A)Railway pointsman saves child who fell on tracks in Mumbai
A child had fallen on the tracks at Vangani station in Mumbai Division of central railway. The child was moving on the platform with his mother. The mother was blind. Child suddenly fell on the tracks and a train was coming on the same track.
A pointsman named Shri Mayur Shelke posted at the station saved the child in a heroic manner. The video clipping of the incident was recorded in CCTV footage of the station. The brave Railway Employee was appluaded on social media.
Shri Piyush Goyal praised the efforts of the railway employee and awarded him with 50,000Rs awards.
B)Railways deploy 2,670 Covid Care beds at 9 railway stations
Indian Railways developed Covid care beds in Railways coaches at 9 railway stations of the country. The various states which are beneficiary are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
Covid Coach at Nagpur
inside coach
In Maharastra, The Covid coaches have been developed at Nagpur and Nandurbar stations, Delhi- Sakurbasti and Anand Vihar Terminal, Uttar Pradesh- Faizabad, Bhadohi, Bareli, Nazibad and Madhya Pradesh- Bhopal etc.
C) Indian Railways receives 100th electric locomotive from Alstom
As already partnered with Indian Railways, The world Transport leader M/s Alstom is supplying high powered locomotives to Indian Railways.
With the capacity to transport 6,000 tonnes at a speed of 120 km/hr, these locomotives will be deployed to provide freight services.
This project is said to be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in the Indian Railway industry.
In May last year, the first Prima T8TM WAG-12B locomotive commenced commercial services.
These locomotives have been introduced on key freight routes, including Dedicated Freight Corridors.
D) The vacant post of Members at Railway Board filled
Sanjay K Mohanty appointed as Member( Operations and Business development) He is an IRTS officer of 1984 batch. Prior to joining, he was working as GM/SER
Sanjeev Mittal appointed as Member/Infra. He was working as GM/central railway prior to joining as member.
E) JSPL and SAIL are the only two players to supply Rails
Indian Railways receives the rails from two major players, SAIL(Steel Authority of India Limited) and JSPL( Jindal Steel and Power Limited). The SAIL plants at Bhillai and Raigarh produce rails for Indian Railways. JSPL has recently been approved as a vendor to supply Rails to Indian Railways.
F) Aizawl to be in railway map in next two years
The capital city of North Estern state of Mozoram I.e Aizwal will be connected through Rail network by 2023. The construction of 51.38km stretch between Sairang and Bairabi on the Mizoram-Assam border is in full swing. Sairang is 20Km from the capital city Aizwal.
89.55 percent of earthwork, 37 percent of major bridges, and about 73.26 percent of minor bridges have been completed. There are 32 tunnels (12.67 km total length), 16 cut and cover tunnels (2.58 km total length) along the 51.38 km long stretch of the broad gauge railway line. Apart from Bairabi, the railway line will pass through four stations – Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.
India’s first centralized AC terminal has been commissioned at Bengaluru station. The new AC terminal has been named as M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru (Byappanahal Terminal).
The new terminal will provide airport like experience to passengers along with many facilities. It will be made operational soon.
Bengaluru AC terminal Amenities 1.The centralised AC terminal has been built at a cost of Rs 314 crore.
2. The terminal is spread over an area of 4200Sq m and the capacity to cater to about 50000 passengers per day.
3. The terminal will have upper class waiting hall, VIP lounges, escalators etc.
4. The terminal has also built a high-tech parking facility and can house around 300 cars and 900 two wheelers.
B) Latest Push-Pull Locos in Mumbai Rajdhani Ex. Boon for passengers
The Rajdhani express In Mumbai-Delhi and Mumbai-Kolkata routes have been provided with latest push-pull haul locomotives.
This is to reduce the journey time of passengers on major routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata by 60 to 90 minutes.
The push-pull technology has numerous advantages as the increase in safety, reduction in travel time, jerk-free travel, reduction in fuel cost etc.
C) India to export Locomotives to Mozambique
Indian Railways will export six 3000 HP Cape Gauge locomotives to Mozambique.
The 3000 HP AC-AC traction cape gauge diesel locomotive is designed and developed by Indian Railways’ Banaras Locomotive Works in a record time of 14 months.
The 3000 HP Cape Gauge locomotive has been manufactured under the Modi government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
D) India will export coaches to Sri Lanka
Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) will supply 160 coaches to Sri-Lanka Railways as a part of the India-Sri Lanka cooperation. Already 10 coaches were delivered to Sri Lankan Railways.
E) CLW creates history, produced 350th loco in 248 working days despite Covid
Indian Railways’ Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) in West Bengal has achieved landmark production performance with rolling out of its 350th locomotive of the financial year 2020-21.
The 350th locomotive of fiscal 2020-21 was rolled by CLW on 11 March 2021.
Despite the pandemic crisis, this feat has been achieved in just 248 working days, This is the best ever production by CLW till now.
F) Arunachal Pradesh to urge Indian Railways to fast-track broad gauge project
A new broad gauge line is being constructed from Murkonseleg in the state of Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal CM Shri Pema Khandu has requested the Railway Ministry to fast track the project.
The railway project was stalled due to Land compensation issues for which CM has ordered an enquiry.
G) First Electric Locomotive run in Assam
Rail Vikas Nigam Limited(RVNL) which conducted the trial run wrote on Twitter,
” RVNL completed an electric loco trial between Bongaigaon-Sorupeta on 18.02.2021. This is the first electric traction in operation in Assam changing the dynamics of train operations in NE region with green energy, efficient and environment-friendly options.”
A) Big boost in West Bengal Railway Infra: Total electrification by 2023
Railway Minister announced that all Railway Lines in West Bengal will be electrified by 2023.
