Indian Railways News

[anoop_mig25]

My experience on one occassion, which was long time back, was that there were too many people to feed from one pantry car. By the time I got my meal, it was pretty late in the night. How is the food now?

Well i have never tasted any food from any jan ahar models , but i am sure there taste wont be any good.I have tasted food server from pantry in normal trains as well as Rajdhani (3 ac) and i can say those served in Rajdhani (3 ac) is ok -ok with good packing while those begin served in normal is worst even by charging 100rs

My point is IR or IRCTC must not start any food model base on jan adhar where cheap food is served .

Because there is not point in serving cheap food , one no one eats such food specaily poor who prefer home made rather then jan ahar foods so it leads to wastage of foods and resources.

IR/IRCTC must have model which either makes profits or atleast is no-profit-no-loss/or atleast its expenses are recovered

Such model where started by Mamat bangeer because to apper socialist in front of delhi jhollwaalas but its loss making venture

May be mamta and its socialist minister starts such models because of indian mind-sets where one must not seek taste in food while traveling in india

basically Jo mile kha looo

 

[pmaitra]

@anoop_mig25, I agree with you. Most of the poor people would get food from home. Jan Ahar might not be effective in overnight journeys, where a person boards a train in the evening, and reaches his destination the next morning. I do think that for longer routes, Jan Ahar could be relevant.

 

[anoop_mig25]

@anoop_mig25, I agree with you. Most of the poor people would get food from home. Jan Ahar might not be effective in overnight journeys, where a person boards a train in the evening, and reaches his destination the next morning. I do think that for longer routes, Jan Ahar could be relevant.

Sir even outside eatries or that on railway platform as on this date donot server food as cheap as 20-30 rs.

Most of them sells at 50-60 rs even their taste s not good ..

You know on indian routes you must have number of hotels outside platforms which servres good food .Just call them 1/2 hrs before train reaches station this people would bring food on your seat once train reached station.My freind regualry does when where he is at itrasi station

 

[cobra commando]

NEW DELHI: Trains manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo may soon undertake trial runs at speeds between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing tracks on the Delhi-Mumbai route. Depending upon the results of the trial runs, the railways will consider introduction of high speed trains on other routes too, a senior Railway Ministry official said. Talgo will conduct the time validation trial on Delhi-Mumbai corridor soon, the official said. The Spanish train maker has offered to test run their lighter and faster trains free of cost. "We will be issuing the permission letter to Talgo after getting the Railway Board's approval for importing the rake to India. They (Talgo) have offered to do the trial with no cost to railways," said the official. The rake will be imported in knocked down condition and be assembled in India. If the Talgo train runs at speeds varying between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing infrastructure without any upgrade, the travel time between the two cities is expected to be cut down to about 12 hours from the current 17 hours. Besides reducing travel time, Talgo's lighter trains consume 30 per cent less energy which will help railways reduce their power bill. The official said barring minor changes, there will be no need for overhauling the tracks for the trial run. The process required for this will kick off once the approval of the Railway Ministry has been received, the official said. "A lot will depend on the trial on Delhi-Mumbai sector and, if the test run is successful, we may consider it for some more routes also," he said. These trains are already running in several places in Asia and the US.

High Speed Spanish Train To Take Trial Run On Delhi- Mumbai Route Soon

 

[sasum]

NEW DELHI: Trains manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo may soon undertake trial runs at speeds between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing tracks on the Delhi-Mumbai route. Depending upon the results of the trial runs, the railways will consider introduction of high speed trains on other routes too, a senior Railway Ministry official said. Talgo will conduct the time validation trial on Delhi-Mumbai corridor soon, the official said. The Spanish train maker has offered to test run their lighter and faster trains free of cost. "We will be issuing the permission letter to Talgo after getting the Railway Board's approval for importing the rake to India. They (Talgo) have offered to do the trial with no cost to railways," said the official. The rake will be imported in knocked down condition and be assembled in India. If the Talgo train runs at speeds varying between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing infrastructure without any upgrade, the travel time between the two cities is expected to be cut down to about 12 hours from the current 17 hours. Besides reducing travel time, Talgo's lighter trains consume 30 per cent less energy which will help railways reduce their power bill. The official said barring minor changes, there will be no need for overhauling the tracks for the trial run. The process required for this will kick off once the approval of the Railway Ministry has been received, the official said. "A lot will depend on the trial on Delhi-Mumbai sector and, if the test run is successful, we may consider it for some more routes also," he said. These trains are already running in several places in Asia and the US.

earing up to run trains at higher speed, railways will this month unveil modern coaches equipped with automatic sliding doors and electro-pneumatically assisted brake system to assist in operating at 200 kmph speed.

Manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala, the first consignment of four high speed coaches - two AC chair cars and two Executive Class - are being readied to travel to the capital before March, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

Each coach is estimated to cost about Rs. 3.25 crore as against the Rs. 2.5 crore for the normal coach.

The official said the coaches are equipped with latest technology like stainless steel brake disc, sintered pads and electro-pneumatically assisted brake system to run at a higher speed.

Besides, the entrance will have automatically sliding doors like Metro coaches and better dust, sound and heat insulation system.

He said the third major modification in these coaches involves improved and wider inter-car vestibule area between the coaches, which will help reduce dirt and water ingress besides reducing noise level.

A total of 20 coaches will be manufactured at RCF out of which four are almost ready and the rest will be delivered in June this year as announced by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in his last budget.

The new initiative involves manufacturing a rake of 20 coaches which comprises 14 AC chair cars, 3 Executive Chair cars and 3 Power cars.

Other features which are incorporated in these 200 kmph coaches include improved passenger safety and comfort. The coaches will have aesthetically pleasant interiors with spacious and ergonomically designed seats.

There will be provision of personal infotainment system in coaches also.

Each coach will emphasize on safety, and will have fire retardant furnishing besides fire and smoke detection alarms.

The lavatories of these coaches will have redesigned interior and equipped with vacuum evacuation assisted toilets.

The plush interiors will have touchless fittings in taps, hand dryers and soap dispensers besides marble finish and anti graffiti coating on walls.

The coaches carry colour scheme based on Cheetah, the fastest animal known for its vitality, and has been developed in association with the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

High Speed Spanish Train To Take Trial Run On Delhi- Mumbai Route Soon

http://m.ndtv.com/india-news/railways-to-unveil-200-kmph-coaches-with-sliding-doors-1275021

 

[zoopindia]

Good information traveling in train Blog....
Try this new service zoopindia.com.Com they are delivering better food than that of irctc and that in the train....

 

[cobra commando]

Indian Railways to export 40 LHB coaches to Bangladesh

 

[cobra commando]

Indian Railways all set to roll out the e-bedroll!

Indian Railways has given a green signal to the trial of the E-Bedroll, that allows passengers to avail bedroll kits through online booking and from over the counter at select outlets set up by the IRCTC at railway stations. The facility was inaugurated by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu from his office on Wednesday for two stations — New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin. Earlier, on February 7, the minister had inaugurated the facility at Chennai Central station, only a day after it was also launched at Thiruvananthapuram station by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). Passengers can avail this facility by paying Rs 140 for two bed sheets and a pillow and Rs 110 for a blanket. These can be purchased together at a cost of Rs 250 or can be purchased separately. The facility can be availed by passengers having confirmed e- tickets at the time of ticketing or up to four hours prior to the scheduled departure of the train on the basis of online payment. The booked bedroll will be supplied at the berth of the passenger by IRCTC. Dr AK Manocha, chairman and managing director of IRCTC, said, "A unique feature of the scheme is that the passengers can take the bedroll home." Dr Manocha said that under the existing arrangement, bedrolls are provided only in AC classes in trains. This scheme, however, encompasses the sleeper class passengers too.
Indian Railways all set to roll out the e-bedroll!

 

[cobra commando]

Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare menu for railway food

The Railway Ministry has approached celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare the menu of food items that are served on trains. Kapoor, who has decades of expertise in commercial food and beverage industry, is a household name in the country, which is why the Railways asked him to prepare the menu, said senior officials in the ministry. “I won’t be able to reveal much, but yes as an Indian I’m glad to be able to help Indian Railways,” Kapoor told The Indian Express. Asked if the quality of food can be ensured within the low price points of rail catering, he said: “Take for example gol gappas. They are tasty even though they are not expensive.” Kapoor has undertaken similar exercise with large organisations and has a clear idea of the challenges, an official said.

Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare menu for railway food

 

[Chinmoy]

Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu needs to be commended for changing the basic tenets of how a Rail Budget is presented in India. He has made some radical departures from the past — a process he began last year — and by continuing in the same vein, he has indicated that this is now going to the new format of the Rail Budget for the years to come, at least as long as he or/and the Narendra Modi government is in office.

Those looking for easy headlines and simple talking points — the number of new trains, which state got what, whether the rail minister favoured his home state or that of his political bosses and so on — will be a bit disappointed. Hike or the negation of it, in passenger and freight tariff of course, has not been big news for quite some time. Long-term and medium-term perspectives, augmentation of resources, capacity enhancement, safety and such other things, although vitally important were only deemed useful for side stories.

