Indian Railways News

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Turnaround derailed, this budget, Railways stares at near-bankruptcy

THE Indian Railways' great "turnaround story", which was making waves in business schools till a few months back, now appears headed towards an ignominious end. A sharp decline in earnings and a serious and a seriou escalation in expenditures are threatening to push India's transport behemoth to near-bankruptcy. Insiders say that so grave is the financial situation that the Railways may not be left with enough funds this year to appropriate money into two critical reserves that fund its purchase of new assets and improvements in passenger amenities -the Capital Fund and the Development Fund.
In fact, last year too, the Railways had failed to provide even a single rupee to its Capital Fund, which is used for buy ing new assets. Those managing the Railways' finances, and currently engaged in preparing the forthcoming Rail Budget, are a worried lot. Top sources in Rail Bhavan say the Railways now has a net deficit of around Rs 2,500 crore. "While our expenditure has gone up by almost Rs 1,330 crore, our earnings are crore, our earnings are down by Rs 1,142 crore," says a Railway Board official.

Officials point out that the finances took a Rs 1,000 crore hit due to the two hikes in diesel prices this fiscal, while the 2 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance and the increase in number of days for the Performance Linked Bonus raised their expenditure by around Rs 400 crore. However, it is the sharp drop in freight business, almost by Rs 700 crore, that has come as the real shocker.

The Railways' operating ratio (the sum of money spent to earn a sum of Rs 100) is the best indi cator of its financial health. In 2001-02, the operating ratio had reached as high as 96 per cent.
But then, the Railways made dramatic improvements to bring it down to 75.9 per cent in 2007-08. In 2008-09, it again deteriorated, to 90.5 per cent, and then to 94.7 in 2009-10. This year, the operating ratio is threatening to increase well beyond 94 per cent, sources add.

It is not as if the crisis has suddenly developed. Warning bells were sounded as early as March 2010 when the then financial commissioner, Sowmya Raghavan, raised the red flag.

"If the trend of spending more and earning less continues, not only the internal generation of funds suffers but there is a very serious threat of Railways defaulting on the dividend payment liability, which all of us would like collectively to avoid and not find ourselves in. We have already scraped the bottom of the barrel and the fund balances have all been utilised. So there are no savings to meet shortfall in internal generation targets," Raghavan had told a gathering of all the general managers of the Indian Railways then.


Raghavan had further concluded that "in the final analysis the performance of the Organisation would be just at the bottom line" and that "unless we are in a position to control the Expenditure and increase the Earnings on a sustained basis, survival for the Organisation becomes a very difficult proposition".
 

Rage

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Slow India decisions frustrating: GE chief

New Delhi, March 14, 2011


The world's second-largest company General Electric (GE) on Monday said it was frustrated at the slow pace of decision-making in India and considered it the biggest challenge ahead of the current hot potato — corruption. However, the company lists India as an extremely important market. In to
wn to attend a meeting of the group's corporate executive council, chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt said that in itself signifies India's importance to GE's long-term growth plans. The executive council meeting is being held outside the US for the first time in GE's history.

GE has been in the running for a lucrative contract with the Indian Railways for supplying locomotives and is one of the two qualified to bid for the contract. But the process has been held up in numerous bureaucratic hurdles and delays, a solution to which is still not in sight.

"We have invested for a long period of time for the opportunity to successfully bid on a competitive basis to modernise the railways in India," said Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and chief executive officer, GE. "It is extremely important to us that the investment gets made and we should atleast get a chance to bid. We can cope with failure but not getting a chance is very frustrating."

Even then, the company expects its business in India to grow by over 30% this year, on a par with developing economies such as Latin America and China.

"Our Indian operations have now gained critical mass and we will build very deep roots here," Immelt said. "All our emerging markets are growing very well.....at high double digits."

GE is present in India since 1902 and in diversified sectors such as healthcare, aviation, transportation, energy and financial services. It employs over 12,000 people in India and has technical centres in Hyderabad and Bangalore. On Monday, Immelt elaborated on GE's plans to set up a manufacturing unit that will cater to multiple sectors.

"Initially we would invest $50 million (Rs 225 crore) for setting up the manufacturing facility... total investment will be $200 million (Rs 900 crore), including after expansion, and the company will take a call in the next 3-6 months," Immelt said. "Our energy business would be the principle user of the facility... it would provide more than 3,000 jobs."


http://www.hindustantimes.com/Slow-India-decisions-frustrating-GE-chief/Article1-673426.aspx
 

sandeepdg

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Swanky German rail coaches to replace present ones in a big way

Danapur (Bihar), July 22 : The days for brick red or blue coaches of the Indian railways are numbered as swanky and state-of-the-art German coaches are being inducted in a big way.

