73 km) with anticipated cost of Rs. 1266.89 crore.
RAILWAYS’ RLDA PLANS TO DEVELOP 75 MULTI-FUNCTIONAL
COMPLEXES DURING CURRENT FISCAL
Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), a
statutory authority established by the Ministry of Railways for generating
non-tariff revenue from railway land, has prepared an action plan for fast
tracking the development of 75 Multi Functional Complexes (MFC) sites in
current year for which bidding process is being initiated in phases. So far,
RLDA has invited nine bids in the current year for development of 43 MFCs in
Northern, Western and Southern India.
Prominent stations are Dehradun, Ujjain, Vasai Road, Anand,
Somnath, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Gulbarga, Vijayawada, Amritsar,
Amethi and Chandigarh.
In the current year, there has been very good response for the last bidding
carried out in Western Railway in which a total of 25 financial bids were
received. Financial bids for these MFCs were opened on September 10th and
the total present value of the lease premium and annual lease rent received for
MFCs at eight stations is Rs. 20.27 crore which is much more than the minimum
expectation of RLDA from these sites. Multi Functional Complex project offers
unique opportunity for retailers, hotel chain operators, developers and other
such stakeholders for expanding and enlarging their footprint across hundreds
of important towns and cities in the country.
HIGH SPEED TRAIN TRAVEL
High speed rail travel has two
segments – one talks of speeds over 300 kmph, while the other has a maximum
speed of 200 kmph. In case of the
former, the Ministry of Railways has identified seven corridors and undertaken
pre-feasibility studies. In one such
corridor– Mumbai-Ahmedabad – the Ministry of Railways is conducting the
feasibility study with JICA to gather details about traffic assessment,
alignment and technological options. The
French Railway is also doing a business development study for this
corridor. An international conference
“high-speed travel, low-cost solution” was organised in New Delhi in the month of October to focus on
trains with speeds upto 200 kmph on the existing network. Many important recommendations were mooted
and the Railway Board is now working on a few pilot projects.
LAUNCHING
OF HIGH SPEED RAIL CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
The Railway Minister formerly launched High Speed Rail Corporation of
India Ltd. (HSRC), a subsidiary of Rail
Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) and also revealed the logo of HSRC that has been
designed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. HSRC has been formed to
develop High Speed Rail (HSR) Corridors in India to run passenger trains at
speeds upto 350 km per hour. It will undertake the project activities such as
preparation of project related studies, preparation
of the technical standards for HSR Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and any other
corridor decided by the Government. It
will provide support to Ministry of Railways and Government of India in
finalizing the financial and implementation models.
INDIA AND JAPAN
SIGN MoU FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY OF HIGH SPEED RAILWAY SYSTEM
India and Japan
have signed MoU to undertake a joint feasibility study of High Speed Railway
system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. This is in pursuance of the Joint
Statement between the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and the
Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, dated May 29, 2013, which provided
that the two sides will co-finance a joint feasibility study of this High Speed
route. The objective of the Joint study is to prepare a feasibility report of
High Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route with speed of
300-350kmph. The cost of the study will be shared 50:50 between India and Japan. The study shall be
completedwithin18 months from its commencement. The study will do traffic
forecasting, alignment surveys and undertake comparative Study of High Speed
Railway Technology and System.
INDIA AND FRANCE
SIGN MOU TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN RAILWAY SECTOR
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi on 14.2.2013 between the Ministry
of Railways, Government of India and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer
Français (SNCF), the French National Railways, for Technical cooperation in the
field of Railways. Four areas of
cooperation have been identified in the MoU. These are: 1) High speed and
semi-high speed rail; 2) Station renovation and operations; 3) Modernisation of
current operations and infrastructure; 4) Suburban trains. Under the High Speed
Cooperation Programme, the Parties decided to carry out jointly an ‘operations
and development’ feasibility project on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail.
This project will be funded by SNCF with a support from the French Ministry of
Finance.
THE STATE-OF- THE ART HIGH SPEED LARGE SIZE AUTO CAR
WAGON AND FIRST-EVER LOCOMOTIVE FITTED WITH COMPACT AIR
CONDITIONING UNIT IN DRIVER’S CABIN
ROLLED OUT
The state-of- the art high speed large size
autocar wagon, could named ‘BCACBM’ designed by RDSO, capable of carrying 12 motor cars of a normal
size per wagon has been flagged off. The rake consisting of such wagons will
have a capacity to carry a maximum number of 318 cars in various combinations
against the present capability of maximum 265 cars per rake. These wagons are
of low cost with improved efficiency and productivity. The design of this wagon
will enable Indian Railways to capture a sizeable share of the growing
automobile transport market in India. In addition, the first-ever locomotive fitted
with compact Air Conditioning Unit in driver’s cabin was also rolled out. This
air conditioned cab will give relief to loco driver and assistant loco driver
while performing their duties. Developed by Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi, this air
conditioned cab in the locomotive will have both cooling and heating capacity
and is maintenance free. It is proposed to create such improved cabins in all
the locos in a phased manner.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRAINS
A total number of 126 new trains,
60 extension and 27 increase in frequency of existing trains were announced in
the Railway Budget 2013-14 (including announced in Parliament. As on date
24.12.2013 60 new trains, 45 extension and 10 increase in frequency have been implemented. Also during the year
2013-14, 29 new trains, 2 extension and 5 increase in frequency as announced in
Railway Budget 2012-13 have been introduced. Further, 3 DEMU trains and one
passenger train announced in Railway Budget 2010-11 and 2011-12 have been
introduced during the year 2013-14. During the year 2013-14, 444 coaches were
permanently augmented upto September 2013 and 464 experimental stoppages were
provided in various trains during the year 2013 on 24.12.2013.
