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Friday, December 29, 2017

Year End Review 2017 of Ministry of Railways

Year End Review 2017 of Ministry of Railways

During 2016-17 consequential train accidents decreased from 107 to 104 in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year. Track Renewal speeded up- 2148 km old rails have been replaced with new rails upto Nov'17.

Ground-breaking ceremony of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (MAHSR) by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India and Hon'ble Prime Minister of Japan held in September, 2017.

Introduced First AC EMU consisting of 12-car (12 coaches) fitted with "Indigenous" 3-phase Propulsion system of Ms BHEL on Mumbai Suburban Section.

Mission Retro-Fitment to revamp passenger coaches launched to enhance the passenger experience. It will cover 45,000 Coaches.

14 Rajdhanis and 15 Shatabdi trains were identified to significantly improve passengers experience under “Project Swarn".

Host of Passenger Amenities and Digital Initiatives were taken during the year 2017.

All time record commissioning of Electric Traction of 2367 route kilometer was achieve

PASSENGER AMENITIES, SERVICES

• From 03rd Nov. 2017, Service started to provide information to passengers through Short Messaging Service (SMS) regarding status of delayed trains. Initially, all Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Tejas & Gatiman Trains covered. From 15th Dec, 2017, all Jan shatabdis, Duranto and Garib Rath trains have also been included. Now this service is available in around 250 trains.
• Permitted m-Aadhar as one of the prescribed proofs of Identity for Rail Travel Purpose.
• Extension of Scheme of Alternate Train Accommodation System aka VIKALP for the benefit of Waitlisted Passengers with effect from 1st April, 2017 in all Mail/Express trains.
• Initiatives for The Senior Citizens -Persons With Disabilities: Indian Railways launched Quota of 2 Berths for Divyangjans & Senior Citizens in AC 3 class. This is in addition to existing quota of 4 berths in SL class.
• Online booking of Retiring Rooms has been commissioned at 497 railway stations of Indian Railways. With a view to ensure optimal utilization of available accommodation in Retiring Rooms and Dormitory, instructions have been issued to Western Railway for booking of Retiring Room as well as dormitory for minimum duration of 3 hrs except for night booking where the booking will be done mandatorily from 2100 hrs to 0900 hrs. This facility is presently available at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat stations.
• New Catering Policy in Railways launched. 33% Sub Quota for Women in Allotment of each Category of minor Catering Units at All Category of stations has been provided under this policy. Roped in Self Help Groups To Make Local Cuisines Available Through E-Catering Services of its PSU IRCTC.
 • Initiated programme for 100% LED lighting at stations leading to improved illumination and passenger safety. Completed more than 3500 stations so far with a target to cover all Railway stations by March 2018.
• Provision of mobile/laptop charging points at all railway platforms.
• Provision of insect catchers at railway stations.
·        A new mobile app IRCTC Rail Connect launched. Aadhar linked user IDs have been allowed to book 12 e-tickets in one month as against 6 tickets for non Aadhar user IDs.
• A new Integrated Mobile App 'Rail SAARTHI' launched which provides various services viz. Rail e-ticket booking, unreserved ticketing, complaint management, Clean my Coach, passenger enquiry etc.
• Payment of ticket using UPI/BHIM App has been implemented at reservation counters as well as on e-ticketing website.
 • Project Swarn - 14 Rajdhanis and 15 Shatabdi trains were identified to significantly improve passengers experience under “Project Swarn".  To achieve the objectives under this Project, 'staff behaviour' was identified as an important parameter.  The frontline staff of these premier trains was trained in various aspects such as catering, linen management and cleanliness. 

 HIGH SPEED RAILWAY/ MOBILITY
• A road map developed to increase speed of trains by overcoming the existing impediments on Principal routes of the railways on Golden Quadrilateral(GQ) along with diagonals (Delhi - Mumbai, Delhi - Howrah, Howrah- Chennai, Chennai - Mumbai, Delhi - Chennai and Howrah - Mumbai) due to fixed infrastructure, movable infrastructure, and operational practices.
• Projects for two routes viz. New Delhi- Mumbai Central (including Vadodara- Ahmedabad) and New Delhi- Howrah (including Kanpur- Lucknow) for raising of speed to 160/200kmph have been included in WP 2017-18 at Rs. 18,000 crores approximately. Speed Enhancement project entails works such as through fencing, removal of level crossings, train protection warning system (TPWS), mobile train radio communication (MTRC), automated and mechanized diagnostic systems etc. which will considerably enhance safety and reliability. The main outcome of the implementation of the projects is increase in the maximum speed of the trains to 160/200 kmph. This will reduce the travel time of premium Rajdhani type trains to 12 hours as against the present travel time of 17 hours for Howrah Rajdhani and 15 hours 35 minutes for Mumbai Rajdhani.
 • Replacement of loco hauled commuter trains with MEMU/DEMU trains: MEMU trains have a potential for average speed increment of up to 20kmph in comparison to loco driven passenger trains.
 • Ground-breaking ceremony of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (MAHSR) by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India and Hon'ble Prime Minister of Japan was held in September, 2017. Managing Director and other Directors in the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), constituted for implementation of the MAHSR project, have been appointed.
• Following Semi High Speed Studies are underway:
o    Delhi-Chandigarh (244 km): Final report of feasibility cum implementation study of New Delhi-Chandigarh Corridor for raising the speed of passenger trains to 200 kmph by SNCF/France has been received. Report under scrutiny.
o    Nagpur - Secunderabad (575 km): A Protocol under co-operation MoU has been signed between Ministry of Railways and Russian Railways for carrying out feasibility cum implementation study. Work started in June 2016 and progressing as per schedule.
o    Chennai- Kazipet by German Railways- Joint declaration of intent has been signed between both the parties on 10/10/17 for raising the speed of passenger trains to 200kmph on the existing route on 50:50 cost sharing basis. The feasibility study shall be carried out after signing a separate agreement, which is under finalization.
o    Feasibility study for High Speed Rail on Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai through Government to Government (G2G) with the Government of Germany has commenced.

SAFETY
• During 2016-17 consequential train accidents decreased from 107 to 104 in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year.  In the current year from 1st April, 2017 to 30th November, 2017 consequential train accidents decreased from 85 to 49 in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year. 
 • During the year from January to December 2017 to give thrust to safety related issues, Safety drives were launched on all zonal railways with a view to prevent accidents.
 • Emphasis on night inspections and ambush checks regularly by officers and supervisors, review of fracture prone locations, frequent and intensive footplate inspection, etc.
 • Focus on monitoring practices associated with booking, counselling, training, PME, performance evaluation etc. of crew in view of SPAD by Loco Pilots.
 • A special safety drive regarding - “Working on running lines" and “Safety at work sites" for a period of fifteen days to check incidences of uncoupling in passenger train (Locomotive Getting Separated from Formation).
 • Gate Mitras were deployed at all unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge instead of only identified UMLCs in order to enhance safety. 
 • Under Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) a provision of `20,000 crore has been made in 2017-18 out of 'RRSK' to fund essential works for ensuring safety.
High Level Safety Review Committee (HLSRC): A High Level Safety Review Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission was constituted on 16.09.2011 to go into all technical and technology related aspects in connection with safe running of train services in the country. The Committee submitted its Report on 17.02.2012.  All the 106 recommendations of the Committee have since been deliberated upon and 87 recommendations have been found fully/partially acceptable and 19 have not been found acceptable to the Ministry of Railways.
·   Of the accepted recommendations, 65 have been fully/partially implemented. The remaining recommendations are at various stages of implementation.
 ·       Target of Eliminating All Unmanned Level Crossing preponed to 2018. Till the time this is achieved, in the interim period, Indian Railways decided to deploy Gate Mitras. Gate Mitra is an initiative where a person will be deployed at a UMLC, and would alert road users about approaching trains. All UMLCs on Broad Gauge as on November 2017 were provided with Gate Mitras.
 ·     Track Renewal speeded up: 2148 km old rails have been replaced with new rails upto Nov'17.Progress during corresponding period last year was 1624 km between April to Nov'16.
 •  Self-Propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing (SPURTZ Car) is under procurement and trial of Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System is underway. Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) is under implementation on Suburban/High- density Routes.
 •  Decided to switch over to 100 % manufacture of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches as these have numerous advantages over ICF coaches including higher speed and safety especially during derailment and collisions. Completely switch over to LHB coaches production from 2018-19.

SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION
•   Comprehensively revised categories of various Railway Stations. In new scheme of station categorization, even the small stations, because of footfall criteria, to get the higher level of passenger amenities leading to better passenger satisfaction.
• Introduced and proliferated Global Positioning System (GPS) based 'Fog Pass device' which displays the name and distance of approaching signals and other critical signal landmarks in advance during train operation. At present total 7263 Fog Pass Devices have been procured and being used in NR, NER, NCR, ECR, NFR& NWR which are the most fog affected Railways.
• Major Transparency measures by RDSO:
a) “New Online Vendor Registration System" has been launched by RDSO with effect from 8th Nov 2017- With the new online system implemented by RDSO since 8th Nov 2017, the Vendor can now deposit registration fee, submit documents, download technical drawings & specifications and interact with RDSO online.
 b) All RDSO controlled items have now been listed on RDSO website with specific timelines for Vendor Registration process for each individual item. RDSO will endeavour to complete the registration process for which the vendor applies within defined timelines.
c) Innovation Challenge: An Innovation Challenge has been conducted to invite ideas and to augment the pace of Indian Railways operational improvements through innovative methods. Innovation Challenges attracted a huge response and a total of 4683 entries were received.  RDSO has been entrusted the task of conducting the screening and evaluation process.  The Innovation Challenge has been conducted in the following 06 areas:
(i)           Accessibility to trains from low level platforms
(ii)         Increasing capacity of coaches
(iii)       Digital capabilities at stations.
(iv)       Design of Wagons for efficient loading and transportation of new commodities.
(v)         New Idea/ Suggestion to improve the working of Indian Railways.
(vi)       Increasing Non-fare revenue of Indian Railways.

TRANSPARENCY
• Online Tracking of Contractor's Bill enabled on single website - IT enabled real-time Web based system has been developed for tracking bill payments. This system enables the registered vendor/contractor to track status of bills from the time they are submitted to the Railways till the final payment is made.
• Implementation of 100% Digitization of Receipt Note.
• Digital finalization of tenders - Total 54700 tender cases finalized this year digitally through Indian Railway E-Procurement portal www.ireps.gov.in.
• More than 1000 e-Reverse Auction tenders opened on Indian Railways web portal during last 1 year.

NEW TRAINS
• India's First Tejas Express Between Mumbai and Karmali inaugurated.
 • More Than Three Decade Old Demand for an “Express" Train for People of Kirandul in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh fulfilled. Extended Train No. 08152 Visakhapatnam - Jagdalpur Upto Kirandul.
• Prime Minister of India & Prime Minister of Bangladesh Jointly along with Chief Minister, West Bengal Flagged off New Cross-Border Train between India & Bangladesh, “Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan Express" from Kolkata.
 • Introduced tri- weekly new Special Rajdhani between Delhi - Mumbai route from 16th October, 2017.
Introduced First AC EMU consisting of 12-car (12 coaches) fitted with “Indigenous" 3-phase Propulsion system of Ms BHEL on Mumbai Suburban Section.
 • Introduced Third Mahamana Express to run between Varanasi and Vadodara on 22nd September 2017.
Vistadome Tourist Coach with glass walls launched at Vishakhapatnam to run between   Visakhaptnam and Araku Valley. The Vistadome coach has features like glass roof, LED lights, rotable seats, GPS based info system etc will offer to tourists to enjoy scenic beauty not only at destination but also along the journey.
• Introduced Train No.22165/22166 Bhopal-Singrauli  Express (Bi-Weekly):
 • Introduced Train No 22167/22168 Singrauli-H. Nizamuddin Express(Weekly) :
 • Introduced Train No 18109/18110 Jammu Tawi-Rourkela Express (Daily) Upto Sambalpur:
 • Introduced Train No 22913/22914 Bandra(T)-Patna Humsafar Express (Weekly)
 • Introduced Train No 22921/22922 Bandra(T)-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express (Weekly)
 • Introduced Train No 22434/ 22433Anand Vihar (T) To Ghazipur (Bi-weekly) via Kanpur, Allahabad:
 • Introduced New DEMU Service between Baiyappanahalli-Whitefild-Baiyappanahalli.
• Introduced Train No 22163/64 Bhopal- Khajuraho Mahamana Intercity Express (Daily),
 • Introduced Train No 22833/34 Bhubaneswar- Krishnarajapuram Humsafar Express  (Weekly)
 • Introduced Train No 17323/17324 Hubballi - Varanasi - Hubballi Express (Weekly)
• Introduced Train No 17325/17326 Hubballi - Mysuru - Hubballi Express (Daily)
• Introduced Train No 16791/16792 from Punalur to Palakkad.
 • Introduced Train No 22992/22991 Veraval - Bandra Terminus Super Fast Express
• Introduced Train No 22994/22993 Mahuva - Bandra Terminus Super Fast Express
• Introduced Train No 19030/19029 Mahuva - Bandra Terminus Super Fast Express
• Introduced Train No 58653/58654 Ranchi-Barkichanpi Passenger upto Tori
• Introduced Train No Train No 14715/14716 Sri Ganganagar - Tiruchirappalli Humsafar Express (Weekly) (via Krishnarajapuram, Pune, Ahmedabad) the fourth Humsafar clan of trains
·    Introduced Train No Train No 22877/22878 Ernakulam - Howrah Antyodaya Express (Weekly) (via Salem, Katpadi, Visakhapatnam) first Antyodaya clan of trains.
• Extended Train No. 19653/19654 Ajmer Ratlam Express Extended up to Indore.
 • Extended Frequency of Train No.22419/22420 Ghazipur City-Anand Vihar (T) Suhail Dev Express from tri-weekly to four days a week.
 • Extended Frequency of Train No.19041/19042 Bandra (T)-Ghazipur City Express (weekly to bi-weekly). 
• Extension of Train No.58429/58430/58431/58432 (Khurda Road- Bolagarh) passenger trains extended upto Nayagarh Town.

INFRASTRUCTURE
• The first Phase of the Station Redevelopment Program comprising 23 major Railway Stations of Indian Railways was launched.
• Mission Retro-Fitment to revamp passenger coaches launched to enhance the passenger experience. It will cover 45,000 Coaches.
• Significant Step taken towards Providing Rail Connectivity for Chardham Pilgrimage in the State of Uttarakhand through commencement of final location Survey.
Record Commissioning of sections on Electric Traction: During the calendar year 2017, all time record commissioning of Electric Traction of 2367 route kilometer was achieved. A target for electrification of 4,000 route kilometer has been set for achievement during financial year 2017-18.
Major Strategic Decisions to speed up 100% Electrification work-
a)  For Rail Electrification projects, Provision of “Deemed approval" has been made for various drawings/schematic/plan wherever approving authorities do not take decision within specified timelines.
b) In future, doubling, new line and gauge conversion projects for the sections shall be simultaneously assessed with electrification.
c) To avoid multiplicity of agencies involved in execution, it has been decided that “Henceforth, where electrification and doubling works have been sanctioned both works should be executed by the same agency.
d) It has been decided to go for large size contracts on EPC mode on case to case basis, preferably adopting EPC (turnkey) based contracting system or large composite item rate contract in package size of 300/500/1000/1500RKMs.
Opening of Major Routes On Electric Traction: During the calendar year 2017, commissioning of missing links have resulted in better linkages and seamless connectivity on following routes:
o   Commissioning of Andal-Sitarampur section,
o   Commissioning of Indore-Mhow section.
o   Commissioning of Singapur Road - Lanjigarh - Titlagarh section
o   Commissioning of Lapanga - Sambalpur section.
o   Commissioning of Una Himachal - Amb Andura section.
o   Commissioning of Lalitpur - Udaipurasection.
o   Commissioning of Walgaon - Narkher section.
o   Commissioning of Manpur-Tilaiya-Bakhtiyarpur section.
o   Commissioning of Ramanagaram-Mysore section.
Energy Management: Dedicated transmission line network of railway-8000 Km network planned. Existing transmission line network from Dadri-Kanpur extended up to Allahabad. Work in progress for Allahabad-Mughalsarai transmission line network.
Electric Locomotive Factory at Madhepura in Bihar (Make in India project)- First phase of construction of factory has been completed. First prototype locomotive under assembly at the factory and expected to be rolled out by Feb.'18 as per time line. Manufacturing of High Horse Power Freight locomotives (9000 hp) for hauling longer and heavier trains with improved mobility. Manufacturing of High Horse Power Passenger locomotives (9000 hp) for improving average speed of coaching trains in this Locomotive Factory at Madhepura.
• Technological Interventions for Crew Comfort inside locomotives:
(a)          Water Closets in Locomotives
(b)         Cab air conditioners
(c)          Improved Cab Ergonomics and layout
• Distributed Power Wireless Control System (DPWCS) for hauling longer and heavier freight trains with two or more locos in between train configuration.
• Technological Interventions for Safety - Crew Voice and Video recording system.
• New Era of Green Technology (HOG power supply) with use of Hotel load converter on electric locomotives in WAP-7 locomotives and in WAP-5 locomotives. Provision of Hotel load converter on locomotives, eliminates the use of diesel generator cars, thereby replacing power cars by passenger carrying coaches.

DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVES
• For incentivizing people to opt digital transactions, IR has  withdrawn service charge from booking of e-tickets, offered free insurance of Rs 10 lakhs on e-tickets and 0.5% discount on Season Tickets purchased through digital means etc.
• Around 9,500 POS machines have been installed at various ticket booking counters to accept payment from Debit/Credit cards.  No MDR is charge for booking through Debit cards at ticketig counters.
• The facility of payment through UPI/BHIM has been provided at PRS counters.
• Rail Cloud Project launched - To achieve the goal of single digital platform for Indian Railways.
• RailsaverApp developed and its utilization popularized with the railways.
• Implementation of e-office in the Railway Board.
• Implementation of on-line submission and assessment of Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) through SPARROW for officers of Indian Railways.
• Digitization of old Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of Group-A Officers of Indian Railways.
• Launching complimentary Wi-Fi facility at National Rail Museum (NRM), New Delhi, first museum in India to have such facility.
• Agreement with M/s Google Cultural Institute (GCI) for digitization of Railway Heritage and bringing them online for universal access and creating awareness among future generations.
• In collaboration with Google Cultural Institute , launched an innovative programme for dissemination of India's rich cultural heritage to railway passengers through video screens at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai.
• In collaboration with ISRO, expediting use of space technology on Indian Railways for various projects like Real Time Train Information System, Advance Warning System at Unmanned Level Crossing Gates
• In order to promote digital payments, preference in Upgradation to those passengers who have booked ticket through digital mode of payment has been implemented.

 FREIGHT
Liberalised Automatic Freight Rebate Scheme in Empty flow Directions has been issued w.e.f.01.01.2017 by modifying earlier TEFD Scheme.
Policy on Long Term Tariff Contract with key freight customers has been issued on 30.3.2017. Total 24 proposals were received and out of them, 21 proposals / agreements have been signed. The major companies who have entered into contact with Zonal Railways under this scheme included TATA Steel, Ultra-tech Cement, India Cement, Jindal Steel and Power, J.K. Cement, Ambuja, ACC etc.
Double stack dwarf container introduced as a new delivery model to increase Loadability and attract new traffic under wire.  New tariff policy granting 17% rebate to Double Stack Dwarf Container trains has also been issued on 14.07.2017.
Right Powering of freight trains: To provide high speed to freight trains and ensure swift movement of goods, New policy introduced for right powering arrangement for freight trains with a horse power to trailing load ratio of 1.5-2.0 for improving average speeds.
• New Partnership with India Post for Business Parcel launched.
Mission Hundred' - Commissioning of PFTs/Sidings- 45 terminals have been commissioned during 2016-17. Out of the remaining 55 terminals, so far 13 terminals have been commissioned in 2017-2018.

FINANCE
• Inaugurated the following policy initiatives for non fare revenue viz.,  Policy Initiatives of Increasing Non Fare Revenue like Out of Home Advertisement,  Content on demand,      Branding of Trains,      Non-fare Revenue Policy,      ATM Policy and  Initiatives promoting ease of ticketing through digital transactions (for reserved as well as unreserved passengers)
• Savings of Rs. 512 Cr.(approx.) has been achieved since July'17 by adopting best procurement policies/practices like Design modification, change in specification, challenging consumption, Long Term Contracting, Reverse Auction, improving vendor base etc.

MAKE IN INDIA INITIATIVES
• Policy on Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) dated 15-06-2017 implemented.
• Policy for providing Preference to Domestically Manufactured Iron & Steel Products (DMI&SP) implemented.
• Policy for preference to Domestically Manufactured Electronic Goods issued by The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in October, 2017.
• Relaxation from condition of prior turnover and prior experience for Startups and Medium Small Enterprises.
Vendor meets organized on PAN-India basis at 12 prominent locations across the country in association with MSME & SIDBI during October & November 2017 with special emphasis on development of indigenous firms.

SECURITY
• Seats earmarked for Security Personnel of escorting teams in the trains. Berth no.63 in S1 Coach of the train earmarked for Security Personnel so they can be located easily in case of need.
• Railway Protection Force decided to extend Child Rescue Campaign in 47 additional Railway Stations taking total to 82 Railway Stations. The campaign had been successfully implemented in 35 existing Railway Stations. RPF rescued around 21,000 children in last three years.

GREEN INITIATIVES
• Dedicated Green Corridor in Bhagalpur- Banka section (Bihar) of Malda Division.
• Dedicated Green Corridor-Madhupur-Giridih section of  Asansol Division.
• 500 Kwp Solar Roof Top System commissioned at Mysuru Work Shop.
• Indian Railways Organization for Alternate Fuel (IROAF) sets gold standards by winning Golden Peacock Award for Eco Innovation for the year 2017 for introducing eco friendly and cost saving Dual Fuel 1400 HP Diesel engines on DEMU trains.
• First DEMU Train with Solar powered Coaches inducted into service of the Nation.
• New Water Management Policy with respect to consumption and utilization in Railways was released.
• GreenCo Certificates developed by CII given to Three Units of Indian Railways viz. Diesel Locomotive Works (Varanasi), Perambur Carriage Works (Chennai), Lalaguda Carriage Workshop (Hyderabad)
• Various new initiatives taken for improving energy efficiency- Replacement of all electrical equipments at railway stations and service buildings with energy efficient BEE star rated equipments under ESCO model, 100% LED lighting at all the railway stations, service buildings, workshops, Sheds and other installations etc. With this, savings of Rs. 125 Cr. achieved this year by saving about 7% energy.
• Building Management Information System (BMIS) implemented at Rail Bhawan including LED lights which shall save about Rs.30 lacs per annum in the energy bill.
• Policy for use of energy efficient equipments by all vendors issued to the railways.
• More than 60 MW of solar & wind power plants have already been installed covering 270 stations & 120 administrative buildings & hospitals and further orders for about 150 MW have been  placed for solar plants on roof tops of Railway Buildings.
• An International Conference on Green Initiatives and Railway Electrification organized in October 2017.

HUMAN RESOURCE
Project Saksham Launched : The decision of imparting a week-long training in skills and domain knowledge to all the employees of Indian Railways had been taken. The focus of all such training is to 'make a difference' to the job performance.
• Station Directors in large Stations have been now given the powers of the Branch Officers in the divisions to enable them to take decisions for smooth operations.
• Employee Charter was released. An employees' charter is notified for ensuring time bound redressal of railways employees' issues related to dues, entitlements and grievances.
• NIVARAN- Portal for Grievance Redressal of Railway Employees was launched.
•  Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) Scheme was launched for Railway Employees.
• DRMs /Chief Workshop Managers (CWMs) have been given powers to re-engage retired railway employees up to 62 years of age against vacancies.
• NRTU is being established at Vadodara, Gujrat to give impetus to research and training in rail transport.
• In order to improve the functioning of Railways, substantial financial and administrative powers covering a wide spectrum of working have been delegated by the Railway Board to General Managers (GM),Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) and field officials.
• Number of posts of Additional Divisional Railway Managers (ADRMs) in all the railway division offices for better supervision.
• A Five Member Committee of senior officials of Railway Board to suggest measures for making substantial improvement in worksites safety over all Indian Railways network.

SPORTS
• Ministry of Railways felicitated Indian Railways Women Cricketers of Indian Women Cricket Team for their outstanding performance in Women World Cup 2017. It is a moment of great pride for Indian Railways that of the squad of 15 players of Indian Women Cricket Team, 10 Women Cricketers were from Indian Railways.
• Mirabai Chanu, Indian Railways Sportsperson, became the first Indian in over two decades to claim a gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championship in Anaheim, USA.

MOUs
• MoU between India and Switzerland on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector
• Memorandum of Understanding signed between Rail Land Development Authority(RLDA) & IRCON International Limited for Redevelopment of Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station.
• India and Italy Sign an MOU for Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector Especially on Safety Related Subjects. MoU with Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane S.P.A. of Italy on Technical Cooperation in the Rail Sector.
• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) / Memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with Foreign Ministries/Railways for Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector.
• Memorandum of Understanding with UNESCO, New Delhi for preparation of Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), UNESCO World Heritage Site. This will boost conservation of DHR and promote hill railway tourism.
• MoU between Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), an institution under Ministry of Railways and National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), a PSU of Ministry of Urban Development regarding redevelopment of identified railway stations.
• MoU with Taiwan for bilateral cooperation in promoting rail heritage on both sides.