The German coaches, which first came to India in the year 2000 and were used in the Delhi-Lucknow 'Swarna Shatabdi Express', are now being manufactured at Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala in Punjab.

Plans are now afoot to soon induct the coaches, equipped with modern amenities in the Delhi-Patna Rajdhani Express, and 17 coaches have already arrived at a yard in Danapur railway yard.

This happened after the responses about the new coaches were 'encouraging' both from technicians and passengers. Two trains, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani Express trains were fitted with these new coaches earlier.

The coaches were initially imported, but are now being jointly manufactured under the technology transfer clause of the agreement that Indian Railways signed with German firm ALSTOM-LHB in 1995.

Apart from looks the coaches have several safety facilities. They are made of fire retardant material and have disc brakes attached for the safety of the passengers.

"The new coaches take care of three parameters - passenger amenity, safety and transport economics. State of art technology has been used in the coaches and has quantum jump," said Animesh Sinha, a senior mechanical engineer posted at Danapur railway station.

The toilets in these coaches match with those in aircrafts having pneumatic control container, which would discharge the waste outside the station only.

The new coaches are equipped with hot cases and deep freezers, and are provided with four emergency windows and spring-loaded doors.

India's rail network, the largest in Asia, carries more than 15 million people daily - more than the combined population of Norway and Sweden - but its safety record often comes in for criticism.

According to government estimates, the return on rail investments is nearly three times that of other transportation investments.

ANI


Swanky German rail coaches to replace present ones in a big way
 

sandeepdg

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Railways plans to switch to German coaches by '16

NEW DELHI: Railways is planning to switch over from indigenous ICF coaches to German technology-based Linke Holfmann Bush (LHB) ones in all mail and express trains within the next five years.

The LHB coaches, which have fire-retardant quality and advanced couplers, are designed to minimize fire accidents. The move is aimed at infusing more safety measures in train operations, with railways expected to enhance production capacity of its coach factories to 2,000 LHB coaches in 2014-15 and another 4,000 in 2016-17.

The modern coaches that are made of stainless steel have more in-built safety features, and can absorb shock and impact of derailment more effectively.

A senior rail official said, "The sturdy and robust design obviates capsizing of coaches in case of accidents. This helps to minimize damage and reduce the loss of lives." The casualties in the recent Kalka derailment could have been much less if the train was running on LHB coaches, he added.

The state-transporter is planning to introduce LHB coaches in mail and express trains in a phased manner by 2016-17 as these bogies are equipped with fire- retardant material and advanced couplers.

Unlike indigenous ICF coaches, which are prone to capsize or climb on each other during a collision or derailment, the LHB bogies don't get toppled due to its modern design.

Apart from restricting the speed limit to 105 kmph on mail line and 110 kmph on Rajdhani tracks, which limits the line utilization capacity, ICF coaches raise safety concerns due to a large number of hanging under-gear parts.

Though a traditional coach costs Rs 1.5 crore each against a LHB one that comes for Rs 2.5 crore-Rs 3 crore, the latter has several advantages. The modern coaches are more comfortable, have a higher life-span of 35 years against ICF's 25 years, and also have a 12%-15% higher passenger capacity that can raise revenue.

The LHB coaches, manufactured under technology-transfer from Germany, have automatic couplers to join two coaches and superior disc brakes. About 500 LHB coaches are expected to be manufactured in 2011-12 in railways' coach factories, and to be used mostly for elite trains like Duranto, Rajdhani and Shatabdi.

"We're expected to completely switch over to LHB coaches by 2016-17, with a total production capacity of 4,000 modern coaches," said an official.

With about 50-70 new trains introduced every year, there is a growing demand for LHB coaches annually. Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory and Integrated Coach Factory (ICF), with a total production capacity of 500 coaches, have failed to cater to the need.

The recent derailment of Guwahati-Rajdhani and Bhubaneswar-Rajdhani trains did not result in a single injury as these trains were running on LHB coaches.

A major incident was also averted in the Mumbai-Rajdhani Express, fitted with LHB coaches, which prevented the spread of fire to other coaches after it broke out in the pantry car.

Within minutes after the fire started in the pantry, the railway staff uncoupled the three passenger coaches from the pantry, and the fire-retardant material used in the coaches ensured that there were no toxic fumes and black smoke that could have hindered visibility.

Unlike ICF coaches, where one needs to go inside a coach and move through vestibule to uncouple two coaches, these advanced couplers can be very easily uncoupled from outside.

