Latest news with #MinistryofRailways
News18
13 hours ago
- Business
- News18
This Region Just Got 6 Vande Bharat Trains: And It's Changing How India Travels
Last Updated: Six high-speed trains, one game-changing shift, this region is now at the heart of India's rail revolution. Odisha has joined the growing list of Indian states expanding their semi-high-speed rail infrastructure, with six Vande Bharat Express trains now serving key routes across and beyond the state. These state-of-the-art trains, operated and maintained by the Western Railway zone, are set to transform the travel experience in the region with faster journeys, enhanced comfort, and improved efficiency. Among the key services is the Puri–Rourkela Vande Bharat Express, which covers a distance of 504 kilometres, linking the coastal pilgrim city with Odisha's industrial hub. The Bhubaneswar–Visakhapatnam train connects the state capital to Andhra Pradesh's scenic coast, further boosting interstate connectivity. Other vital routes include Brahmapur–Tatanagar, Rourkela–Howrah, Raipur–Visakhapatnam, and Berhampur–Tatanagar, effectively knitting together important urban centres across Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The addition of these trains marks a significant milestone in Odisha's transport evolution. With reduced travel time and modern amenities, cities like Bhubaneswar, Puri, Rourkela, and Berhampur are now more accessible than ever before. This surge in high-speed rail expansion isn't limited to Odisha. Across the country, Indian Railways is fast-tracking the rollout of Vande Bharat Express trains. Recently, a new service was launched between Sabarmati and Veraval in Gujarat, while September 2024 saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flag off six new routes, including Tatanagar–Patna, Brahmapur–Tatanagar, Rourkela–Howrah, Deoghar–Varanasi, Bhagalpur–Howrah, and Gaya–Howrah. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Railways is exploring additional corridors for these premium trains. One proposed service will link Vijayawada to Bengaluru via Tirupati, covering approximately 713 km in just nine hours. The latest Vande Bharat 2.0 trains come equipped with upgraded features such as faster acceleration, onboard WiFi, the Kavach safety system, and an anti-virus air filtration mechanism—demonstrating a leap in passenger safety and technological innovation. According to the ministry, 'Vande Bharat Express services represent a transformative shift in Indian travel, combining speed, safety, and service excellence. They reflect the strength of the 'Make in India' initiative and set new global benchmarks in railway innovation." With every new route, Indian Railways continues to redefine domestic travel—bringing cities closer, reducing carbon footprints, and paving the way for a faster, more connected India. First Published: June 03, 2025, 10:56 IST
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Railway ministry exerted excess pressure to clear appointments of candidates who ‘gifted land to Lalu Prasad': CBI in ‘land-for-jobs' case
Officials with the Ministry of Railways exerted excessive pressure to clear the job applications of Group-D candidates who allegedly gifted land parcels to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and his family in exchange for railway jobs, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed before a Delhi court Monday. The CBI's case pertains to the alleged transfer of land at cheap rates to Lalu and his family in return for appointments made in Group-D substitute jobs in the Central Railway between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu was the Union railway minister. The agency has named 102 people as accused in the case which is currently at the stage of hearing arguments on charges. 'All of the applicants who applied for the jobs of substitutes (Group D railway jobs) came from the same state… How can this be?,' argued Senior Advocate and Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) D P Singh, who represented the CBI before Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court. 'These were mostly poor people from Bihar who had land…procuring which could be of interest to Lalu and family,' he said. 'We have instances of cash payments…for these people, it was beneficial to secure a government job,' the SPP added. 'The same day, multiple applications were cleared. Look at the speed. It is such a tedious process… How did it happen so quickly,' Singh argued. 'We have approvers who tell us that the pressure (from the Ministry of Railways) was enormous… Most certificates were forged and never verified.' According to the CBI, Lalu 'influenced two officers of Central Railway…by virtue of his position as Minister of Railways…and got appointed the owners and family members of owners of the land parcels wherein he was having interest.' The CBI had earlier alleged that land parcels in Patna were transferred to Lalu and his family either by candidates (who wanted the jobs) or their family members. 'As a quid pro quo, the candidates directly or through their relatives or family members, sold land to Lalu Prasad Yadav at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates,' the CBI's chargesheet said. In total, Lalu's family acquired over 1 lakh sq ft of land for only Rs 26 lakh (as against the circle rate of over Rs 4.39 crore), the central agency alleged. On Monday, SPP Singh argued before the court that substitutes are only hired on rare occasions. 'These substitutes are engaged only in the absence of non-regular employees…usually to fill a chain of Group D vacancies when people are on leave,' Singh said. 'There were no advertisements… No exigency was shown. No justification was given to hire substitutes. How can so many applications in bulk be decided instantly,' he said. As per the CBI, there were glaring discrepancies in the documents supplied by those who were given the jobs in this alleged scam. For instance, some candidates had sequential roll numbers on their caste and residence certificates, implying that the accused had obtained these certificates 'altogether and for a common purpose', the CBI alleged.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Video: How Indian Railways Uses Drones To Clean Train Coaches, Stations
New Delhi: The Indian Railways has been taking a futuristic approach in a first-of-its-kind move by using drones to clean train coaches and station premises across the country. The initiative was first rolled out in April at Assam's Kamakhya Railway Station, where the drones were deployed to clean areas of the trains and platforms that are not easy to reach. According to the Ministry of Railways, the drones help with efficiency and precision in cleaning. "They reach tough spots on coaches and station structures. A smart leap toward hygienic & cleaner Railways!," the ministry had said. In a first-of-its-kind move, NFR used drones to clean Kamakhya Station, Assam! Benefits: - Efficiency and precision in cleaning - Reaches tough spots on coaches & station structures A smart leap toward hygienic & cleaner Railways! ✨🚄 — Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 26, 2025 Traditionally, the cleaning tasks were done by labourers, which even posed safety concerns. Reports suggested that the drones are equipped with high-pressure water nozzles. Last month, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh had posted a video of the drones cleaning trains at the Kamakhya Railway Station. "For a nation's progress, modern and advanced machinery is essential," he said. 1.1 Indian Railways is now using drones to clean train coaches—this is the face of a New India, driven by self-reliant technology. For a nation's progress, modern & advanced machinery is essential. — Dilip Ghosh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DilipGhoshBJP) May 22, 2025 The Indian Railways has been making use of drones in several ways over the past few years. It introduced drones in 2018 to get real-time inputs related to the safety and maintenance of railway infrastructure. In 2020, the ministry developed 'Ninja Unmanned Aerial Vehicles' - which enhanced the monitoring with real-time tracking, video streaming, and automatic failsafe mode.