INTRODUCTION OF PREMIUM AIR-CONDITIONED
SPECIAL TRAINS
With a view to meeting the peak demand for travel on the eve of
Christmas/New Year, Indian Railways operated a few trips of premium
Air-conditioned special trains on the busy New Delhi-Mumbai sector between 24th
December 2013 to 2nd Jan 2014. The advance reservation period will
be shorter, that is a maximum of 15 days, and the fare shall be equal to or
higher than the Rajdhani Tatkal fare. The fare is also likely to increase
depending on the demand intensity. The premium A/C special trains no. 22913/22914
have already become operational on an experimental basis.
AC DOUBLE DECKER TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN HABIBGANJ AND INDORE IN MADHYA PRADESH
FLAGGED OFF
The AC Double Decker train between Habibganj and Indore, the first ever
such train service in the state of Madhya Pradesh, was flagged at Habibganj railway station in
Bhopal on 27th September 2013.
This LHB AC Double Decker is the fifth such train in the country. In addition
to this, four other trains are already running between Jaipur-Delhi, Mumbai-
Ahmedabad, Chennai-Banglore and Howrah-Dhanbad. Coaches of these LHB AC Double
Decker trains are having better passenger amenities such as reclining chairs,
snack tables bottle holders, automatic AC compartment entrance doors etc. Based
on the initial feedback from passengers, continuous upgradation in passenger
amenities is being carried out for future AC Double Decker trains like,
provision of fire and smoke detection system, RO (reverse osmosis) water plant,
provision of automatic vestibule doors etc.
ADVANCE RESERVATION PERIOD FOR BOOKING RESERVED TRAIN
TICKETS REDUCED TO 60 DAYS
The Ministry of Railways has decided that
the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for booking reserved train tickets has
been reduced from existing 120 days to 60 days (excluding the date of journey)
from tomorrow i.e. 1st May 2013. With effect from 01.05.2013, the
ARP is be of 60 days (excluding the day of journey) and booking is done
accordingly. However, all the bookings done upto 30.4.2013 under the ARP of 120
days remain intact. Cancellation of the booking made beyond the ARP of 60 days
is, however, be permitted. There is no change in the case of certain day time
express trains like Taj Express, Gomti Express etc. where lower time limits for
advance reservations are at present in force. There is also be no change in the
case of limit of 360 days for foreign tourists.
IMPROVED PASSENGER
RESERVATION SYSTEM (PRS) FACILITY
Passenger Reservation System
(PRS) facility has been commissioned at additional 35 locations since 01.06.13
to take the total number of PRS locations to 3139. Unreserved Ticketing System Vending Machines
(ATVMs) have been installed at different stations taking the total number ATVMs
installed over Indian Railways to 1029.
The 7th Mobile Ticketing Van (‘Mushkil Asaan’) has been
started at Solapur for taking the ticketing to the doorstep of the
customers. The other six mobile vans are
functioning at Delhi,
Anad, Vapi, Jaipur and two at Kolkata. In
its continuing efforts to enhance access to its popular e-ticket portal, Indian
Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a Public Sector
undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, has launched a new application (App)
for Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices so as to facilitate the users with a new channel of booking e-tickets
in addition to the existing portal. This new IRCTC-App, which has been launched
in collaboration with Microsoft, provides ANYTIME, ANYWHERE access to IRCTC
services.
PROVISION
FOR CARRYING ID PROOF DURING JOURNEY
In
continuation to instructions regarding carrying of any of the ten prescribed
proof of identity in original for undertaking journey in any reserved class,
attested photocopy of ration card with photograph and nationalized bank
passbook with photograph are to be accepted as a prescribed proof of identity
in case of reserved ticket booked through computerised Passenger Reservation
System (PRS) counters, for undertaking journey in sleeper (SL) and second
Reserve Sitting (2S) counter. The photocopy of ration card with photograph and
nationalized bank passbook with photograph are to be attested by a Gazetted
Officer or the Chief Reservation Supervision or Station Manager/Station Master.
In addition, with a view to facilitate Station Managers/Assistant managers to
concentrate better on train operations and also to facilitate passengers to get unreserved tickets, instructions have
been issued for appointment of Station Ticket Booking Sevaks (STBS) on
commission basis at ‘E’ category stations as a pilot project for one year.
Instructions have been issued for introduction of Tatkal scheme in reserved
classes of those passenger trains where average utilization during the previous
financial year has been more the 60 per cent.
RAILWAYS TO LAUNCH TICKET BOOKING THROUGH NON-INTERNET BASED MOBILE PHONES
With an aim to further facilitate the
passengers, Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a
Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, launched a pilot project
of ticketing through non-internet based mobile phones with effect from 1st
July 2013. This would enable people
using non-internet based mobile phones to easily access Railway ticketing
services through SMS/IVRS/USSD. The scheme is user-friendly, secure and also
eco-friendly, as no print out is required. The
objective was to tap the potential of mobile phone market in India and thereby facilitate the
common man, by providing him any-where any-time and hassle free booking option.
CENTRE FOR RAILWAY
INFORMATION SYSTEMS LAUNCHES NEW ENHANCED INTERFACE FOR TRAIN ENQUIRY
Centre for
Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the IT wing of Indian Railways, has
developed an enhanced new interface for the www.trainenquiry.comfor
dissemination of information to public. National Train Enquiry System (NTES)
developed by CRIS is the backend system which collects information about train
running on near real time basis and disseminates information through various
interfaces like nationwide unique number 139, Website (www.trainenquiry.com), face to face
enquiry, mobile interfaces etc. The new interface is accessible through www.trainenquiry.com or www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in.
The new interface for the website was
made public for past one week as field trial to get users’ feedback. The new interface, which offers quick and
easy access to essential information for passengers, has been largely
appreciated for its speed, simple interface and richness of information and
smooth user experience. This new interface has been launched with effect from 6th
September 2013.
FARE RAILWAYS UNDERTAKES
FUEL ADJUSTMENT COMPONENT (FAC) LINKED REVISION IN PASSENGER AND FREIGHT TARIFF
In the Railway Budget for 2013-14, the
proposal to implement Fuel Adjustment Component (FAC)-linked tariff revision,
bi-annually in sync with movement in fuel costs in either direction was
introduced. While the proposal was implemented in the case of freight tariffs w.e.f.