Railways plans to switch to German coaches by ’16 - The Times of India
 

sandeepdg

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^^ Hopefully now we will have less disastrous accidents on Indian railways !
 

thakur_ritesh

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how much i wished they had made all the coaches air conditioned as well. if you have to bring about a change do it bigger, do it better and include the masses in it as well.

though still cant figure out whats with the fabrication and finishing, why does it have to come out as bad and these are the much hyped LHB coaches.

pics courtesy : bcmtouring.com





 

sandeepdg

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^^ Same here, mate. But the problem is the fares will jack up, poor folks will suffer.
 

Pintu

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Railway revenue earnings up by 12.15 per cent during April-June 2011 - Economic Times

Railway revenue earnings up by 12.15 per cent during April-June 2011
Viraj Desai, ET Bureau Jul 18, 2011, 04.18pm IST
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New Delhi|
Indian Railways

New Delhi: Indian Railways registered an increase of 12.15 percent in its earnings for the first quarter of the current fiscal from Rs 24756.18 crore compared to Rs. 22074.92 crore during the same period last year.

It registered a jump of 12.61 percent in the total goods earnings which have gone up from Rs. 14928.80 crore last year to Rs. 16811.76 crore during April-June in the current financial year.

The total passenger revenue earnings during first three months of the financial year 2011-12 were Rs. 6841.16 crore compared to Rs. 6190.10 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 10.52 per cent.

The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs. 694.63 crore during April-June 2011 compared to Rs. 626.03 crore during the same period last year, an increase of 10.96 per cent.

The total approximate number of passengers booked during April-June 2011 were 2039.82 million compared to 1936.98 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 5.31 per cent.

In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the number of passengers booked during April-June 2011 were 1008.09 million and 1031.73 million compared to 965.05 million and 971.93 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 4.46 per cent and 6.15 per cent respectively.
 

Pintu

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Railways Commodity-wise freight revenue up by 10.68% - Economic Times

Railways Commodity-wise freight revenue up by 10.68%
ET Bureau Jul 20, 2011, 02.50pm IST
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Revenue|
Indian Railways

NEW DELHI: Indian Railways have generated Rs. 16,507.80 crore of revenue earnings from commodity-wise freight traffic during April-June 2011 as compared to Rs. 14,914.47 crore during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 10.68 per cent.

Railways carried 233.66 million tonnes of commodity-wise freight traffic during April-June 2011 as compared to 218.35 million tonnes carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 7.01 per cent. The Net Tonne Kilo Metres (NTKM) went up from 1,45,359 million during April-June 2010 to 154492 million during April-June 2011, showing an increase of 6.28 per cent.

Out of the total earnings of Rs. 5360.01 crore from commodity-wise freight traffic during the month of June 2011, Rs. 2,160.66 crore came from transportation of 35.66 million tonnes of coal, followed by Rs. 662.64 crore from 8.81 million tonnes of iron ore for exports, steel plants and for other domestic users.

It also generated Rs. 513.35 crore from 8.33 million tonnes of cement, Rs. 332.67 crore from 3.37 million tonnes of foodgrains, Rs. 311.12 crore from 3.55 million tonnes of petroleum oil and lubricant (POL), Rs. 326.35 crore from 2.71 million tonnes of Pig iron and finished steel from steel plants and other points.

The other revenues generated included Rs. 323.35 crore from 4.18 million tonnes of fertilizers, Rs. 87.61 crore from 1.19 million tonnes of raw material for steel plants except iron ore, Rs. 259.71 crore from 2.94 million tonnes by container service and Rs. 382.55 crore from 5.69 million tonnes of other goods.
 

thakur_ritesh

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INDIAN RAILWAY VISION 2020

1. Add 25000 Kms of Lines by 2020 with Govt funding & PPP

2. Increasing Passanger Train speed from 110-130KMPH to 160-200KMPH

3. Capacity creation thru Doubling and Quadrupling of lines

4. Freight corriodr between Delhi to Mumbai, Kolkotta, Chennai & Mumbai to Kolkotta

5. Complet gauge conversion except hilly terian

6. Electrification of 14000 Kms

7. Reinevnting of Passanger Services with CHANGE FOR BETTER TOMORROW Will include doubel decker trains, Agument suburban Services

8. Setting up of INDIAN METRO DEVELOPMENT AUTHORUTY

9. Bullet Train Services with speed of 250-300 KMPH on six corridors. The corridors will not cover the Karnataka.

10. Six dedicated freight corridor

 

nitesh

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Does running on electric engine is "always" cheaper then running on diesel locos?
 