He unveiled the newly electrified Manigram-Nimtita section and a road underbridge at Manigram in the Azimganj-New Farakka section and five foot overbridges in various stations under the Bandel-Katwa-Azimganj section.
The minister also inaugurated two foot overbridges at Sujnipara and Basudebpur stations and flagged off a goods train on the newly electrified Manigram-Nimtita section.
In the last six years Rs 19,811 crore have been invested in Bengal to improve railway infrastructure.
The 34-km Manigram-Nimtita section of Eastern Railway has been electrified at a cost of Rs 52.05 crore to reduce carbon footprint and promote green energy. This is a part of the high utility network, “Sagar Purvodaya Sampark Line” from Howrah to Dibrugarh and will also help to switch over freight rakes destined for Sagardighi thermal power plant and the Sonar Bangla cement plant from diesel to electric traction.
B) Indian Railways get Budget booster
The budget 2021 brought cheers for Indian Railways. It got huge infra push of 2.15 lakh crore comprising of 1.07 lakh crore of gross budgetary support and remaining from internal sources.
The finance ministry has opened its purse strings wide, allocating a whopping Rs 40,932 crore for new lines, Rs 26,116 crore for doubling, Rs 5,263 crore for traffic facilities; Rs 7,122 crore for new ROBs/RUBs (road over-bridge and road under-bridge). Thus along with creation of new assets, there is extra push on safety as the existing level crossing gates are being eliminated.
The Indian Railways is taking efforts for simplification of Railway board and other officer cadres. The Railway board was down sized last year and Chairman was re-designated as Chairman cum CEO.
C) Indian Railways to soon connect Mizoram’s capital Aizawl with its network
Indian Railways plan to connect all the state capitals in the country’s north-eastern part received a boost after Budget 2021-22 allocated Rs.1, 000 crore for the Bairabi – Sairang project in Mizoram.
Northeast Frontier Railway(NFR) is executing the Bairabi – Sairang new railway line project in Mizoram. Railway Ministry plans to complete the project by March 2023.From Bhairabi there will be four stations namely, Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang in the project. From Sairang station the capital of Mizoram Aizawl is not far away.
Aizawal view from mountain
Background of Bairabi – Sairang project:
The Bairabi – Sairang new railway line project was sanctioned in the year 2008-09. The length of the entire project is 51.38 kms. The anticipated cost of the entire project is about Rs. 5521.45 crore.
Challenges of Bairabi – Sairang project:
There will be 55 major and 87 minor bridges in the entire project. The project will also have 5 Road Over Bridges(ROBs) and 6 Road Under Bridges(RUBs). The entire project will also involve the construction of several tunnels. A total of 12639.20 meters (approx) of tunnelling works will have to be done in this project. For the construction of the project, 487.47 Hectors (approx) of Land Acquisition and Earthwork of 347.89 Lakh Cum is being done. Transformation of North East by providing connectivity to all state capitals is the motive if the Government of India. The infra push taken by Indian Railways will go a long way in modernizing the North-Eastern states and their connectivity in the region.
D) Redevelopment of New Delhi railway station estimated at ₹5,000
Redevelopment of New Delhi railway station has been taken up on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and the cost of the project is estimated at the cost ₹5,000 crore, Minister for Railways Shri Piyush Goyal said.
The facilities proposed include congestion-free non-conflicting entry/exit to the station premises, segregation of arrival/departure of passengers, adequate concourse area without overcrowding, integration of both sides of the city, integration with other modes of transport systems e.g. Bus, Metro, etc., user-friendly international signage, well illuminated circulating area and sufficient provision for drop off, pick up & parking etc.
E) Indian Railways to vaccinate its frontline staff against COVID-19
Indian Railways has started preparations for getting its frontline employees vaccinated against COVID-19. The front line staff consists of Travel Ticket Examiners (TTE), Drivers, Railway Protection staffs(RPF), Guard, Ticket counter staffs, station masters etc.
The health of its staff is utmost priority for Indian Railways.
F) Aim to maintain higher speeds of freight trains in 2021: Railway Board head
Indian Railways was able to run freight trains, its major earning source at double the speed it used to run earlier. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a Rail Ministry, the average speed of a goods train stood at 23.6 kmph in 2019-2020 and rose to 42.9 kmph in 2020-2021. Speedier freight trains also resulted in more loading of goods.
Freight loading increased by 9 per cent in November 2020 and rose to 109.68 million tonnes, up from 100.96 million tonnes in November 2019. The loading will improve further in coming months.
According to the Rail Ministry, an additional 481 km of DFCCIL line will be commissioned by March 2021 taking the cumulative to stretch of DFCs to 1138 km (stood at 657 km in November 2020). This will improve the average speed of trains to 70Kmph.
G) Train to Nepal: Boost for railway connectivity with the Himalayan neighbour
India-Nepal railway connectivity gets a boost!
The 34.90 kilometre stretch from Jayanagar to Kurtha is a part of the 68.72 kilometre long Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas railway line project which has entirely been funded by the Indian Government. Under the project’s first phase, the rail line from Jayanagar in the district of Madhubani, Bihar will be connected to Kurtha in the neighbouring country, Nepal and will be extended up to Bijalpura by the month of March this year.
The Indian government has spent an amount of around Rs 550 crores for the rail line section up to Bijalpura which is further 17 km from Kurtha in Nepal. After Bijalpura, the new railway line will be developed till Bardibas after the Nepal Government hands over land for the railway project.
Jayanagar is 4 Km from the India-Nepal border. This route covers Janakpur, Nepal’s famous pilgrim centre which is located at a distance of 29 Kms from Jayanagar. This railway project is being undertaken by IRCON and so far, all rail engineering, as well as infrastructure works, are complete.
The trails on the project started with DEMU trains being brought from KRCL(Konkan Railway corporation limited)
H) Indian Railways’ longest freight train ‘Vasuki’ sets a new record.
