Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:18 IST
Action Plan for Modernization of Railways
It is the continual endeavor of Indian Railways (IR) to take measures for modernisation of railway passenger coaches, strengthening and upgradation of security infrastructure and stations and improvement of catering facilities. Following steps have been taken/ are being taken for the same: -
Modernisation of railway passenger coaches and speed:
- Large scale proliferation of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches:
IR has decided to proliferate LHB coaches, which are technologically superior and have better riding and aesthetics. The Production Units of IR would be producing only LHB coaches from the year 2018-19 onwards.
- Improvements in EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) / MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) rakes:
- One air conditioned EMU rake with 3 phase Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) based propulsion has been introduced on 25.12.2017 in Western Railway. Electrics for production of 6 more air conditioned EMU rakes are also being procured.
- Passenger Information System (PIS) has been provided in newly manufactured Alternating Current / Direct Current (AC/DC) and Air Conditioned (AC) EMU stock for Mumbai area.
- Speed of train coaches:
- IR has decided to proliferate LHB coaches, which coaches are fit to run at a speed of 160 kmph for AC coaches and 130 kmph for non-AC coaches.
- Semi high speed Gatimaan Express between Delhi and Agra is running at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
- One rake of LHB coach for Tejas Express running between Mumbai and Goa has been designed for a maximum speed of 200 kmph.
- A SpecialRajdhani Express (No. 09004/09003) between HazratNizamuddin and Bandra Terminus has been introduced on 16.10.2017with a composition of 18 LHB coaches. It is hauled by 2 electric locos to provide greater acceleration which has resulted in the run time of about 13 hours 50 minutes.
- Manufacture of electric train set coaches:
141 Electric Train set coaches in 2018-19 and 11 in 2019-20 have been included in the Production Programme. The train sets will be semi high speed with distributed power, with quicker acceleration and contemporary passenger amenities.
- Mid-Life-Rehabilitation (MLR) of coaches:
MLR work of Broad Gauge (BG) non-AC & AC coaches is carried out in three workshops, namely Parel (Central Railway), Jhansi (North Central Railway) and Bhopal (West Central Railway). The work includes complete overhauling of interiors of coaches. Considering the present scenario, around 1000 coaches per annum are likely to be given MLR during the next three years.
- Model Rake Coaches:
IR has planned to improve the interior of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coaches. New interiors with more pleasing colours, aesthetically designed fittings, panelling, improved toilets, etc. will be provided in the existing coaches by refurbishing them during MLR. Work in 700 such Model rake coaches is being progressively carried out, out of which more than 100 Model rake coaches have already been turned out. Work of refurbishment of 3,000 ICF type coaches each has been given to ICF/Chennai and Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COFMOW)/New Delhi for awarding centralized tenders. Modern Coach Factory/Rae Bareli floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) for world class interiors of LHB coaches on 16.01.2018 and plans to begin manufacture of such coaches in 2018-19.
- New coaches and train services with better amenities:
- Various premium services like Humsafar, Tejas, Antyodaya and coaches like DeenDayalu and Anubhuti, which have improved passenger amenities, have been introduced in service. More such coaches / services shall be introduced in the coming years. Utkrisht Double Decker Air-conditioned Yatri (UDAY) trains have been conceptualized as double-decker rakes with improved amentities and shall be inducted from 2018-19 onwards.
- IR has launched Project Swarn with the objective of significantly improving the passenger experience. In total, 14 Rajdhani and 15 Shatabdi trains will be covered.
- 2 rakes of Shan-e-Bhopal Express (Train No.12155/12156) have been upgraded at division level. Upgradation of 66 trains (140rakes) in divisions on lines of Shan-e-Bhopal Express shall be taken up from 2018-19 onwards.
- Safety and Security of railway passengers and stations:
- Safety and security in Railway coaches:
- Proliferation of LHB type coaches, which have better safety features, as compared to the conventional ICF type coaches.
- Improving fire retardancy in coaches by providing fire retardant furnishing materials in coaches.
- Progressive fitment of Double Acting AC compartment doors in select existing AC coaches and in all new manufacture AC coaches to enable passengers to quickly evacuate from in the event of emergency.
- Progressive fitment of Automatic plug type doors in select existing coaches to prevent accidental falling of passengers from running trains.