01.04.2013, passenger fares were kept out of the purview of FAC-linked revision
at that time, primarily on grounds that these had been revised upwards after a
hiatus of ten years only recently, i.e. w.e.f. 22nd Jan’2013. The
next review became due in October 2013 and the Ministry of Railways has decided
to revise passenger fare and freight tariffs linking it with Fuel Adjustment
Component (FAC). The revised
passenger fare became effective from the midnight of 6TH October and 7th October 2013 (i.e. 0000 hours of 7th October 2013). The revised freight
tariff became effective from the midnight of 9th October and 10th October 2013 (i.e. 0000 hours of 10th October 2013).
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INDIAN RAILWAYS UNDERTAKEN COMPREHENSIVE REVISION OF ITS REFUND
RULES
The Ministry of Railways has revised and amended Refund Rules in a
very comprehensive manner and notified them which have come into force with
effect from 1.7.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at
simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund
claims. This exercises became
necessary as Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of
fare) Rules, 1998 had not been substantially revised in the last 15 years
during which period a large number of changes took place in the ticketing
system of Indian Railways like proliferation of Computerised Passenger
Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS), introduction of Reservation through internet and development
of facilities like Integrated Train Enquiry System -- 139 (through which
ticket status can be obtained through SMS) etc.
RAIL TARIFF AUTHORITY
Indian Railways is now in the process of setting up the Rail Tariff
Authority (RTA). It is a big initiative in streamlining the tariff mechanism.
The objective of setting up this authority is to systematically address the
issue of rail tariff in a more rational way.
The exercise of setting it up will be completed shortly.
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RAILWAYS LAUNCHES TOLL FREE HELPLINE NUMBER FOR
CATERING RELATED COMPLAINTS
Indian Railways has set up a central monitoring cell
with the toll free number i.e. 1800-111-321 for the convenience of railway
users to register their complaints regarding railways’ catering services like food
quality, over charging etc., both at railway stations and in running trains.
This facility is available all seven days from 7 A.M. to 10 P.M. when during
this time generally the food is served to the passengers. As soon as the
complaint is registered, all possible actions will be taken on real time basis
to address that complaint.
MYSORE RAILWAY
STATION GETS TOURIST FRIENDLY RAILWAY STATION AWARD OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Mysore Railway Station of Mysore division of South Western Railway has
bagged the Tourist Friendly Railway Station Award which is part of the National
Tourism Awards for the year 2011-12, instituted by Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India. Mysore Railway Station is hailed as a heritage
marvel. The magnificently lined
Corinthian columns make this rail station
a landmark in the heritage city of Mysore. Designed by famed architect Shri D.V.
Narasimha Rao (1889-1975), the founder member of renowned engineering
institute, National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore and completed in early 1900, this
station stands testimony to the glorious past of Mysore State Railway. Visitors
are overwhelmed as they enter this nearly one hundred year old, partly
two-storied architectural splendor which now boasts of modern facilities and
amenities for the passengers.
Wi-Fi FACILITY ON HOWRAH RAJDHANI EXPRESS TRAIN LAUNCHED
The Wi-Fi- facility as a pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani Express
(train no. 12302), was launched in April 2013. To introduce internet access in
moving train was a technological challenge considering that the train passes
through all type of terrain and continuous internet access in all weather is to
be provided. After due deliberations on
various options for providing internet access, Indian Railways decided for
satellite communication link to the train and Wi-Fi connectivity to different
coaches. After successful technical trails, Indian Railways launched the pilot
project on Howrah Rajdhani express in both the directions simultaneously i.e.
12301/12302 at Howrah and New Delhi respectively. This facility has
been extended free of cost to the travelling passengers. The facility has been introduced for the
first time on Indian Railways through state-of-the-art Technology at a total
cost of Rs. 6.30 crore covering all the
three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express. The satellite communication link is
arranged through satellite hub facility, set up by Indian Railways.
RAILWAYS NOW RUNNING 1400 COACHES WITH BIO-TOILETS IN
VARIOUS TRAINS
In its commitment to provide
hygienic environment to passengers, Indian Railways continued with its most
ambitious programme of providing bio-toilets in more and more coaches and at
present is running 1400 coaches with 3800 bio-toilets in various trains. In the
first four months of the current year, Indian Railways have fitted more
bio-toilets on coaches than the entire number of bio-toilets fitted in the past
three years. In the first four months of the current financial year i.e. from
April’13 to July’13 the number of bio-toilets fitted in passenger coaches were
2285 in comparison to 1337 bio-toilets fitted in 2012-13, 169 in 2011-12 and 57
in the year 2010-11. The first train, Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express,
fitted with bio-toilets is running since January 2011. After receiving
encouraging feedback from the users and railway maintenance staff, the pace of
fitment of these bio-toilets in Indian Railways passenger coaches has been
ramped up. In its endeavour to take all necessary steps to keep station
premises clean, Indian Railways is now manufacturing all new conventional
passenger coaches fitted with bio-toilets.
RAILWAYS TO PROVIDE BRAILLE SIGNAGE
IN PASSENGER COACHES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PASSENGERS
As a part of its social commitment to make Railways more
passenger-friendly towards especially abled passengers, Indian Railways has
decided to provide Braille stickers in coaches to facilitate visually impaired
passengers. Presently coaches are
provided with signage, instructions, seat-numbers etc. which are mostly in the
form of vinyl stickers/metallic plates and have no Braille characters and can
not be read by visually impaired passengers.
Now it is planned to use stickers with metallic base with printed
characters embedded into it. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), a production unit of
the Indian Railways has developed the specification for integrated Braille
signages in coaches in consultations with Blind associations and input received
from Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO) and issued to
Railways.
