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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Metro Railways
The Metro Railways � an Introduction
The Metro Railways in India is one of the smart ways to travel between two places in the metropolitan cities. In the hustle and bustle of city roads, The Metro Railways, run by Indian Railways, come as a wonder solution to the busy life of the metropolitan people. The Metro Railways usually run underground or on the elevated paths. As a result, there is no possibility ofThe Metro Railways to catch into the traffic. Therefore, these sort of transportation can run smoothly to reach it destination and hence save a lot of time to the commuters. Currently there are two metro railways in operation � the Kolkata Metro and the Delhi Metro.
The Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro or the Calcutta Metro is the first underground rail network in India. Constructed between 1972 and 1995, the Phase � I was started in 1984 from Esplanade to Bhowanipur (which is now known as Netaji Bhavan), with a route length of 3.04 kms. The full length from Dum Dum to Tollygunje (16.45 km) came into operation from 1995.
The Kolkata Metro has 2 lines in its 1676 mm guage (Broad Guage) rails. Each train has 8 coaches, each of which can accommodate 278 standing passengers and 48 sitting passengers. The train can run at a maximum speed of 55 km/h with the average speed remains at 30 km/h. It takes 33 minutes to reach from it originating station to its final destination.
The Delhi Metro
The Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) or the Delhi Metro is the second metro rail network in India. Operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC), The Metro Railways in Delhi was inaugurated on 24th December, 2002. Delhi Metro has a combination of elevated, at-grade, and underground lines and the trains run at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. In its 3 lines, the Delhi Metro has a 68 km long network, with a total number of 62 stations including 13 underground, 48 elevated and 1 at-grade.
For more information on The Metro Railways, please go through the site www.headlinesindia.com.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Railway Budget 09-10: National and Regional Cuisines to be Introduced in ‘Janata Khana’
All the zones in Indian Railways have been instructed to ensure availability of
‘Janata Khana’.
Presenting the Railway Budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha today, the Railway Minister, Kumari Mamata Banerjee said that national and regional cuisines would be introduced in the catering by the Railways.
All railway zones have also been instructed to give priority to provision of good quality food, drinking water and toilet facilities and ensure cleanliness on trains and stations.
A comprehensive policy including strict monitoring mechanisms would be developed soon for achieving these objectives.
‘Janata Khana’.
Presenting the Railway Budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha today, the Railway Minister, Kumari Mamata Banerjee said that national and regional cuisines would be introduced in the catering by the Railways.
All railway zones have also been instructed to give priority to provision of good quality food, drinking water and toilet facilities and ensure cleanliness on trains and stations.
A comprehensive policy including strict monitoring mechanisms would be developed soon for achieving these objectives.
Railway Budget 2009-10: 'Only Ladies' suburban trains in metros
NEW DELHI: To facilitate working women facing difficulties in travelling to thier workplaces, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday
announced introduction of 'Only Ladies' EMU train services.
Presenting the Railway Budget for 2009-10, she said that these train services will be introduced in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata suburban routes on the pattern of Mumbai suburban lines.
Presenting the Railway Budget for 2009-10, she said that these train services will be introduced in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata suburban routes on the pattern of Mumbai suburban lines.
Mamata prunes tatkal bookings charges from Rs 150 to Rs 100
NEW DELHI: Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has reduced the Tatkal charges from Rs 150 to Rs 100. The Tatkal fares will be a fixed percentage of
the actual fare.
Earlier, Railway officials had said the tatkal scheme, used by Lalu to earn railways more than Rs 1,000 crore in the past three years, has failed to impress Mamata and she may prune the scheme. But Mamata has let it stay. Originally, tatkal was about allocating a few berths to those who had not booked in advance, but needed to travel even if at a higher cost.
Under Lalu Prasad, the Tatkal scheme took on a big dimension, almost turning into a revenue spinner when the former railway minister, in keeping with his populist leanings, would not touch fares and had to rationalise freight to cope with the competition from truck operators.
Railway officials acknowledge that the scope of tatkal has far exceeded what it was supposed to be and they were dreading losing a source of revenue.
They say that under Lalu's scheme, the revenue shot up remarkably as the number of tatkal berths went up. While the number of berths in tatkal every day in all trains put together was a little over 40,000 in 2005-06, in the past three years, it reached almost a lakh.
During the same period, the revenue earned through tatkal has gone up from over Rs 200 crore in 2006 to over Rs 500 crore in the last fiscal. In 2007-2008, it was over Rs 350 crore. Initially, there would be a single, separate coach for tatkal, but Lalu's brainchild led to introduction of tatkal berths even in regular coaches.
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Earlier, Railway officials had said the tatkal scheme, used by Lalu to earn railways more than Rs 1,000 crore in the past three years, has failed to impress Mamata and she may prune the scheme. But Mamata has let it stay. Originally, tatkal was about allocating a few berths to those who had not booked in advance, but needed to travel even if at a higher cost.
Under Lalu Prasad, the Tatkal scheme took on a big dimension, almost turning into a revenue spinner when the former railway minister, in keeping with his populist leanings, would not touch fares and had to rationalise freight to cope with the competition from truck operators.
Railway officials acknowledge that the scope of tatkal has far exceeded what it was supposed to be and they were dreading losing a source of revenue.
They say that under Lalu's scheme, the revenue shot up remarkably as the number of tatkal berths went up. While the number of berths in tatkal every day in all trains put together was a little over 40,000 in 2005-06, in the past three years, it reached almost a lakh.
During the same period, the revenue earned through tatkal has gone up from over Rs 200 crore in 2006 to over Rs 500 crore in the last fiscal. In 2007-2008, it was over Rs 350 crore. Initially, there would be a single, separate coach for tatkal, but Lalu's brainchild led to introduction of tatkal berths even in regular coaches.
Railway Budget 09-10: Kolkata Port may devise scheme for time-bound container movement
KOLKATA: Kolkata Port may look at devising a scheme based on premium service for container movement with assured transit time for time sensitive
cargo. This service of assured time bound container movement was announced by railway minister Ms Mamata Banerjee on Friday.