Prabhu, a technocrat, brought in by Modi from outside the resource pool of the BJP has changed the game.

The Rail Budget was so far taken to be presentation of accounts of preceding year and current financial year, achievements if any (real or manufactured), announcement of new trains and new tracks, taking care of VVIP areas and mandatory lip service for enhancing passenger amenities and safety concerns.

For a long time, the presentation of the Rail Budget had acquired an added dimension. The rail minister portfolio — during the coalition era, or even before — and the rail ministry would invariably go to a strong regional ally, whether Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee (or her appointees), Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, George Fernandes and prior to that, strong regional satraps from Congress. So the state-centric announcements for the state to which the rail minister belonged — as also of the leader from the senior coalition partner (or their constituency) — would be very heavy. Bihar and West Bengal, as also Amethi and Raebarelli benefitted a lot in the past decades. While a state or two faced positive discrimination, leaders and common men from other states made a lot of noise.

It caused a lot of bad blood.

Speaking exclusively to Firstpost, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, an IIT-BHU alumni, said "the Rail Budget is not about announcement of new trains and number of stops a particular train will have. It should never have been like this. It means much more than that. Rail connects people in all parts of the country and carries persons of all hues, all strata. The rail minister has made right decisions. The prime minister is very keen to see that the face of Indian railway is changed for the good." He said last year several new trains had been started. This means that to run a new train, the minister does not need to wait for a year and announce that in the Rail Budget.

Gone are the days when the MPs and regional leaders would lobby with the rail minister or his political bosses for announcement of new trains, new tracks, new stations, stops for super fast trains at smaller stations. A section of MPs are not happy about that. But that has relieved Prabhu from a lot of trouble that his peers in Parliament could otherwise cause to him.

That being said, there was some commotion in the House. Some Opposition MPs raised their pitch to accuse Prabhu of neglect when he announced the names of pilgrim centres including Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded, Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Puri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco for the provision of passenger amenities and station beautification on a priority basis. The rail minister said, "We also intend to run Aastha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres."

But unmindful of the noise, he kept on reading his speech.

The Rail Budget has proposed joint ventures with states for new railway projects. That's a welcome move. The states concerned after all know best about which areas needs greater attention. Prabhu said this was in line with the Modi government's cooperative federalism thought process and 17 states have already given their nod for that — and around half a dozen MoUs have been signed. But there is a problem: What about the perpetual laggards like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh? The western and southern states will actively associate with this joint venture and the eastern states will be left behind.

Sinha said the Centre will of course do its bit, but the states will have to come forward and cooperate in certain sectors of work like earmarking and allocation of land.

The rail minister has outlined the challenges that lay before him: "These are challenging times, may be one of the toughest. We are faced with two headwinds, entirely beyond our control; tepid growth of our economy’s core sectors due to international slowdown, the looming impact of the Seventh Pay Commission and increased productivity bonus payouts. Further, historically declining the modal share of Indian Railways, which dropped from 62 percent in 1980 to 36 percent in 2012, is continuing to exert pressure on the institution." But he quoted few lines from Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poem to stress that he remains fully committed in his resolve.

He presents an optimistic picture for times to come: "We, in the Railways, must provide to the citizens of this country a rail system that they can be proud of — a system free from capacity constraints, a system that is efficient and predictable, a system that is sparkling and pristine, where the people of my country feel at ease, where there is plenty of choice in every sphere of activity, and the ease of doing business pervades the entire railway ecosystem. In short, a system that is capable of taking care of its own needs financially and otherwise. By 2020, we look forward to meeting the long-felt desires of the common man — reserved accommodation on trains being available on demand; time-tabled freight trains with credible service commitments; high-end technology to significantly improve the safety record; elimination of all unmanned level crossings; punctuality increased to almost 95 percent; increased average speed of freight trains to 50 kilometres per hour and mail/express trains to 80 kilometres per hour; semi high-speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral and zero direct discharge of human waste."

And then there are whole lot of other announcement to make one actually contemplate a pleasant train journey.

