Latest news with #CommissionofRailwaySafety
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Aizawl becomes fourth N-E capital with rail link, trial run successful
IN A big push for deeper connectivity in the North-East, Mizoram's capital Aizawl has now been linked to the national railway network via the Bairabi–Sairang line in the state. Bairabi in Kolasib district, near the border with Assam, has so far been the only railhead in Mizoram. Sairang is a satellite town of Aizawl, around 20 km from the city. A senior official of the Ministry of Railways said the formal inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang line is likely to take place after June 17. 'The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct the inspection of the project this week. Only after that can the inauguration happen, leading to the start of train operations. Barring a few sideworks, work on the line is almost complete,' the official said. The inspection by the CRS, the railway safety audit body, is the final stage for the train operation. A successful trial run to Sairang was conducted on May 1 by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), marking a historic step. Mizoram becomes the fourth N-E state with its capital city connected to the national railway network. The other three states are Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. Until now the train used to go only up to 1.5 km in Mizoram. The Bairabi–Sairang New Line is a 51.38-km railway project with a revised sanctioned cost of Rs 5,021.45 crore. According to data available with the Ministry of Railways, the project has achieved 94.52 per cent physical progress and 97.13 per cent financial progress. The project is divided into four sections with the Bairabi–Hortoki section (16.72 km) already commissioned in July 2024. The remaining sections — Hortoki–Kawnpui (9.71 km), Kawnpui–Mualkhang (12.11 km), and Mualkhang–Sairang (12.84 km) — are slated for operations by June. The project was also very challenging from the engineering point given the difficult terrain of Mizoram. The line has 48 tunnels with a total length of 12,853 m, alongside 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges. It also includes five Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and six Road Under Bridges (RUBs). One of the notable structures is Bridge No. 196, standing at a height of 104 m, which is 32 m taller than the Qutub Minar. The Bairabi-Sairang project is part of a broader, accelerated push by the Ministry of Railways to connect all N-E state capitals by rail and enhance infrastructure in the region. This involves numerous new line and doubling projects across Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur and Tripura. The railways work is yet to take off in full flow in Meghalaya because of years of opposition by local pressure groups against rail connectivity. Other key new line projects underway include: In addition to new lines, railway infrastructure is being upgraded with doubling projects like the Agthori–Kamakhya line with a new rail-cum-road bridge at Saraighat. This project in Assam has a length of 7.062 km, costs Rs 1,473.77 crore, and has a TDC of December 2029. The two other major line doubling projects in Assam are New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya (142.97 km), which was commissioned in October 2024, and New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Kamakhya doubling project, which is likely to be commissioned in March 2027. According to data tabled by the Ministry of Railways in Lok Sabha on March 19 this year, overall, as of April 1, 2024, there were 18 railway projects (13 new line and 5 doubling) with a total length of 1,368 km and an estimated cost of Rs 74,972 crore at various stages of planning and implementation in the N-E region including Assam. Of this, 313 km of track length has been commissioned. An expenditure of Rs 40,549 crore had been incurred up to March 2024. The data shows that 81 km of the 896-km new line projects and 232 km of the 472-km doubling projects have been commissioned, with expenditure of Rs 34,616 crore and Rs 5,933 crore, respectively. According to the Ministry, as a part of railway infrastructure expansion in the North-East, in last 3 years (from 2021-22 to 2024-25), 21 surveys (17 new line and 4 doubling), of total length 2,499 km falling fully/partly in the N-E region including Assam, have been sanctioned. The average budget allocation for infrastructure projects in the N-E region has also increased, with Rs 10,440 crore allocation for 2025-26. Moreover, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme includes several stations in the N-E for upgrades such as Dimapur (Nagaland), Agartala, Udaipur, Kumarghat and Dharmanagar in Tripura, Sairang (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur), Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh), Mendipathar (Meghalaya), Rangpo (Sikkim), and 50 stations in Assam including major hubs like Guwahati and Kamakhya. The region also currently has a pair of Vande Bharat trains running between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, with two new Amrit Bharat trains earmarked for the North-East. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Time of India
28-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
E-W's Esp-Sealdah leg gets fire dept nod
Kolkata: The East-West Metro 's Esplanade-Sealdah section has received the fire safety certificate . In the run-up to the section's launch, 90 services will be operated in the Sealdah-Sector V section on Tuesday instead of the usual 106. The endorsement from the state fire department is a prerequisite for approval from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS). On April 12, fire inspections were carried out along the 2.6km leg. The CRS inspected the stretch on Sunday. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata When the CRS' nod comes, the East-West Metro will complete its entire 16.6 km journey from Sector V to Howrah Maidan. The corridor, also known as the Green Line, now runs in two sections – the 9.4 km Sector V-Sealdah and the 4.8 km Esplanade-Howrah Maidan. The Esplanade-Sealdah section will link the two sections. In the run-up to the entire Green Line's launch, Green Line-1 (Sealdah-Sector V) will run 90 services on Tuesday. Normal services will run along Green Line-2 (Howrah Maidan-Esplanade).