"Although we are yet to receive the fine print of the service announced, we may look at devising a scheme on its basis that will offer timebound movement of goods. At present, there is hardly any container movement through railroads in the region. The service may now create demand for container movement through railroads in the region," said a senior Kolkata Port official.
In addition, permission to access private sidings for containers will help attracting piecemeal traffic which at present is not being carried by the railways. This is also likely to create demand for container cargo in the region.
The concept of time bound container service has been welcomed by all segments of the industry. "At present, Container Corporation on India does not offer any time bound services through railroads. If the service is started, it is likely to result in faster turnaround of assets," said P V K Mohan, chairman, Committee of Containerisation, as well as chairman of Sea Way Shipping Ltd told ET.
"At present, one needs to wait indefinitely for railways to move containers since it waits for the entire rake to be loaded. This results in abnormal delays and losses to trade in some cases. We also assume this time bound movement will involve departure and arrival at a pre-defined time. However, the real success of this service will depend on consumer confidence," he added.
President, Indian Shipping Association, Mr Nopany said: "The railways have been introducing so many schemes as well as new trains and services on the existing infrastructure. The question that comes to mind is whether railways would be in a position to properly run these services and schemes. However, the idea of a time-bound programme is excellent specially for perishable cargo. Additionally, turnaround time for containers will be greatly reduced."
cargo. This service of assured time bound container movement was announced by railway minister Ms Mamata Banerjee on Friday.
"Although we are yet to receive the fine print of the service announced, we may look at devising a scheme on its basis that will offer timebound movement of goods. At present, there is hardly any container movement through railroads in the region. The service may now create demand for container movement through railroads in the region," said a senior Kolkata Port official.
In addition, permission to access private sidings for containers will help attracting piecemeal traffic which at present is not being carried by the railways. This is also likely to create demand for container cargo in the region.
The concept of time bound container service has been welcomed by all segments of the industry. "At present, Container Corporation on India does not offer any time bound services through railroads. If the service is started, it is likely to result in faster turnaround of assets," said P V K Mohan, chairman, Committee of Containerisation, as well as chairman of Sea Way Shipping Ltd told ET.
"At present, one needs to wait indefinitely for railways to move containers since it waits for the entire rake to be loaded. This results in abnormal delays and losses to trade in some cases. We also assume this time bound movement will involve departure and arrival at a pre-defined time. However, the real success of this service will depend on consumer confidence," he added.
President, Indian Shipping Association, Mr Nopany said: "The railways have been introducing so many schemes as well as new trains and services on the existing infrastructure. The question that comes to mind is whether railways would be in a position to properly run these services and schemes. However, the idea of a time-bound programme is excellent specially for perishable cargo. Additionally, turnaround time for containers will be greatly reduced."
Railway Budget 09-10: Wagon makers revitalised by Mamata Banerjee
KOLKATA: Wagon makers have been truly revitalised by Railway minister Mamata Banerjee. Compared to 11K wagons per annum, the railway minister on
Friday announced that 18K vehicle units would be manufactured in 2009-10.
"There’s a huge demand for EMU/MEMUs and Metro coaches in the country and capacity addition is an immediate requirement," the railway minister announced on Friday.
What’s more, Indian Railways intends to set up a new coach manufacturing factory in the Kanchrapara-Halisahar Railway complex on existing railway land either through JVor PPP routes.
Railway Budget 2009-10 also stresses on modernisation of rolling stock through induction of high-end technology for new design, higher capacity wagons, higher horse power locos and stainless steel coaches & wagons.
On increased wagon procurement, Texmaco president & CEO Ramesh Maheshwari said: "The railway budget for ‘09-10 augurs well for wagon units with robust infrastructure and technology platform, and those engaged in the manufacture of special purpose, new design, high payload wagons. There will also be a huge requirement of special wagons because of the renewed emphasis on infrastructure development to spur economic growth and the railway’s programme to accelerate dedicated freight corridor."
Echoing similar sentiments, Titagarh Wagons vice-chairman & managing director Umesh Chowdhary said, "By increasing the number of wagons to be purchased, railway minister has ensured that there is adequate capacity available in the railway infrastructure to attract more traffic from the roadways. The emphasis on developing railway infrastructure including the dedicated freight corridor will also woo traffic from road to rail".
"Railway minister has shown commendable vision by putting the public private partnership route in focus. From the proposed EMU coach factory at Kanchrapara to upgradation of important stations to international standards, or developing multi-functional complexes, she has opened a new vista for using the resources and expertise of the private sector. This is going to bring in unprecedented growth in Indian Railways," Mr Pawan K Ruia, chairman, Ruia Group, pointed out.
Mr Maheshwari, however, is of the view that "there is a pressing need for the railways to review and energise the ‘liberalised wagon investment scheme’ to encourage procurement of wagons under the PPP model since the scheme has virtually remained inoperative compared to the earlier ‘wagon investment scheme’. The ‘wagon leasing scheme’ announced by the railways in April 2008 has also remained largely inert and calls for a review to remove a few irritants so that the scheme may take off at the earliest."
Friday announced that 18K vehicle units would be manufactured in 2009-10.
"There’s a huge demand for EMU/MEMUs and Metro coaches in the country and capacity addition is an immediate requirement," the railway minister announced on Friday.
What’s more, Indian Railways intends to set up a new coach manufacturing factory in the Kanchrapara-Halisahar Railway complex on existing railway land either through JVor PPP routes.
Railway Budget 2009-10 also stresses on modernisation of rolling stock through induction of high-end technology for new design, higher capacity wagons, higher horse power locos and stainless steel coaches & wagons.
On increased wagon procurement, Texmaco president & CEO Ramesh Maheshwari said: "The railway budget for ‘09-10 augurs well for wagon units with robust infrastructure and technology platform, and those engaged in the manufacture of special purpose, new design, high payload wagons. There will also be a huge requirement of special wagons because of the renewed emphasis on infrastructure development to spur economic growth and the railway’s programme to accelerate dedicated freight corridor."