Also, next time when you get down from the train with luggage, look for a "sahayak", not a coolie.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/rail...m-the-past-in-form-and-substance-2644304.html

 

[cobra commando]

Bio-toilets in Western Railways' 468 coaches to convert waste into water

MUMBAI: In order to achieve zero discharge of human waste on the tracks, Western Railway (WR) today said it has provided bio- toilets in 468 coaches so far and plans to install more of these in a phased manner. Railways is working towards the long-term objective of replacing the traditional train toilets with green toilets, also called bio- toilets, a release said. The human waste in bio-toilets is biologically degraded by anaerobic bacteria and converted to water, methane and carbon dioxide, the WR said in a statement. Unlike traditional toilets which discharge waste on the tracks, bio-toilets treat the waste in a tank below the coaches where it is converted into water and harmless gases. The leftover in the tank is free from harmful germs, it said. Bio-toilets are not only environment friendly but also prevent damage to the railway tracks due to corrosion as well as improve aesthetics at railway stations, the release said. However bio-toilets often get choked and become non- functional due to throwing of objects like plastic bottles, paper cups, cloth rags, polythene/plastic bags, gutka pouches, nappies etc, it said. "Passengers have an important role to play in the success of bio- toilets. It is important that bio- toilets are not used as garbage bins and waste such as plastic, bottles, polythene, pouches, etc. are not be thrown in the toilet. Also, the toilets are not to be used when the train is at the station," a senior railway officer said.

Bio-toilets in Western Railways' 468 coaches to convert waste into water

 

[sasum]

"Passengers have an important role to play in the success of bio- toilets. It is important that bio- toilets are not used as garbage bins and waste such as plastic, bottles, polythene, pouches, etc. are not being thrown in the toilet. Also, the toilets are not to be used when the train is at the station," a senior railway officer said.

If such toilets can be successfully operated on planes, why not on trains?
Of course old habits die hard. But Gutka chewing mob refrain from spitting in Metro coaches/ stations. They can be made to comply with stiff fines. CCTV cameras can catch the delinquents in the act. Biotoilets remain the only option for crowded Indian trains.

 

[Gessler]

Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare menu for railway food

The Railway Ministry has approached celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare the menu of food items that are served on trains. Kapoor, who has decades of expertise in commercial food and beverage industry, is a household name in the country, which is why the Railways asked him to prepare the menu, said senior officials in the ministry. “I won’t be able to reveal much, but yes as an Indian I’m glad to be able to help Indian Railways,” Kapoor told The Indian Express. Asked if the quality of food can be ensured within the low price points of rail catering, he said: “Take for example gol gappas. They are tasty even though they are not expensive.” Kapoor has undertaken similar exercise with large organisations and has a clear idea of the challenges, an official said.

Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare menu for railway food

Has someone thought of patenting some recipes like samosa, pani-puri, ragada, chole-bhaturi etc. and other such roadside snacks? I know some of this stuff is made by everyone from Iran to Burma but so far there has been no such thing as merchandising all of this. Setup a fast-food chain that makes these snacks exclusively.

Don't let every idiot on the street corner make & sell these stuff which 99% of Indians consume on a daily basis just so that one guy can earn some pocket change. Convert it into a brand and in a decade, it'll be a multi-billion dollar food chain like KFC or McDonalds, employing lakhs of people directly/indirectly...contributing vast amounts to national GDP and above all being accountable.

There are dozens of such things lying around that can be turned into a major source of income for the state, but instead end up barely filling the pockets of 1 family. This is one reason why I always support the purchase of food items from supermarkets or online stores (like BigBasket) instead of your street-corner vendor.

Oh come on India!!

 

[sasum]

After Gatiman, India could get these new swanky, faster trains
-----------------

​

Railways is likely to hold trials of high-speed trains manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo that touch a maximum speed of 200 kmph.
After sucessfully launching Gatiman Express, Railways is likely to hold trials of high-speed trains manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo that touch a maximum speed of 200 kmph, on existing tracks in June.

Tracks were strengthened between Nizamuddin and Agra stations for the launch of Gatiman, the country's fastest train.

Dispatched in a cargo ship from Barcelona on March 27, currently nine Talgo coaches are on the high seas and expected to anchor at Mumbai port on April 21.

The Spanish train maker has offered to test run its lighter and faster trains free of cost on the existing Indian Railways network.

After reaching the Mumbai harbour, the Talgo coaches will get customs clearance and then moved to Izzatnagar depot for trial expected to be in June.

According to a senior Railway Ministry official, "The first Talgo train trial will be conducted between Bareilly and Moradabad rail route at a maximum speed of 115 km per hour for oscillation test. This will be followed by another trial between Palwal and Mathura route at a maximum speed of 180 kmph."

The third test will be carried out between Delhi and Mumbai at a maximum speed of 200 kmph.
According to Railways, Talgo trains are capable of running at speeds varying between 160-200 kmph on the existing infrastructure without any upgrade. Railways has to strengthen the tracks and upgrade the signalling system for running Gatiman Express at 160 kmph speed.

Barring minor changes, there will be no need for overhauling the tracks for the Talgo trial run, he said, adding, the cost of import of coaches and custom clearances will be borne by Talgo.