Indian Railways’ South Eastern Central Railway(SECR) zone has created another record when it operated the longest freight train on the Indian Railways network.
“SECR Raipur division for the first time amalgamated five rakes of freight coaches from Bhilai D Cabin till Korba which falls under the Bilaspur division,” as per Railways.
The total length of the freight train was around 3.5 kilometers after joining the five rakes and it was named ‘Vasuki’. The distance between Bhilai to Korba is 224 kilometers and the long-haul freight train named ‘Vasuki’ covered the whole distance with five rakes of a freight train.
I) Ayodhya to get UP’s largest ‘pilgrimage’ railway station
Coinciding with the UP government’s ambitious project to develop Ayodhya as a big tourist destination, the Indian Railways is re-developing the holy town’s railway station to cater to one lakh passengers per day. The station will be developed in two phases. The first phase is expected to be completed by September and will include double-storied building, mela shed, circulating area, two foot overbridges, dormitory, sick rooms, escalators, elevator, food court, air-conditioned retiring room, LED billboards, furnished quarters of railway staff and other facilities. In the second phase, the Railways will develop a waiting and parking area for pilgrims in the southern part of station after acquiring land from the state government.
Since Ayodhya has double electrified rail track, the Indian Railways is further working to create a single circuit by collaborating Faizabad station, Acharya Narendra Dev Nagar station, Ayodhya station and Ramghat Halt station. Soon, the railway is likely to rename the Faizabad station as Ayodhya Cantt railway station for the circuit. The idea of creating one circuit is to handle a large fleet of trains coming from the southern and western part of India. Majority of pilgrims are expected to visit Ayodhya via train, although the city will also have a grand international airport close to the railway station.
A) Kevadiya, The Railway station to Statue of Unity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off eight trains connecting different regions of the country to Kevadiya, Gujarat on January 17. Kevadiya station is India’s first railway station with a Green Building Certification, said Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO). Kevadia is home to the Statue of Unity dedicated to Vallabhbhai Patel, in Gujarat.
B) Railway employee wins Army awards
In a rare felicitation of a civilian government servant, a Group ‘C’ employee of the Indian Railways — who was closely involved in managing operations in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in 2019 and the current India-China standoff — was awarded with the Chief of Army Staff Commendation on the Army Day.
Shri Amresh Kumar Chaoudhary is the in charge of Military control room which is known as Mil Rail.
C) Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line: Indian Railways starts train operations from Yog Nagari Rishikesh station
Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line project: The Rishikesh-Karnprayag broad gaugue line is beinmg constructed by RVNL. In this initiative, the railway station has been constructed at Yog Nagri Rishikesh. The Jammu-Tawi Express became the maiden train to arrive at the newly constructed railway station. For details about the rail line project, click here http://railwaya2z.com/railway-news-27th-june-to-4th-july-2020/
The broad gauge railway line, worth of Rs 16,216 crore is scheduled for completion by December 2024.
D) Hyundai takes railway route to ship 125 vehicle units to Nepal
Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has dispatched 125 cars to Nepal through Railway route. Indian Railways is trying hard to garner the lost goods traffic.
The first export consignment was flagged-off from the Walajabad Railway hub near the company’s Irungattukottai-based production facility outside Chennai, the auto major said in a statement.
The train will reach the India-Nepal border at Nautanwa near the border town of Sonauli, from where the last-mile delivery will be through the roadways owing to the topography of Nepal, it added.
The overall on-road movement time is expected to reduce from 8 days to 5 days, bringing the cars faster and more eco-friendly manner to the customers, the company said.
E) Indian Railways: From freight to super-freight (DFCCIL)
The 351-km-long New Bhaupur to New Khurja section of the eastern leg of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) was declared open by the Prime Minister. The average speed of the train has been kept at 70 kmph while currently it is 25 kmph.
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL), a special purpose vehicle was developed in October 2006. The project was approved for an estimated cost of Rs 28,181 crore.
Two corridors—1,504-km western corridor and 1,856-km eastern corridor—spanning 3,360 km were to be built, along existing track alignments so as to involve least amount of land acquisition, an onerous exercise that could bog down the project with its high cost and attendant problems. The proposed western corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai’s JNPT would pass through Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, while the eastern corridor (originating from Dankuni in West Bengal) is designed to pass through Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to terminate in Ludhiana (Punjab).
Design Features of DFCCIL
Dedicated Freight Corridors are proposed to adopt world class and state-of-the-art technology. Significant improvement is proposed to be made in the existing carrying capacity by modifying basic design features. The permanent way will be constructed with significantly higher design features that will enable it to withstand heavier loads at higher speeds. Simultaneously, in order to optimize productive use of the right of way, dimensions of the rolling stock is proposed to be enlarged. Both these improvements will allow longer and heavier trains to ply on the Dedicated Freight Corridors. 25 tn axle load wagons are expeceted to run on DFC. This will significantly increase throughput on IR.
The following tables provide comparative information of the existing standards on Indian Railways and the proposed standard for DFCC
Upgraded Dimensions Of DFC:
F) Bullet Train project: Indian Railways readies for project commission
According to Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board, the railways are waiting for the Maharashtra government to make the land for bullet train infrastructure available. The state government of Maharashtra has promised that they will ensure more than 80 per cent of the land is provided for laying bullet train tracks in the next four months.
So far, Indian Railways has acquired 23 per cent land in Maharashtra and 82 in Gujrat. It is to note that Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train is India’s first attempt to provide high speed rail corridors in the country. The work for the railway lines has started in Gujarat.
The post of earlier Chairman Railway board has been upgraded to Chairman and Chief Executive officer Railway Board by Government of India.
The earlier Chairman Shri V.K Yadav retired on 31st Dec 2020. He was already on an extended tenure after his formal retirement in Dec 2019.