THRUST ON SAFETY
RELATED ISSUES
Thrust on safety
related issues was given during the year, particularly to enhance safety at
level crossings, prevention of incidents of fire in trains and in pantry cars,
prevention of cases of Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) by loco pilots, etc.
During the current year from January to 15th December 2013, safety
drives were launched by Board on prevention of cases of SPAD, prevention of
accidents at unmanned level crossings, observance of rules and precautions
during shunting, prevention of cases of fire in pantry cars, observance of
rules for working of push trolleys, etc. One conference of Chief Safety
Officers was organized for detailed discussions on various issues relating to
safety and rules for train operations. Decisions taken during this conference
were circulated for compliance. High Level Safety Review Committee (HLSRC)
submitted its report on 17.02.2012. The
HLSRC has made 106 recommendations covering the various aspects of Indian
Railways. The report of the committee was circulated to various Directorates
for comments. The comments of various Directorates have since been compiled and
sent to Board Members for discussion during Board Meeting. Loss of human life
in train accidents excluding UMLC accidents during April to 15th
December 2013, has decreased from 75 to 12 in comparison to the corresponding
period of previous year.
FINAL REPORT OF HIGH POWER
COMMITTEE (RUNNING & SAFETY) PRESENTED TO CHAIRMAN, RAILWAYS BOARD
The High Power Committee (Running & Safety)
headed by Shri D.P.Tripathi, former Secretary to the Government of India,
Ministry of Food Processing has submitted its final report to Shri Arunendra
Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board. Other three Members of the Committee which was
constituted by the Ministry of Railways were Shri V.K.Manglik, former General
Manager, West Central Railway, Shri Amar Nath, former General Manager,
Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and Shri M. S. Khan, former Additional
Member/Budget, Railway Board. The Committee was constituted to look into
pending demands of Labour Federation regarding working hours of Running Staff
(Guards and Drivers) and review of Safety Categories staff over Indian
Railways. The Committee conducted wide ranging consultation with Railway
Administrations, Federations and staff all over Indian Railways and prepared a
comprehensive report as per terms of reference. The Report is presently under
consideration and examination of the Railway Board.
STEPS TAKEN TO ENHANCE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN
In order to enhance the safety and security of women under the Nirbhay
Fund Scheme set up the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Railways has also
proposed a pilot scheme of setting up an SOS alert system in trains in select
zones. The railway helpline system will
have the features like: (i) The facility will cover all the service providers
from all the telecom circles of mobile and landline networks, (ii) Call
recording i.e. recording of the conversations between passengers and Call
Centre Agents, (iii) Upgradability/Compatibility for SMS service and (iv) To
start with, the proposed call centre will support English and Hindi as
languages of communication. However the
system is flexible to be upgraded to a distributed mode wherein calls from a
centralized call centre can be transferred to regional call centres. On October 25, 2013, the work was
awarded to CRIS (Centre for Railway Information systems) with a completion
period of 13 months for conducting pilot projects at Central Railway and
Western Railway.
TRAIN PROTECTION WARNING
SYSTEM & TRAIN COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM
TPWS is a safety system based on
international Safety Standards and conforming to European Train Control System
(ETCS) Level-1. It eliminates the
accidents caused by human error like Signal Passing at Danger and over
speeding. TPWS system has been introduced in commercial service on one AC rake
on Dum Dum- Kavi Shubhash section of Kolkata Metro (25 RKMs) on 26.10.13 with
SIL4 certification. Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an Automatic
Train Protection System developed indigenously by RDSO in association with
Indian Vendors. This system is aimed at
providing dual capability of preventing train accidents caused due to Signal
Passing at Danger (SPAD) or non observance of speed restrictions by train
drivers as well as preventing train collisions caused due to non-observance of
rules in case of manual operations. RDSO has finalized the Specification for
the first phase i.e. suitable for Absolute Block System through the process of
Expression of Interest wherein six Indian vendors were shortlisted. Based on
the successful demonstration of proof of concept trials of the technology in
October 2012, extended field trials with multi-vendor, interoperability
features have been planned by RDSO on 250 km section on SCR. Accordingly, a work
costing Rs. 29 Cr. has been sanctioned and has been awarded to three indigenous
firms. Extended field trials were conducted by RDSO in Tandur to Kurugunta
section in Secunderabad division of South Central Railway during August /
September 2013. Next round of extended
field trials is planned in December 2013. Operational deployment of TCAS
on Railways will be considered after successful extended field trials which are
expected to be completed by September 2014.
MODERN SIGNALLING SYSTEM
To increase efficiency and
enhance Safety in train operations, modern Signalling system with Route Relay
Interlocking (RRI)/ Panel Interlocking (PI)/ Electronic Interlocking (EI) along
with Multi Aspect Colour Light Signalling (MACLS) in replacement of Over-aged Mechanical/Multi Cabin Signalling
system has been provided at 214
stations. Route Relay Interlocking
commissioned during the period at 12 major Stations. In addition, Electronic Interlocking has been commissioned at 90
Stations and Panel Interlocking has been commissioned at 112 Stations during the period. Cross
Approval for Electronic Interlocking of M/s Kyosan, Japan
has been accorded by RDSO in Octber 2013 in endeavour to develop more vendors.
To increase line capacity and reduce headway, Automatic Block Signalling has
been commissioned on 160 Route Kms.
To increase line capacity, by splitting longer block sections, Intermediate
Block Signalling (IBS) has been provided in 30 block sections. To improve reliability and visibility of
signals, incandescent filament signal
lamps are being replaced by long life, highly durable LED signals. 467 stations have been provided with
LED signals, covering 18500 aspects.