Besides reducing travel time, Talgo's lighter trains consume 30 per cent less energy which will help railways reduce their power bill.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Trains manufactured by Spanish firm Talgo may soon undertake trial runs at speeds between 160 and 200 kmph on the existing tracks on the Delhi-Mumbai route.

==========================

Talgo should replace all the shatabdi operating in India ..

 

[Mikesingh]

After Gatiman, India could get these new swanky, faster trains​

Gatimaan Express Huffs And Puffs

Argumentative Indians agree over only one thing: Whether it's phones or tablets, trains or planes, court cases or vote counting, everyone wants more speed, pronto, taara taari, chethi karo. So when India's fastest train chugged off this week, railway minister Suresh Prabhu must have thought everyone would swing like Cliff Richards and sing congratulations and jubilations, and be as happy as can be.

But the gati of Gatimaan disappoints. Nobody expected this new Delhi to Agra train to break the sound barrier on a timeworn track. But with top speed of 160 kmph, what's seriously underwhelming is that Gatimaan makes the journey only around 10 minutes faster than the very first Shatabdi Express, billed as India's fastest train three decades ago! If Railways' Mission Raftaar advances at this crawling pace, all the passengers who got on for a swift ride to Acche Din Station will miss their tryst with destiny .

Finance minister Arun Jaitley says the world no longer ridicules India about its Hindu rate of growth but what about its Hindu rate of reforms? Trains in Germany had crossed 160 kmph back in the 1930s. In Japan today they are running at 600 kmph. But we can still brag about our badass speed on a bullock cart.

A hundred years ago people used to fear train travel at high speed would asphyxiate passengers. More recently , in some places it used to be illegal to kiss on trains or to sleep in them. The world has transformed at a blistering pace since then. But India still runs largely on colonial era tracks, imposing severe speed limits on Gatimaan and much else.

The train does have a superhero name. It's a desi one, like Shaktimaan not Superman. Whose alter ego was not Clark Kent but Pandit Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri. Played not by chiselled six pack abs wala Christopher Reeves but chubby cheeked and paunchy Mukesh Khanna. The problem for Shaktimaan Prabhu is that Young India now loves Superman speed and power just like America; floppy desi avatars leave it sighing.

In flagging off Gatimaan's inaugural run on Tuesday morning, Prabhu hoped the train wouldn't be late. By its return journey , it was behind schedule. Still, to compensate there were roses and marigolds, chicken rolls and Kanjeevaram idlis, bio-toilets and huge, clear windows to look out at Incredible India. Plus the persisting dream that once over the hill, speed will pick up.

So why are we creating such a song and dance about the Gatimaan Express? Is 160kmph such a big deal? The Delhi - Bhopal Shatabdi has been running at a speed of 150kmph since the past three decades!

Speeds of 160kmh was achieved by the West in the 1930s!! It's 2016 now! We're stuck in a time warp. Thanks to the Congress who've been sitting on their asses since the past over 65 years!


Are we too late to play catch-up? It will take an act of God , enormous time and huge financial outlays to achieve speeds over 300kmph which is the standard in most parts of the world.

I travel quite frequently from Nice (France) to Paris on the high speed TGV, flying at ground level at an average 320kmph!! That's an experience you guys don't want to miss!

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The author missed everything about Indian context, Nor he is aware abt problems and needs of Seasonal & Business Indian travelers on Indian trains but he is ready to comparing this to to western designs ..

From the content of the article its seems its been spiced up with political terms and affairs rather technical details and purpose so does role of trains ..

Gatimaan Express Huffs And Puffs

all the passengers who got on for a swift ride to Acche Din Station will miss their tryst with destiny .

Finance minister Arun Jaitley says the world no longer ridicules India about its Hindu rate of growth but what about its Hindu rate of reforms?

The train does have a superhero name. It's a desi one, like Shaktimaan not Superman. Whose alter ego was not Clark Kent but Pandit Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri.

Speeds of 160kmh was achieved by the West in the 1930s!!

I travel quite frequently from Nice (France) to Paris on the high speed TGV, flying at ground level at an average 320kmph!! That's an experience you guys don't want to miss!

 

[Indx TechStyle]

^^^I'm even then excited.
Spanish Platforms are also not bad.
China developed it's trains on Italian bases.

 

[aditya g]

Cutting down 10 minutes in the short Delhi-Agra route is quite impressive if you ask me.

Beyond a point incremental improvements take a lot of effort and thoroughness to accomplish - this is true not just for railways but anything in corporate world.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Ultra modern Metro Rail will change face of Nagpur: Devendra Fadnavis