Shri Suneet Sharma has now taken over as Chairman and CEO of Railway Board.
Suneet Sharma, Railway Board CEO & Chairman
He was working as General Manager of Eastern Railways before the new assignment. he is an officer of 1978 batch SCRA (Special Class Railway Apprentice). Shri Sharma has worked in various capacities of Indian Railways in his illustrious career.
He worked as General Manager of Modern Coach Factory Raebarely, Divisional Railway Manager Pune, Chief Mechanical Engineer Diesel Loco Works Varanasi, Additional Divisional Railway Manager Mumbai and many other senior level posts of Indian Railways. This vast experience of Railway systems will kick start a new growth of Indian Railways.
During 2006 train bombings, he was part of the squad managing the rescue operations and put the Railways operational within few hours of attack. In 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, he was part of the squad managing the CST station.
He is credited with completing long pending works, sectional speed enhancement works, simplification of the procedures, administrative reforms in railways. He is a hard task master and has been successful in leading from the front.
He has travelled to various countries extensively and has vision for the Indian Railways on world standards. Best wishes for him for leading Railways in the years to come and make this organization a glorious place to work.
The Indian Railways plan to double its freight earnings by 2024. For this, Railway Board has written to all General Managers to increase loading from existing 1200-1300MT to 2100MT by 2024. To achieve this target, Railway Board has listed various infrastructure works that are needed to be completed.
They include doubling of tracks on the 11,000 km high-density network (HDN) and 23,000-km highly utilised network (HUN), and tripling and quadrupling of 3,000 route km on the high-density network.
Upgrade of the speeding on the Golden Quadrilateral to 130 kmph by December next year, and the entire HDN and HUN by 2024, upgrade of the speed of New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Kolkata freight trains to 160 kmph by 2024, identifying all signifying work by March 2024, commissioning the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors by June 2022, and completing at least 146 railway electrification projects by December 2024 are among the other steps.
B) Railways merger plan — new officers could come via a common exam, Old to remain in their own departments.
The much-awaited merger of railway officers as part of the Narendra Modi government’s decision to merge the eight services into a single Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) could be partial in nature, It has been learnt recently.
According to sources in the government, while the cabinet decision was to merge eight existing services of the Railways, it has now been decided that the existing officers would continue to work in their departments, with each department having its own career progression and promotions based on seniority, while the newly hired officers could be recruited into a common IRMS.
C) Covid-19: Indian Railways equips AC coaches with enhanced safety features
Indian Railways has modifies the coaches for fighting the pandemic of Novel Corona-Virus. It has taken several measures in some selected trains as below:-
Hands-free amenities including foot-operated water tap, soap dispenser, lavatory door (outside), latches in lavatory door, flush valve, and forearm-operated handle on the compartment door
Copper coated handrails and latches as copper has anti-microbial properties, which degrades the virus on the surface within a few hours
There is a provision of Plasma Air Purifier in the AC duct and to make the coach coronavirus and particulate matter resistant, sterilization of air and surfaces is done using ionised air
Coating done by Titanium Dioxide which is eco-friendly and kills bacteria, mold, viruses, fungal growth as well as enhances indoor air quality.
D) Railways could discontinue pantry cars, could soon replace with AC coach
Railways is planning to discontunie the pantry cars and in turn will replace it with AC coaches. This will bring additional revenue of 1500 cr.
The food can be supplied through base kitchens at railway stations like the IRCTC already does. All these decisions are under constant review to as per the evolving Covid 19 situation.
E) After Blockbuster IRCTC IPO, Railways plans new IPO of RVNL, Railtel, IRCON, IRFC
The government has planned some major moves to revamp and monetise its vast web of railway infrastructure and state-owned companies in the sector.
After the public listing of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the government has plans to partially put a number of railway companies such as Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC), Railtel and now IRCON International Ltd on the block.
F) Few takers for solar power tender of railways, bid deadline extended
Solar Power project developers have given a lukewarm response to a tender for setting up 1 gigawatt of solar power plants on Railway land.
Railway Energy Management Co Ltd (REMCL), a joint venture company of Indian Railway (49 per cent) and RITES Ltd (51 per cent) has been created by the Railway ministry to handle solar projects that will be set up in vacant land.
In April this year, REMCL had floated a tender for setting up 1 GW land-based solar PV power plant in vacant railway land under tariff-based competitive bidding.
Initially, the last date for putting in initial bids was June 30, but it was extended a few times, the latest being till November 25, 2020.
Bidders have been asked to quote a tariff they would charge for generating electricity using solar energy at projects of over 50 MW each.
REMCL was incorporated to manage energy management portfolio of Indian Railways which includes the procurement of economical power through open access and harnessing green energy.
It has identified land in West Bengal (125 MW), Chhattisgarh (205 MW), Gujarat (226 MW), Odisha (59 MW), Madhya Pradesh (58 MW), Rajasthan (68 MW), Uttar Pradesh (20 MW), Haryana (19 MW), Assam (14 MW), Maharashtra (92 MW), Karnataka (20 MW), Jharkhand (13 MW), Telangana (7 MW) and Andhra Pradesh (18 MW).
G) RailTel to drive Indian Railways hospital management info system
Indian Railways has entrusted RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RailTel) for implementation of Hospital Management Information System (HMIS), an integrated clinical information system, for its 125 health facilities and 650 polyclinics across the nation for improved hospital administration and patient healthcare.
The features of the software extend from customizing clinical data according to the departments and laboratories, a multi-hospital feature that provides cross consultation, seamless interface with medical and other equipment. The patients will have the benefit of accessing all their medical records on their mobile device.
H) Hubli to be the World’s longest plateform
The Indian Railways is all set to build the world’s longest railway platform at the Hubbali railway junction in Karnataka.
