Latest news with #VineetAbhishek
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
WR conducts Indian Railways' biggest fortress tickets check at Borivli in Mumbai, collects Rs 13.5L in fines
Mumbai: Western Railway conducted the most extensive fortress ticket-checking drive in Indian Railways' history at Borivli station on Tuesday, booking more than 5,100 ticketless and irregular passengers and collecting Rs 13.5 lakh in fines—the highest single-day ticket checking revenue recorded at any station. The operation was part of WR's newly launched NAMASTE Abhiyaan — short for Namrata Aur Strong Ticket Examination — which aims to curb fare evasion through surprise, high-impact enforcement drives. The crackdown at Borivli involved a deployment of 350 personnel, including 300 ticket checking staff, along with Railway Protection Force (RPF) and govt Railway Police (GRP) support. "This is the largest and most focused ticket-checking operation undertaken on Indian Railways at a single station," said Vineet Abhishek, chief public relations officer, WR. "On a regular day, our suburban section sees around 2,600 cases and earns approximately Rs 8 lakh in revenue. Tuesday's drive at Borivli alone surpassed Rs 13 lakh and booked 5,192 cases — an all-time high for any single station." You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Ticket checking staff usually work with shoulder bags containing hand-held terminals (HHTs) and Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) books, making it difficult to navigate overcrowded coaches and AC locals, especially during peak hours. Under NAMASTE, WR has introduced specially designed protective vests that securely hold essential devices like HHTs, EFTs, body cameras, and compact speakers for onboard announcements. "These new vests will significantly improve the mobility and safety of our ticket checking staff," Abhishek said. "They allow devices to be strapped close to the body, reducing clutter and enabling better access in crowded conditions." WR is also establishing pre-custody areas at major suburban stations to streamline the handling of ticketless or unruly passengers. These zones will operate under CCTV surveillance and follow standardised documentation protocols, reducing congestion at head ticket-checking offices and ensuring greater transparency. Abhishek added that the NAMASTE Abhiyaan will continue with more such surprise drives across key stations in Mumbai to reinforce ticket discipline and improve the overall travel experience for genuine commuters.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Western Railway to equip Mumbai locals with Kavach by 2026
Advt System to replace AWS in high-density corridor Kavach rollout planned on 2,358 route kilometres Advt By , ETInfra In a major safety overhaul, Western Railway will install the indigenously developed anti-collision system Kavach across its Mumbai suburban train network by the end of next year, railway officials have confirmed to news agencyKavach, an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed under the 'Make in India' initiative, is currently being implemented on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor and other key railway routes. It is intended to replace the Auxiliary Warning System (AWS) currently used on the Western Railway's suburban Railway operates over 1,400 local train services each day on the Churchgate-Virar-Dahanu corridor, with a daily ridership of over 3 million. The current AWS alerts train drivers with audio and visual signals about upcoming signals and assists with speed monitoring and emergency braking. However, officials said the system has limitations in preventing incidents such as Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) or signal jumping due to its reliance on human intervention."The AWS panel in the motorman's cab has an alarm, a vigilance button, and red, yellow, or blue lights. If the alarm sounds, the motorman must press the button within four seconds, or the brakes will activate and remain locked until the train comes to a complete halt," an official to railway officials, the AWS's dependence on manual response and limited automation reduces its ability to prevent certain critical safety which means 'armour' in Hindi, includes features such as continuous speed monitoring, in-cab signalling, and automatic braking when trains approach a red signal or exceed speed system ensures real-time communication between trains and signalling infrastructure, allowing automated intervention when safety thresholds are breached."Work has begun on the transition to Kavach. All suburban locals on Western Railway will be equipped with Kavach in addition to mainline locomotives by the end of next year," a senior WR official Western Railway has outlined plans to install Kavach over 2,358 route kilometres. Its commissioning on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section is expected by the end of the current financial year. Other routes are set to follow."Kavach is poised to improve railway signalling systems and ensure enhanced passenger safety. Deployment of Kavach will also aid efficiency," Western Railway's chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek is already operational on select sections of the South Central Railway, where it has been deployed over more than 1,400 route kilometres. Indian Railways aims to scale the system across 35,000 route kilometres in move to install Kavach in Mumbai's suburban system—one of the busiest in the world—is part of a broader effort to modernise safety systems and reduce dependency on manual oversight in train operations.