MISCELLANEOUS
• Century old Steam Loco EIR-21 (year built 1855) has been revived and steamed at Chennai.
• NG Steam Loco ZB-66 has been revived and steamed up at Kalka Shimla Section after a gap of several decades.
• Neki ki Rail" a seminar for improving the Railway's social footprint and impacting society in a positive manner Organised by Ministry of Railways at National Rail Museum.
• Notification for setting up of Rail Development Authority (RDA) issued in May, 2017. In order to operationalise the Authority, process for appointment of Chairman and Members of the RDA has been initiated.

Promotion of Tribal /local Art at Stations: To showcase tribal/local art at stations,  select tourist stations at 24 locations were identified and Zonal Railways concerned were requested for aesthetic up gradation of these stations with local/tribal art.
• The 'Fairy Queen', the oldest surviving functional steam engine in the world commenced its journey from National Capital Delhi to Rewari, Haryana after a gap of 5 years. This train, which is a great attraction among steam engine lovers across the globe, will run between Delhi Cantt. Station and Rewari

PIB

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Swarn Project in Railways

Swarn Project in Railways

The Ministry of Railways has decided to launch "Project Swarn" with the objective of significantly improving the passenger experience across 9 dimensions which include coach interiors, toilets, onboard cleanliness, staff behavior, catering, linen, punctuality, security, on-board entertainment. real time feedback will also be taken as part of Project Swarn. In total, 14 Rajdhani and 15 Shatabdi trains will be covered. Railways have been allowed to spend upto 50 lakh per rake for upgradation of trains to Swarn Standard.

 (i) 'Project Swarn' has been launched with the objective of improving the condition of Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

(ii) Some of the coaches undergoing mid life rehabilitation at Bhopal workshop are being upgraded to make model rakes for Mahamana Trains. Presently, three such trains viz. from New Delhi to Varanasi, from Bhopal to Khajuraho and from Vadodara to Varanasi are plying.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 20.12.2017 (Wednesday).

 PIB

Minimum educational qualification for appointment in Level-l of the pay matrix of 7th CPC on compassionate grounds

Minimum educational qualification for appointment in Level-l of the pay matrix of 7th CPC on compassionate grounds
 
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. E(NG)II/2016/RR-1/12 (3192238)
New Delhi, dated 18.12.2017

The General Manager (P),
All Zonal Railways/Production Units I
(As per standard mailing list)

Sub: Minimum educational qualification for appointment in Level-l of the pay matrix of 7th CPC on compassionate grounds

Attention is invited to instructions issued vide this Ministry's letter under RBE No.73/2017 dated 27.07.2017 and RBE No. 192/2017 dated 11.12.2017, laying down minimum educational qualification for recruitment of staff from open market to posts in Level-l of the pay matrix of 7th CPC (earlier Grade Pay Rs.1800/-), through all modes, against direct recruitment quota in various departments. Since, appointment on compassionate grounds made against direct recruitment quota vacancies, the qualification prescribed for posts against direct recruitment quota are equally applicable for considering appointment  on compassionate grounds.

The matter has been reviewed, owing to difficulty being faced, in appointment of candidates on compassionate grounds, it has been decided that such candidates who have passed 10th standard but is not in possession of technical qualification i.e. National apprenticeship Certificate(NAC) granted by NCVT or ITI or courses/ Trade Diploma the prescribed qualification for technical and commercial (catering) departments, viz., Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, S& T Departments and Commercial Catering Level-l, may also be considered for appointment, providing them on job training for a period of six months.

Please acknowledge receipt.

Director Estt.(N)-II
Railway Board

Electrification of Railway Network

Electrification of Railway Network

Indian Railways has prepared an Action Plan to electrify (commission on electric traction) 38000 Route Kilometers in five years (2017-18 to 2021-22) for 100% electrification of its Broad Gauge (BG) rail routes. Year wise details are as under:

Year Route Kilometer targeted for commissioning on electric traction.
2017-184000
2018-196000
2019-207000
2020-2110500
2021-2210500
Total38000

Admissibility of House Rent Allowance during Study Leave

Admissibility of House Rent Allowance during Study Leave

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
New Delhi, dated 05.12.2017

No.E(P&A)II-2017/HRA-4

The General Manager(P),
Eastern Railway,
Kolkata

Sub.: Admissibility of House Rent Allowance during Study Leave.
Ref:- Eastern Railway's letter No.E.77/o/Vol.VIII, dated 06.03.2011.

With reference to Eastern Railway's letter under reference, it is stated that the matter has seen considered in Board’s office and it has been observed that on the identical issue a clarification already
stands issued to Southern Railway vide Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-2002/HRA-2 dt. 19.02.2002 (copy enclosed) clarifying that the period of 120 days mentioned in Board’s letter no.E(P&A)II-82/HRA-2 dated 04.02.1982 had been revised to 180 days in terms of the amendment carried out to Rule 1707 of IREC-II vide Board’s letter no.E(P&A)/89/HRA-48 dt. 07.08.1992.

It was further stated the letter dt. 19.02.2002 that the employees proceeding on study leave are entitled to House Rent Allowance and Compensatory (City) Allowance for first 180 days of the study leave and continuation of these allowances beyond 180 days is subject to the production of certificates prescribed in Para 1707(iii) of Indian Railway Establishment Code, Volume-II, 1987 Edition.

It may however, be noted that CCA has already been abolished vide Board's letter no. E(P&A)II-2008/HRA-10 dt. 12.09.2008 (RBE No.110/2008).

2. Thus, necessary action on the above lines may be ensured.

DA: As above.
sd/-
(Salim Md. Ahmed)
Deputy Director/E(P&A)II,
Railway Board

Source: NFIR

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Safety Measures Taken in Indian Railways

Safety Measures Taken in Indian Railways

Improvement in Rail safety is a continuous process and constant endeavour is made to improve the same. Safety Audits/inspections are undertaken at regular intervals on all railway infrastructures with a view to identify weak areas in asset maintenance, safety procedure and systemic defects and to provide ways and means to prevent accidents.  Besides, periodical safety drives are launched from time to time to indicate safety consciousness amongst staff and to streamline safety aspects including maintenance of assets.   As a result of safety measures, Number of train accidents have been continuously decreasing from 135 in 2014-15 to 107 in 2015-16 and down to 104 in 2016-17. During the current year i.e. 2017-18 (from 1st April to 30th November 2017), a total of 49 consequential train accidents took place over Indian Railways in comparison to the 85 accidents in the corresponding period of the previous year,  which is  an improvement of 42 percent over last year. 

Apart from this following safety measures are undertaken:-

Steps for improving Tracks:

Railway tracks are replaced through track renewal works which is an ongoing process.  Track renewal works are undertaken as and when stretch of track becomes due for renewal on the basis of criteria laid down in Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual on age cum condition basis viz. traffic carried in terms of gross million tonnes & incidence of rail fracture/failure, wear of rails, and maintainability of track as per standards etc.  In case any stretch of track is not renewed in time due to various reasons including scarcity of funds, material etc. suitable speed restrictions, if required, are imposed to ensure safe running of trains. Additional funds are being provided through Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) and Mega Traffic Blocks are being arranged for executing these works.
For the year 2017-18, 3600 km target has been kept for track renewal.

 Digital type of machines for Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails is being used which are more reliable. This technology is being extensively used in Indian Railways to detect flaws in rails and weld failures in advance and take remedial steps to avert train accidents.

Electronic monitoring of track geometry is carried out with Track Recording Cars (TRC) and Portable Oscillation Monitoring Systems (OMS) to detect track geometry defects for planning maintenance. Maintenance inputs are given to track and bridges as per requirement noticed during manual inspections, TRC & OMS runs and USFD testing to keep track in safe condition.

Steps for improving Signaling:

Electrical/Electronic Interlocking System with centralized operation of points and signals are being provided to eliminate human failure and to replace old mechanical systems.  These systems have been provided at 5661 stations upto 31.10.2017.

Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety for verification of track occupancy by electrical means instead of human element has been completed at about 5889 stations upto 31.10.2017.

Axle Counter for Automatic clearance of Block Section (BPAC) to ensure complete arrival of train before granting line clear and to reduce human element have been provided on 4935 block sections upto 31.10.2017.

Interlocking of Level Crossing Gates to protect Level Crossing Gate with signals to avoid accidents has been done at 10921 gates upto 31.10.2017.

Further Railways have been introducing following new safety technology for smooth and safe running of trains:

Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS)
- Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) mitigates safety risk of accidents/collisions due to loco pilot’s error of Signal Passing at Danger or over speeding. It is a proven European train protection technology and deployed extensively on World Railways.

Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) based on this proven technology has been operationalized on 342 RKMs in following sections of Indian Railways:
(a)           Chennai - Gummidipundi Suburban Section of Southern Railway (50 RKMs).
(b)          Dum Dum - Kavi Subhash section of Metro Railway, Kolkata (25 RKMs).
(c)           Hazrat Nizamuddin - Agra Section of Northern/North Central Railway 200 RKMs).
(d)          Basin Bridge - Arrakkonam Section of Southern Railway (67 RKMs).
Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) -  TCAS is a developmental project being taken on a limited section of Lingamapalli – Vikarabad – Wadi - Bidar section (250 km) on South Central Railway. Operational deployment of TCAS on Railways on Absolute Block Signalling sections will be taken-up after successful conclusion of the extended field trials and safety certification of system by Independent Safety Assessor (ISA).
                                                                 
Extended field trials and safety validation of system to Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) by an Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) is in progress.

All Diesel locomotives are turned out from maintenance sheds with proper checking and super checking by Senior Supervisors and Officers.   It is also ensured that all safety devices and equipment are functioning properly on all locomotives.

Fog PASS devices are provided to Crew working in fog affected areas.

It is ensured that no Crew is overdue for PME, Safety training, Refresher course and any other mandatory courses.

Preventive and predictive maintenance of the Railway assets is being undertaken to ensure safe train operation.  Time to time special safety drives are undertaken involving officers and supervisors.

Proliferation of LHB coaches that have better safety features. It has been decided to completely switch over to the manufacture of LHB coaches from 1st April 2018 onwards and stop the manufacture of ICF coaches. Around 3,000 LHB coaches shall be manufactured every year from 1st April 2018 onwards as against average of 1000 LHB coaches in last 5 yrs. It has also been planned to retrofit around 32,000 existing ICF coaches having a life of upto 15 years and having Screw Coupling with (Centre Buffer Coupler) CBC in the next 5 years.

UMLC (unmanned level crossings): Topmost priority for eliminating UMLC gates in a time bound manner up to December 2018 and deployment of Gate Mitra for the interim period.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 15.12.2017 (Friday).

Integrated Security System In Railways

Integrated Security System In Railways

Based on the recommendations of a High Level Committee, 202 railway stations have been identified as sensitive for the purpose of installation of an Integrated Security System (ISS) to strengthen surveillance mechanism at these stations. ISS includes Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras, Access control, Personal and Baggage Screening System and Bomb Detection system. Contracts have already been awarded for execution of ISS works over 129 Railway stations by fifteen Zonal Railways.

So far, 106 Railway stations have been covered with CCTV surveillance system under ISS over Central Railway, Eastern Railway, East Coast Railway, North Central Railway, North Eastern Railway, North Western Railway, Northeast Frontier Railway, Northern Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Southern Railway and West Central Railway.

In addition, 139 Baggage Scanners, 32 Under Vehicle Scanning System (UVSS), 217 Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD) and more than one thousand Hand Held Metal Detectors (HHMD) have so far been provided under ISS. Issues concerning availability of eligible vendors, inspection of items, availability of budget, etc. were initially raised by Zonal Railways. These issues have since been addressed and all the Zonal Railways have been advised to ensure speedy implementation of ISS at all the identified sensitive stations.

Besides ISS, CCTV surveillance system is available over 288 other railway stations. In addition, 983 railway stations have also been identified for installation of CCTV cameras under Nirbhaya Fund.
Strengthening and upgradation of security infrastructure is an ongoing process. Accordingly, more stations will be brought under CCTV surveillance system alongwith other security equipment in due course.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 15.12.2017 (Friday).

Initiatives Taken Towards Improvement of Cleanliness in Railways

Initiatives Taken Towards Improvement of Cleanliness in Railways

 Indian Railways have taken various initiatives in improving cleanliness of stations, trains, yards and all other premises.  Some of the major initiatives taken towards improvement of cleanliness are:
(i)     Mechanized cleaning methods have been adopted in major stations.
(ii)   Regular intensive cleanliness drives are undertaken at various railway stations by Zonal Railways.
(iii) Enforcement of Indian Railways (Penalties for activities affecting cleanliness at railway premises) Rules, 2012 has been intensified.
(iv) Use of CCTVs has been extended for monitoring of cleanliness activities at major stations.
(v)   For better cleaning of coaches of trains, mechanized coach cleaning at Depots, On Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS) in important long distance trains, "Clean My Coach" and Clean Train Station (CTS) schemes have been provided.

This has resulted in visible improvement in cleanliness.

New Standard Bid Document (SBD) has been issued recently which is being implemented for integrated housekeeping of stations and trains. This will further improve effectiveness of housekeeping contracts.

 This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 15.12.2017 (Friday).

Cabinet approves second financial restructuring of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.

Cabinet approves second financial restructuring of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Second Financial Restructuring proposal of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), a CPSE under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways (MoR).

The conversion of Non-Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares (RPS), amounting to Rs. 4,079.51 crore, held by President of India through Ministry of Railways, into Compulsorily Convertible Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (CCPS), has been approved. This will shore up the net worth of the Company after implementation of the new accounting standard IND AS.

 Implementation Strategy and targets:

 KRCL will have to present the previous year's Balance Sheet figures restated as per IND-AS, as on 31st March 2016 and those at the opening of the business i.e., as on 1st April 2015. The conversion of the Non-cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares (RPS) into Compulsorily Convertible non-cumulative Preference Shares (CCPS) w.e.f. 31st March 2015 will make KRCL's net worth positive.
 
Major Impact:
  1. Net worth of KRCL will remain positive.
  2. A positive Net Worth for the KRCL is a sine qua non for the purpose of raising funds from the market at viable rate of interest, obtaining better credit rating from rating agency, qualify for bidding for new contracts and to take up various sanctioned projects on Konkan Railway route etc
  3. KRCL will not be categorized as a Sick Company as per DPE guidelines.
 Background:
 As per notification from Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) from the financial year 2016-17 onward, companies having net worth of Rs.500 crore or above as on 31st March, 2014, will have to adopt IND-AS (Indian Accounting Standards i.e. new Accounting Standards introduced on the basis of IFRS) in the preparation and compilation of Accounts. As per IND AS, the Non-Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares are treated as "Compounded Financial Instruments" and disclosed in two components - other equity and financial liability. The liability component is equal to the present value of the redemption amount on the date of the issue, considering the discount rate at the date of the issue of the preference shares. The other equity represents the component equal to the total redeemable amount of the preference shares less liability component.

Thus, a part, of Non-Cumulative Redeemable Preference Share issued to President of India (through MoR) by KRCL will have to be shown as 'Outside Liability' 1 instead of 'Equity Capita' in the Balance Sheet of KRCL and the Net Worth of KRCL will turn negative.

 A negative net worth of KRCL will result in:
 (i)      poor credit rating of KRCL.
(ii)      difficulty in raising funds from market by KRCL,
(iii)     difficulty in bidding for new contracts by KRCL and
(iv)     KRCL will be categorised as 'sick company' as per DPE guidelines.
 In view of the above, KRCL had requested to convert the existing preference shares held in the name of President of India (through MoR)  into Compulsorily Convertible non-cumulative Preference Shares (CCPS) w.e.f. 31st March 2015, as CCPS can be considered as share capital under IND AS.

PIB

Identification Of Routes For Electrification Of Railway Tracks

Identification Of Routes For Electrification Of Railway Tracks

Indian Railways have prepared an Action Plan to electrify 38000 Route Kilometers in five years (2017-18 to 2021-22) for 100% electrification of its Broad Gauge (BG) rail routes.  

Year wise details are as under:

Year Route Kilometer targeted for commissioning on electric traction.
2017-184000
2018-196000
2019-207000
2020-2110500
2021-2210500
Total38000


Railway Electrification projects are not confined to State boundaries.  State-wise route kilometers of railway lines identified for electrification and planned for inclusion  in Budget 2018-19 are as under:-

SNo. STATE TOTAL ROUTE KILOMETERS IDENTIFIED FOR ELECTRIFICATION
1Andhra Pradesh385
2Assam1448
3Arunachal Pradesh12
4Bihar566
5Chattisgarh76
6Gujarat1088
7Haryana116
8Himachal Pradesh40
9Jharkhand293
10Karnataka1051
11Kerala150
12Madhya Pradesh416
13Maharashtra615
14Mizoram02
15Odisha583
16Punjab964
17Rajasthan1991
18Telangana301
19Tamil Nadu1016
20Tripura267
21Uttar Pradesh1308
22Uttarakhand185
23West Bengal 802

Total13675


To achieve 100% electrification of Broad Gauge (BG) rail routes, pace of electrification has been increased from present average of 1700 route kilometer per Annum to 4000 Route Kilometer/Annum which will further be increased to 6000 Route Kilometers in 2018-19.