Currently, the length of the platform is 550 meters. Earlier it was planned to be expanded to a length of 1,400 meters. The South-Western Railway (SWR) has now decided to stretch the length to 1,505 meters now. This expansion will cost Rs 90 crore. The construction will be completed in Jan 2021.
As of now, the 1,366 metre-long platform at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is the longest railway platform in the world.
In September 2020, the union government had renamed the Hubballi railway station after Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji.
I) Exam for Railway posts
Good news for Railways jobs aspirants! The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has released the dates for Railways recruitment exams for jobs advertised earlier. RRB will be conducting the exams for recruitment to the Railways (non-technical popular category) category, Isolated & Ministerial categories and Railways Level 1 from December 15 onwards.
Under the Isolated & Ministerial categories, the Railways will be recruiting for 1,663 posts, for NTPC it has 35,208 vacancies and in Level 1 it has 1,03,769 vacancies — which add up to 1,40,640 vacancies in total.
J) GMR, L&T, BHEL among 13 players shortlisted for operating private trains
Indian Railways is privatizing 150 trains for which many players have shown great interest.
At least 13 players – including GMR, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), L&T Infrastructure Development Projects, Bharat Heavy Electricals and Welspun Enterprises – have been shortlisted by the Indian Railways for operating private trains in 12 clusters.
The operators would be selected after the requests for proposals (RFP) are submitted with a revenue share quote. The requests for qualification (RFQ) for 12 clusters were published on July this year. The applications were opened on October 7.
Other companies that are in the fray include PNC Infratech, Cube Highways and Infrastructure, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures, IRB Infrastructure Developers, a consortium of Gateway Rail Freight and Gateway Distriparks, a consortium of Malempati Power and Techno Infra Developers, a consortium of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A, CAF India and CAF Investment Projects, S.A and a consortium of RK Associates & Hoteliers and Omaxe.
k) UP’s Dandupur railway station to be renamed as Maa Barahi Devi Dham
The Dandupur railway station situated between Pratapgarh and Badshahpur on Lucknow-Varanasi rail section will now be named Maa Barahi Devi Dham.
The Union government has given its consent after which Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath gave his nod to the renaming of the railway station.
There has been a long-standing demand to change the name of Dandupur railway station in Raniganj tehsil of Pratapgarh.
Many express and passenger trains, including Kashi-Vishwanath Express, Rae Bareli-Jaunpur Express, Lucknow-Varanasi Intercity, and other trains have a halt at Dandupur railway station.
There is a temple of Maa Barahi Devi in Parasrampur village, six kilometres from the railway station and an annual fair is organised there that is visited by a large number of devotees.
L) Indian Railways to ferry 100 tonnes of tomato from Karnataka to Bihar
In an effort to maximise freight earnings in COVID-19 times, the South Western Railway (SWR) would soon ferry 100 tonnes of tomato from Kolar in Karnataka to Danapur near Patna in Bihar, an official said on Saturday.
As Kolar district is a major producer of tomatoes, the zonal division is working with the farmers and their APMC (Agriculture Producers Marketing Committee) to get the vegetable delivered at the station for loading in the wagons.
M) Indian Railways To Use Laser Technology To Carry Out Ground Survey For Delhi-Varanasi Bullet Train Project
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) will be employing the latest technology, laser enabled equipment mounted on a helicopter, to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed Delhi-Varanasi High Speed Rail corridor.
NHSRCL, which is executing the first bullet train project of the country between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, will be adopting Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique for conducting ground survey for the preparation of DPR for the Delhi-Varanasi High Speed Rail Corridor.
N) Indian Railways gets its 50th high-speed freight locomotive from Alstom
Indian Railways has recently got the 12000HP 50th 12WAGB electric locomotive from Alstom.
The locomotives will be used for hauling freight trains can run at a top speed of 120kmph and to be deployed on all the major routes and Dedicated Freight Corridors(DFCs). The locomotive will be used for the faster movement of goods, especially coal and iron ore.
Planned to be deployed for operations on major freight routes, including the Built as part of the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in the Railway sector, these 800 fully electric super powered double-section locomotives will transform the heavy freight transportation landscape of India.
These 800 e-locos are being manufactured at India’s largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facility in Madhepura, Bihar. This project has created over 10,000 jobs, primarily in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. This joint venture by Ministry of Railways (Indian Railways) and Alstom is one of the strongest realizations of Make-in-India vision with a strong impetus on indigenous manufacturing with over 87% localization.
Question No- Currently the World’s longest Railway plateform is
A) New delhi Railway Station
B) Kharagpur
C) Gorakhpur
D) Hubli
Question No-2 REMCL( railway Energy Management Co Ltd) is a Railway PSU for providing solar capacity on railway vacant land is a joint venture between:
a) Indian Railway and Ministry of Power
b) Indian railways and Ministry of Environment
c) Indian Railway and RITES Ltd
d) Indian Railways and Ministry of renewable energy
Indian Railways developed a unique app to garner Non-Fare revenue called BOW. BOW is basically Bag on Wheels service.
How to avail the ‘Bag On Wheels’ sevice?
Through the BOW app (will be available for Android and iPhone users), railway passengers will apply to transport their goods from their home to the railway station or from the railway station to the home.
Door-to-door service of goods will be provided to the passengers on nominal charges by the firm and their luggage will be transported easily from the passenger’s house to his coach in the train or from his coach to his house.
The work of transporting the passenger’s luggage safely will be carried out by the contractor. according to the booking details of the passenger.
B) Railways’ 50 year legacy of serving food at Parliament ends in November, ITDC to take over
Northern Railway has been providing catering facility in the Parliament house complex since 1968 on ‘no-profit-no-loss’ basis and the loss incurred by the Railway as a result thereof is subsidised to Northern Railway by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats in the ratio of 2:1.
