Railways to launch 3 more Ramayana Express trains from Jaipur, Rajkot and Madurai

The trains will make stops at Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringaverpur, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram, or the nearest railway stations to these locations. The railways will facilitate trips by road from the station to the pilgrimage sites, said an IRCTC official.

The ‘Ramayana circuit’, covering locations associated with the Hindu epic, is turning into a new mode for revenue of Indian Railways, which is launching three more Ramayana Express trains from different parts of the country after getting a good response for the first one starting on November 14 from Delhi to Chennai , according to officials familiar with the development.

The officials said that while special tourist trains usually have an occupancy of 50-60%, seats for the inaugural ride of the Ramayana Express were sold out within 15 days after the train was announced on July 7.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is now launching similar trains from Rajkot, Jaipur and Madurai. All four trains will cover Ayodhya, which, according to the epic, is the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram. They will also go to other locations named in the epic, such as Hanuman Garhi, Ramkot and the Kanak Bhawan temple.

The trains will make stops at Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringaverpur, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram, or the nearest railway stations to these locations. The railways will facilitate trips by road from the station to the pilgrimage sites, said a senior IRCTC official who asked not to be named.

The railways may add different boarding points and stops, as per the demand from passengers.

The Madurai train will also start on November 14 and will charge R15,830 per passenger. The cost for the train starting in Delhi is R 15120.

“The demand for the Ramayana circuit has prompted us to launch more trains covering the route. The train from Madurai will also cover Nasik, Darbhanga, Devipatinam and Thirupullani. There is another one starting from Jaipur on November 22 which will come to Delhi picking up passengers from Alwar and Rewari and then start the Ramayana journey. We will either call it Ramayana Yatra or Shri Ramayana express. The train from Rajkot will start on December 7, and we are also exploring the possibility of launching more trains,” said the IRCTC official cited above.

The train from Rajkot will have boarding points in Surendranagar, Viramgam, Sabarmati, Anand , Vadodara, Godhra, Dahod and Meghnagar, another IRCTC official said.

The trains will have sleeper class coaches with a room for 800 passengers. Those interested in a separate Sri Lanka-leg can opt to travel to Colombo from Chennai by flight, the second official added.

“There was always demand for travel for Ayodhya, but no travel company was able to offer a package where they will show every place related with Lord Ram. Some individual triad but it was either hectic or costly. This is a very good move by railways and will always give them profit as religious tourism always attract big crowd,” said Subhash Goyal, secretary of federation of associations in Indian tourism and hospitality.

IRCTC is targeting religious tourism to generate revenue and has asked the Railway Board to allow it to buy three trains to be run on the routes identified by them. IRCTC already runs Budha circuit train, which are luxury coaches and mostly targets foreign tourists.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/railways-to-launch-3-more-ramayana-express-trains-from-jaipur-rajkot-and-madurai/story-DI2RCqCtQpckkE2RdimcHP.html

रेल मंत्रालय सभी रेलवे स्‍टेशनों और सभी यात्री गाडियों में फर्स्‍टएड चिकित्‍सा सुविधाएं प्रदान कर रहा है, जिसके लिए सभी तरह की दवाओं, ड्रेसिंग सामग्री से युक्‍त मेडिकल बॉक्‍स और ऑक्‍सीजन सिलेंडर तथा डिलीवरी किट आदि की समुचित व्‍यवस्‍था की गई है। अखिल भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्‍थान (एम्‍स), नई दिल्‍ली के विशेषज्ञ चिकित्‍सकों की अनुशंसा के अनुसार ये वस्‍तुएं रेलगाड़ी अधीक्षक/गार्ड और स्‍टेशन मास्‍टर/स्‍टेशन अधीक्षकों के पास उपलब्‍ध कराई गई हैं।

रेल यात्रा के दौरान बीमार हो जाने अथवा घायल होने की स्थिति में यात्री प्राथमिक उपचार के लिए रेलगाड़ी अथवा स्‍टेशनों पर तैनात कर्मचारियों से संपर्क कर सकते हैं। रेलगाडि़यों और स्‍टेशनों पर तैनात कर्मचारियों जैसे टिकट चेकिंग स्‍टाफ, रेलगाड़ी अधीक्षकों, गार्डों, स्‍टेशन मास्‍टर आदि को प्राथमिक चिकित्‍सा प्रदान करने का समुचित प्रशिक्षण दिया गया है। यात्रा के दौरान गंभीर चिकित्‍सीय आपात स्थिति होने पर यात्रियों के रूप में मौजूद चिकित्‍सकों की सेवाएं भी ली जा सकती हैं। ऐसे चिकित्‍सकों को यात्रा में रियायत दी जाती है और टीटीई के पास उपलब्‍ध आरक्षण चार्टों में उनकी पहचान अलग से दर्शायी जाती है, जिसे डिब्‍बे में भी प्रदर्शित किया जाता है। चिकित्‍सा सहायता प्रदान करने के लिए मार्ग में अगले स्‍टेशन पर रेलवे के चिकित्‍सक अथवा प्राइवेट प्रेक्टिशनर का भी प्रबंध किया गया है। स्‍टेशन मास्‍टरों के पास निकटवर्ती रेलवे/सरकारी/प्राइवेट अस्‍पतालों/क्लिनिकों और एम्‍बुलेंस सेवाओं की सूची रखी गई है, जिसमें उनके पते, उपलब्‍ध सुविधाओं और फोन नम्‍बर आदि का ब्‍यौरा दिया गया है।