- Progressive fitment of fire suppression and detection system in existing and all new manufacture Power Cars and Pantry Cars.
- Provision of fire extinguishers in all AC coaches, Second class-cum-guard and luggage van and Pantry cars. Progressive fitment of fire extinguishers in balance existing non-AC coaches and all new manufacture non-AC coaches.
- Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in Mainline coaches/EMU/MEMU and Metro coaches are being provided in a phased manner to improve security of passengers.
- Safety and security in Railway stations:
- Provision of CCTV cameras has been made over 394 railway stations. Installation of CCTV cameras is also under progress over 983 stations with allocation of budget under Nirbhaya Fund.
- Railway Protection Force (RPF) Security helpline 182, installed to assist Railway Passengers especially women in distress, is planned to be upgraded by making it automated. This Information Technology (IT) enabled upgraded system shall make the distress response efficient by introducing features like automated phone call system, acknowledgement through SMS, computerized registration of complaint and further processing, voice recording, monitoring of call attending and optimum call capacity utilization.
- Networking of Posts and Security Control Rooms of the RPF is under progress for faster dissemination of data/feedback/Complaints. Pilot project has successfully been completed over Western and Central Railways and Roll-out phase is under progress.
- Other measures initiated to ensure security of passengers, in coordination with Government Railway Police (GRP), include escorting of 4,700 mail/express trains (2,500 by RPF and 2,200 by GRP), regular drives against antisocial elements under the provisions of the Railways Act, regular coordination meetings with State Police to ensure proper registration and investigation of crime by GRP, etc.
- Catering facilities:
To improve the standard of food being provided to passengers, new Catering Policy has been issued on 27th February, 2017 wherein inter-alia Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has been mandated to carry out the unbundling by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution. In order to upgrade quality of food preparation, IRCTC is to set up new kitchens and upgrade existing ones.Further steps being taken to ensure that good quality and hygienic food is served to the passengers inter-alia include:
- Optional catering service has been introduced as a pilot project, on 32 Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto trains under the management of IRCTC with effect from 01.08.2017 for an initial period of 180 days.
- Introduction of station based E-Catering for widening the range of options available to passengers for ordering food of their choice.
- Pilot for introduction of precooked food (‘ready to eat’ meals) in the range of options available to passengers.
- Operation of centralized Catering Service Monitoring Cell (CSMC) (toll free number 1800-111-321) for prompt redressal of passenger grievances relating to the catering activities and real time assistance to travelling public.
- Operation of all India Helpline (No.138) for rail-users to lodge complaints/suggestions regarding food and catering services
- A Twitter handle @ IRCATERING has also been made operational to cater to the complaints/suggestions with regard to catering services.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today
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Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:16 IST
Station Redevelopment Programme of Railways
The Union Cabinet approved Railways’ proposal for redevelopment of ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ category stations (total about 400 stations) on ‘as is where is’ basis, by inviting open bids from interested parties with their designs and business ideas duly providing for amenities and other requirements of the Railways including permitting commercial development of real estate by Zonal Railways.
Accordingly, station redevelopment program by Zonal Railways was launched on 08.02.2017. Following 23 stations were taken up for bidding in first phase: -
S. No.
Name of Station
State
S. No.
Name of station
State
1
LokmanyaTilak (T)
Maharashtra
2
Pune
Maharashtra
3
Thane
Maharashtra
4
Mumbai Central
Maharashtra
5
Bandra Terminus
Maharashtra
6
Borivali
Maharashtra
7
Howrah
West Bengal
8
Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
9
Kanpur Central
Uttar Pradesh
10
Allahabad
Uttar Pradesh
11
Kamakhya
Assam
12
Udaipur City
Rajasthan
13
Faridabad
Haryana
14
Jammu Tawi
Jammu & Kashmir
15
Secunderabad
Andhra Pradesh
16
Vijayawada
Andhra Pradesh
17
Ranchi
Jharkhand
18
Chennai Central
Tamil Nadu
19
Kozhikode
Kerala
20
Yashwantpur
Karnataka
21
Bangalore Cantt
Karnataka
22
Indore
Madhya Pradesh
23
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh
In the first phase of redevelopment for 23 stations, bids only for Jammu Tawi and Kozhikode Railway Stations have been received and are under evaluation. The other stations did not receive any bid.