Echoing similar sentiments, Titagarh Wagons vice-chairman & managing director Umesh Chowdhary said, "By increasing the number of wagons to be purchased, railway minister has ensured that there is adequate capacity available in the railway infrastructure to attract more traffic from the roadways. The emphasis on developing railway infrastructure including the dedicated freight corridor will also woo traffic from road to rail".
"Railway minister has shown commendable vision by putting the public private partnership route in focus. From the proposed EMU coach factory at Kanchrapara to upgradation of important stations to international standards, or developing multi-functional complexes, she has opened a new vista for using the resources and expertise of the private sector. This is going to bring in unprecedented growth in Indian Railways," Mr Pawan K Ruia, chairman, Ruia Group, pointed out.
Mr Maheshwari, however, is of the view that "there is a pressing need for the railways to review and energise the ‘liberalised wagon investment scheme’ to encourage procurement of wagons under the PPP model since the scheme has virtually remained inoperative compared to the earlier ‘wagon investment scheme’. The ‘wagon leasing scheme’ announced by the railways in April 2008 has also remained largely inert and calls for a review to remove a few irritants so that the scheme may take off at the earliest."
Railway Budget 09-10: Opportunities for cold chain infrastructure in West Bengal
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee’s announcement that "the railways will encourage creation of cold storages for perishable goods at certain select
stations in partnership with the private sector" is seen as an opportunity for expanding the cold chain infrastructure in West Bengal. This was indicated by a top official in the state department of food processing industry and horticulture.
If the Railways really take such an initiative, the department in the first place wants creation of such facilities at Howrah, Sealdah, New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations, said the official who spoke to ET on the condition of anonymity.
Elaborating on the point, he said even as Howrah and Sealdah are not production centres per se of farm goods, they are important commercial hubs and gateways to multiple consumption centres in adjoining districts of Kolkata. If a cold chain infrastructure can be built near New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations, it will immensely improve the farm economy of north Bengal, which is slowly emerging as an important production centre for fruits, vegetables and flowers, he said.
Another official closely linked with the development of a flower hub at Mallickghat said if a cold storage comes up at Howrah, under the sponsorship of the railways, it can be integrated with the upcoming flower auction mart at the Mallickghat, construction of which is underway.
At present, the state has two large sized cold chains for perishable goods. Named as Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC), one such chain has come up at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata and another at Bagdogra airport, which have been funded and implemented by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
The railways minister’s announcement of involving the private sector in building cold storages at stations has been welcomed by the West Bengal Cold Storage Association. An official of the association said it will encourage private developers to venture into the cold storage building ventures. Plus, creation of multi-product cold chains, under the railways patronage, at important production centres, as announced by Ms Banerjee, will be of great help to vegetable growers and floriculturists in the state since 80% of the total cold storage capacity here is devoted to preserving potato, he said.
To link production centres with consumer centres through special trains for transporting handloom and handicraft products, as announced by the railways minister in her budget speech, possibilities can be explored linking some SSI clusters in the state, said an official of the MSME Development Institute. Initially, such linkages can be built at few of the state’s important traditional craft hubs like Shantiniketan, Bankura, Purulia and Khagra, he suggested.
However, site selections for setting up cold chains or for creation of new link routes for ferrying handicraft/handloom items rest entirely with the railways. The minister in her 2009-10 railway budget speech has clearly stated that the railways will tie up with professional agencies to identify locations and designing proper services while selecting such sites and routes.
stations in partnership with the private sector" is seen as an opportunity for expanding the cold chain infrastructure in West Bengal. This was indicated by a top official in the state department of food processing industry and horticulture.
If the Railways really take such an initiative, the department in the first place wants creation of such facilities at Howrah, Sealdah, New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations, said the official who spoke to ET on the condition of anonymity.
Elaborating on the point, he said even as Howrah and Sealdah are not production centres per se of farm goods, they are important commercial hubs and gateways to multiple consumption centres in adjoining districts of Kolkata. If a cold chain infrastructure can be built near New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations, it will immensely improve the farm economy of north Bengal, which is slowly emerging as an important production centre for fruits, vegetables and flowers, he said.
Another official closely linked with the development of a flower hub at Mallickghat said if a cold storage comes up at Howrah, under the sponsorship of the railways, it can be integrated with the upcoming flower auction mart at the Mallickghat, construction of which is underway.
At present, the state has two large sized cold chains for perishable goods. Named as Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC), one such chain has come up at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata and another at Bagdogra airport, which have been funded and implemented by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
The railways minister’s announcement of involving the private sector in building cold storages at stations has been welcomed by the West Bengal Cold Storage Association. An official of the association said it will encourage private developers to venture into the cold storage building ventures. Plus, creation of multi-product cold chains, under the railways patronage, at important production centres, as announced by Ms Banerjee, will be of great help to vegetable growers and floriculturists in the state since 80% of the total cold storage capacity here is devoted to preserving potato, he said.
To link production centres with consumer centres through special trains for transporting handloom and handicraft products, as announced by the railways minister in her budget speech, possibilities can be explored linking some SSI clusters in the state, said an official of the MSME Development Institute. Initially, such linkages can be built at few of the state’s important traditional craft hubs like Shantiniketan, Bankura, Purulia and Khagra, he suggested.
However, site selections for setting up cold chains or for creation of new link routes for ferrying handicraft/handloom items rest entirely with the railways. The minister in her 2009-10 railway budget speech has clearly stated that the railways will tie up with professional agencies to identify locations and designing proper services while selecting such sites and routes.
Rail Budget 2009-10: 'Duronto' the non-stop train
KOLKATA: For the first time in the country, the Rail budget has introduced non stoprain services betwen key cities. Named ‘Duronto’, the new
service with AC and Non-AC sleepers will provide 12 new links across the country. These will provide point-to-point services between key cities. Some five out of the 12 links are from the East.
