The Tribune – Rail budget 2013-14; Travelling on high-speed trains may be a reality now; Minister may announce introduction of modern electrical multiple unit trains

Vibha Sharma, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19. India’s dream of travelling on high-speed trains may finally get fulfilled in this rail budget.

While the promise of a Bullet train has remained just a promise so far, sources say Railway Minister Pawan Bansal’s rail budget speech on February 26 may hold the announcement for introduction of modern electrical multiple units (EMU), which provide safer, faster, cleaner and comfortable passenger-friendly alternative.

Even though the initial announcement for introducing Bullet trains in India was made during the tenure of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, paucity of funds and high costs involved saw proposals not progressing much further. Officials say Bansal may make announcement for increasing speed of existing Rajdhani and Shadabdi trains with the help of EMUs on existing tracks like Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Amritsar, Delhi-Kolkota, Delhi-Mumbai and Mumbai-Ahmadabad.

EMU trains are not the same as Bullet trains that run on dedicated high-speed corridors at speeds 350kmph and above. EMUs are designed for operations at the maximum speed of 130kmph/150kmph, exceeding up to 200kmph but without any additional expenditure on existing tract or signalling infrastructure. Officials explain that they have no link with separate high-speed corridors being planned for Bullet train operations for which another announcement is possible in the rail budget.

Highly energy efficient and aerodynamically designed light weight, the EMUs ply on existing tracks on Rajdhani and Shatabdi routes which are fit for running trains up to a speed of 150 kmph. Even though the premium trains are expected to run at a maximum speed of 100 kmph to 120 kmph, their average speed is usually less than 90 kmph due to a large number of speed restrictions and poor acceleration and deceleration characteristics of existing trains.

The officials explain that the EMU train sets will be free from these bottlenecks and provide faster and safer movement while substantially reducing run time. Since EMU Train sets have very high acceleration and deceleration, it takes them much lesser time in negotiating speed restrictions and achieving maximum permissible speed. For example, it is possible to reduce the run time between Howrah and New Delhi by 2.5 to 3.0 hours by operating train sets at existing speed of 130 kmph without any additional expenditure on track and other infrastructure.

A train set can do extra trip/day for inter-city travel, are eco-friendly, noiseless, consume 30% less energy, and do not pollute the environment as in case of conventional loco-hauled trains with diesel power cars. Since there are cabs at both ends, turn-around time required at a station is less than 15 minutes, thus leading to improved utilisation.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130220/main7.htm

The Tribune – Moga-Delhi Shatabdi chugs off

Tribune News Service

Moga, December 8. Amid high political drama, Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain and SAD MP Bibi Paramjit Kaur Gulshan flagged off the Moga-Delhi Shatabdi train today.

The train arrived here at 14.05 hours and left for New Delhi at 15.00 hours.

Jain along with Naresh Chand Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur, travelled on Shatabdi from Ludhiana to Moga. On his arrival, he was greeted by his supporters here. Congress workers distributed sweets among passengers at the railway station.

On the other hand, the SAD organised a public gathering at the railway station to mark the occasion. Those present included former DGP Paramdip Singh Gill, former MC president Barjinder Singh Brar, Baghapurana MLA Maheshinder Singh and SAD district president Tirath Singh Mahla.

Factionalism within the SAD party came to the fore as senior leader Mahla and Brar were not allowed to address the gathering while senior SAD leader Jathedar Tota Singh did not turn up.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121209/punjab.htm#4

BBC News – India planning high-speed trains

Arvind Chhabra

Delhi, 12 October 2012. India’s state-owned railway is planning to introduce faster trains to cut travelling time, officials say.

Trains running at speeds up to 93mph, up from the present average top speeds of up to 53mph, may become a reality within two years, they say.

Authorities have also identified “seven corridors” that have the potential to run bullet trains.

India’s railway operates 7,000 passenger trains and carries some 13 million passengers daily.

India’s fastest train, connecting the capital, Delhi, and the city of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh state, hits top speeds of 86-93mph only occasionally, but runs at an average speed of 53mph.

The other so-called fast trains, like the Rajdhani Express, run at speeds lesser than 53mph, officials said.

‘Time was not important’

Railway spokesman Anil Saxena told the BBC that seven train corridors had been identified to conduct “feasibility studies” for running bullet trains at speeds above 186mph.

Also, a faster suburban train, running at speeds between 80mph and 99mph, will be introduced soon to ensure that commuters on busy suburban networks like Mumbai city reach their destinations quicker.

“It will be a pilot project and if it works, we will acquire more such trains,” Mr Saxena said.

Railway experts say India has lagged behind in high-speed rail because it is expensive to build suitable tracks and purchase the trains.

“We simply never had the money to do it. For us, time is not that important. We had more important aspects like safety to deal with,” former Railway Board official IIMS Rana said.

There are also concerns about the state of India’s 108,700km (67,543 miles) of tracks, and whether they are sturdy enough for high-speed trains.