A dedicated organization viz. Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) was set up in the year 2012 for the purpose of station redevelopment on Indian Railways. Six stations viz., AnandVihar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Habibganj (Bhopal), Shivaji Nagar (Pune) and Gandhinagar have been entrusted to Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) for redevelopment.
An MOU has been signed by Ministry of Railways with Ministry of Urban Development for integrated planning for station redevelopment projects in cities identified as SMART cities in association with Smart City authorities. Ten (10) stations i.e; Tirupati, Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Nellore, Madgaon, Lucknow, Gomtinagar, Kota, Thane New, Ernakulam Jn. and Puducherry have been taken up for redevelopment under this scheme, jointly by Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) & National Building Construction Company (NBCC).
Rail Land Development Authority has been entrusted to redevelop Safdarjung Station in New Delhi along with IRCON.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today
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Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:14 IST
Measures for Safety In Railways
Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps are undertaken on a continual basis to prevent accidents and to enhance safety. These include timely replacement of over-aged assets, adoption of suitable technologies for upgradation and maintenance of track, rolling stock, signalling and interlocking systems, safety drives, greater emphasis on training of officials and safety inspections at regular intervals to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices. Preventive and predictive maintenance of the Railway assets is undertaken to ensure safe train operation. Safety devices/systems being used to prevent accidents include Electronic Interlocking, track circuiting, provision of Block Proving Axle Counters, Colour Light LED Signals, Train Protection and Warning System, Vigilance Control Device, Fog Pass Device, usage of 52 kg/60 kg, 90 or higher UTS rails and Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers, use of Ultrasonic Flaw Detection of rails and welds at predefined periodicity to detect internal flaws in rails/welds. Electronic monitoring of track geometry is carried out to detect defects and plan maintenance. Steel Channel Sleepers on girder bridges is being used while carrying out primary track renewals. Further, it has been decided to lay Thick webs switches, Weldable Cast Maganese Steel crossings on identified routes. Progressive use of Linke Hofmann Busch Coaches, use of Centre Buffer Couplers with Integral Coach Factory Coaches, etc. Railway tracks are replaced on age cum condition basis through track renewal works which is an ongoing process. Other measures include training of loco pilots and other safety category staff, improvement of their working conditions including proper rest and periodic medical examination etc. Besides, patrolling of tracks, footplate inspections and safety reviews at various levels, etc. are regularly conducted to continuously monitor and improve safety aspects of the Indian Railways.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:13 IST
Development/Upgradation of Railway Stations
Development/upgradation of passenger amenities at stations in Indian Railways is undertaken under various schemes. At present, stations are undertaken for development under Adarsh Station Scheme and 1253 stations have been identified under this Scheme. Out of 1253 stations, 1046 railway stations have been developed so far and the remaining stations are planned to be developed by 2017-18. Upgradation of stations is a continuous and on-going process and works in this regard are undertaken depending upon need, volume of the passenger traffic and inter-se priority subject to availability of funds.
State-wise number of stations identified to be developed under the scheme is as under:-
State
No. of Stations identified
Andhra Pradesh
44
Madhya Pradesh
44
Assam
28
Maharashtra
110
Bihar
59
Nagaland
01
Chhattisgarh
17
Odisha
47
Delhi
04
Puducherry
02
Goa
02
Punjab
32
Gujarat
32
Rajasthan
40
Haryana
16
Telangana
25
Himachal Pradesh
02
Tamil Nadu
48
Jammu & Kashmir
05
Tripura
01
Jharkhand
30
Uttar Pradesh
152
Karnataka
44
Uttarakhand
08
Kerala
77
West Bengal
383
Works of development of Railway Stations are generally funded under Plan head – ‘Passenger Amenities’. This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today
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Ministry of Railways02-February, 2018 19:12 IST