Source:  http://pib.nic.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1550691

Over the years the success of Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat has been outstanding and the improvement in cleanliness is reflected through the ‘Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Cleanliness Report 2018’. The report states that there has been a significant improvement in cleanliness standards across A1 and A stations, with a 17.6% increase in average cleanliness scores as compared to 2017, while 6 zones have showed more than a 20% improvement in cleanliness scores.

Cleanliness has always been an important area of focus at Railways. By taking inspiration from Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railways has implemented various strategies to improve cleanliness across its entire network. One of the strategies implemented has been running daily muck cleaning trains as per the “Railways Clean Up Drive”. Let me share with you a few facts about these trains:

● These trains are run by the Central and Western Railways to clean garbage dumped along tracks

● Operational on a daily basis between 2 AM and 4 AM when the local trains are not functional.

● 6 JCB machines tasked with cleaning up garbage. Garbage is then dumped onto special rake trains that have 6 coaches

● Each rake can hold up to 300 cubic metres of waste (equivalent to 6,000 gunny bags)

It is imperative that plastic and non-biodegradable waste along Mumbai’s railway tracks is dealt with effectively and without any delays. This is why the Railways has started using JCB machines to keep the tracks clean. Up till March earlier this year, 20 Lakh gunny bags of waste have been cleared from tracks.

I am also proud to share with you all that regular operation of this muck cleaning train has helped Railways remove 90,000 cubic meters of muck in the last 6 months alone(1st April 2018 to 30 September 2018).

Furthermore, Railways has also improved surveillance through the use of CCTVcameras in and around stations to prevent littering on tracks. The Enforcement of IndianRailways (Penalties for activities affecting cleanliness at railway premises) Rules 2012 has also been intensified.

Railways has also started the practice of integrated mechanised cleaningat 520 Railway stations and instructions for bringing more stations under mechanized cleaning have also been issued. It will be extended to another 60 major stations by March 2019.

Another example of how railways is ensuring cleaner tracks can be seen in Delhi, where an Automatic Rail-Mounted Machines to clean muck on tracks have started operations. These machines will be implemented all across India.

Automatic Rail-Mounted Machines

Finally, let me share with all of you how the introduction of Bio-Toiletshas helped in track cleanliness. Earlier the lack of a proper toilet system was responsible for dirty railway tracks. Taking this into account Railways has sped up the implementation of Bio-Toilets across the network.

● 56,087 bio-toilets have been provided in 14,639 coaches during 2017-18, compared to 9,587 bio-toilets introduced in 3,647 coaches during 2004-14

● 26,358 bio-toilets have been provided in 6,965 coaches in 2018-19 (Upto Aug)

– All remaining coaches (~15,000) will have bio-toilets by next year

● Sections are being made free of human waste discharge with trains being commissioned as ‘Green Train Corridors’. 6 sections commissioned during 2016-17 and 21 sections commissioned during 2017-18

Bio-Toilets

I have now been the Minister of Railways for more than a year, and I can say with confidence that cleanliness is a top priority for Railways. The above mentioned points showcase the work being put in to improve cleanliness on tracks. Therefore, to answer your question, yes Railways is focusing on track cleanliness, and the focus is not only in cities like Mumbai but rather every part of the country.

Source: https://www.quora.com/Has-Piyush-Goyal-thought-about-clean-drive-of-railway-tracks-especially-within-the-cities-range-like-Mumbai/answer/Piyush-Goyal

प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की अध्यक्षता में मंत्रिमंडलीय आर्थिक समिति ने बुधनी से इंदौर (मांगलियागांव) के बीच 205.5 किलोमीटर लम्बी नई रेल लाईन के निर्माण को मंजूरी दे दी है। इस परियोजना की कुल अनुमानित लागत 3261.82 करोड़ रुपये है।

इस परियोजना का मुख्य उद्देश्य पिछड़े क्षेत्रों का विकास तथा इंदौर से जबलपुर के बीच यात्रा समय में कमी और इंदौर से मुम्बई तथा दक्षिण की ओर यात्रा समय में कमी लाना है । इससे भोपाल के रास्ते वर्तमान मार्ग की तुलना में इंदौर और जबलपुर के बीच की दूरी 68 किलोमीटर कम हो जाएगी। इससे क्षेत्र के लोगों और उद्योगों को बेहतर परिवहन सुविधा मिलेगी। इससे परियोजना क्षेत्र में रोजगार सृजन होगा। निर्माण अवधि के दौरान 49.32 लाख मानवदिवसों का प्रत्यक्ष रोजगार सृजन होगा।

