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Business Standard
a day ago
- General
- Business Standard
Southern Railway used faulty coaches in 2023 Nilgiri train: CAG flags risk
The Southern Railways compromised passengers' safety by introducing deficient coaches to serve as special train in the Nilgiri Mountain section in July 2023 without any approval from the ministry, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said in its report tabled in the parliament on Monday. "Ministry of Railways may develop a robust mechanism for development of prototype coaches in consultation with RDSO and only after successful trial run, regular production of coaches should be started to avoid creation of ineffective and deficient coaches," the CAG said in its recommendations and observed that it didn't get any reply from the ministry on the said issue. The full report contained 25 audit findings from various railway zones across the country and pointed out cases of undercharges or overpayments of Rs 543.17 crore. One of the audit findings with regard to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) under Southern Railways (SR) has not only pointed out financial deficiency worth Rs 27.91 crore but also highlighted how "Railway's improper decision which is in the nature of compromising the safety of the passengers by introducing the deficient coaches to serve as Special train without sanction of the Ministry of Railways, is also a serious lapse on the part of the Railways." The audit said that to replace the 100-year-old 28 coaches, operational between 45.88-km-long Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam stations, SR approached the Railway Ministry in May 2015 to advise Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to design and develop a prototype coach to suit NMR. The ministry advised ICF in July 2015 to manufacture a prototype coach for NMR in consultation with Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), based on inputs given by SR. ICF initially manufactured 15 coaches and delivered them to SR after which a trial run was conducted from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam on April 2, 2019, with the first four coaches. The report noticed that the trial was not conducted on the section having a gradient. "SR noticed (March 2020) that there was an increase in weight of the new coaches by around 5 tonnes each and advised ICF to reduce the weight in the remaining 13 coaches yet to be manufactured. However, no action was taken by ICF in this regard and 13 more NMR coaches were manufactured and delivered to SR in three lots," the report said. It added that in all, 28 NMR coaches were manufactured by ICF and delivered to SR at a total cost of Rs 27.91 crore, but the freezing of the design, layouts and manufacturing of these coaches were done without any consultation with RDSO and also without ascertaining the manufacturing and successful trial of the prototype coach. The report found that the SR modified six coaches, but even after modification, wheel slip in the locomotive was experienced during the trial run in the gradient section despite the weather being supportive with clear skies and dry weather. "Despite deficiencies noticed in the trial run, SR introduced weekly special train services from 15/7/2023 between MTP (Mettupalayam) and UAM (Udagamandalam) with the newly manufactured NMR coaches which were put to use in the special trains. Presently (May 2024), 15 out of the total 28 new NMR coaches have been put to use for operation as weekly special trains without approval of the Railway Board," the CAG report said. It added, "Thus, an imprudent decision was taken to manufacture 28 new NMR coaches without any consultation with RDSO and also without ascertaining the manufacturing and successful trial of the prototype coach despite clear instruction of MoR (July 2015)." The audit has stated that freezing the design and layout by SR and manufacturing the coaches by ICF without addressing the core issues of weight of the coaches and hauling capacity of the locomotive was also a premature decision, which was attributed to the manufacturing of these deficient coaches. Hence, the coaches manufactured at a cost of 27.91 crore could not be put to effective use even after the lapse of more than three years of manufacturing, the audit report stated. It has also expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the Southern Railways, which said that deficiencies noticed during the trial run were advised to ICF for rectification. "As regards operation of new NMR coaches, it was stated that 18 coaches are being used in weekend/joyride special trains and further service will be improved once sanction is received from the Railway Board," the report said regarding SR responses. "The reply of the SR Administration was not acceptable. Nothing has been stated in the reply regarding manufacturing of 28 new NMR coaches without any consultation with RDSO and also without ascertaining the manufacturing and successful trial of the prototype coach despite clear instruction of MoR," the audit said. It added, "Further it is evident from the reply of the SR administration that the deficient coaches were put to use for operation without obtaining sanction from the Railway Board.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CAG flags lapses worth ₹573 crore in Indian Railways