App based cabs at Railway Stations
App-Based Cabs have been given permission on railway stations in Delhi. The details are as follows:
Zonal Railway
Northern Railway(Delhi Division)
No of stations
5
No of locations
6
New Delhi
Ajmeri gate side
Paharganj side
Delhi
Ist Entry
AnandVihar
Main side
Delhi Sarai Rohilla
Main Side
Nizamuddin
Ist Entry
Tenure
3 years
Average earning per annum
₹ 14,20,76,250/-
Remarks
For three years (Approximate earning ₹ 42.00 cr)
APP- BASED CABS -ZONE WISE POSITION (31.01.2018)
ZONAL RAILWAYS
NO OF STNS/LOCATION
AVERAGE EARNING Per Annum.(in ₹ cr)
TENURE
REMARKS
Central Railway
5
00.90
3 years
2 Pune, 1 Nashik, 1 Solapur, 1 CST Mumbai
Eastern Railway
7
01.15
3 years
3 at Howrah, 1 Sealdah, 1 Kolkata Terminal, 1 Dumdum Jn, 1 Dumdum Cantt
East Central Railway
0
0
3 years
1 Rajinder Nagar, 1 Danapur, 1 Pataliputra –All under process
East Coast Railway
2
02.41
1 year
1 Vishakapatnam, 1 Bhubneshwar
Northern Railway
10
14.00
3 years
2 New Delhi , 1 Delhi, 1 AnandVihar, 1 Delhi Saria Rohilla, 1 Nizamuddin, 2 Lucknow,
1 Varanasi, 1 Ludhiana
North Central Railway
0
0
0
No locations
North Eastern Railway
0
0
0
7 under finalization. Tender opening on 15.02.2018 for Bareilly, Mathura, Gorakhpur, Badshahnagar, Manduadhi
Northeast Frontier Railway
0
0
0
No locations
North West Railway
6
00.30
3 months
2 Jaipur, 1 Ajmer, 1 Udaipur City, 1 Jodhpur,
1 Bikaner
Southern Railway
8
00.75
3 months
3 Coimbatore, 1 Salem, 1 Podanur,
1 Thiruchirappalli , 2 Mangalore, 5 more locations are being processed for long term tenders (Chennai, Erode, Ooty, Coonoor, Mettaupalayam)
South Central Railway
5
2.76
3 years
2 Secunderabad, 1 Hyderabad, 1 Kacheguda,
1 Guntur
South Eastern Railway
0
0
0
6 stations identified and tendering process initiated. Tata, Rourkela, Kharagpur, Shalimar, Santragachi, Ranchi
South East Central Railway
1
00.02
3 months
1 plus 3 stations identified and tendering process initiated
South West Railway
22
17.00
3 years
5 Bangalore, 4 Yeshvantpur,
1 Krisnrajpuram, 2 Bangalore Cantt,
1 Kenigiri, 1Banaswadi, 1 Yelayanka,
1 Malleswaram, 1 Baiyyaplnhalli,
2 Whitefield, 1 Hebbal
Western Railway
6
04.00
6 months
Mumbai Central, Bandra, Surat, Borivalli, Indore, Ahmedabad
West Central Railway
0
0
0
0
TOTAL
72
-
-
72 plus 24 locations under finalisation
Under the General conditions of contract, the licensee shall be responsible to comply with the law of the land relating to the contract. The pricing of rides depends on the current demand and supply. Every State has its own regulations for cab service providers. The integrated app of the Railway will provide App Based Cabs as well as ticketing from one singular app
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today
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Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:08 IST
Making Railways Disabled Friendly
In order to provide better accessibility to Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), short term facilities as detailed below have been planned at all stations, beginning with ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ category stations:-
• Standard ramp for barrier free entry
• Earmarking at least two parking lots
• Non-slippery walk-way from parking lot to building
• Signages of appropriate visibility
• At least one toilet (on the ground floor)
• At least one drinking water tap suitable for use by Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)
• ‘May I help you’ Booth
In addition, long term facilities, as detailed below, have also been planned at ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ category stations:-
• Provision of facility for inter-platform transfer
• Engraving on edges of platform
In order to facilitate easy movement of elderly, sick and Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) and for smooth access to platforms at major railway stations, escalators have been planned at all ‘A-1’, ‘A’ & ‘C’ category stations with footfall of 25,000 and above and stations of tourist importance. These escalators shall be provided progressively at all such stations.
So far, 456 escalators at 170 stations and 298 lifts at 132 stations have been provided. Further, work is in progress for about 320 nos. of escalators at 129 stations and 338 nos. of lifts at 102 stations. Additionally 372 escalators have been sanctioned for Mumbai Sub-urban sections in current Financial Year (2017-18) on Out-of-Turn basis. In addition, proposal to install additional lifts and escalators on stations covering ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and important ‘C’ category stations are being planned.