Now this catering facility has been transferred to Government ITDC India Tourism Development Corporation. ITDC is the government’s body that runs the luxury five-star Ashok Group of hotels.
C) Mass Hiring Begins At Railways: 2.4 Crore Applicants For 1.4 Lakh Railway Jobs
The various Vacancies notified recently by Railways are as below:
35208 for NTPC (non technical popular categories like guards, office clerks, commercial clerks etc),
1663 for Isolated & Ministerial categories (Steno & Teaches etc) and
103769 for Level 1 vacancies (track maintainers, pointsman etc).
Against these vacancies, RRBs had received more than 2.40 crore applications.
But, the Computer Based Test (CBT) for filling these vacancies had to be deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown across the country. As per Railway Board Chairman, These exams have been scheduled to be conducted by 15th December.
D) Indian Railways to supply diesel locomotives to Mozambique Railways
According to the Railway Ministry, soon, Mozambique Railways will get diesel loco sets from Indian Railways’ Rail Wheel Factory (RCF), Bengaluru. The RCF in Bengaluru has paved the way for exports through swift production of as many as 90 wheels and 45 axles, which will be soon assembled at Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi, the Railway Ministry added.
A few months ago, Indian Railways handed over a total of 10 Broad Gauge locomotives to the neighbouring country, Bangladesh. Each of these WDM3D type Broad Gauge locos, designed for a speed of 120 km per hour, has a 3300 HP engine. The residual life of these locomotives is 28 years or more. According to Indian Railways, these locos have the capacity for hauling both passenger trains as well as freight trains. These technologically advanced locos are also equipped with a microprocessor-based control system. According to the national transporter, the ergonomic layout of the driver’s cab offers stress-free driving.
E)Anand Mahindra thanks Indian Railways for transporting Bolero to Bangladesh
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra has acknowledged the Indian Railways’ efforts for transporting its ‘Made in India’ Bolero pick-up vans to Bangladesh. The Boleros were loaded from Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai and unloaded at Benapole in Bangladesh.
On similar Lines, Nagpur’s Mahindra Plant transported tractors to Benapole in Bangladesh.
Recently, automobile manufacturers such as Kia Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have selected railways for cost-effective, reliable and environmentally friendly ways of transporting vehicles.
F)China to begin construction of Ya’an-Linzhi section of Sichuan-Tibet Railway close to India’s border
China is all set to begin the construction of the strategic Sichuan-Tibet Railway between Ya’an in southwest Sichuan province and Linzhi in Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh, the official media reported.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and travels through Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours, the report said.
Linzhi, which is also known as Nyingchi, is located close to Arunachal Pradesh border. Linzhi also has an airport, one of the five built by China in the Himalayan region.
The newly-built Ya’an-Linzhi section runs 1,011 kilometres and includes 26 stations. Trains are expected to run at speeds between 120 and 200 km per hour. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will not only accelerate and enhance the overall economic development of the Tibet region but will play an important role in safeguarding border stability, the daily’s report said
G) Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad high-speed railway corridor project moves a step forward
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Tuesday announced that it will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad high-speed railway corridor project. The high-speed rail corridor project is expected to reduce travel time by 50%.
The DPR will include identification of land requirements, number of railway stations, construction of station premises, identifying overhead and underground utilities.
“First tender for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad High Speed Rail Corridor (711 km approx.) floated today.” tweeted NHSRCL.
Apart from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway corridor, seven other high-speed corridors will be constructed by NHSRCL. The corridors include Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad (767km), Delhi-Varanasi (865km), Mumbai-Nagpur (753km), Delhi-Ahmedabad (886km), Chennai- Bengaluru-Mysore (435km), Delhi-Amritsar (459km) and Varanasi-Patna-Howrah (760km)
H) Railways will connect statue of Unity soon
The Kevadiya station of Gujrat is 5 Km from the tallest statue in the world. Railways has decided to provide connectivity till Kevadiya station and the project is scheduled to be completed by dec 2020.
At present, Vadodara, Bharuch and Ankleshwar stations provide rail connectivity to the iconic statue. Railway Board Chairman and CEO, V K Yadav said 100 per cent land has been acquired for the Kevadia Rail Link project. The project envisaged gauge conversion between the Dabhoi-Chandod 18 km route and a new line of 32 km between Chandod and Kevadia.
While track work between Dhaboi to Chandod has been completed, the line between Chandod and Kevadia is expected to be completed by November 15, 2020. The project will be commissioned by December 2020, he said.
Once the project is completed, one can reach the statue from Vadodara in 45 minutes. The 182-metre-tall monument has been built on an islet Sadhu Bet near Sardar Sarovar Dam. It is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US.
I) Indian Railways registers noteworthy freight figures
According to a press release issued by the Railway Ministry, in the month of October 2020, the freight loading of Indian Railways was 108.16 million tonnes which as compared to last year’s loading for the same period (93.75 million tonnes), is 15 per cent higher.
In this time period, an amount of Rs 10,405.12 crores has been earned by Indian Railways from freight loading which is also 9 per cent higher (Rs 868.90 crore) as compared to last year’s earnings for the same period, which was Rs 9,536.22 crores.
Also, according to the national transporter, in a bid to attract new business as well as incentivize other existing clients, the Railway Ministry has held meetings with the top leadership of coal, iron and steel, power, cement, automobiles and logistics service providers.
Moreover, the Business Development Units of Indian Railways at Divisional and Zonal levels are also contributing towards sustainable growth momentum in spite of blocked freight services in the state of Punjab, Indian Railways added.
Question:The Nearest Railway station to Statue of Unity will be
A) Akola Railway station given handsome funds for development
The Centre has provided Rs 150 crore for the development of Akola railway station in Maharashtra. The Akola Railway station lies under Bhusawal division of Central Railway. The HQ of central Railway is at CSMT, Mumbai.