Oracle

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INDIAN RAILWAY VISION 2020

1. Add 25000 Kms of Lines by 2020 with Govt funding & PPP

2. Increasing Passanger Train speed from 110-130KMPH to 160-200KMPH

3. Capacity creation thru Doubling and Quadrupling of lines

4. Freight corriodr between Delhi to Mumbai, Kolkotta, Chennai & Mumbai to Kolkotta

5. Complet gauge conversion except hilly terian

6. Electrification of 14000 Kms

7. Reinevnting of Passanger Services with CHANGE FOR BETTER TOMORROW Will include doubel decker trains, Agument suburban Services

8. Setting up of INDIAN METRO DEVELOPMENT AUTHORUTY

9. Bullet Train Services with speed of 250-300 KMPH on six corridors. The corridors will not cover the Karnataka.

10. Six dedicated freight corridor

Nothing for the NE?

If I travel by train, it takes 4 & 1/2 days for me to reach home, including changing trains. :rolleyes:
 

plugwater

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Nothing for the NE?

If I travel by train, it takes 4 & 1/2 days for me to reach home, including changing trains. :rolleyes:
No train for Kanyakumari!! First they should finish doubling and electrification in all important corridors. I feel south is being ignored by railways.
 

pmaitra

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Nothing for the NE?

If I travel by train, it takes 4 & 1/2 days for me to reach home, including changing trains. :rolleyes:
No train for Kanyakumari!! First they should finish doubling and electrification in all important corridors. I feel south is being ignored by railways.
I agree with you guys. I'd like to see a high speed dedicated passenger route from Kanyakumari all the way through the Chicken-Neck area terminating in Tripura. Similar routes are needed in:
  • Bangalore-Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad Sector.
  • Mumbai-Delhi-Amritsar sector.
  • Delhi-Lucknow-Patna-Kolkata sector.
  • Kolkata-Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad sector (triangle).
  • Cochin-Chennai-Hyderabad-Bangalore sector (triangle).
 
Last edited:

plugwater

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I agree with you guys. I'd like to see a high speed dedicated passenger route from Kanyakumari all the way through the Chicken-Neck area terminating in Tripura. Similar routes are needed in:

  • Bangalore-Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad Sector.
  • Mumbai-Delhi-Amritsar sector.
  • Delhi-Lucknow-Patna-Kolkata sector.
  • Kolkata-Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad sector (triangle).
  • Cochin-Chennai-Hyderabad-Bangalore sector (triangle).
Forget all these corridor until Trinamool holds railway ministry. How about we spend the money we get from a zone only in that zone?
 

Oracle

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No train for Kanyakumari!! First they should finish doubling and electrification in all important corridors. I feel south is being ignored by railways.
South ignored? Most of NE do not have railway tracks. Most run on narrow guages. Talk about demands. Bollocks!

I agree with you guys. I'd like to see a high speed dedicated passenger route from Kanyakumari all the way through the Chicken-Neck area terminating in Tripura. Similar routes are needed in:
  • Bangalore-Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad Sector.
  • Mumbai-Delhi-Amritsar sector.
  • Delhi-Lucknow-Patna-Kolkata sector.
  • Kolkata-Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad sector (triangle).
  • Cochin-Chennai-Hyderabad-Bangalore sector (triangle).
High speed? :lol:

Let the broad guage line from Lumding to Silchar get completed first. It's been 10+ years now, if I am correct, and work is still going on.
 

plugwater

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South ignored? Most of NE do not have railway tracks. Most run on narrow guages. Talk about demands. Bollocks!
We generate better revenues so we expect better facilities . Its just bullshit to use our revenues to operate needless trains in WB.
 

Oracle

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We generate better revenues so we expect better facilities . Its just bullshit to use our revenues to operate needless trains in WB.
How? By printing money?

If you do not have a service, how can you earn money? Most NE people use air services rather than trains because of poor connectivity and NO connectivity to most areas.

I do travel for free or by bribing the TTE for small durations, or many times on goods train. :D Used to, not now. :D
 

plugwater

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How? By printing money?

If you do not have a service, how can you earn money? Most NE people use air services rather than trains because of poor connectivity and NO connectivity to most areas.

I do travel for free or by bribing the TTE for small durations, or many times on goods train. :D Used to, not now. :D
Because everyone in south pays for tickets so better revenues. Railways is like a charity service in north.

You have airport in NE ? :D
 

Yusuf

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Because everyone in south pays for tickets so better revenues. Railways is like a charity service in north.

You have airport in NE ? :D
Doesn't work that way. Mumbai/Maharashtra pay the highest taxes in the country. Been there to see what they have?
 

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