Further, to expedite electrification of railway lines in the country, various steps have been taken, which inter-alia include award of Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, better project monitoring mechanism, enhancing power of field units for award of contracts including sanction of estimates and increasing the number of executing agencies from existing three to six by entrusting electrification works to new agencies viz.  Indian Railway Construction Company, Rail India Technical and Economic Services ad Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 15.12.2017 (Friday).

Indian Railways holds special conclave on "Sampark, Samanvay, Samvad" to discuss and deliberate "Vision for New Railway - New India 2022"

Indian Railways holds special conclave on "Sampark, Samanvay, Samvad" to discuss and deliberate "Vision for New Railway - New India 2022"

Conclave aimed at designed to break silos (sampark), improve co-ordination (samanvay) and find solutions (samvad) to the critical issues facing Indian Railways

Shri Piyush Goyal motivated Railway employees to think out of the box to enable game changing reforms and bring about transformational results

Railway Minister Emphasised on no scarcity of resources for good ideas and need to scale up good projects avoiding time lag and delay

Topics covered included reforms to ensure highest standards of safety, punctuality and passenger comfort; improving the capacity and speed of trains; dynamic pricing including discounts in off peak seasons etc.

Guest Speaker, Shri Sonam Wangchuk felt that in the face of climate change, Indian Railways is a luxurious way to save the planet

The Ministry of Railways conducted a brainstorming conclave titled "Sampark, Samanvay, Samvad" to discuss and deliberate "Vision for New Railway - New India 2022". The conclave was attended by the Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain, and more than 250 senior members of Indian Railways from across the country.
The high level conclave focused on transforming Indian Railways to meet Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘New India’ by 2022. This was in continuation to previous conclave, Rail Vikas Shivir in November 2016 during the tenure of the Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Suresh Prabhu.

Today’s conclave was designed to break silos (sampark), improve co-ordination (samanvay) and find solutions (samvad) to the critical issues facing Indian Railways. Free and frank discussions were held, and all officers were encouraged to give their inputs and bring forth ground realities and potential impediments to implementation of new policies and reforms.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal motivated Railway employees to think out of the box to enable game changing reforms and bring about transformational results. He emphasised on the need to gear up Railways for New India by 2022 and his vision of New Railways 2022, which would ensure speed, safety and service for consumers.

He laid out 10 principles, which have helped in delivering results earlier in making India a coal surplus nation as well as in the rapid electrification of around 18,500 villages including in the remotest corners of the country. These principles include (1) Partnership with all stakeholders, (2) Decisive leadership, (3) Outcome oriented action, (4) Root cause analysis), (5) Rule of law and transparency, (6) Prioritisation of issues, (7) Time bound execution and fast dispute resolution, (8) Innovative financing, (9) Technology focus, and (10) Accountability and close monitoring.

He stressed how time bound execution would lead to meeting of cost targets and improve performance. Contributing to the discussions Shri Goyal emphasised that there was no scarcity of resources for good ideas. He mentioned the need to scale up good projects avoiding the time lag and delay caused by extensive pilot programmes without any further implementation.

Guest speaker, Shri Sonam Wangchuk, renowned educationist, scientist and innovator, who was also the inspiration for the popular "Three Idiots" film, spoke to the audience about his personal story of facing challenges and innovating in the face of adversity. His advice to have simple solutions to complex problemsstruck a chord, and was widely appreciated. He felt that in the face of climate change, Indian Railways is a luxurious way to save the planet.

The focus of the presentations was to transform railways to serve the passengers and customers. Some of the topics covered included structural, process and cultural reforms to ensure highest standards of safety, punctuality and passenger comfort; improving the capacity and speed of trains; dynamic pricing including discounts in off peak seasons; increasing freight modal share; and improving procurement to bring transparency, accountability and speed in order to reduce time and cost. Discussions were also held on how to boost the morale of the about 14 lakh railway employees in order to improve productivity as well improve their focus on consumers.

A digital chat room, which was open to all, allowed everyone to give suggestions, ideas and feedback on the various presentations.

The various subjects discussed in the conference included- Transforming IR through Safety & Punctuality - Structural process & cultural reforms, Transforming IR through Passenger Comfort & Aesthetics- Structural processes & cultural reforms, Strategis for imcresing carrying capacity & speed of trains, Introducing dynamic pricing- Premium  & Discount, Increasing freight modal share, Streamlining procurement to  reduce time & cost and Boosting morale & happiness of employees.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

State Railway Provident Fund - Rate of interest during the year 2017-18

State Railway Provident Fund - Rate of interest during the year 2017-18

RBE No. 42 /2017
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (BHARAT SARKAR)
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (RAIL MANTRALAYA)
(RAILWAY BOARD)
No. F(E)III/2003/PF/1/1
New Delhi,
Dated : 25.04.2017
The GMs/FA&CAOs,
All Zonal Railways/Production Units,
(As per mailing list)

Subject: State Railway Provident Fund - Rate of interest during the year 2017-18 (April, 2017 - June, 2017).

A copy of Government’s Resolution No. 5(1)-B(PD)/2017 dated 18th April, 2017 issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) prescribing interest at the rate of 7.9% (Seven point nine per cent) w.e.f 1st April,2017 to 30th June, 2017 on accumulations at the credit of the subscribers to State Railway Provident Fund, is enclosed, for information and necessary action.

Please acknowledge receipt.
S/d,
(Sanjay Prashar)
Deputy Director, Finance (Est(.) III
Railway Board.

Railway Board Orders: Duty List of Train Conductors in 1AC, 2AC, 3 AC and 1st Class

Railway Board Orders: Duty List of Train Conductors in 1AC, 2AC, 3 AC and 1st Class

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
No.2015/TG-V/12/3
New Delhi, dated: 8-06-2017
The Chief Commercial Managers,
All Zonal Railways

(Commercial Circular No.39/2017)

Sub:- Revision of Duty List of Train Conductors in 1AC, 2AC, 3 AC and 1st Class.
Ref:-Board’s letter No. 2015/TG-V/12/3 dated 04.10.2016 (CC.No. 58/2016)

The list, highlighting some of the important duties /responsibilities of various categories of the ticket checking staff such as Train Superintendent, Train Conductor and TTEs were issued vide Board’s Commercial Circular No. 58/2016.

Further, in order to achieve greater control over the activities related to provision of on-board catering services and to provide real time assistance to the travelling public for enhanced customer experience, the duty list of the Train Conductors needs to be redefined on the similar lines to the duties assigned to a Train Superintendent.

In view of the above, a modified consolidated duty list of Train Conductors, adding the new sets of duties in duties already stipulated vide Board’s CC No.58/2016 with slight modification is enclosed.

The revised duty lists shall be as follows and should be brought to the notice of all concerned.

DUTY LIST OF TRAIN CONDUCTORS IN 1AC, 2AC, 3AC AND FIRST CLASS.

1. He shall report for duty at least one hour before the scheduled departure of the train at the train originating station and at least half an hour before the schedule arrival of the train at the intermediate station. He shall invariably declare his personal/private cash in his custody in the private cash register maintained in the TTE Lobby, before commencement of his official duties.

2. He shall wear a neat and clean uniform (as prescribed by the competent authority) along with number, badge, name plate, etc.

3. He shall ‘‘Sign On” and “Sign Off’ on the register maintained at the station for this purpose.

4. He shall obtain complete position of the reservations, check the same on train, maintain records (Charts, etc.) and hand over to the reliever complete and correct details showing the vacant berths/seats of all coaches under his charge.

5. He shall check the tickets of the passengers in the coach and guide the passengers in occupying their accommodation. He shall prevent illegal/unauthorized entry in the coach includ ing the platform ticket holders.

6. He shall ensure that the number of passengers does not exceed the number of passengers indicated in the reservation chart and also that only bonafide passengers are occupying seats/berths in the coaches allotted to him.

7. He shall collect railway dues such as reservation, supplementary and other charges and issue EFTs for all such railway dues collected by him from passengers promptly without fail.

8. He will ensure that passengers in the coach do not carry heavy luggage in their compartments causing inconvenience to fellow passengers and assists such passengers to transfer the luggage to Luggage Van/Cabin.

9. He shall take care of the passenger amenities and cleanliness of the coaches, checking and ensuring that they are in proper working order, especially the condition of washroom/toilets and drinking water facilities (if available in the train). He shall help in disseminating information to passengers about the availability of On Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS) staff (if available on his train) on board, along with their mobile phone numbers, so that passengers can make use of the services of OBHS staff (along with their specific location in each coach) should be suitably publicized among the train passengers by the Train Conductor and ail the ticket checking staff on board in the train.

10. He shall take care that the doors of the coaches are kept latched during run of the train and open them as and when required by the passengers at the station platforms only.

11. He shall ensure that the end doors of the vestibule coach are kept locked during 22.00 hrs to 06.00 hrs to prevent unauthorized entry of passengers from adjoining coaches.