प्रस्तावित लाईन बुधनी के वर्तमान यार्ड से प्रारंभ होगी और इंदौर के निकट पश्चिमी रेलवे के वर्तमान स्टेशन मांगलियागांव से जुड़ेगी। इस मार्ग पर दस नए क्रॉसिंग स्टेशन और सात नए हाल्ट स्टेशन बनाने का प्रस्ताव है। नई लाईन से सिहोर, देवास तथा इंदौर जिलों को लाभ होगा और बुधनी से इंदौर के बीच सीधा संपर्क स्थापित होगा। अभी बुधनी से बरखेड़ा घाट सेक्शन सहित भोपाल-इटारसी के भीड़ वाले मार्ग से जाना पड़ता है।

नई लाईन आस-पास के क्षेत्र के औद्योगिक विकास के लिए बुनियादी ढ़ाचागत सुविधा प्रदान करेगी और इससे सामाजिक-आर्थिक लाभ होंगे। यह परियोजना इस क्षेत्र के पिछड़े वर्ग का विकास करने तथा नसरुल्लागंज, खातेगांव तथा कन्नौद जैसे विभिन्न शहरो/गांवों से रेल संपर्क स्थापित होगा, जहां अभी रेल संपर्क नहीं है।

Source: http://pib.nic.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1546627

Enhanced coal despatches are slowly leading a recovery in capacity utilization at thermal power plants

Coal offtake from Coal India Ltd (CIL) has risen by 9.5 percent during April-August to 246.90 million tonnes (mt) from 225.43 mt in the same period of last year. Production of the dry fuel went up 12 per cent to 216.23 mt, marking a 12 per cent growth in the period.

Enhanced coal despatches are slowly leading a recovery in capacity utilisation at thermal power plants. Data by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows Plant Load Factor (PLF) at thermal power plants improved to 61.64 per cent in April-July this fiscal, from 59.61 per cent for the corresponding period in FY18. The improved load at coal-fired generating stations helped in greater electricity generation from the conventional energy sources. Electricity production in this fiscal at the end of July was 421.3 billion units, a growth of 3.7 per cent over the comparable period of the last financial year. Though renewable power is growing at a rapid pace, thermal power still accounted for 77 per cent of the total electricity generation.

Ratio of coal supplied to coal allocated by CIL and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) to CEA-monitored plants stood at 90 per cent, indicating a shortfall of 10 per cent. Coal e-auction volumes slid by 20 per cent in April-July though prices at the online auctions commanded a premium of 75-85 per cent.

With both production and despatches looking up, the dependence on imported coal supplies has shrunk. Use of imported steam coal fell 9.2 per cent to 17.52 mt in April-July when compared with the same period in FY18.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/coal-offtake-rises-9-5-to-247-mn-tonnes-in-april-august-production-up-12-118091500474_1.html

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is known to be one of the most hard working and efficient ministers in the current government. His style of working is akin to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach- a holistic and 360 degrees vision to all round development. Since Minister Piyush Goyal took charge of the Indian Railways, the national carrier has undertaken several initiatives, from providing extra trains in heavy traffic areas, to providing ground level support to the relief efforts during the Kerala floods.

A basic area of development, i.e. ‘Safety’ seems to have been ignored for several decades, partially owing to the general disregard for safety that the Indian psyche has. The Railways’ safety record has been marred by incidents at unmanned level crossings. This came to a head in April when a school bus ignored a red light at an unmanned crossing and was rammed by a train, causing the deaths of 13 children. Since then, the national carrier has taken proactive steps in removing all unmanned level crossings.

Source:https://rightlog.in/2018/09/railways-unmanned-level-crossings-01/

भारतीय रेलवे में सफर के दौरान जल्द ही आपको बड़े होटलों और विमानों जैसी खानपान की सेवा मिलने लगेगी। प्रधानमंत्री कौशल विकास योजना के तहत आईआरसीटीसी के कर्मचारियों को विश्वस्तरीय प्रशिक्षण दिया जा रहा है, ताकि रेल सफर का अनुभव बेहतर हो सके।

नए कदम के तहत कंपनी के कर्मचारियों को अतिथ्य, विनम्रता और अच्छे व्यवहार का प्रशिक्षण दिया जाएगा, जिससे रेलवे मुसाफिरों को ट्रेन के सफर के दौरान बेहतर सुविधाएं मिल सके। कौशल विकास एवं उद्यमिता मंत्रालय के संयुक्त सचिव ने बताया है कि फिलहाल 1500 लोगों के साथ प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम की शुरुआत की गई है।

IRCTC: ट्रेन टिकट बुकिंग पर मिल रहा है 10% का डिस्काउंट, जानिए कैसे
बाद में 30 हजार कर्मचारियों को प्रशिक्षण देने की योजना है। प्रशिक्षण के बाद पहले बैच के 1500 स्टाफ की तैनाती अक्तूबर तक हो जाएगी। अगले साल मार्च तक सभी 30 हजार स्टाफ का प्रशिक्षण पूरा होने की उम्मीद है।

Source: https://www.livehindustan.com/national/story-indian-railways-to-provide-catering-services-like-planes-irctc-employees-are-being-trained-2141895.html