B) “Policy on Development of Goods-sheds” at small stations through private investment
The Ministry of Railways issued a Policy on Development of Goods-sheds at small/road-side stations through Private Investment. The policy was issued with an aim to augment terminal capacity through private participation by allowing setting up of new goods-shed facilities and developing existing goods-sheds at a larger number of stations. The Railway’s financial health is poor and this policy will help in generation of revenue through public-private participation.
Salient features of the Policy:
Private parties permitted to develop goods wharf, loading/unloading facilities, facilities for labour (resting space with shade, drinking water, bathing facilities, etc) approach road, covered shed and other related infrastructure.
The facilities are to be created/developed by the private party through its own investment.
All developments for the proposed facility will be as per approved Railway designs and constructed to approved Railway standards and specifications.
Railways shall not levy any departmental or any other charges for the construction.
The facilities created by the private party shall be used as a common user facility, and no preference or priority will be granted to the traffic of the party over the traffic of other customers.
Responsibility for maintenance of assets and facilities created shall be vested with the party during the agreement period.
Incentives offered under the scheme:
Share in the Terminal Charges (TC) and Terminal Access Charges (TAC), as the case may be, for all the inward and outward traffic dealt at the goods-shed for five years, from the date of completion of the work.
The party seeking the least share (TC/TAC) shall be selected through competitive bidding, to be done At Divisional Level.
Additional revenue for the party through – utilization of available space for establishing small canteen/tea-shop, advertisements, etc.
C) Indian Railway Finance Corp, RailTel plans IPO for selling their stakes
The finance ministry is looking at launching the initial public offering (IPO) of Indian Railway Finance Corp Ltd (IRFC) and state-owned telecom infrastructure provider RailTel Corporation. It is estimated to sell about 25 per cent in IRFC and 27 per cent stake in RailTel.
RailTel has already filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the market regulator SEBI for an IPO.
Apart from these the Government is also planning for disinvestment in Container Corporation of India. The government has plans for generating revenue of the order of 2.1 lakh crore through disinvestment in this year. IPO of LIC is also on the cards.
The government is also considering selling stakes in Air India, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
D) UNESCO world heritage revamp: CSMT railway station
The 132-year-old station CSMT formerly known as Victoria Terminus, is up for a historic overhaul. Huge development and makeover has been planned in and around the building to restore its pre- 1930 glory.
UNESCO world heritage site, the old structure cannot be touched. The plan is to demolish the nearby buildings that house administration offices, an eyesore by any standard. The refurbished station will function like a city-centre mall complete with retail outlets, eateries, entertainment facilities, hotels and souvenir shops, among others.
Since CSMT caters to over one million commuters daily during normal operations, arrival and departure need to be segregated. The core operations such as train and parcel movement, signaling and ticketing will continue to remain with the railways. The project will try to integrate various modes such as the proposed fast track of Harbour Line that connects the island city to Navi Mumbai, and the metro line, to make it a transport hub.
There’s more. Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), which is driving the bidding process.
E) Loading improves for Railways!
In the first four days of October, the national transporter has registered an impressive 15 per cent jump in freight loading, as compared to the same period last year.
From 1 October 2019 to 4 October 2019, Indian Railways had registered freight loading of 11.06 Million Tonnes, while in the first four days of October 2020, the national transporter has registered freight loading of 12.77 Million tonnes, thereby registering a jump of 15 per cent.
F) Railways permit cooked food to be sold at stations for the first time since Covid-19 outbreak
Ahead of the festival season rush, the Railways have allowed cooked food to be sold at food plazas and shops at railway stations for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak, according to an order issued by railways’ catering arm the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The national carrier had so far allowed the sale of only packaged food across catering and vending units at stations. Food stalls across platforms had been shut throughout the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25.
G) Indian Railways launches women safety initiative ‘Meri Saheli’
Indian Railways has launched a new initiative aimed at promoting women safety during the high-footfall festive season. In view of the ongoing pandemic situation, the Railway Ministry has directed to enforce and adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols and guidelines.
The new initiative “Meri Saheli” was launched to provide better safety and security to lady passengers travelling by trains. The railway ministry said the initiative “is aimed at instilling a sense of security among the lady passengers and respond effectively to any security-related issue faced or seen by lady passengers”.
H) Indian Railways extends 50% subsidy on the movement of notified fruits, vegetables on Kisan Rail
To support and provide incentives for the farmers using the services of Kisan Rail, Railway Ministry and Ministry of Food Processing Industries have decided that the 50% subsidy on transportation of notified fruits and vegetables shall be granted directly to Kisan Rail – for which MoFPI will provide necessary funds to Ministry of Railways. This subsidy has become applicable of Kisan Rail trains with effect from October 14, 2020.
The Kathmandu-Raxaul Railway is being discussed by Nepal Government and it has been planned to prepare the detailed Project report. Raxaul is a border area town in East Champaran district of Bihar.
Nepal and India had agreed to expedite the construction of the railway project connecting Kathmandu to Raxaul at the Nepal-India border.
SN
Project details
Facts
1
Agreement of the project
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 4th Summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) held in Kathmandu on August 30-31, 2018.
2
Length of the line
219 KM double line and 135.87 KM single line.
3
No of expected stations
13
4
Indian Government Budget year
2020-21
5
Cost of the Project
Estimated Rs. 30000 cr
The proposed railway line will run from the site of the proposed second international airport in Nijgadh in Nepal.
A) Railway capital Expenditure will be 2 lakh crore till Year 2024
The Indian Railways is planning a capital expenditure of Rs 2 lakh crore annually till FY24 owing to elaborate plans of the government to upgrade railway infrastructure across the country.
Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said the Indian Railways’ network capacity will be boosted to improve freight movement in the country.