Four of these will be from West Bengal while one is from Orissa to Delhi. Depending on the success of this service, the minister promised to extend it to other cities.
The 12 new non-stop fast trains announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her rail budget speech between select cities will take less time than even the Rajdhani Express to complete their journey. The trains will clock maximum speeds of 120 km per hour.
"This has been made possible since these trains, unlike the Rajdhani Express, will have no intermediate stoppages and run in much the same speeds clocked by Rajdhani," Railway Board Member -Traffic, Shri Prakash said.
For example, he said, the new bi-weekly non-stop train between New Delhi and Howrah will take 16 hours to cover the journey, as against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express. All 12 trains have been announced between cities where the volume of passenger traffic and demand is high.
"We are targeting long-distance passengers from terminal points like Kolkata and Delhi for instance. On this route, this will lead to higher availability of space for passengers along the intermediate stations like, Dhanbad and Asansol for instance," he explained. "Our aim is also to target higher passenger revenue , apart from higher freight earnings," he said.
"The trains will, however, have technical stoppages at a few stations like Gaya and Kanpur for instance for facilitating staff but the "transit time will come down drastically ", he said. There will be no change in the locomotive.
Railways are in the process of adding more capacity in terms of new lines and also the Dedicated freight corridor which will be able to accomodate these new trains, he said.
Duronto services will run between:
Howrah-Mumbai (AC) Non stop (Bi-weekly)
Howarh-Delhi Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Sealdah-New Delhi Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Kolkata-Amritsar Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Bhubaneswar-Delhi Non Stop (weekly)
service with AC and Non-AC sleepers will provide 12 new links across the country. These will provide point-to-point services between key cities. Some five out of the 12 links are from the East.
Four of these will be from West Bengal while one is from Orissa to Delhi. Depending on the success of this service, the minister promised to extend it to other cities.
The 12 new non-stop fast trains announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her rail budget speech between select cities will take less time than even the Rajdhani Express to complete their journey. The trains will clock maximum speeds of 120 km per hour.
"This has been made possible since these trains, unlike the Rajdhani Express, will have no intermediate stoppages and run in much the same speeds clocked by Rajdhani," Railway Board Member -Traffic, Shri Prakash said.
For example, he said, the new bi-weekly non-stop train between New Delhi and Howrah will take 16 hours to cover the journey, as against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express. All 12 trains have been announced between cities where the volume of passenger traffic and demand is high.
"We are targeting long-distance passengers from terminal points like Kolkata and Delhi for instance. On this route, this will lead to higher availability of space for passengers along the intermediate stations like, Dhanbad and Asansol for instance," he explained. "Our aim is also to target higher passenger revenue , apart from higher freight earnings," he said.
"The trains will, however, have technical stoppages at a few stations like Gaya and Kanpur for instance for facilitating staff but the "transit time will come down drastically ", he said. There will be no change in the locomotive.
Railways are in the process of adding more capacity in terms of new lines and also the Dedicated freight corridor which will be able to accomodate these new trains, he said.
Duronto services will run between:
Howrah-Mumbai (AC) Non stop (Bi-weekly)
Howarh-Delhi Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Sealdah-New Delhi Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Kolkata-Amritsar Non Stop (Bi-weekly)
Bhubaneswar-Delhi Non Stop (weekly)
Railway Budget 09-10: Minorities, women to get better representation in railway jobs
NEW DELHI: Minorities, women and the economically backward can now look forward to "better representation" in railway jobs with Minister Mamata
Banerjee today announcing to develop a new scheme for them.
The Railway Minister said separate special recruitment drives will also be conducted to fill up vacancies of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and physically challenged.
"It is proposed to develop a scheme to give better representation to minorities, women and economically backward classes of society in railway jobs," Banerjee said while presenting the Budget.
Noting that she had received some observations regarding the functioning of Railway Recruitment Boards, Banerjee said the recruitment policy and its functioning will be reviewed shortly.
"Special recruitment drives will be launched to wipe out backlog in filling up the vacancies of SCs/STs...A special recruitment drive will be launched for filling up the vacancies against physically handicapped quota," she said.
Banerjee also said that sports persons will also get "their share" in recruitment.
Banerjee today announcing to develop a new scheme for them.
The Railway Minister said separate special recruitment drives will also be conducted to fill up vacancies of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and physically challenged.
"It is proposed to develop a scheme to give better representation to minorities, women and economically backward classes of society in railway jobs," Banerjee said while presenting the Budget.
Noting that she had received some observations regarding the functioning of Railway Recruitment Boards, Banerjee said the recruitment policy and its functioning will be reviewed shortly.
"Special recruitment drives will be launched to wipe out backlog in filling up the vacancies of SCs/STs...A special recruitment drive will be launched for filling up the vacancies against physically handicapped quota," she said.
Banerjee also said that sports persons will also get "their share" in recruitment.
Railway Budget 09-10: Industry welcomes Mamata's `unique' Railway Budget
NEW DELHI: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Friday welcomed the Railway budget presented by Railways Minister Mamata
Banerjee.
"This budget is unique in the way inclusivity and overall development has been the focus without losing focus on safety, technology adoption and commercialization while providing opportunities for industry though its capacity expansion programme and setting up infrastructure through PPP mode," said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.
"The move to not increase fares and yet undertake developmental and capacity expansion plans with revenue coming from commercial use of railway property is an innovative approach," he added.
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"This budget is unique in the way inclusivity and overall development has been the focus without losing focus on safety, technology adoption and commercialization while providing opportunities for industry though its capacity expansion programme and setting up infrastructure through PPP mode," said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.
"The move to not increase fares and yet undertake developmental and capacity expansion plans with revenue coming from commercial use of railway property is an innovative approach," he added.
Railway Budget 09-10: Youth and students
KOLKATA: The student and youth brigade gave a big thumbs-up to the Railway Budget 2009-10 on Friday as Mamata Banerjee announced a slew of
initiatives for Gen-Next.