12. Fie shall remain vigilant particularly during the night time and prevent entry of unauthorized persons / beggars/intruders in the coach. Fie shall remain available on his allotted berth/seat as and when he is not checking tickets or assisting passengers.

13. He shall always be polite, tactful and courteous in his dealings with the passengers leaving no room for any complaints. He shall render special assistance to senior citizens, female passengers and persons with disabilities as also differently abled passengers. In case any passenger falls sick enroute, he shall arrange suitable medical assistance by informing the nearest station or the control office.

14. He shall allot berths/seats which are vacant to passengers at intermediate stations on realization of due fare/surcharge as per rules on first come-first served basis or according to the priority on the waiting list if such a list is kept at the station.

15. He shall take assistance of GRP/RPF if necessary for removal of unauthorized occupants and deal with them under provisions of Section 155(1) of Railway Act, 1989. He shall remain in constant touch with the on board GRP/RPF staff on duty via wallde talkie set (if made available to him) or on mobile phone, or by such other means as possible.

16. He shall be present in the allotted coach during duty hours and if more than one coach are to be manned, give frequent visits to all the coaches to be manned or be seated on the berth earmarked for on-board Ticket Checking Staff in the coaches allotted to him. Whenever the train stops at a scheduled halt station as also at the originating station, he shall stand outside the coach on the platform prominently to guide entraining passengers to their respective coaches.

17. He shall issue Guard Certificate/Receipt to AC passengers in case of failure of AC equipment or when passenger is compelled to travel in lower class with a higher class ticket for want of room /accommodation.

18. He shall carry blank FIR forms for making them available to the passengers in case of any incident of theft of luggage etc. Such forms duly filled in shall be handed over to the next GRP Post at the scheduled stoppage for further action in the matter.

19. The conductors shall make out a report of the deficiencies, if any, of the whole train regarding passenger amenities (especially regarding cleanliness and non availability of water in coaches and electrical deficiencies) and submit the same at the end of his duty to the Lobby Office set up at the station for terminating trains. If the Conductor is detraining at an intermediate station, he will give the deficiencies report to the incoming Conductor who will deposit the same at destination. The Lobby Office shall take necessary action for getting the deficiencies rectified and also report the matter to SM (Comml.) and Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) or Sr. Divisional Commercial Manager (Sr. DCM) of the concerned Division.
20. He will be responsible for taking action against the persons smoking in public place under Tobacco Product Act 2003, as persons authorized in terms of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Gazette Notification No. GSR/680(E) dated 15.09.2009.

21. He will ensure that whenever inflammable and dangerous/prohibited goods are detected,intimation about the same is given to the station staff for necessary action.

22. He will take care that all necessary assistance is provided in using firefighting equipment available in the coach in cases need arises. He will ensure that all possible assistance is provided to passengers for providing first-aid to him/her. If the train is involved in an accident, then the TC along with the team of TTEs, coach attendants, OBHS staff and other railway staff on board, shall provide all assistance to passengers with first aid and also assist thenu in recovering their personal belongings, and initiate all steps for disaster management at the accident site so as to provide suitable relief and assistance to the affected passengers (as provide in the Accident Manual and the Division’s Disaster Management Plan).

23 . He shall be on the lookout for any possible suspected trafficking of children in the trains or at Stations by the middlemen who intend to use/sell them for various illegal tasks. Suspected cases may immediately be reported to GRP/RPF post and assistance booths available on the platforms at the next halt station of the run of the train.

24. He shall be overall in-charge of the TTEs, Coach Attendants, amenities staff like electric, C&W, catering manager and catering staff on duty by the same train and will supervise their work.

25. He shall also maintain a complaint book in his custody and make the same available to passengers on demand for recording complaints, if any. He should ensure that prompt action is taken to remove the cause of the complaint and render satisfactory service to the passengers.

26. He shall exercise checks on the catering service on the train in respect of quality and quantity of food, cleanliness of uniform and utensils, behaviour of the Manager and bearers, production of vouchers by the bearers, timely service of meals, proper vending of tea, coffee, snacks and cold drinks.

27. Pantry car manager is to maintain complaint books separately. He will ensure that the complaint books are readily available with him. He will check the nature of complaints and their proper dispatch for further action.

28. He shall check that all prices of the menu items should be displayed prominently in the pantry cars and elsewhere on the train, as possible and sold at the prices (MRP) fixed by the competent authority as per the approved menu card.

29. He shall check that all waiters/catering staff must invariably carry with them the menu card with prices (including taxes, if any) which should be readily produced on demand by any passengers.

30. Such other activities as may be prescribed from time to time.
Sd/-
(Vikiram Singh)
Director Passenger Marketing
Railway Board
Source : http://www.indianrailways.gov.in

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

New Catering Policy in Railways

 New Catering Policy in Railways
New Catering Policy has already been notified on 27th February, 2017 with the objective to provide quality food to rail passengers by unbundling of catering services on trains. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has been mandated to carry out the unbundling by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution. In order to upgrade quality of food preparation, IRCTC shall be setting up new kitchens and upgrading existing ones. New Catering Policy, inter-alia, includes the following features for unbundling of catering services

(i) IRCTC shall manage catering services on all mobile units.
(ii) Meals for all mobile units will be picked up from the nominated kitchens owned, operated and managed by IRCTC.
(iii) IRCTC will engage service providers from hospitality industry for service of food in trains.
(iv) IRCTC shall not outrightly outsource or issue licenses for provision of catering services to private licensees. IRCTC shall retain the ownership and shall be fully accountable for all the issues pertaining to setting up and operation of the Base Kitchens and quality of food.

33% sub quota for women in allotment of each category of minor catering units at all category of stations has been provided in the new Catering Policy 2017.

In compliance of provision in Budget 2016-17 that IRCTC would begin to manage catering services in a phased manner, new Catering Policy 2017 has come into effect on 27.02.2017 in supersession of Catering Policy 2010. The implementation and roll out plan will have essentially two sub components:- (i) Take over scheme for static /mobile units both departmental and licensee operated units. (ii) Unbundling implementation including identification of sectors and subsequent sequencing for takeover. Accordingly, in the first phase, IRCTC would take over 52 mobile units and 38 static units over the New Delhi -Mumbai (NDLS-BCT) route within the calendar year 2017 wherein contracts awarded by Zonal Railways through Standard Bid Document will be reassigned to IRCTC for starting the unbundling process.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 12.04.2017 (Wednesday).

Supply of Rail Neer

Supply of Rail Neer

At present, Rail Neer is mandatorily supplied to passengers of all Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto/Suvidha trains. There is also mandatory supply of Rail Neer in 139 pairs of trains and 200 stations as identified by the Ministry of Railways. For remaining trains/stations, other brands of Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) bottles are being supplied to the passengers, as approved by the Zonal Railways. Presently, approximately 6 lakh litres of packaged drinking water is being supplied to passengers all over the Indian Railways, through production in seven Rail Neer plants located at Nangloi, Delhi (2003), Danapur, Bihar (2004), Palur, Tamil Nadu (2011), Ambernath, Maharashtra (2014), Amethi, Uttar Pradesh (2015), Parassala, Kerala (2016) and Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh (2017). However, since the estimated demand for PDW is approximately 25 lakh litres per day, six more Rail Neer plants are planned to become operational in the next two years which will augment the total capacity to approximately ten lakh litres per day. In addition, 1106 Water Vending Machines set up by Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have been installed at 345 stations for dispensing drinking water to passengers at prescribed rates in refills and with containers as under:-



Another 1100 Water Vending Machines are planned to be installed on other railway stations shortly. Further, all railway stations already have provision of potable drinking water on all platforms to satisfy the needs of rail passengers, free of cost. On most of the important stations, water coolers and chiller plants are also in operation for providing cold drinking water to passengers during the summer season.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 12.04.2017 (Wednesday).

Railway News: Rail Development Authority

Rail Development Authority

Ministry of Railways had brought out a concept paper for public consultation on setting up of Rail Development Authority of India. Based on inputs received from stakeholders, a proposal for setting up of RDA has been approved by Government.

Some of the aims and objectives of Rail Development Authority are: pricing of services commensurate with costs; enhancement of Non Fare Revenue; protection of consumer interests by ensuring quality of service and cost optimization; competition, efficiency and economy; market development; creation of positive environment of investment; benchmarking of service standards against international norms; providing framework for non-discriminatory open access to Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC); absorption of new technologies for achieving efficiency and performance standards; and human resource development to achieve any of its stated objectives. Rail Development Authority’s envisaged functions pertain to the above aims and objectives.

It is envisaged that RDA comprising a Chairman and three Members shall make recommendations to Government for appropriate consideration/decision.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 12.04.2017 (Wednesday).