TRAIN MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
TMS on suburban section of
Central Railway in Mumbai from Mumbai CST to Kalyan extending over 54 km and
covering 26 stations has been made operational in November, 2013. TMS system
gives assistance to Controllers in planning train movements in a better way,
especially in case of train disruption due to unusual occurrences, through live
monitoring of train running. With direct operation from TMS system on ‘Online’
basis, display of Expected Arrival in Minutes (EAIM) of next train and
Automatic train announcement at Station entrance, platforms and FOBs helps
commuters in getting right information about train running. TMS has also been
integrated with Integrated Coaching Management System (ICMS) which has
facilitated dissemination of real time suburban train information to the
commuters.
INTRODUCTION OF FUEL EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR DIESEL
ENGINES
Yet another milestone in introduction of fuel efficient technologies
for diesel engines has been achieved with Indian Railways manufacturing the
first multi-genset locomotive in India. Indian Railways have
undertaken development of prototype multi-genset locomotives in the medium
horse power range with 3 gensets of 800 Horsed Power (HP) each amounting to a
gross HP of 2400. The trial of first multi-genset locomotive is already
undergoing as a pilot project at Itarsi of Bhopal Division in West Central
Railway. Multiple small engines work only when there is power demand; i.e. for
higher power demand all the 3 engines work and the lower power demand may be
met by a single engine. These locos promise to
reduce the fuel consumption by about 20 per cent for delivering the
same power. As a result the resultant NOx emissions will be far less and these
locos will have a smaller carbon footprint
PUBLIC –PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
is an important tool for mobilizing resources in the development of Railway
infrastructure projects. The Ministry of Railways has given in principle
approval for PPP projects of Rail connectivity to the ports of Jaigarh (Maharashtra), Ashtaranga (Odisha), Rewas and Hazira and
Dharma port. Indian Railways has initiated a request for qualification (RFQ)
for a high-power electric locomotive factory at Madhepura and a high-power
diesel locomotive factory at Marhowrah, which are both PPP joint ventures. RFQ
bids have been opened and evaluation of qualification is underway. The PPP
model is being adopted in re-development of railway stations.
FOUNDATION
FOR NEW MEMU COACH FACTORY LED LAID AT BHILWARA
The
foundation stone was laid on 22nd September 2013 for setting up Mainline
Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) Coach Factory near Rupaheli Station, Bhilwara
District, Rajasthan. MEMU Coach Factory
has been approved in the Rail Budget 2013-14 at an estimated cost of Rs. 800
crore. This factory is a joint effort of Indian Railways, Government of
Rajasthan and BHEL. MOU between Ministry of Railways and BHEL was signed for
setting up for this factory on 25.02.2013. MOU between Ministry of Railways and
Government of Rajasthan for providing 518 acres of land free of cost for
setting up for this factory was signed on 21.09.2013. Once operational, this
factory will meet the demand of MEMU Coaches on Indian Railways to a large
extent. Besides, it will generate direct and indirect employment & give
thrust to area development. With establishment of the factory Bhilwara will now
have a new identity that of MEMU Coach Factory, besides being a textile city.
FOUNDATION
LAID FOR FORGED WHEEL PLANT AT RAEBARELI
Foundation
stone has been laid in October 2013 for setting up of a Forged Wheel Plant at Raebareli, Uttar
Pradesh. This factory is a joint efforts Indian Railways and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - RINL (a PSU of Ministry of
Steel).
PERFORMANCE OF ELECTRIFICATION
Eighteen mobile charging points
in each cabin and side berth instead of existing two mobile charging points
near toilet area are being provided in sleeper class coaches since July 2013
art ICF. GPS based LCD passenger information system has been provided on trial
basis in Kalka Shatabdi Express. Such system shall be progressively provided in
main line coaches. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has produced 183
electric locomotives including 92 high horse power three phase electric
locomotives during 2013-14 against 166 locos last year. This is the highest
ever production of locomotive ex CLW for this period. Out of 92 three phase
locomotives, 44 were fitted with ‘state-of-the-art’ IGBT propulsion equipment. First high horse power three phase locomotive
fitted with completely indigenously developed three phase propulsion system has
been turned out by CLW in Nov’2013. Provision of vigilance Control Device on
100% electric locomotives completed. Railways engaged M/s C-Quest for replacing
1.4 million incandescent lamps with energy efficient CFLs in the Railways
Residential Quarters under CDM CFL project. The CFLs were supplied free of cost
to the Railways by M/s C-Quest. Total 20,509 nos (Eastern Region), 20,551
(Southern & North Eastern Region) and 44,624 (Western Region) of Certified
Emission Reduction (CER) were issued by UNFCCC between June 2013 and December
2013 in favour of the project out of which 3% of the CERs would be transferred
in favour of the Ministry of Railways. Railways
Energy Management Company (REMC), a newly formed Joint Venture of RITES and Indian
Railways, became functional. The Company has planned to establish 25 MW wind
mill plant besides taking other initiatives for getting electricity at economic
tariff through power trading, bilateral arrangements etc. Capacity addition of
7.8 MW of solar power with about 40% subsidy from MNRE has been planned at 200
Railway Stations, roof top of 26 buildings and at 2000 Level Crossing gates.
INDIAN RAILWAYS BAGS HIGHEST EVER 22 NATIONAL ENERGY
CONSERVATION AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2013
The President Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave away National Energy
Conservation Awards-2013 at a function in New
Delhi today. Indian Railways bagged 22 National Energy
Conservation awards out of total awards of 112 during 2013 from 829 applicants
which is the highest by any organisation. Ministry of Power has instituted
“National Energy Conservation Award” which is given on “National Energy
Conservation Day” on 14th December every year. The respective
General Mangers of different Railway organisations received the awards along
with other recipients. Awards are given to 54 category (like different
industries-cement/steel sugar etc, power plant, Railways, Railway Stations,
Railway Workshops, hospitals, office buildings, other general categories)
mainly on the basis of improvement in specific energy & Energy Conservation
initiatives. Achieving such a stupendous feet at national level by Indian
Railways has been possible.