Among the several proposals outlined by the union railway minister, one of the most appreciated was the Yuva air-conditioned (AC) trains dedicated to the young generation where one would have to pay Rs 299 for distances upto 1,500 km and Rs 399 for distances upto 2,500 km.
The new low-priced fast train service will be started to connect youth and low income groups in rural hinterlands to major metros/cities. The train will run from point to point for distances ranging from 1000 km to 2500 km. For starters, a weekly service will be introduced as a pilot service within three months in the Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Kolkata sections.
Priyadarshika Das who’s studying architecture in Cuttack, Orissa was all praise for the move. "That’s a huge discount from the current fares. Many students who are studying in other states can’t afford AC fares when they are travelling home. This is great for them," she said. At present, fares in a mail/express train’s AC chaircar for distances around 1500 km hover around the Rs 840 mark, while for distances of 2500 km, they come in at around Rs 1100.
Student concessions too, were aplenty.
The free monthly season tickets for second class travel between school and home for girl students up to graduation and for boy students up to 12th standard is proposed to be extended to students attending madrasa, high madrasa and senior madrasa.
This concessional monthly season ticket scheme has been extended for travel in the Kolkata Metro rail, Kolkata and would also be applicable to students attending recognised vocational institutions. Metro concession would be 60% of the regular fare. Scholarships will be introduced for the higher education of girl children of railways’ Group ‘D’ staff. Salma Khatun is delighted.
"This is a very welcome initiative by the railway minister. I only hope that all the measures are implemented and don’t just remain at the proposal stage."
Rohan Jaikishen, IIM Kozhikode’s Batch of 2010 was gung-ho about the Budget as well. "The initiatives taken by our railway minister are encouraging. While many may dismiss this as a political gimmick, I believe that the youth centric measures taken by Ms. Banerjee will benefit the student community immensely. I am particularly excited about the scholarships for higher education of girl children of group D staff and is a clear indication that the ideal of inclusive growth shall be implemented wherever possible. Even the Yuva trains initiative is very well thought out and will make urban colleges and schools accessible to the youth of rural India thereby providing them better education opportunities."
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Among the several proposals outlined by the union railway minister, one of the most appreciated was the Yuva air-conditioned (AC) trains dedicated to the young generation where one would have to pay Rs 299 for distances upto 1,500 km and Rs 399 for distances upto 2,500 km.
The new low-priced fast train service will be started to connect youth and low income groups in rural hinterlands to major metros/cities. The train will run from point to point for distances ranging from 1000 km to 2500 km. For starters, a weekly service will be introduced as a pilot service within three months in the Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Kolkata sections.
Priyadarshika Das who’s studying architecture in Cuttack, Orissa was all praise for the move. "That’s a huge discount from the current fares. Many students who are studying in other states can’t afford AC fares when they are travelling home. This is great for them," she said. At present, fares in a mail/express train’s AC chaircar for distances around 1500 km hover around the Rs 840 mark, while for distances of 2500 km, they come in at around Rs 1100.
Student concessions too, were aplenty.
The free monthly season tickets for second class travel between school and home for girl students up to graduation and for boy students up to 12th standard is proposed to be extended to students attending madrasa, high madrasa and senior madrasa.
This concessional monthly season ticket scheme has been extended for travel in the Kolkata Metro rail, Kolkata and would also be applicable to students attending recognised vocational institutions. Metro concession would be 60% of the regular fare. Scholarships will be introduced for the higher education of girl children of railways’ Group ‘D’ staff. Salma Khatun is delighted.
"This is a very welcome initiative by the railway minister. I only hope that all the measures are implemented and don’t just remain at the proposal stage."
Rohan Jaikishen, IIM Kozhikode’s Batch of 2010 was gung-ho about the Budget as well. "The initiatives taken by our railway minister are encouraging. While many may dismiss this as a political gimmick, I believe that the youth centric measures taken by Ms. Banerjee will benefit the student community immensely. I am particularly excited about the scholarships for higher education of girl children of group D staff and is a clear indication that the ideal of inclusive growth shall be implemented wherever possible. Even the Yuva trains initiative is very well thought out and will make urban colleges and schools accessible to the youth of rural India thereby providing them better education opportunities."
Railway Budget 2009-10: 50 railway stations to be of world standard
NEW DELHI: Presenting the Railway Budget 2009-10, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that about 50 stations are to be developed into
world class stations with international level facilities. (Watch )
Banerjee said that these stations would be developed through innovative financing and in Public Private Partnership mode.
Some of these stations are: CST Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Howrah, Sealdah, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Amritsar, Kanpur, Guwahati, Jaipur, Chennai Central, Tiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad, Tirupati, Bangalore City, Baiyapanahali (Bangalore), Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Habibganj, Gaya Jn., Agra Cantt., Mathura Jn., Chandigarh, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Majerhat, Mangalore, Porbandar, Anand Vihar, Brijwasan, Ajmer and Puri. Banerjee also announced the construction of Multi-Functional Complexes (MFCs) in station premises for providing rail users facilities like shopping, food stalls and restaurants.
The MFCs will also have book stalls, PCO/STD/ISD/Fax booths, medicine, budget hotels and underground parking.
She said that during this year, 50 such railway stations would be developed in places of pilgrimage, industry and tourist interest.
"The responsibility for development of Multi-functional Complexes would be entrusted to IRCON and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)," she added.
The 49 identified stations to be developed as MFCs are: Alipurduar, Allahabad, Anandpur Sahib, Banspani, Bikaner, Bilaspur, Cuttack, Darjeeling, Dehradun, Digha, Durg, Ernakulum, Gandhidham, Ganga Sagar, Ghatsila, Gwalior, Hajur Sahib, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jammu Tawi, Jasidih, Jhansi, Jodhpur, Kanyakumari, Kathgodam, Katra, Khajuraho, Madurai, Manmad, Mysore, Nanded, Nasik, Palakkad, Parasnath, Raebareily, Raipur, Rajgir, Rameshwaram, Ranchi, Shirdi, Silchar, Tarapith, Tiruchirapalli, Udaipur, Ujjain, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.