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Railways plans to fence tracks to curb trespassing
The Railways has proposed to fence tracks throughout the country to avoid hazards of trespassing. As a pilot measure, more than 3,500 km of tracks were already fenced, the Southern Railway has said in a note. Responding to a report 'Vande Bharat has weak defences against even cows: Safety Report' published in The Hindu on Monday, the zone said Vande Bharat trains were designed with modern coupling design which transmitted the impact energy throughout the train. For additional safety, there was a cattle guard at the front to deflect anything that came on the track. The clarification said Vande Bharat trains had 'Kavach' and other built-in safety devices. The braking system was modern and fully integrated with the safety system. 'Having run millions of kilometres by now, equivalent to covering the earth's perimeter multiple times, the Vande Bharat trains have proven to be safe and efficient,' the note said. The Hindu article was based on a safety report generated by the Commission of Railway Safety, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and submitted to the Railway Minister. One of the safety measures suggested in the operation of high-speed trains was to prevent trespassing by fencing tracks.
NDTV
21-04-2025
- General
- NDTV
"High Speeds...": Railways Bats For Vande Bharat Amid Safety Concerns
New Delhi: Vande Bharat - Indian Railway's flagship service and the country's first indigenously designed and manufactured semi high-speed train - has several features, including the Kavach, a state-of-the-art automated train protection system, Southern Railway Monday evening. The clarification came after a report by the Commission of Railway Safety - a statutory body acting as the railway safety authority - flagged the risk of serious accidents in cases where a Vande Bharat, which typically runs up to 160 km per hour, collides with cattle on the track. The report also pointed to the weight of the first coach, which is much lighter than those attached to regular locomotives and may be more susceptible to high-speed damage. The report was seen as significant given the Railways plans to run even regular trains at speeds up to 160 km per hour, necessitating the need for strong safety features onboard and off. READ | Vande Bharat Train Hits Peak Speed Of 180 Kmph During Trials "High speeds, enhanced safety standards, and world-class service are the hallmarks of this train," Southern Railway said from its Chennai HQ, explaining that the Vande Bharat's distinctive cone-shaped nose was designed to deflect impact energy. "The front nose cone is designed to absorb energy in case of cattle hit. It is made of material that crumbles and absorbs impact energy. For additional safety, there is a cattle guard at the front to deflect anything that comes on the track," the release explained. "Exactly for that reason, cattle hits have not led to major disasters." Since its launch in February 2019, there have been numerous reports of Vande Bharat trains running into cattle. In January 2023, after several such incidents, Western Railways began erecting metal barriers along the more than 620-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. That cost nearly Rs 243 crore. Since then, according to Railway officials, over 3,500 km of tracks have been fenced. There have also been recommendations to eliminate level crossings on Vande Bharat routes. The commission has also recommended deploying RPF, or Railway Protection Force, personnel at spots frequented by cattle and building subways for animal movement. Meanwhile, Chief Public Relations Officer M Senthamil Selvan also pointed to the Kavach system, noting the Vande Bharat trains had run around 3.5 crore kilometres, or around 870 times the Earth's perimeter, and that it had proven to be "safe and efficient". As of December, there were more than 136 Vande Bharat services. And, as the government presented its budget in February, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there are plans for "200 new Vande Bharat trains" as part of a proposal to make rail travel faster.