News18
30-07-2025
- General
- News18
Fencing reduces cattle collisions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat route
Ahmedabad, Jul 30 (PTI) The fencing of the entire 562-km of railway tracks between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, a first-of-its-kind initiative, has led to a significant reduction in the incidents of high-speed trains like Vande Bharat running over cattle, the Western Railway said on Wednesday. Only 101 such incidents were reported during 2024-25 compared to 538 in 2022-23, said a WR official. The Railways decided to install a `W beam' fence, an anti-crash barrier used by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), after the Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat train hit several cattle near Ahmedabad in October 2022. The nose cone of the train was damaged in the incident, said WR's chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek. After the fencing was installed, the route has reported only 12 cattle collisions in 2025-26 as of July 23, compared to 27 such incidents during the same period last year, he said. The route had witnessed 538 such incidents in 2022-23, followed by 289 in 2023-24. The fencing was installed to prevent cows and bulls, buffalos and blue bulls from straying on the railway tracks, Abhishek said. The Mumbai-Vadodara-Ahmedabad section of the WR is the only long stretch of track of Indian Railways which has become cattle-proof, he said, adding that it would enable increasing the speed of trains to 160 kmph. 'The WR is actively monitoring the performance and taking countermeasures deriving from the learnings in order to keep the fencing effective. Further, the WR is also trying other options, namely, fixed-knot fencing in Ahmedabad -Palanpur section which has been identified to run trains at 130 kmph," Abhishek said. Soon after the October 2022 incident, the WR's Railway Protection Force (RPF) identified various vulnerable locations and carried out frequent awareness and sensitisation campaigns in nearby villages, he said. 'The RPF conducted meetings with the sarpanches of all villages in the vicinity of railway tracks and counselled local residents including cattle grazers," the chief PRO added. PTI KA PD KRK view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 18:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
How W-beam fencing along Mumbai-Gandhinagar route brought down cattle collisions with Vande Bharat by 81% in 3 years
Three years after incidents of the Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express suffering damaged nose and delayed runs due to collision with cattle herds raised safety concerns in high-speed train operations, the Western Railway — in a first-of-its-kind initiative of the Indian Railways — installed W-beam fencing along the 565-kilometre length of the tracks of the Vande Bharat route, bringing down the incidents of Cattle Run Overs (CRO) by 81%. Soon after its launch in September 2022, repeated incidents of collision of the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat, with images of the train's Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) nose cone damaged surfacing, posed grave risk to the train operating at high speed. Besides, they threatened the lives of cattle grazing along the tracks. To counter this, the Western Railway installed the W-beam fencing — a crash barrier widely used by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) — along the stretch from Mumbai to Gandhinagar as well as an additional 300 kilometers from Vadodara Junction to Nagda on the Rajdhani Express route. From 538 reported cases of CRO between Virar and Ahmedabad in 2022-23 to 101 cases in 2024-25, and 12 until July 23 in the current financial year, the Western Railway has been able to achieve a significant reduction with continuous fencing on the Vande Bharat route. According to records of the Western Railways, the figure of 12 cattle that died between April 1 and July 23 this year is also lower than the 27 that died in the corresponding period last year. Of these, the maximum cattle deaths have been recorded in the sections from Virar to Surat and from Vadodara Junction to Geratpur, owing to the fact that these sections are located outside the urban sector and surrounded by villages where cattle rearing is a common profession. In 2022-23, out of the 538 incidents of cattle deaths, 302 were reported between Virar and Surat while 140 were reported between Vadodara and Geratpur. The number significantly reduced to 48 CROs between Virar and Surat and 37 cases between Vadodara and Geratpur in 2024-25. Officials said that the elevated railway tracks between Surat and Vadodara have meant a lower number of CROs — from 72 in 2022-23 to nine in 2024-25 — as compared to the other sections. The 565 kilometres of W-beam fencing installed along the route is also the longest 'thorough fenced section' of the Indian Railways. Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway, Vineet Abhishek, told The Indian Express, 'In the initial months, when Vande Bharat had started, there were incidents of cattle run-overs, which were very unfortunate. Western Railway, under the guidance of the Railway Board, took up this initiative in a mission mode to figure out a solution to bring down these cases. It (the collisions) not only adversely affects train operation but also raises concern for the safety of our train passengers…' Following the incidents reported during the early run of the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat — the second to be launched in the country — the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had identified vulnerable locations and carried out awareness and sensitisation campaigns at all the locations. In 2022, RPF conducted 1,023 awareness campaigns at vulnerable locations along with meetings with the sarpanches of all villages in the vicinity of railway tracks. The railways also identified that dumping of garbage along the railway tracks by the people also attracted the cattle in the area. Railway officials said that while conventional locomotives are fitted with cattle guards to prevent the animals from slipping under the train, the new designs of Vande Bharat are designed for an aesthetic look and the nose does not feature rail guards although the engines are robust and protected beneath the FRP layer. According to officials, the W-beam fencing was chosen after much deliberation, considering that it was the most popular crash-barrier on highways to absorb the impact of high-speed cars. The W-beam has been installed in a staggered manner to ensure that cattle do not stray onto the railway track and, at the same time, the path for villagers is not blocked throughout the tracks. The staggered installation also allows movement of railway goods across the tracks when needed. 'It was also equally important to bring down loss of animal life and resources for villagers residing near our railway tracks. Multiple solutions were explored and finally, the W-beam fence was installed in the entire section of the Vande Bharat route and Rajdhani route of the Western Railway. As a result, the number of CROs have come down drastically. It is almost negligible as compared to FY 2022-23,' Abhishek said. Vivek Kumar Gupta, General Manager, Western Railway, said, 'Train-animal collisions pose significant risks, including derailment. However, recent initiatives have led to a drastic reduction in cattle run-over rates, allowing drivers to operate trains with increased confidence and safety. Moreover, cattle have livestock value for the villagers. This initiative to fence the entire route has not only benefited the Railways, but also these villagers and their livestock. As a result, the initiative is being widely appreciated by all.'
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Time of India
Major upgrade in security on suburban rly after 11/7 blasts
Mumbai: Following serial train blasts of 2006 and other subsequent threats, the suburban railway in Mumbai has overhauled its security strategy in coordination with RPF, GRP, Intelligence agencies, and local administration. "Suburban stations now have 3,048 CCTVs installed. Out of a total 451 ladies coaches, 305 CCTVs have been installed in 146 suburban local trains. Major stations have been equipped with high-definition IP-based CCTVs with real-time video feeds integrated with station control rooms, monitored by trained RPF personnel," said Western Railway chief spokesperson Vineet Abhishek. Central Railway chief PRO Swapnil Nila said a total 771 ladies coaches on CR have CCTV cameras with talkback facility for commuters to ensure their safety. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai For baggage scanning and screening, X-ray baggage scanners have been installed at selected sensitive stations of Mumbai Division, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs) and Hand-Held Metal Detectors (HHMDs) are utilised at entry points, with a provision of 217 HHMDs and 16 DFMDs at important suburban stations on WR, said Abhishek. He said a few key measures implemented include the formation of Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) at major stations, deployment of Bomb Detection & Disposal Squads (BDDS), increased RPF-GRP joint patrolling in sensitive areas, enhanced intelligence coordination with state and central agencies, special focus on anti-sabotage checks before peak hours, and random baggage screening at high-risk stations and trains, he added.