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Banerjee said that these stations would be developed through innovative financing and in Public Private Partnership mode.
Some of these stations are: CST Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Howrah, Sealdah, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Amritsar, Kanpur, Guwahati, Jaipur, Chennai Central, Tiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad, Tirupati, Bangalore City, Baiyapanahali (Bangalore), Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Habibganj, Gaya Jn., Agra Cantt., Mathura Jn., Chandigarh, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Majerhat, Mangalore, Porbandar, Anand Vihar, Brijwasan, Ajmer and Puri. Banerjee also announced the construction of Multi-Functional Complexes (MFCs) in station premises for providing rail users facilities like shopping, food stalls and restaurants.
The MFCs will also have book stalls, PCO/STD/ISD/Fax booths, medicine, budget hotels and underground parking.
She said that during this year, 50 such railway stations would be developed in places of pilgrimage, industry and tourist interest.
"The responsibility for development of Multi-functional Complexes would be entrusted to IRCON and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)," she added.
The 49 identified stations to be developed as MFCs are: Alipurduar, Allahabad, Anandpur Sahib, Banspani, Bikaner, Bilaspur, Cuttack, Darjeeling, Dehradun, Digha, Durg, Ernakulum, Gandhidham, Ganga Sagar, Ghatsila, Gwalior, Hajur Sahib, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jammu Tawi, Jasidih, Jhansi, Jodhpur, Kanyakumari, Kathgodam, Katra, Khajuraho, Madurai, Manmad, Mysore, Nanded, Nasik, Palakkad, Parasnath, Raebareily, Raipur, Rajgir, Rameshwaram, Ranchi, Shirdi, Silchar, Tarapith, Tiruchirapalli, Udaipur, Ujjain, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.
Railway budget 2009-10 focuses on fares, services
NEW DELHI: Railway minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled a mix of populist measures, including cheap tickets for the poor and no increase in freight
or passenger fares, as well as steps to boost the sprawling system's efficiency and finances. ( Watch )
Friday's railway budget speech underscored the Congress-led government's focus on "inclusive growth" after it was reelected by a wider-than-expected margin in May. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government will present its budget on Monday. "The old mindset of economic viability should be substituted by social viability," Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said in an address to parliament. (Watch )
Banerjee, looking to take advantage of the railway's vast property holdings, said land along the new freight corridor would be put to productive use, and also said the railway operator will resume issuance of tax-free bonds. ( Watch )
Over the five years through March 2009, Railways generated a cash surplus of about $18.8 billion.
She also said the group will build a 1,000 megawatt electricity plant -- India suffers from a severe energy deficit -- to power electric locomotives. She said the system would look to introduce double-decker trains, and take advantage of its fibre-optic communications network. "I visualise an eastern industrial corridor developing alongside the eastern dedicated freight corridor," she said in the ministry's annual budget address. ( Watch )
Arun Kejriwal, research strategist at broker KRIS in Mumbai, said the speech gave a clue to the government's policy leanings.
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Friday's railway budget speech underscored the Congress-led government's focus on "inclusive growth" after it was reelected by a wider-than-expected margin in May. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government will present its budget on Monday. "The old mindset of economic viability should be substituted by social viability," Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said in an address to parliament. (Watch )
Banerjee, looking to take advantage of the railway's vast property holdings, said land along the new freight corridor would be put to productive use, and also said the railway operator will resume issuance of tax-free bonds. ( Watch )
Over the five years through March 2009, Railways generated a cash surplus of about $18.8 billion.
She also said the group will build a 1,000 megawatt electricity plant -- India suffers from a severe energy deficit -- to power electric locomotives. She said the system would look to introduce double-decker trains, and take advantage of its fibre-optic communications network. "I visualise an eastern industrial corridor developing alongside the eastern dedicated freight corridor," she said in the ministry's annual budget address. ( Watch )
Arun Kejriwal, research strategist at broker KRIS in Mumbai, said the speech gave a clue to the government's policy leanings.
Railway Budget 09-10: 57 New Trains Introduced
57 new trains service are proposed in the Railway Budget for 2009-10. This was announced by the Minister of Railway, Kumari Mamata Banerjee in
Parliament today. These are:
1. Vishakhapatnam – Secunderabad – Mumbai Superfast (Bi-weekly).
2. Sriganga Nagar – Delhi – Nanded Superfast (Weekly)
3. New Jalpaiguri – Sealdah Superfast (Tri-weekly)
4. Bangalore – Hubli – Solapur Superfast (Tri-weekly)
5. Howrah – Bangalore Superfast (weekly)
6. Pune – Daund-Solapur Superfast (Daily)
7. Ranchi-Howrah (3 days via Ghatshila-Kharagpur and 3 days via Asansol) Intercity (6 days a week)
8. Kamakhya-Puri Express (Weekly)
9. Jabalpur-Ambikapur Express (Tri-weekly)
10. Gandhidham-Howrah Superfast (Weekly)
11. Delhi-Sadulpur Express (Tri-weekly)
12. Ajmer-Bhopal Express (by intergration of 9655/56 Ajmer-Ratlam and 9303/04 Ratlam- Bhopal express trains) (Daily)
13. Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Jn. (Thiruvananthapuram) Superfast (Weekly)
14. Mumbai-Karwar Superfast (Tri-weekly)
15. Durg-Jaipur Express (Weekly)
16. Dibrugarh Town-Chandigarh Express (Weekly)
17. Delhi-Farakka Express (Bi-weekly)
18. Hazrat Nizmmudin-Bangalore Rajdhani Express (Tri-weekly) via Kacheguda
19. New Jalpaiguri-Delhi Express (Bi-weekly) via Barauni
20. Mumbai-Varanasi Superfast (Daily)
21. Mysore-Yesvantpur Express (Daily)
22. Koraput-Rourkela Express (Daily) via Rayagada
23. Agra-Ajmer Intercity Superfast (Daily)
24. Mumbai-Jodhpur-Bikaner Superfast (Bi-weekly)
25. Agra-Lucknow Junction Intercity (Daily)
26. Hapa-Tirunelveli Jn. Superfast (Bi-weekly) via Thiruananthapuram
27. Gwalior-Bhopal Intercity Express (5 days a week) via Guna
28. Kanyakumari-Rameshwaram Express (Tri-weekly) via Madurai
29. Howrah-Haridwar Superfast (5 days a week)
30. Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast (Daily)
31. Gorakhpur-Mumbai Superfast (Daily)
32. New Delh-Guwahati Rajdhani Express (Weekly) via Muzaffarpur
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1. Vishakhapatnam – Secunderabad – Mumbai Superfast (Bi-weekly).