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) flagged lapses worth ₹573 crore in the Railways as detailed in the 'Union Government (Railways) – Compliance Audit Report' tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday (July 21, 2025). The report contains 25 audit observations including shortfalls in revenue recovery, and execution of projects across multiple zones. The instances mentioned in this report came to notice in the course of test audit conducted up to financial year 2022-23. One of the most expensive lapses for Railways was the Northern Railway's non-compliance with Railway Board directives to recover licence fee at the rate of 6% of land value from five government-aided schools, which led to short recovery of licence fee of ₹148.61 crore. Another costly shortfall involved nine railway zones being unable to recover ₹55.51 crore during the period from January 2015 to March 2024 towards District Mineral Foundation (DMF) in the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations. Contribution towards DMF is supposed to be deducted from contractors along with royalty, in case the same is not paid by the contractor. The report notes that non-realisation of shunting charges for shunting activity by using railway engines at Bina Siding of East Central Railway resulted in non-realisation of ₹50.77 crore from the siding owner between April 2020 and March 2023. Also, the Southern Railway planned in May 2015 to replace 28 Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) meter gauge coaches. The Ministry of Railways advised Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to design and develop a prototype coach. ICF manufactured 28 NMR coaches and delivered these between March 2019 and March 2021 to the Southern Railway at a cost of ₹27.91 crore. 'ICF did not comply with the instructions of MoR (Ministry) in developing a prototype coach in consultation with Research, Design and Standards Organisation which led to creation of ineffective and deficient assets at a cost of ₹27.91 crore as NMR coaches were not put to effective use even after three years of manufacturing,' the report states. South Eastern Railway supplied unfit or unloadable wagons along with fit wagons to Ultratech Cement Limited Siding at Dhutra and Orissa Cement Limited Siding at Rajgangpur. These defective wagons were allowed to run empty along with fit wagons in the outward rakes for different locations. As a result, South Eastern Railway could not earn potential freight to the tune of ₹10.25 crore for these defective empty wagons during 2021-22 and 2022-23. Non-implementation of the revised rate of electricity charges of various State Electricity Boards (SEBs) for recovery from the occupants of railway quarters in Dhanbad Division of East Central Railway resulted in short recovery of ₹14.89 crore. Even after poor patronage of an express train between Satya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam (SSPN) station and KSR Bengaluru City (SBC) station, which was repeatedly reported by Bengaluru (SBC) Division, South Western Railway (SWR) continued its operation. 'This resulted in loss of ₹17.47 crore on its running during the period from 2017-18 to 2022-23,' the report notes. In violation of stipulated provisions, Northeast Frontier Railway administration accepted higher rates for procurement of machine-crushed track ballast ignoring the last accepted rates prevailing in the same area. This resulted in undue benefit of ₹9.40 crore to the contractor due to procurement at a higher rate. Delayed implementation of directives in Western Railway over three routes for more than two years led to lower loading of commodities worth 51,453 tonne in rakes resulting in revenue loss of ₹6.17 crore during the period from June 2021 to September 2023. 'In one other such route, these directives were yet to be implemented. As a result, 23,817 tonnes of commodity could not be loaded in rakes resulting in loss of revenue of ₹6.45 crore during the period from April 2022 to September 2023,' the report notes. The report further notes that to garner additional traffic, concession in freight rates was allowed by the Railways under the Station-to-Station Rates (STS) scheme. The Railway Board issued comprehensive guidelines, which specifically instructed the zonal railways to ensure that this concession results in increased freight traffic and the consignees should not be able to take concession in the name of new traffic by changing the loading point or by diverting the existing traffic. However, the Southern Railway administration sanctioned ineligible concession resulting in loss of ₹11.02 crore to the Railways. Also, the report states that the Eastern Railway failed to implement the Railway Board's instructions and provisions of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of a road over bridge (ROB). As a result, the State government's share to the extent of ₹13.52 crore could not be realised even after commissioning of the ROB.
North Wales Live
3 days ago
- Business
- North Wales Live
Gothic Revival style villa in seaside town being demolished for affordable flats
A Gothic Revival style villa in a seaside town is being demolished to make way for affordable flats. The 19th Century property is on Abergele Road that runs between Old Colwyn and Colwyn Bay. The development is being carried out for North Wales Housing by Beech Developments. They said the 15 apartment would be their first new housing scheme in the Conwy County since 2019. A spokesperson said: "Our last newbuild development here was at Nant Eirias in Colwyn Bay, completed in 2019, and we're proud to once again be contributing to the local housing landscape. The site at 228 Abergele Road previously housed a substantial late 19th-century villa in the Gothic Revival style, typical of its time and closely tied to the historic growth of Old Colwyn and the broader North Wales coast. "While the building had architectural interest, a full heritage impact assessment was undertaken. The property was not listed, was outside of a conservation area, and did not appear on Conwy Council's list of Buildings and Structures of Local Interest. "Demolition will begin this week to make way for much-needed social and affordable housing, supporting our ongoing mission to provide high-quality homes across North Wales in communities where people love to live." Local developers, Beech Developments (NW) Ltd will be constructing the new build using a modern method of construction called insulated concrete formwork (ICF). This method consists of blocks made from an insulating material, which combines with concrete resulting in an extra warm home built to the highest standards. Nichola Chegwin, NWH's Development Project Manager, said: 'This is an exciting week for North Wales Housing as we begin to see the start of our new build development in the prominent location of Old Colwyn, Conwy. The ICF construction method combined with new technologies will result in high quality homes for the local community.'