The plan includes doubling of 11,000 km of track, increasing by three or four times the 3,000-km route network, 51 projects related to coal connectivity and 10 projects related to port connectivity among others.
Indian Railways is currently running more freight trains as passenger trains are suspended. Now they want to continue the same scenario once normalcy occurs.
B) 200 More Trains To start before Festive Season
200 more trains are being planned by Indian railways during the 15th October to 30th November during the festive season.
Railway Board Chairman said that Railway will start extra trains to cater to the increased passenger traffic demand in festive season.
C) Naugarh is now Siddharthanagar railway station
The Naugarh railway station will now be known as the Siddharthanagar railway station. It is located in Siddhathnagar District of Uttar Pradesh. The railway station is located on the way from Gorakhpur to Gonda in North East Railway(NER).
Railway minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the name change of the railway station in an online event on Monday evening.
Goyal said, “Mahatma Buddha’s birth place Lumbini is very near and keeping in view the wishes of the people, the name of the station is being changed to Siddharthanagar railway station. A large number of Buddhist tourists come to Lumbini and the area is declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
D) Railways restores second reservation chart system, to be issued 30 minutes before departure
The Indian Railways decided to restore the earlier system of preparation of second reservation charts from 10 October. The system was paused in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic for the last few months.
The first reservation chart was prepared at least 4 hours before scheduled departure of train. Thereafter, the available accommodation could be booked across PRS counters as well as through internet till preparation of second reservation charts.
Second reservation charts were prepared between 30 minutes to 5 minutes before scheduled/rescheduled time of departure of trains. Cancellation of already booked tickets was also permitted during this period as per provisions of Refund Rules.
Due to pandemic, instructions were issued to shift the time of preparation of second reservation chart to 2 hours before scheduled or rescheduled time of departure of trains.
As per request of Zonal Railways for ensuring convenience of rail passengers, the matter has been examined and it has been decided that the second reservation chart shall be prepared at least 30 minutes before scheduled/rescheduled time of departure of train.
E) Railways permit cooked food at stations for the first time since Covid-19 outbreak
Indian Railways has permitted cooked food at Railway stations ahead of the festive season.
The national carrier had so far allowed the sale of only packaged food across catering and vending units at stations. Now the closed food stalls will start their normal functioning at stations.
F) Indian Railways unveils new Tejas Express locomotives, capable to run at 160 kmph
Indian Railways Electric locomotive manufacturing wing Chittaranjan Locomotive works(CLW) has designed the first batch of Tejas express locomotive capable of running at 160kmph speed.
These locomotives run with Push-Pull operations and thus air drag is reduced during running.
G) Indian Railways identifies new routes for Kisan Rail
The government has identified special seasonal trains for farmers to send fresh vegetables, fruits as well as other perishable goods to buyers across the country. Apart from vegetables and fruits, the plan also includes carrying meat and fish in refrigerated containers in the future.
Kishan Rail started first from Kolhapur and Devlali in Maharashtra to Muzafarpur in Bihar carrying onions and bananas. Another Kishan Rail started from Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh to Delhi carrying mango, tomato, banana, pomegranate, musk melon and water melon
The Kishan Rail has been proposed on various routes as below:-
Banana and Onion Special Kisan Rail service from Nashik and Jalgaon to Delhi between the months of March and December
Mango Special Kisan Rail service from the state of Andhra Pradesh to Delhi between April and June
Banana Special Kisan Rail service for export from Anantpur to Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
Sapota or Chiku Special Kisan Rail service from Valsad, Surat and Navsari in the state of Gujarat to Delhi between the months of April and November
Protein Special Kisan Rail service for packaged meat from UP’s Dadri or Kanpur areas to Mumbai and Gujarat ports (already an established route)
H) Indian Railways develops web portal for developing freight
The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) team has developed a Freight Business Development (FBD) portal, which will provide users with easy to access information on managing transport logistics via railway.
The new FBD portal will enhance customer-support services by facilitating the real-time monitoring of queries and tracking freight consignments through the “GIS-based track and trace provision”. The transporter can track the status of the goods in transit by providing the FNR (freight name record) number, which is an 11-digit number printed on top-left of the railway receipt (RR).
Further, the “RailMadad” Grievance redressal portal of the Indian Railways has been integrated with the new FBD portal for dealing with the queries of prospective and existing customers and directing them to the Freight Business Units of the Divisions.
The customer can register their demand electronically from the place of their convenience through the Indian Railway’s Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) e-Demand Service.
I) Rameswaram’s new Pamban Bridge to be Indian Railways 1st vertical lift rail-sea bridge
The Pambam bridge was constructed 100 years ago and now it is being renovated with a new one. The New Pamban Bridge, which will be the country’s first Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge, is being developed parallel to this railway bridge.
This 2.07 km long railway bridge is being built with the help of modern technologies. According to the Railway Ministry, the beauty of the new rail bridge is that its middle part gets lifted up to let ships to pass through during travel. The New Pamban Bridge is expected to promote tourism in this region, especially for pilgrimage purpose as a large number of devotees come to visit Rameshwaram Temple and Jyotirling every year.
This new bridge is being developed by Railway Vikas Nigam Limited, a PSU of Indian Railways.
J) JSPL receives rail supplier status from Indian Railways
Jindal Steel and power Limited (JSPL) has become the first private player to achieve the status of rail supplier to Indian Railways.
Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), which works under the ambit of the Railway Board, has approved field performance of UIC 60 kg, 880 Grade prime (Class- A) rails made by JSPL at its Raigarh Plant. Normally the rails to railways were solely supplied by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a PSU under GOI.
Question No-1:- Indian Railways First Vertical Bridge is being constructed at-
a) Nehru Setu Rail Bridge near Dehri-on Son in Bihar.