2. Sriganga Nagar – Delhi – Nanded Superfast (Weekly)
3. New Jalpaiguri – Sealdah Superfast (Tri-weekly)
4. Bangalore – Hubli – Solapur Superfast (Tri-weekly)
5. Howrah – Bangalore Superfast (weekly)
6. Pune – Daund-Solapur Superfast (Daily)
7. Ranchi-Howrah (3 days via Ghatshila-Kharagpur and 3 days via Asansol) Intercity (6 days a week)
8. Kamakhya-Puri Express (Weekly)
9. Jabalpur-Ambikapur Express (Tri-weekly)
10. Gandhidham-Howrah Superfast (Weekly)
11. Delhi-Sadulpur Express (Tri-weekly)
12. Ajmer-Bhopal Express (by intergration of 9655/56 Ajmer-Ratlam and 9303/04 Ratlam- Bhopal express trains) (Daily)
13. Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Jn. (Thiruvananthapuram) Superfast (Weekly)
14. Mumbai-Karwar Superfast (Tri-weekly)
15. Durg-Jaipur Express (Weekly)
16. Dibrugarh Town-Chandigarh Express (Weekly)
17. Delhi-Farakka Express (Bi-weekly)
18. Hazrat Nizmmudin-Bangalore Rajdhani Express (Tri-weekly) via Kacheguda
19. New Jalpaiguri-Delhi Express (Bi-weekly) via Barauni
20. Mumbai-Varanasi Superfast (Daily)
21. Mysore-Yesvantpur Express (Daily)
22. Koraput-Rourkela Express (Daily) via Rayagada
23. Agra-Ajmer Intercity Superfast (Daily)
24. Mumbai-Jodhpur-Bikaner Superfast (Bi-weekly)
25. Agra-Lucknow Junction Intercity (Daily)
26. Hapa-Tirunelveli Jn. Superfast (Bi-weekly) via Thiruananthapuram
27. Gwalior-Bhopal Intercity Express (5 days a week) via Guna
28. Kanyakumari-Rameshwaram Express (Tri-weekly) via Madurai
29. Howrah-Haridwar Superfast (5 days a week)
30. Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast (Daily)
31. Gorakhpur-Mumbai Superfast (Daily)
32. New Delh-Guwahati Rajdhani Express (Weekly) via Muzaffarpur
33. Veraval-Mumbai Link
Service (Daily)
34. Ranchi-Patna Jan Shatabadi Express (Daily)
35. Jhansi-Chhindwara Express (Bi-weekly) via Bina-Bhopal
36. Mumbai-Jodhpur Express (Weekly)
37. Jamalpur-Gaya Passenger (Daily)
38. Jhajha-Patna MEMU (Daily)
39. Kanpur-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (6 days a week)
40. Bhopal-Lucknow-Pratapgarh Superfast (Weekly)
41. Lucknow-Rae Bareli-Bangalore Superfast (Weekly)
42. Shimoga-Bangalore Intercity Express (Daily)
43. Mdurai-Chennai Express (Bi-weekly)
44. Guwahati-New Cooch Behar Express Intercity (Daily)
45. Balurghat-New Jalpaiguri Express (Daily) via Kishanganj
46. Alipurduar-New Delhi Jalpaiguri Express Intercity (Daily) via Siliguri
47. Dharmanagar-Agartala Fast Passenger (Daily)
48. Rewari-Phulera Passenger (Daily) via Ringus
49. Shoranur-Nilambur Road Passenger (Daily)
50. Coimbator-Shoranur Passenger (Daily)
51. Mathura-Kasganj Passenger (Daily)
52. Farakka-Katwa-Azimganj-Nawadwip Dham Express (Daily)
53. Bangalore-Kochuveli Superfast (Weekly)
54. Kolkata-Rampurhat Express (Daily)
55. New Jalpaiguri-Digha Express (Weekly)
56. Purulia-Howrah Express (Bi-weekly)
57. Kolkata-Bikaner Express (Weekly) via Nagore
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34. Ranchi-Patna Jan Shatabadi Express (Daily)
35. Jhansi-Chhindwara Express (Bi-weekly) via Bina-Bhopal
36. Mumbai-Jodhpur Express (Weekly)
37. Jamalpur-Gaya Passenger (Daily)
38. Jhajha-Patna MEMU (Daily)
39. Kanpur-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (6 days a week)
40. Bhopal-Lucknow-Pratapgarh Superfast (Weekly)
41. Lucknow-Rae Bareli-Bangalore Superfast (Weekly)
42. Shimoga-Bangalore Intercity Express (Daily)
43. Mdurai-Chennai Express (Bi-weekly)
44. Guwahati-New Cooch Behar Express Intercity (Daily)
45. Balurghat-New Jalpaiguri Express (Daily) via Kishanganj
46. Alipurduar-New Delhi Jalpaiguri Express Intercity (Daily) via Siliguri
47. Dharmanagar-Agartala Fast Passenger (Daily)
48. Rewari-Phulera Passenger (Daily) via Ringus
49. Shoranur-Nilambur Road Passenger (Daily)
50. Coimbator-Shoranur Passenger (Daily)
51. Mathura-Kasganj Passenger (Daily)
52. Farakka-Katwa-Azimganj-Nawadwip Dham Express (Daily)
53. Bangalore-Kochuveli Superfast (Weekly)
54. Kolkata-Rampurhat Express (Daily)
55. New Jalpaiguri-Digha Express (Weekly)
56. Purulia-Howrah Express (Bi-weekly)
57. Kolkata-Bikaner Express (Weekly) via Nagore
Mamata's railway budget 2009-10 makes common man smile
NEW DELHI: The man on the street appeared happy with Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday and also a trifle relieved that she had not
announced a fare hike in her rail budget.