IMPLEMENTATION OF RAILWAY PROJECTS
FOR COAL CONNECTIVITY
Ministry of Railways in consultation with Ministry of Power and
Ministry of Coal has jointly identified 30 coal connectivity projects for swift
evacuation and transportation of coal during 12th Five Year Plan
period and beyond. Railways are holding
regular meetings at the highest level to monitor the progress of coal
connectivity projects so that the roadblocks are removed expeditiously and the
projects are completed in a time bound manner. Prime Minister’s Office has
constituted the Inter Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Chairman,
Railway Board with Secretary, /Ministry of Coal, Secretary,/Ministry of Power and
Secretary,/Ministry of Environment & Forest as members. Concerned Railway
officers along with senior officers of CIL, CCL, RITES, MCL, SECL and IRCON are
regularly in touch with each other for implementing the projects..
INDIAN RAILWAYS TAKE GLOBAL
LEAD IN DEVELOPING COMMON RAIL ELECTRONIC DIRECT FUEL INJECTION
In order to alleviate the effect
of rising fuel prices and increasing pollution from transport sector, Research
Development Standard Organisation (RDSO), the research wing of Indian Railways
is in the process of developing a highly fuel efficient, Common Rail Electronic
Direct Fuel Injection (CReDI) system for its fleet of diesel locomotives. On
diesel locomotives, however, this technology is beginning to be implemented
world over recently. Indian Railways has taken a global lead in starting
development of the CReDI for its fleet of diesel locomotives. For this purpose,
an Indian manufacturer has established a joint venture with a reputed firm from
Switzerland
for design and development of the system under overall supervision of RDSO.
Final testing of the system will be done at the large bore engine laboratory of
RDSO. Fuel savings in the range of 3 to 4 per cent and emissions reductions by
about 20-30% are expected. Once the systems are implemented on the complete
fleet of locomotives, savings will be about Rs. 500-600 crore annually.
RCF, KAPURTHALA RECEIVES
PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE
Rail Coach Factory (RCF),
Kapurthala, a production unit under the Ministry of India received ‘Par
Excellence Award’ from Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI), in Chennai on 14th
September 2013. RCF acquired this award for successfully implementing modern
quality tools such as ‘5S’, Kaizen and Quality Circles and achieving the better
house-keeping and work-place management etc. By implementing ‘5S’ work place
management system, RCF improved manufacturing of coaches from 1568 coaches in the year 2009-10 to 1680 coaches
in 2012-13. The generation of scrap increased from 4868 metric tonnes in the
year 2009-10 to 6291 metric tonnes in the year 2012-13as part of the cleaning
up process and generated additional revenue. The number of minor incidents
involving safety at work-place also reduced from 34 in 2009-10 to 21 in the
year 2012-12.
INDIAN
RAILWAYS SWITCHES OVER TO 100% E-AUCTION FOR SCRAP DISPOSAL
In yet another
move aimed at transparency for the benefit of bidders, Indian Railways have
switched over to 100% e-auction for disposal of scrap eliminating need for
physical presence/physical bidding by purchasers. Indian Railways disposes
scrap worth Rs.3500 crore every year.
Till recently, scrap disposal by Indian Railways was being carried out
through public auctions requiring physical presence of purchasers for bidding.
This e-auction system has been developed in house by the Ministry of
Railways. In this auction system,
electronic bidding system has been designed to enable participation in auction
through internet using digital certificate (DSC) for security. No physical presence of purchaser is required
for biding. Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi will be shining in the glory of
‘Golden Jubilee’ year when it will be completing 50 years of its production
service next year i.e 2014 since its inception in 1964.
INDIAN RAILWAYS INSTALL NEW TECHNIQUE TO DETECT FAULTS
IN COACHES, WAGONS & LOCOS WHILE ON RUN
In its continuous endeavour to enhance safety in Railway operations,
the Indian Railways is now adopting first ever unique modern technology for
maintenance of its passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives. The new
maintenance technique which uses acoustic method of diagnostics is known as
Acoustic Bearing Detectors (ABD) & Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD). When used in combination together they are known
as Online Monitoring of Rolling Stock (OMRS) systems. This technique involves
placing arrays of microphones and sensors that record the audible noise and
forces generated by the running coaches, wagons and locomotives. Conventional
method to maintain passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives is to physically
examine when these are in stationary condition at the maintenance depots. Under
the new technique, the faults in the Rolling stock can be detected while on run
which is a big advantage as it will make maintenance faster reducing turn
around time for Rolling stocks thereby ensuring availability of high number of
wagons/coaches etc. for operation.
FDI IN RAILWAY SECTOR
A proposal for seeking Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and private
investment in infrastructure projects of Indian Railways is underway for which
the Ministry of Commerce has been approached to make suitable changes in the
existing norms.
PROGRESS
ON THE DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR
Indian Railways’ ambitious project of ‘Dedicated Freight Corridor’
(DFC) continued its implementation momentum during this year. There has been progress on both the corridors
namely 1499 km long Western DFC from Jawahar Lal Nehru Port
(JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri/Tughlakabad (Near Delhi) and 1839 km long Eastern
DFC from Ludhiana (Punjab)
to Dankuni (Near Kolkata). 94 percent of
land acquisition work has been completed till November 2013.
The process for Project Management Consultancy (PMC) Services Contract for the second
phase of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project from New Bhaupur to
Mughalsarai (402 kms.) has been set in motion and 16 international companies in
joint venture with leading Indian companies have submitted application while
participating in Expression Of Interest (EOI) in November 2013. The
Project Management Consultant will assist DFCCIL
for review of preliminary, definitive design, Contract
Management , Construction Supervision, review of contractors’ documents, review
of Quality Assurance Plan, Contractor Safety Plan, Environmental Management
Plan, RAM Plan and assist in coordination with different agencies, management
of interface, co-ordination with utility authorities etc. with Services respect
to Civil, Structures, Track Works
for Bhaupur–Khurja Section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
In case of Western
Corridor, Civil works in Rewari-Iqbalgarh for length 625
Rkms, have commenced from 30.08.2013. The action on various other sections of
Western Corridor is also at differently stages of execution.