Availability of Wheelchairs on Platforms:Instructions already exist for provision of Wheelchair at stations. This facility is provided, duly escorted by coolies (on payment) as per present practice. Zonal Railways have also been instructed to provide one wheelchair per platform and in case of island platforms one wheelchair per two platforms at all ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ category stations.
Battery Operated Cars (BOCs): Zonal Railways have been authorized to introduce Battery Operated Cars at major railway stations for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), elderly and ailing passengers on ‘first come first served’ basis through sponsorship from individuals, NGOs, Trusts, Charitable institutions, Corporate and PSUs/Corporate Houses under their Corporate Social Responsibility free of charge to passenger or to the Railway. 110 Battery Operated Cars have already been provided at 63 major railway stations. Further, instructions have also been issued to Zonal Railways to invite Expression of Interest for providing the facility of Battery Operated Car service on payment basis initially at all ‘A-1’ category stations keeping in view the financial sustainability of the service. This facility can be availed by passengers on ‘first come first served’ basis; preference shall however be given to Senior Citizens, Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), pregnant women and medically sick passengers.
Yatri Mitra Sewa: ‘Yatri Mitra Sewa’ is being provided at major stations for enabling passengers to book wheelchair services cum Porter services etc. The responsibility of providing Yatri Mitra Sewa is entrusted to IRCTC who may provide this service ‘Free of cost’ through some NGOs, PSUs etc. under CSR or on payment basis. This service can be booked on IRCTC e-ticketing website and 139 (IVRS and SMS) or through a mobile.
Indian Railways have manufactured more than 3,700 SLRD/SRD coaches (SLRD-Second Class Cum Luggage Cum Guard Van & Disabled friendly compartment, SRD- Second Class Cum Guard Van & Disabled friendly compartment) which have a suitably designed compartment and toilet adapted to the needs of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)/wheelchair borne passengers. In SLRD/SRD coaches, wider entrance door, wider berths, wider compartments, larger lavatory and lavatory doors etc. have been provided. Inside the toilets, additional grab rails on the side walls for support, wash basin and mirror at lower height have been provided. It is endeavored to have at least one such Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coach in each Mail/Express train running with ICF coaches. Further, the fully air conditioned (WRRMDAC) Garib Rath trains have been provided with an Air conditioned Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) friendly compartment in the power cars. For assistance to visually impaired travelers, Integrated Braille signages, i.e. signages superimposed with Braille scripts, are being provided in the newly manufactured coaches. Further, retrofitment of the same in existing coaches has also been taken up in a phased manner.
The expenditure on development of Passenger Amenities works including those for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) at Railway Stations is generally funded under Plan Head – ‘Passenger Amenities’.
This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2018 19:07 IST
Initiatives Taken By Railways
Speeding up of trains is a constant endeavour and continuous process in Indian Railways (IR) and is dependent on constant optimization of the investments made by Railways in modernization of technology, high powered locos, modern coaches and better tracks. During the year 2017-18, 48 trains have been speeded up to the category of superfast trains with average speed of 55 kmph and above.
As on 01.04.2017, 25367 route kilometer of railway routes are commissioned on electric traction (electrified). Further, 1733 route kilometer have been commissioned on electric traction till December 2017 during the year 2017-18 against the target of 4000 route kilometer.
It has been planned to complete the work of fitment of Bio toilets in passenger coaches by the end of the year 2018-19.
Regarding improving the look and feel of coaches, it has been decided to progressively convert all conventional coaches to LHB coaches and the following steps are being taken:
- Various premium services like Humsafar, Tejas, Antyodaya and coaches like DeenDayalu and Anubhuti, which have improved passenger amenities, have been introduced in service.
- IR has launched Project Swarn with the objective of significantly improving the passenger experience. In total, 14 Rajdhani and 15 Shatabdi trains will be covered. The work is already underway at various divisions of IR.
- Two rakes of Shan-e-Bhopal Express (Train No. 12155/12156) have been upgraded at division level. Upgradation of 66 trains (140 rakes) in divisions on lines of Shan-e-Bhopal Express shall be taken up from the year 2018-19 onwards.
- IR has planned to improve the interior of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coaches. New interiors with better facilities will be provided in the existing coaches byrefurbishing them during Mid Life Rehabilitation (MLR). Work in 700 such Model rake coaches is being progressively carried out, out of which more than 100 Model rake coaches have already been turned out.
This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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