Raju, 28-year-old daily wage labourer, was all praise for her new scheme that makes a monthly season ticket of Rs.25 available fortravel up to 100 km for those in the unorganized sector with monthly incomes not exceeding Rs.1,500.
"I have to travel from one place to another as and when work comes up. So this scheme is of great use to me," said Raju, who hails from Bihar, lives in Delhi and often goes to Haryana for work.
Homemaker Sushila Sharma pointed out that at a time when everything was becoming more expensive, Banerjee had at least spared train travel.
"With the prices of everything skyrocketing, the freezing of passenger fares is a real highlight. For the middle class it will be a relief in such times," said Sharma who travels by train at least twice a year for family holidays.
People have also given a thumbs-up to Banerjee's decision to make unreserved tickets available at 5,000 post offices across the country.
"Now we will not need to go to the railway station for tickets. I can buy a ticket from a nearby post office," said 80-year-old Dayanand Arora, who lives in a Haryana village.
Sahil Makhija, a 23-year-old Delhi based professional, also welcomed the installation of 200 automatic vending machines at key stations.
"Though we have online ticketing, everybody is not comfortable using it. The automatic ticket vending machine will surely take away the rush from booking counters."
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Raju, 28-year-old daily wage labourer, was all praise for her new scheme that makes a monthly season ticket of Rs.25 available fortravel up to 100 km for those in the unorganized sector with monthly incomes not exceeding Rs.1,500.
"I have to travel from one place to another as and when work comes up. So this scheme is of great use to me," said Raju, who hails from Bihar, lives in Delhi and often goes to Haryana for work.
Homemaker Sushila Sharma pointed out that at a time when everything was becoming more expensive, Banerjee had at least spared train travel.
"With the prices of everything skyrocketing, the freezing of passenger fares is a real highlight. For the middle class it will be a relief in such times," said Sharma who travels by train at least twice a year for family holidays.
People have also given a thumbs-up to Banerjee's decision to make unreserved tickets available at 5,000 post offices across the country.
"Now we will not need to go to the railway station for tickets. I can buy a ticket from a nearby post office," said 80-year-old Dayanand Arora, who lives in a Haryana village.
Sahil Makhija, a 23-year-old Delhi based professional, also welcomed the installation of 200 automatic vending machines at key stations.
"Though we have online ticketing, everybody is not comfortable using it. The automatic ticket vending machine will surely take away the rush from booking counters."
Railway Budget 09-10: The politics of Mamata's Rail Budget
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee has used the railway budget very deftly as a powerful tool to woo the tribal and minority population in West Bengal in
Mamata’s latest proposal to set up a 1000 mw power venture in Adra in the Purulia district is being seen as a calculated move to send a clear signal to the over 55 lakh-strong tribal population about her intentions to deliver even more benefits if her party is voted to power in the assembly elections. Adra is in the heart of a tribal belt bordering Jharkhand and not too far from trouble-torn Lalgarh where the Buddhadeb government continues to face strong resistance from the tribal population. "We won’t take much time to implement the railway minister’s plans to set up a power project at Adra. We will soon launch a massive campaign for this project," opposition leader in the state Assembly and Trinamool Congress MLA, Partha Chatterjee, said. Trinamool Congress too said that with her half-a-dozen ministers of state in the Union government including 19 MPs, Mamata won’t find it too difficult to implement the project. She’ll get more than one-and-a-half years to implement the project as elections to the state assembly are likely to be held in March-April 2011. About half a dozen West Bengal officials are camping in Lalgarh and busy hearing about tribal problems even though police action against the Maoists continues. The state government also plans to issue ration cards to the Lalgarh tribals on the spot. Such measures are being made to neutralise the tribals’ misgivings against the state government. There’s no doubt that Mamata is also aware of the Left Front government’s effort to woo the tribals and intended to counter the same. In order to appease the minority population, Mamata has also included the students of madrasas, high madrasas and senior madrasas to obtain railway concessions. Students belonging to minority community will also enjoy concessions while using the Kolkata Metro Railway. Mamata’s move is being seen as a move to counter the Left Front government’s very recent move to set up a separate school service commission for minority community. Mamata also intends o express her solidarity with the people of Singur and Nandigram who had played a very crucial role in her fight against the forcible land acquisition by the CPI-led government while drafting her budget. She has announced a rail connectivity project between the two apart from connecting Salboni and Jhargram via Belpahari and Lalgarh. Mamata has announced in her budget 53 rail connectivity proposals of which 22 are in West Bengal. In fact, Mamata has attempted to implement some of her promises she made in her election manifesto for the just-concluded lok sabha polls. For example, she had promised to develop Digha as much more attractive tourist spot and for the purpose, she has proposed to set up a rail connect between Digha and Puri via Jaleswar. Similarly the proposed railway links between Bishnupur and Mukutmanipur, Namkhana-Bakkhali, Kakdwip-Sagar-Kapilmuni temple; Chalsa-Jaldhaka and Mirik-Gangtok will certainly boost tourism in West Bengal. Mamata has also proposed to set up a land bank, but made it very clear that she would not require to acquire land for the purpose. The railway minister who had spearheaded her agitation against the Left Front government by making the forcible land acquisition the key issue, is well aware about the fact that acquisition of land for her projects might trigger political controversy. There is no doubt that the ruling Marxists in West Bengal will find it hard to regain their lost ground once Mamata manages to start implementing her projects in the state. | |
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