Monday, April 10, 2017

Merger of Dearness Allowance equal to 50% of basic pay w.e.f 01-04-2004 - Reckoning as pay for running Staff.

Merger of Dearness Allowance equal to 50% of basic pay w.e.f 01-04-2004 - Reckoning as pay for running Staff: Railway Board Clarification
 
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

No.EP&A-II/2006/RS-28

New Delhi, dated 20.11.2016.
The General Secretary
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3, Chelmsford Road,
New Delhi - 110 055.

Sub: Merger of Dearness Allowance equal to 50% of basic pay w.e.f 01-04-2004 - Reckoning as pay for running Staff.

Ref: (i) DC/JCM Item No.15/2009.
(ii) GS/NFIR’s letter No.IV/RSAC/Conf/Vol.VI dated 28-03-2016.

Please refer to your letter dated 28.03.2016 under reference no. (ii) on the subject noted above. In this connection, it is mentioned that Board’s letter dated 21.10.2014 addressed to both the Federations highlighted that the basis for the exclusions was the Ministry of Finance’s OM dated 01.03.2004 on the merger of 50% DA with basic Pay that was adopted by the Ministry of Railways. Vide letter dt. 28.03.2016, however, NFIR has not agreed with the reply and has reiterated that the exclusions violate the IREM provision of Running Allowance and that the OM dt. 01.03.2004 of MoF is not relevant in this connection.

For a better understanding of the logic on which the three exclusions have been made. the table given below may kindly by seen:-

Clause No.

Benefit of 30% pay element (mentioned in the clause) applicable to Running Staff
Relevant wording in MoF O.M. dated 01.03.2004 pertaining to the benefit
Remarks
A
Entitlement for Pass/PTO
LTC specifically excluded from revision of entitlement on merger of 50% DA with Basic pay
As Railways, do not have LTC Pass. PTO revision excluded accordingly vide RBE No.77/2008
B
Fixation in pay in stationary posts
Fixation of pay not included as an admissible benefit for revision of entitlement on merger of 50% DA with Basic Pay
Counting of the benefit (of merger of DA with Basic) for Fixation of pay is an issue pertaining to all Government employees and not merely Running Staff of Railways. When this benefit has not been extended to any Government employee, it cannot be extended to Running Staff isolation. RBE NO.77/2008 has been issued accordingly. As erstwhile Basic Pay element (without merger of 50% DA) however continued to be admissible for Fixation of pay of Running Staff in stationary posts, there is no violation of relevant IREM provision.
C
Entitlement of Quarters
Government accommodation specifically excluded from revision of entitlement on merger of 50% DA with Basic Pay.
As Railway Quarters are Government accommodation. Revision of entitlement has been excluded accordingly vide RBE No.77/2008.

As brought out in the table above, there has been no violation of the Rules, It is therefore requested that the item may be closed.

Sd/-
For Secretary/Railway Board

Source: NFIR Click to download

Revision in the rate of Ration Money Allowance in respect of Non-gazetted RPF/RPSF personnel

Revision in the rate of Ration Money Allowance in respect of Non-gazetted RPF/RPSF personnel

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

RBE No.17/2017
No.E(P&A)I-2005/ALL/RPF/2
New Delhi, dated 28.02.2017.

The General Managers
All Indian Railways and Production Units.

Sub: Revision in the rate of Ration Money Allowance in respect of Non-gazetted RPF/RPSF personnel.

In terms of Board’s letter of even number dated 19.06.2015, non-gazetted RPF/RPSF personnel were entitled for Ration Money Allowance at par with Central Para Military Force (CPMF)/Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) Personnel i.e. @ Rs.95.52/- per day/per head w.e.f. 01.04.2014.


2. It has now been decided to revise the rate of Ration Monely Allowance from existing rate of Rs.95.52 per head per day to Rs.97.85 per head per day from 01.04.2015 to 31.12.2015.

3. Accordingly, sanction of the Ministry of Railways is hereby accorded post-facto to revise the rate of Ration Money Allowance from Rs.95.52 per head per day to Rs.97.85 per head per day from 01.04.2015 to 31.12.2015.

4. The other terms and conditions as stipulated in para 4 of Board's letter of even number dated 10.06.2009 remain unchanged.

5. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

6. Please acknowledge receipt.

(Anil Kumar)
Dy.Director Estt. (P&A)-I
Railway Board
Source: NFIR Download Railway Board Order

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Revised classification and mode of filling up of non-gazetted posts - Scheme for filling up of vacancies after 31.12.2016

Revised classification and mode of filling up of non-gazetted posts - Scheme for filling up of vacancies after 31.12.2016.

Benchmark for Revised Classification and Promotion: Railway Board Clarification in view of 7th CPC Report on Revised classification and mode of filling up of non-gazetted posts - Scheme for filling up of vacancies after 31.12.2016
RBE No.20/2017


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

No.E(NG)I-2008/PM1/15
New Delhi,dated 03.03.2017

The General Managers (P)
All Indian Railways & PUs.
(As per standard list)

Sub: Revised classification and mode of filling up of non-gazetted posts - Scheme for filling up of vacancies after 31.12.2016.

Ref: Board's letters of even no dated 03.09.2009, 07.06.2010, 21.11.2011, 23.05.2012, 15.1.2013, 24.05.2013, 03.01.2014, 16.06.2014, 31.12.2014 & 09.02.2016 on the above subject.

Attention is drawn to Board’s order issued on 03.09.2009, consequent upon implementation of 6th CPC recommendations, regarding mode of filling up of Non-gazetted posts consequent upon merger of grades. The above scheme of such mode of filling up of non-gazetted posts has since been extended from time to time, last validity being till 31.12.2016.

2. 7th CPC, in its report in para 5.1.45 has recommended that benchmark for performance appraisal for MACP as well as for regular promotion be enchanced from ‘Good' to 'Very Good'. While recommendation for MACP has been accepted by Government and instructions in this regard have been issued vide Board's letter No.PC-V/2016/MACPS/1 dated 19.12.2016 (RBE No.155/2016), the issue regarding benchmark for regular promotion is still examination in consultation with DoP&T.

3. Accordingly, it has been decided by the Board that till such time instructions for benchmark for regular promotion are issued, the existing methodology and benchmarks for Promotion, as enumerated in the Board’s letters referred to above, may continue till further orders.

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter.
(P.M.Meena)
Deputy Director-II/E(NG)

Signed Copy

Grant of Advances - Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations - Amendment to rules on computer Advance to Railway Servants

Grant of Advances - Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations - Amendment to rules on computer Advance to Railway Servants

Government of India (Bharat Sarkar)
Ministry of Railways (Rail Mantralaya)
(Railway Board)

No.I/11-Part I
PC-VII No.: 15/2017
RBE No. 10/2017

No.F(E)Spl./2016/ADV.4/1(7th CPC)
New Delhi, Dated: 07-02-2017

The General Managers and FA&CAOs
All Indian Railways & Production Units
(As per standard List)

Subject: Grant of Advances - Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations - Amendment to rules on computer Advance to Railway Servants.

Consequent upon the decision taken by the Government on the recommendations of Seventh Central Pay Commission, the Ministry of Finance vide their OM No.12(1)E.II(A)/2016 dated 07.10.2016 have amended the eligibility criteria in the existing provisions relating to the grant of personal Computer Advance.

2. Amendment conditions of grant of Computer Advance are as follows:

Advance Quantum Eligibility Criteria
Personal Computer Advance Rs. 50,000/- or actual price of PC, whichever is lower. All Government Servants
The Computer Advance will be allowed maximum five times in the entire service
The other terms and conditions governing the grant of personal computer advance shall remain unchanged.

3. Further, Ministry of Finance in their ibid OM have also decided that the other interest bearing advances relating to Motor Car Advance and Motorcycle/Scooter/Moped Advance will stand discontinued.

4. The above mentioned OM of Ministry of Finance relating to grant of Interest bearing advances will apply mutatis - mutandis to Railway employees also.

4.1 So far as the interest free advances are concerned, Bicycle and warm clothing advances stands abolished for Railway employees also in terms of MoF's decision.

4.2 Orders relating to other interest free advances will be issued separately separately by concerned Directorates.

5. Necessary/Advance Correction slip to the chapter XI of the Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Vol.I Revised Edition, 1989 will follow.

6. The revised orders are effective from 07.10.2016 i.e the date of the issue of the aforesaid OM of the Ministry of Finance. Past Cases where the advances have already been sanctioned under the provisions of earlier rules on the subject need not be reopened.

7. Please acknowledge receipt.

8. Hindi version will follow.

(A.C.Jain)
Dy.Director Finance (Estt.)
Railway Board.

Download the Order