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
PM Modi flags off four new Amrit Bharat trains from Bihar – check routes, timings
PM Modi Bihar Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains. These new trains will further strengthen the rail connectivity in Bihar. The Amrit Bharat trains will provide affordable service and high quality travelling experience for people in the lower income and lower middle income category. Developed by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the Amrit Bharat trains also provide comprehensive services to the people at a very low cost. The four new Amrit Bharat trains will run on following routes: Rajendra Nagar Terminal (Patna) to New Delhi, Bapudham Motihari to Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal), Darbhanga to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) and Malda Town to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar). Train number 22361/22362 Rajendranagar-New Delhi-Rajendranagar Amrit Bharat Express will run regularly between Rajendranagar and New Delhi from Rajendranagar from 31.07.2025 and from New Delhi from 01.08.2025 on daily basis. Train No. 22361 Rajendra Nagar – New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express will depart from Rajendra Nagar daily at 19.45 hrs from 31.07.2025 and reach Patna Jn. at 20.00 hrs, Danapur at 20.23 hrs, Ara at 20.54 hrs, Buxar at 21.38 hrs, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn. at 23.35 hrs, Subedarganj at 02.00 hrs, Govindpuri at 04.25 hrs and Ghaziabad at 12.23 hrs and reach New Delhi at 13.10 hrs the next day. Train No. in return. 22362 New Delhi-Rajendranagar Amrit Bharat Express will depart from New Delhi at 19.10 hrs daily from 01.08.2025, reach Ghaziabad at 19.46 hrs, Govindpuri at 00.25 hrs next day, Subedarganj at 03.00 hrs, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Jn. at 07.40 hrs, Buxar at 08.58 hrs, Ara at 09.55 hrs, Danapur at 10.28 hrs, Patna Jn. at 10.50 hrs and reach Rajendranagar at 11.45 hrs. Train No. 15561/15562 Darbhanga-Gomtinagar-Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express will run regularly between Darbhanga and Gomtinagar from Darbhanga on every Saturday of the week from 26.07.2025 and from Gomtinagar on every Sunday of the week from 27.07.2025. Train No. 15561 Darbhanga-Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express will depart from Darbhanga every Saturday of the week from 26.07.2025 at 15.00 hrs and reach Kamtaul at 15.22 hrs, Janakpur Road at 15.40 hrs, Sitamarhi at 16.10 hrs, Bairgania at 16.38 hrs, Ghodasahan at 17.01 hrs, Raxaul at 17.45 hrs, Sikta at 18.11 hrs, Narkatiaganj at 19.25 hrs, Harinagar at 19.47 hrs, Bagaha at 20.15 hrs, Kaptanganj at 22.00 hrs, Gorakhpur at 23.10 hrs and next day will reach Gomtinagar at 05.30 hrs after stopping at Basti at 00.31 hrs, Mankapur at 01.28 hrs, Ayodhyadham at 02.30 hrs, Ayodhya Cantt stations at 02.55 hrs. Train No. 15562 Gomtinagar – Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express will depart from Gomtinagar at 08.15 hrs on every Sunday of the week from 27.07.2025 and will reach Ayodhya Cantt at 10.25 hrs, Ayodhyadham at 11.00 hrs, Mankapur at 12.14 hrs, Basti at 13.08 hrs, Gorakhpur at 14.55 hrs, Kaptanganj at 15.31 hrs, Bagaha at 17.50 hrs, Harinagar at 18.08 hrs, Narkatiaganj at 18.45 hrs, Sikta at 19.15 hrs, Raxaul at 19.50 hrs, Ghodasahan at 20.40 hrs, Bairgania at 21.08 hrs, Sitamarhi at 22.00 hrs, Janakpur Road at 22.30 hrs, Kamtaul at 22.45 hrs and will reach Darbhanga at 00.40 hrs the next day. Train No. 13435/13436 Malda Town-Gomtinagar-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express will run regularly between Malda Town and Gomtinagar from 24.07.2025 on every Thursday of the week and from Gomtinagar from 25.07.2025 on every Friday of the week. Train No. 13435 Malda Town-Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express will depart from Malda Town every Thursday of the week from 24.07.2025 at 19.25 hrs and reach New Farakka at 19.47 hrs, Barharwa at 20.13 hrs, Sahibganj at 21.05 hrs, Kahalgaon at 21.44 hrs, Bhagalpur at 22.40 hrs, Sultanganj at 23.05 hrs and next day at 00.15 hrs Jamalpur, Abhaypur at 00.40 hrs, Kiul at 02.05 hrs, Sheikhpura at 