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Texmaco Rail shares in focus on 2 new order wins, total order book now at Rs 7,115 cr
Texmaco Rail & Engineering shares: The first is a ₹140.55 crore order from the Ministry of Railways for advanced multi-purpose wagons, and the second is an MoU with RVNL to promote sustainable freight via new-age wagon technology. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Here are the details: Rs 140.55 cr order from the Ministry of Railways Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads MoU with RVNL Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Shares of Texmaco Rail & Engineering are expected to be in the spotlight on Friday, May 30, as the company announced two major updates regarding new order wins The first is a Rs 140.55 crore order secured from the Ministry of Railways for advanced multi-purpose wagons , and the second is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to promote sustainable freight movement through new-age wagon developments indicate Texmaco's strengthening order pipeline, which now totals Rs 7,115 order, according to Texmaco's regulatory filing, adds Rs 140.55 crore to the company's order book, taking the total order book to Rs 7,115 Rail has secured a fresh order from the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) for the supply of newly developed Flat Multi-Purpose (FMP) wagons. These advanced wagons are designed for a wide range of applications, including the movement of containers, steel coils, military vehicles, and for Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) freight operations.'Texmaco Rail undefined Total Order Book Value Rs 7115 Crore,' the company said in an exchange FMP wagons are expected to enhance operational flexibility, enabling Texmaco to play a larger role in India's freight corridor modernization a separate development, Texmaco Rail & Engineering informed that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to collaborate on the introduction of a new generation of eco-friendly freight advanced wagons are designed to support India's push for green, multi-modal transport infrastructure, offering improved logistics connectivity across various FMP wagon's integrated design aims to reduce carbon footprint while improving cargo efficiency, in line with the Government of India's broader sustainability and infrastructure this MoU, Texmaco is expected to contribute meaningfully to future-ready rail solutions that emphasize both environmental responsibility and logistics shares of Texmaco Rail & Engineering closed 1.25% higher at Rs 161.70 on the BSE on Thursday.: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Texmaco Rail shares in focus on 2 new order wins, total order book now at Rs 7,115 cr
Texmaco Rail & Engineering shares: The first is a ₹140.55 crore order from the Ministry of Railways for advanced multi-purpose wagons, and the second is an MoU with RVNL to promote sustainable freight via new-age wagon technology. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Here are the details: Rs 140.55 cr order from the Ministry of Railways Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads MoU with RVNL Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Shares of Texmaco Rail & Engineering are expected to be in the spotlight on Friday, May 30, as the company announced two major updates regarding new order wins The first is a Rs 140.55 crore order secured from the Ministry of Railways for advanced multi-purpose wagons , and the second is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to promote sustainable freight movement through new-age wagon developments indicate Texmaco's strengthening order pipeline, which now totals Rs 7,115 order, according to Texmaco's regulatory filing, adds Rs 140.55 crore to the company's order book, taking the total order book to Rs 7,115 Rail has secured a fresh order from the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) for the supply of newly developed Flat Multi-Purpose (FMP) wagons. These advanced wagons are designed for a wide range of applications, including the movement of containers, steel coils, military vehicles, and for Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) freight operations.'Texmaco Rail undefined Total Order Book Value Rs 7115 Crore,' the company said in an exchange FMP wagons are expected to enhance operational flexibility, enabling Texmaco to play a larger role in India's freight corridor modernization a separate development, Texmaco Rail & Engineering informed that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to collaborate on the introduction of a new generation of eco-friendly freight advanced wagons are designed to support India's push for green, multi-modal transport infrastructure, offering improved logistics connectivity across various FMP wagon's integrated design aims to reduce carbon footprint while improving cargo efficiency, in line with the Government of India's broader sustainability and infrastructure this MoU, Texmaco is expected to contribute meaningfully to future-ready rail solutions that emphasize both environmental responsibility and logistics shares of Texmaco Rail & Engineering closed 1.25% higher at Rs 161.70 on the BSE on Thursday.: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