FIRST EVER DUAL CAB FREIGHT DIESEL
LOCOMOTIVE ‘VIJAY’ FLAGGED OFF
The first ever Dual Cab 4500 HP Freight Diesel locomotive, ‘Vijay’
flagged off from Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, a production unit of
Indian Railways, on 6th November 2013. Keeping in mind the requirement of Zonal
Railways, DLW has also delivered in the area of technology upgradation and
designing of new variants of locomotives. Be it Dual cab passenger locomotive
WDP4D, Hotel load locomotive, 5500 Horse power locomotive WDG5 and now the
first ever Dual cab diesel freight locomotive WDG4D, DLW has always lived-up to
it's promise. The very fact that the design of WDG4D is a completely indigenous
effort of DLW and RDSO.
7TH MEETING OF RAILWAYS OF SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIAN
COUNTRIES HELD IN NEW DELHI
The 7th Meeting of Railways of South and South East Asian
Countries was held in New Delhi
in the month of March 2013. The annual
meetings of railways of South and South East Asian Countries provid an
effective forum for sharing experiences and for launching important cooperative
initiatives in the rail sector. These
meetings have been held in various countries including Myanmar, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Vietnam and India. This 7th meeting deliberated on
major issues confronting the railways of the region and suggested solutions
taking cognizance of the environmental challenges, change in the role of the
state in financing of infrastructure, emergence of end-to-end logistics, etc.
RAILWAY FORMULATES AUTOMOBILE FREIGHT TRAIN OPERATOR
SCHEME 2013
The Ministry of Railways has formulated a policy on Automobile Freight
Train Operator (AFTO) Scheme 2013 which supersedes earlier AFTO Scheme of 2010.
This Policy aims at increasing Indian Railways’ modal share in transportation
of automobile traffic which is presently very meager. In addition, this policy
provides an opportunity to logistics service providers and road transporters to
invest in wagons and use advantage of rail transport to tie up with end users
and market train services to create a win-win situation for railways and
themselves. AFTO can either operate their trains between private terminals
equipped to handle the traffic for which AFTO must have a tie up with such
private terminals or use its own terminal/sidings for handling of such traffic
or move from any rail terminal to any rail terminal on Indian Railways provided
suitable handling facility is available and subject to payment of Terminal
Access Charges as prescribed by Indian Railways from time to time.
INDIAN RAILWAYS SUCCESSFULLY TACKLED TRAIN OPERATIONS
DURING ‘PHALIN’ CYCLONE CRISIS
The Indian
Railways geared up its entire machinery in a big way in the most efficient and
prompt way to ensure and manage smooth
and safe railway operations in the areas affected by the recent cyclonic storm
‘‘PHAILIN” which hit the east coast of the country. Senior officials of Railway Board were
always there to give suitable guidance and directions to the Railway
administration for taking all precautionary measures to ensure safety and
convenience of passengers. The affected
Railway Zones namely, East Coast Railway
(Headquarters Bhubneshar), South Central
Railway (Headquarters Secunderabad), South Eastern Railway (Headquarters
–Kolkata) activated emergency control rooms at zone level as well as at
division level to handle the challenge effectively, General Managers of these
zones personally monitored and
supervised all arrangements. The
meticulous planning, emergency plan of action and constant review and
monitoring of the developing situation were the hallmarks of these
arrangements. Crisis Management Groups
were formed and all protocols of disaster management were implemented. Regular flow of information to public,
additional enquiry counters, additional refund counters, emergency medical
facilities, facilities of food and water were among the steps taken for the
convenience of the passengers. The Public Relations Departments of the affected
zone worked almost round the clock to disseminate information through media
which too was taken on board for this crisis.
INDIAN RAILWAYS MADE EFFORTS IN A BIG
WAY FOR THE EVACUATION OF PASSENGERS STRANDED IN UTTRAKHAND
In the wake of huge tragedy caused due to massive floods in the
Uttrakhand hills, Indian Railways made elaborate arrangements for the
evacuation of passengers stranded in that tragedy. Railway Board gave
directions for the best possible Railway arrangements. Northern Railway and its
Muradabad Division were fully geared up for making appropriate arrangements
(Uttarakhand falls mostly under Muradabad Railway Division of Northern
Railway). Such passengers who were
stranded in the flood affected area of Uttarakhand were allowed to travel by
the special trains from Haridwar and Dehradun free of charge. Additional coaches were also arranged for being attached to the regular
trains to accommodate the flood affected passengers to proceed for their
destinations. The officers camped at Rishikesh, Dehradun & Haridwar
stations and liaisoning/ coordinating with Authorities of State Govt. and
ensured roper dispersal of passengers and also arranged availability of
passenger conveniences at these stations.
COMPREHENSIVE PREPARATIONS UNDERTAKEN FOR PILGRIMS OF
KUMBH MELA - 2013
The Indian Railways made elaborate and varied arrangements and
undertaken several measures to provide adequate facilities for several lakhs of
pilgrims who visited the Kumbh Mela which held at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, in the month of
January 2013. Zonal Railways, especially North Central Railway (Headquarters: Allahabad), North Eastern Railway (Headquarters: Gorakhpur) and Northern Railway (Headquarters: Delhi) geared up their
respective machineries in a big way to ensure maximum facilities and comfort
for the huge travelling public in connection with the Kumbh Mela. The special
focus was given in creating facilities in and around Allahabad. The measures and facilities
undertaken by the Railway administration included additional ticketing,
booking, enquiry counters, new Foot Over Bridges, escalators, new washable
aprons, several special trains, extra coaches in popular trains, revamping of platforms
and waiting halls, new enclosures with water taps and toilets, additional
deployment of security, CCTV monitoring, medical facilities, deployment of
additional staff, effective mechanism for crowd management and officers’
committees for monitoring and supervision.