02.31 hrs, Warisliganj at 02.52 hrs, Nawada at 03.08 hrs, Tilaiya at 03.26 hrs, Gaya at 05.20 hrs, Dehri on Sone at 06.25 hrs, Sasaram at 06.44 hrs, Bhabua Road at 07.16 hrs, DDU at 08.35 hrs, It will reach Gomtinagar at 15.40, stopping at Varanasi station at 09.27, Jaunpur station at 10.28, Shahganj station at 11.03, Ayodhyadham station at 12.30, Ayodhya Cantt station at 12.50. Train No. 13436 Gomtinagar-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express will depart from Gomti Nagar every Friday of the week from 25.07.2025 at 18.40 hrs and reach Ayodhya Cantt at 20.23 hrs, Ayodhyadham at 20.53 hrs, Shahganj at 22.23 hrs, Jaunpur at 22.58 hrs and Varanasi next day at 01.45 hrs, DDU at 03.00 hrs, Bhabua Road at 04.18 hrs, Sasaram at 05.02 hrs, Dehri on Sone at 05.20 hrs, Gaya at 06.50 hrs, Tilaiya at 08.01 hrs, Nawada at 08.28 hrs, Warisliganj at 08.45 hrs, Sheikhpura at 09.13 hrs, Kiul at 10.25 hrs, Abhaypur at 10.50 hrs, Jamalpur at 11.15 hrs, Sultanganj at 11.48 hrs It will reach Malda Town at 16.40, stopping at Bhagalpur at 12.30, Kahalgaon at 12.58, Sahibganj at 13.46, Barharwa at 14.54 and New Farakka stations at 15.18. On Friday, Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat Express is being operated from Bapudham Motihari as train no. 05599 Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar Inauguration Special. This special will stop at Sagauli, Bettiah, Narkatiaganj, Harinagar, Bagaha, Sisba Bazar, Kaptanganj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Mankapur, Gonda, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad and Ghaziabad stations.
India.com
7 days ago
- Automotive
- India.com
Delhi to Patna in 2.5 hours: India to get Japan's fastest bullet train in..., its name is...
New Delhi: There is an update about the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. Railway officials have said that E5 models of Japanese Shinkansen trains will be used in this project. These E5 models will be used for trial runs in the Gujarat section in 2026-27. After this India will buy E10 models. These will be even more modern. E10 Shinkansen trains are likely to start simultaneously in India and Japan in 2030. What is E10? E10 is also called Alpha X. It can run at a speed of 400 km per hour. That is, the distance of 1,000 km from Delhi to Patna can be covered in just 2.5 hours. It will cover the distance of 508 km between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in about one and a-quarter-hours. What is the status of first Bullet Train? A senior Railway Ministry official said that the bullet train project is progressing very well. He said that only Japanese Shinkansen trains will be used for trial runs. After this, we will have the most modern trains from Japan, which will run on the entire 508 km corridor. This means that initially only Japanese trains will be used for testing. Then, when all goes well, the latest Japanese trains will run on the entire route. The ministry said in a press release that in view of the strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan. The entire 508 km corridor is being developed with Japanese Shinkansen technology. It will set new standards for speed, safety and reliability. Work assigned to ICF and BEML Meanwhile, the government has given the work of making two bullet trains to Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and BEML. These trains can run at a maximum speed of 280 kmph. Apart from this, the signaling work for the bullet train corridor has been given to a joint venture of Siemens and DR Agarwal Infracon. The ministry said that civil work for the project is going on at a fast pace. So far 310 km of viaducts (high bridges) have been built, 15 river bridges have been built, and four more bridges are to be built. The ministry said that five out of 12 stations have been completed, and three more stations are almost complete. For this Rs 1.1 lakh crore project, the work of the first section of the 21 km undersea tunnel has also been completed. This means that the work of the project is in full swing and soon people will get a chance to travel in the bullet train. It is expected to be completed by September 2027 and commercial operations are expected to begin in 2030.