“The tracks are in a bad shape. There are too many unmanned rail crossings. All this slows down our trains,” Mr Rana said.

Railway officials say it “may be possible” to increase train speeds after modifying the existing tracks and trains, but bullet trains could take “another 10 to 15 years” to be introduced.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-19920055

The Tribune – Amritsar-Chandigarh Superfast hits the track; to halt at Ludhiana, Jalandhar

Neeraj Bagga, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 11. The Amritsar-Chandigarh Superfast Express linking the holy city, Jalandhar and Ludhiana to the state capital chugged out of Amritsar railway station on its maiden journey today — its graffiti-like colours unchanged and boards still pronouncing it as Duranto. In all, 347 passengers travelled from Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana to Chandigarh on Day 1.

The Superfast has replaced the not-so-popular Amritsar-Chandigarh Duronto Express and fulfilled a long-pending demand of commuters and businessmen, who wanted the train to halt at Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Since the Duronto is a non-stop train between originating station and destination, halts were not possible, resulting in poor occupancy on the route.

As per the break-up available with the Ferozepur division of the Northern Zone, 208 passengers undertook the journey from Amritsar to Chandigarh, 34 from Jalandhar to Chandigarh and 15 from Ludhiana to Chandigarh.

The train, which departs from Amritsar at 5.20 am, covers the distance to Chandigarh in 4.25 hours. It halts at Ludhiana for five minutes and at Jalandhar for three minutes. Fares have also been considerably reduced as meals will no longer be served to the passengers, as was the case on the Duronto.Various categories of AC buses cover the Amritsar-Chandigarh distance in four hours. One-way fares vary between Rs 300 and Rs 320 per person for AC and around Rs 170 for non-AC bus.

Amritsar resident Dalbir Singh, who frequently travels to Chandigarh for work, gave the Superfast a thumbs-up. “The train reaches Chandigarh at 9.45 am and departs for Amritsar at 6.50 pm. That gives me a nine-hour day in Chandigarh to complete my work in government offices and then return home the same day,” said Dalbir Singh.

Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur Division, Naresh Chander Goel said though the Superfast’s first day occupancy rate did not differ much from that of the Amritsar-Chandigarh Duronto, things would improve soon.

“As more and more people come to know of the Superfast’s halts at Jalandhar and Ludhiana, occupancy will look up. The number of Chandigarh-bound passengers from Jalandhar and Ludhiana is likely to rise,” said Goel.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120912/main8.htm

The Tribune – Bikaner-Pathankot train service to start from today

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, September 5. ‘Holiday Express’, a new train service between Bikaner and Pathankot will start on September 6. The train will start its journey at 9 pm from Bikaner and reach Pathankot at 12 pm the on September 7.

Vijay Inder Singla, MP from Sangrur, said the train would run once a week. From Bikaner, it would go via Napasar, Dungargarh, Ratangarh, Churu, Sadalpur, Hissar, Jakhal, Dhuri, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar and Dasua to reach Pathankot.

Singla said the train would pass through the heart of Malwa region and provide much needed relief to cancer patients, who travel to Rajasthan for treatment.

He said he had requested the General Manager of Northern Railways to put Sangrur, Malerkotla and Sunam also on the route of the express.

Dhuri had already been included in the list of the train’s stoppages, he added.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120906/punjab.htm#14

The Tribune – Train from Ferozepur to Sriganganagar flagged off

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, September 1. The much-awaited Ferozepur-Sriganganagar Express train was flagged off today amid fanfare. Sher Singh Ghubaya, MP, Kamal Sharma, adviser to the Chief Minister, legislator Parminder Singh Pinky, DP Chandan, vice-chairman, Small Traders Board and NC Goyal were present during the flagging off ceremony. Rail officials said the train (No 14601/14602) would cover a distance of 185 km between Ferozepur and Sriganganagar in about four hours and 30 minutes.

The train, that would have 12 coaches, would leave Ferozepur at 5.10 am and reach Sri Ganganagar via Guruharsahai, Jalalabad, Fazilka, Khuii Khera, Churiwala and Abohar at 9.40 am.

Ghubaya said with the commissioning of the train, the long-pending demand of the people had been met.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120902/punjab.htm#7

The Tribune – Special package for Sikh pilgrims

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6. Sikh pilgrims will have the option of visiting the five Takhts in one go as part of a special package this winter.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today launched the prestigious ‘Panj Takht Darshan’ project. This is a joint project of Punjab Tourism and the Indian Railways.

Badal said the project should be seen in the wider context as Sikhism preached oneness of god. Therefore, everyone, regardless of religion and caste, should visit the holy Takhts to strengthen the bonds of universal brotherhood, peace and harmony. The ‘Panj Takht Darshan’ will start on December 30 from New Delhi and the second on March 17. It will be a six nights and seven days journey by train and air. The IRCTC will be in charge of the Sikh Circuit Special Tourist Train, including off-board and on-board services.