PROGRESS IN FILLING UP OF
VACANCIES
During the period January –
October, 2013, RRBs have given Panels for about 33,225 Group ‘C’ candidates and it is expected to
touch 35,000 by the year end. For Group ‘D’ posts, during 2012-2013 a panel of
69220 have been made available to zonal railways against the vacancies notified
in December, 2010/January, 2011 for posts in Pay Band-1 (Grade Pay: 
1800)
and a panel of 36884 has been supplied against the vacancies notified during
2006-2008 for erstwhile Group ‘D’ posts .
Apart from a above, notifications for 40330 vacancies from open market
in Pay Band-1 (Grade Pay: 1800)
have been notified in July, 2012 and written test for which is underway. Also,
11780 vacancies have been notified in Pay Band-1 (Grade Pay: 1800) to
be exclusively filled from amongst Ex-servicemen against 20% Quota earmarked
for them. Further notifications have
been issued for around 43,000 vacancies that would accrue for the calendar year
2014, which do not include the vacancies of Northern Railway, North Western
Railway, South East Central Railway, Western Railway and West Central Railway
for which notification will be issued later on. In addition, under the Training,
Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) and Special Promotion Drive (SPD), 29608
backlog vacancies of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward
Classes were identified as on 01.11.08.
As a result of such drive for filling up of the backlog vacancies of
SCs, STs and OBCs, 28432 (96%) vacancies have been cleared till
30.09.2013. Only marginal backlog
vacancies i.e. 1176 (4%) are left unfilled which would be filled up gradually
in due course.
BETTER HEALTH SCHEME FOR EMPLOYEES
Ministry of Railways has approved a cashless scheme for Retired
Employees Liberalized Health Scheme (RELHS) beneficiaries to take treatment in
Recognized Private Hospitals in emergencies.
Further, it has also been announced by the Railway Minister in Railway
Budge et2013-14 that cashless facility in emergency to the RELHS beneficiaries
will also be available in all CGHS & railway empanelled private hospitals
in all cities where such empanelment has been done. A committee has been constituted in railway
Board to formulate the procedure for implementation of the scheme. To overcome
the shortage of doctors in Railways, a scheme for engagement of retired Railway
doctors on contract basis (CMPs) for a period of two years subject to a maximum
age of 65 years has been initiated.
Further, subject to certain conditions, the CMPs engaged can continue
upto a period of 8 years instead of 7 years period as stipulated earlier.
APPOINTMENT OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS
The year 2013 saw the appointment of new Board members which include Chairman,
Railway Board, Member Traffic, Members Mechanical, Member Engineering, Member
Staff, Financial Commissioner and a large number of top level posts in Railways
like General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers.
78 DAY’S WAGES AS PRODUCTIVITY LINKED BONUS FOR THE
YEAR 2012-13 FOR RAILWAY EMPLOYEES
Productivity Linked Bonus
(PLB) equivalent to 78 days' wages for the financial year 2012-13 was given to
all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees. The financial implication of
payment of 78 days' PLB to Railway employees has been estimated to be
Rs.1043.43 crore. The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB to
the eligible non-gazetted railway employees is Rs. 3500/- per month. About 12.37 lakh
non-gazetted Railway employees all over the country are likely to benefit. Payment of PLB to
eligible railway employees is made each year before the Dusshera/Puja holidays.
COMMEMORATION OF 160 YEARS OF INDIAN
RAILWAYS
This year, the Indian Railways has entered the 160th year of
its existence. An exhibition showcasing the selected photographs from the
archives of Indian Railways, was organised to commemorate the 160 years of
Indian Railways. Under this exhibition, it has been depicted that Indian
Railways formed the nation that is India today and it cannot be
separated from its social fabric. Indian
Railways has grown with India
and has not only bequeathed the country its vast architectural heritage in the
form of station buildings and other structures but is also the pivot of the
nation’s economy today. It is inconceivable to imagine an India without its railways. The railways in their own powerful way have
paved the way for the growth of the nation and thus are a lasting symbol of India’s
unity
RAILWAY SPORTS PERSON DEVENDER JHAJHRIA HONOURED WITH
A CASH PRIZE OF RS. 5 LAKH FOR WINNING GOLD MEDAL IN WORLD PARA ATHENS CHAMPIONSHIP
A check of Rs. 5
lakh presented to Railway sportsperson (Para Athlete) Devender Jhajhria for
winning Gold Medal with New Championship Record in Javelin Throw event in World
Para Athens Championship held at Lyon,
France from 15th
to 30th July 2013. He also won four more Gold medals in his career,
namely Gold Medal in the 8th Fespic Asian Para Games held at Bussan
in Javelin Throw event in the year 2002; Gold Medal (with World Record) in
British Open Para Athletics Championship in Javelin throw event in the year
2003; Gold Medal (with World
Record) in Javelin Throw event in
Athens Para Olympic Game held at Greece in the year 2004 and Gold Medal in the
9th Fespic Asian Para Games held at Kualampur in Javelin Throw event
in the year 2006. He is also recipient of Arjuna Award for the year 2004 and
Padamshree Award for the year 2012.
HISTORIC BRONZE MEDAL FOR INDIAN WRESTLER BELONGING TO
INDIAN RAILWAYS
Shri Sandeep Tulsi Yadav, Wrestler of Western Railway who represented
India at the Senior World Wrestling Championship (Free Style/Greco Roman Style)
held at Budapest (Hungary) from 16th to 22nd September
2013 created the history by winning Bronze Medal in 66 Kg. Weight Category.
This is the first occasion in the history of Indian wrestling when an Indian
wrestler won medal in Greco Roman Style in Senior World Wrestling Championship.
Wrestlers from 39 countries had participated in Roman Style 66 KG Category.
Shri Chander Vijay Singh of North Eastern Railway was the coach of Indian Greco
Roman Style team in the said championship.
AKS/HK/BS/DK