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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Railway ministry wants train crew to avoid running-room gossips for safe operations
The Railway Ministry wants train crew to be counselled for taking adequate rest and avoiding unnecessary debates in running rooms, among other measures, to prevent cases of red-signal jump. The Ministry, in a letter dated May 30 and addressed to the general managers of all the zones, expressed serious concern over the persistent cases of red-signal jump by the train crew, urging the respective department heads to counsel them on various issues regarding safety and learning. "Take adequate rest at headquarters and running rooms; avoid unnecessary debates in running rooms. Ensure proper road learning as per instructions for the booked route. Keep mobile phones in the bag in switched off condition during run" are some of the reference instructions that the ministry wants the train crew to be counselled about. In its letter, the Ministry has said during the previous year (2024-25), 33 SPAD (Signal Passing At Danger or red signal jump) incidents were reported on the Safety Information Management System (SIMS). "Despite ongoing preventive efforts, six SPAD cases have been reported this year, indicating the need for rigorous counselling of crew and necessary monitoring and corrective actions by officers and supervisors," it has said. Sources from various rail divisions said the number of SPAD cases is much higher than what is being reported in the system. "If six cases have so far been reported in the SIMS, the actual number could be much higher as many officers do not report all SPAD cases," a source said. The letter has summarised about 23 instructions for the counselling of the running staff and 20 for officers and supervisors for reference. Some of the instructions, besides those mentioned above, said the crew should be counselled about not obtaining operational instructions from the station staff through walkie-talkie and reducing speed gradually when approaching restrictive signal aspects. Regarding the instructions for officers and supervisors, the letter said they should educate all the running staff on the safety rules, regularly issue updated signal location booklets to all crew members, counsel the loco pilots (LPs) and assistant loco pilots (ALPs) on working in automatic-signalling systems, ensure adequate facilities in running rooms to promote quality rest for the running staff and conduct surprise inspections to verify the conditions. "Organise safety seminars for family members to promote awareness about the importance of proper rest. Analyse CUG call logs regularly through CMS and take disciplinary action in case of violations. Officers/LIs (loco inspectors) on footplate duty (travelling inside a locomotive) should observe silently and minimise interaction. Counselling must be done in lobbies," it added.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Amrit Bharat Scheme: BJP MLA Raises Concerns Over Substandard Construction and Land Encroachment at Agra Railway Stations, ET Infra
Advt Advt The construction work for redevelopment of Agra Division's two railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is of substandard quality, Babulal Chaudhary , a BJP MLA from Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, has alleged in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi . When asked, railway officials from the Agra Division said that it doesn't deal with the said scheme. There was no immediate response from the Railway Ministry to Chaudhary's letter dated May 24, 2025, said that about ₹20 crore were allotted to redevelop two stations, Fatehpur Sikri and Achhnera. However, the ongoing construction work fails to meet the prescribed standards outlined for the scheme, the MLA claimed in the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has been floated by the Railway Ministry to improve passenger amenities at over 1,300 stations across the country. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 103 such stations where passenger facilities were enhanced under the said claimed that the ongoing work is more of a formality than a genuine commitment to quality and officials are more focused on "earning commissions" from the project rather than having concerns for creating passenger amenities."It is maligning the reputation of Agra Rail Division," the letter Chaudhary also flagged the blatant encroachment of railway land by influential persons in collusion with the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), a charge strongly rebutted by the officials."The land encroachment is a decade-old issue under litigation. The lower court order went in favour of land occupiers. Our appeal is pending before the High Court and the DRM or any other officer of the Division has no role to play in this. It is a baseless allegation," an official from the Division added, "So far as substandard construction work of stations is concerned, the DRM cannot be blamed for this because the Amrit Bharat Station Redevelopment Scheme comes directly under the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction/Road Safety Projects)."Chaudhary, in his letter, has urged the prime minister to issue an order to remove the DRM, clear the encroachment, construct boundary walls around railway land to prevent any future encroachment and investigate the station redevelopment work to punish the culprits."I have written this letter and sent their copies to the Railway Minister as well as General Manager of the North Central Railway under which the Agra Division comes," Chaudhary told PTI.
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Centre approves new Agartala-Guwahati train service, Biplab Kumar Deb expresses gratitude to PM Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw
ANI 26 May 2025, 04:28 GMT+10 Agartala (Tripura) [India], May 26 (ANI): In a major boost to railway connectivity in the Northeast, the central government has approved a new train service between Agartala and Guwahati (Narangi). The move comes after consistent efforts by West Tripura MP and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. Announcing the development on social media, Deb said, 'Another achievement. I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for approving the launch of a new rail service on the Agartala-Guwahati route, respecting the demands of the people of Tripura and prioritising passenger comfort.' According to sources close to the MP, the approval followed Deb's meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on April 22 in New Delhi. During the meeting, Deb strongly advocated for the enhancement of railway services in Tripura, including the introduction of new express trains and overall infrastructure modernization. Among the key proposals was a direct train service between Agartala and Guwahati to improve regional connectivity and passenger convenience. The Railway Ministry responded swiftly, formally approving the new service and informing Deb through an official letter. Expressing his gratitude, Deb thanked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for the prompt response and for honouring the assurance given during their recent meeting. The new train is expected to significantly improve travel and trade between Tripura and Assam, enhancing accessibility in the region and benefiting thousands of passengers. (ANI)
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Kerala SilverLine project under active consideration: Progress report
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government's flagship project SilverLine, is under active consideration of the Railway Ministry. "The detailed project report (DPR) of SilverLine is now under the consideration of the Railway Ministry. The ministry is evaluating the DPR. The government has provided the additional information sought by the Railways. The government will move forward with the project after the state gets permission from the ministry,' the CM said in the progress report released on Friday in connection with the fourth anniversary of the state government. He said his government has given equal priority to infrastructure development and social welfare measures. Other achievements of the government are: The LDF government has unveiled the Vizhinjam International Seaport. The first ship arrived on July 11, 2024. Till now 189 ships have arrived. Under the Rebuild Kerala Project, out of the 1,003 works, 709 works were completed. Till now a total of Rs 5,396.93 crore was spent under the project.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Progress report indicates Kerala government's resolve to go ahead with SilverLine project
The State government will go ahead with further procedures related to the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project once it gets the nod from the Railway Ministry, the progress report 2024-25 of the LDF government released here on Friday says. The report states the government's intention to launch the land acquisition process for the ₹60,000-crore project after environmental impact studies and securing the necessary clearances. A detailed project report of the SilverLine project is under the scrutiny of the Railway Board. The State government had furnished clarifications sought by the Railway Ministry. Discussions are also progressing with regard to the Central nod for the project, the report, released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the closing ceremony of the LDF government's fourth anniversary celebrations, notes. The report, which lists the government's sector-wise achievements, observes that the government has been able to free 59,707 families from extreme poverty. A total of 64,006 families have been listed as extremely poor in Kerala. The State government has set a goal of eradicating extreme poverty from the State by November 1 this year.