Air services will be arranged by Luxury Train Group, a marketing agency. Pilgrims can board the train from New Delhi on December 30 or Amritsar on January 1. The entire cost of the tour to and fro from Delhi would be Rs.1,00,001 per person (1st AC) and Rs 90,000 per person (2nd AC). Likewise, the package would cost Rs 97,500 (1st AC) and Rs 88,050 per person (2nd AC) from Amritsar.

The weeklong journey would cover Akal Takht, Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Panj Sarovar Walk, Attari Border (Amritsar), Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup Sahib, Takht Keshgarh Sahib, Virasat-e-Khalsa Heritage Complex (Anandpur Sahib), Takht Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo), Takht Patna Sahib, Guru Ka Bagh (Patna), Takht Hazur Sahib (Nanded). The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board has prepared a 15 years’ tourism master plan for Punjab with the assistance of UN World Tourism Organisation. The CM released a booklet and also launched a booking portal on the occasion.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120807/punjab.htm#10

The Tribune – Now, Duronto to stop at Jalandhar, Ludhiana

Ferozepur, May 26. Owing to lacklustre passenger response to “Duronto” Express, which was flagged off amidst lot of fanfare from Amritsar on August 24 last year, the railway authorities have finally given a nod to introduce two stoppages at Jalandhar and Ludhiana to make the train a more viable proposition.

From the very beginning, the response to this train had not been on the right track as it had failed to send the cash registers ringing due to its low occupancy, following which the railways had been contemplating various options to make the train a success.

Moreover, the residents of both Jalandhar and Ludhiana, especially government employees who have to commute to Chandigarh daily, had been clamouring for a stoppage at both these places. (OC)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120527/punjab.htm#15

The Tribune – Punjab gets Parikarma Express, no ‘Adarsh’ railway station

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, March 14. The Railway Budget has brought cheer to some, but disappointed others. While people are glad over the introduction of some new express trains in this division, they complain that their long-pending demands, including a new train to Haridwar and Delhi, have not been met.

The new express trains introduced are the Ferozepur-Sri Ganganagar Express via Fazilka and Abohar (daily), Guru Parikarma (Amritsar-Hazur Sahib, Nanded) Express, Kanpur-Amritsar Express via Farrukhabad, Bareilly (weekly) and the Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Udhampur AC Express (tri-weekly) via Ambala and Jalandhar.

Another DEMU from Hoshiarpur to Ferozepur (daily) has also been approved.

However, the 12037/12038 New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express has been extended only up to Moga, leaving local traders diasppointed. The Railway Ministry has also sanctioned a survey for electrifying the Hisar-Jakhal-Ludhiana line.

While the Ferozepur-Patti line project has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval, the ministry has approved three line projects to be completed in 2012-13, including the Khamano-Sahnewal line project. The list of 84 railway stations to be upgraded as “Adarsh” does not include any of the stations from the state.

Vishwesh Chowbey, DRM, Ferozepur Division, said several new projects had been sanctioned for the division. He said all unmanned level crossings would be eliminated within the next three years for which a corporation had been set up.

Punjab has the highest incidence of accidents at unmanned crossings.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120315/punjab.htm#7

The Asian Age – Indian Railways aims to cut operating ratio

New Delhi, 14 March 2012. Indian Railways aims to cut operating ratio, which is the money spent to earn every Rs. 100, to

84.9 per cent in 2012-13 from 95 per cent in the current financial year, Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday.

While presenting his ministry’s budget for the next fiscal, Trivedi said reducing operating ratio would be one of the priority areas of the Indian Railways in the next five years.

“Our target is to bring down the operating ratio, which is at the moment 95 per cent, to 84.9 per cent in 2012-13 and to 74 per cent in terminal year of 12th five year plan, which will be the improvement the best ever achieved by Indian Railways,” Trivedi said.

“This would need to be supported by sustainable financial model,” he said.

He said the government has outlined a long-term plan to improve the financial health of Indian Railways, which employs 1.36 million people and has annual revenue base of Rs. 106,000 crore.

The minister said railways must get at least 10 per cent of the government’s total spending on infrastructure sector.

According to the approach paper of the 12th plan, investments to the tune of $1 trillion are proposed in infrastructure sector over the next five years; half of it is expected to come from government resources.

Presenting his maiden budget, Trivedi said Indian Railways expected to receive Rs. 2.5 lakh crore as budgetary support from the government in the 12th five year plan that begins April 1.

“There cannot be more opportune moment to formulate a long-term plan now as we are at the threshold of finalisation of 12th five year plan. My budget therefore looks at time horizon of much longer period as I intend to follow a carefully thought out plan for at least five years,” the minister said.

The Indian Railways run the third largest railroad network in the world spread over some 64,000 route km. (IANS)

http://www.asianage.com/india/indian-railways-aims-cut-operating-ratio-805