Booking Indian Railways Tickets Online is generally not recommended because most of the times the Indian railways website goes down and the customers lose their money because the payment gateway approves the funds and while transferring the data from their end to the railways website, the connection gets cut. This has happened to me twice while i used once my ICICI Gold Credit card and second time i used ICICI Direct Bank Payment, both the times the transactions failed because the connection could not be established and later we get a message saying we need to make the payment again. On the other hand the railway department offers a PNR inquiry toll free number which you can use in order to contact and get details about your latest transaction, and when you do the same you are told that they have not received any funds from ICICI nor Credit Card Company. When you contact the payment processing company they claim that the payment is made from their end and they you cannot do anything about this and we need to contact the railway officials. There were recent claims from the Indian railways that the online tickets booking has increased from 3% to 10% but wonder how many passengers are losing their hard earned money because of their useless back end software. Even if you check out the official railways website its full of Google ad sense ads which may be the IT department is using to fill in their pockets. Last time i checked out their website the ads turned out to be for premium publishers and this would be obvious with the huge traffic and now high income for the railways department.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Kharagpur Railway Station
The first Railway establishment at Kharagpur started with the commissioning of the rail link between Cuttack – Balasore – Kharagpur and from
Sini to Kolaghat via Kharagpur. Kharagpur as a junction station was established in Railway map in December 1898. The public mood and the
reaction of society on introduction of rail transport in this region has been nicely depicted by the famous Bengali Novelist Dr Ramapada
Choudhury who was born and brought up in Kharagpur, in his Bengali novel Prothom Prohor. It is said that the people were initially afraid to
travel by train for the fear of accident over the bridge (fear of collapsing of bridge), fear of getting outcaste status since there were no
separate seating arrangement for different castes and religions. However, things changed due to famines in the early 20th century. The Railway
Company came forward and offered jobs to the local unemployed men, gave them free ride by train and even offered a blanket for traveling by
train. This promotional scheme broke the taboos and made rail transport acceptable to the society.
Midnapur, the District Headquarters was connected (up to the bank of Kosai river) in February 1900. Construction of the bridge over Kosai
completed in June 1901. The rail line from Howrah to Kolaghat up to the Eastern bank and from Kharagpur up to Western bank of Rupnarayan River
was completed in 1899. However through trains between Howrah and Kharagpur could only be possible in April 1900 after the bridge over
Rupnarayan river was completed.
Howrah – Amta light Railway (2 ft gauge - 610 mm ) line was completed in 1898 and was operated by M/s Martin & Co. of Calcutta. This link
remained operative till 1971. After closure of the light Railways, demand for a broad gauge line between Howrah and Amta gained momentum. The
project got completed in four phases. In the first phase, the line between Santragachi and Domjur was completed in 1984. In the 2nd phase under
Project Unigauge it got extended up to Bargachia in 1985. Extension up to Mushirhat (Mahendralal Nagar station) was completed in 2000 and the
final lap up to Amta got completed in December 2004
Sini to Kolaghat via Kharagpur. Kharagpur as a junction station was established in Railway map in December 1898. The public mood and the
reaction of society on introduction of rail transport in this region has been nicely depicted by the famous Bengali Novelist Dr Ramapada
Choudhury who was born and brought up in Kharagpur, in his Bengali novel Prothom Prohor. It is said that the people were initially afraid to
travel by train for the fear of accident over the bridge (fear of collapsing of bridge), fear of getting outcaste status since there were no
separate seating arrangement for different castes and religions. However, things changed due to famines in the early 20th century. The Railway
Company came forward and offered jobs to the local unemployed men, gave them free ride by train and even offered a blanket for traveling by
train. This promotional scheme broke the taboos and made rail transport acceptable to the society.
Midnapur, the District Headquarters was connected (up to the bank of Kosai river) in February 1900. Construction of the bridge over Kosai
completed in June 1901. The rail line from Howrah to Kolaghat up to the Eastern bank and from Kharagpur up to Western bank of Rupnarayan River
was completed in 1899. However through trains between Howrah and Kharagpur could only be possible in April 1900 after the bridge over
Rupnarayan river was completed.
Howrah – Amta light Railway (2 ft gauge - 610 mm ) line was completed in 1898 and was operated by M/s Martin & Co. of Calcutta. This link
remained operative till 1971. After closure of the light Railways, demand for a broad gauge line between Howrah and Amta gained momentum. The
project got completed in four phases. In the first phase, the line between Santragachi and Domjur was completed in 1984. In the 2nd phase under
Project Unigauge it got extended up to Bargachia in 1985. Extension up to Mushirhat (Mahendralal Nagar station) was completed in 2000 and the
final lap up to Amta got completed in December 2004
Friday, 8 June 2012
Vivek Express
The alternation travelling the longest ambit in India, the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, accustomed at its destination at 2.20 a.m. — eight hours advanced of agenda — on Wednesday. The new alternation that connects Assam with the southernmost tip of Tamil Nadu brings with it acceptable advice for the tourism industry.
The alternation was flagged off at Dibrugarh by Union Minister of Development of Arctic Eastern Region Paban Singh Ghatowar on November 19. On its way, it covered 4,286 km in 82.30 hours. It will leave Kanyakumari for Dibrugarh at 2.00 p.m. on Saturday.
Tourists apprenticed for the southern districts of Tamil Nadu were a part of the cartage on its beginning journey. The amount of cartage was, however, beneath as not abounding humans were acquainted of the service.
Following its arrival, the alternation larboard for the Nagercoil railway base for maintenance.
Vivek Express replaces Himsagar Express (Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari) as India's longest alternation service.
“Patronage for the account to and from Kanyakumari, an all-embracing day-tripper destination, will advance gradually,” Kanyakumari Base Manager A. Chidambaram said.
The operation of Vivek Express will be benign for armed armament cadre who charge not change trains frequently to ability Assam and added places in the east and the arctic east. The agenda is acceptable for tourists and pilgrims as they can appointment assorted destinations in south Tamil Nadu in the four canicule amid accession and abandonment of the train.
The alternation was flagged off at Dibrugarh by Union Minister of Development of Arctic Eastern Region Paban Singh Ghatowar on November 19. On its way, it covered 4,286 km in 82.30 hours. It will leave Kanyakumari for Dibrugarh at 2.00 p.m. on Saturday.
Tourists apprenticed for the southern districts of Tamil Nadu were a part of the cartage on its beginning journey. The amount of cartage was, however, beneath as not abounding humans were acquainted of the service.
Following its arrival, the alternation larboard for the Nagercoil railway base for maintenance.
Vivek Express replaces Himsagar Express (Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari) as India's longest alternation service.
“Patronage for the account to and from Kanyakumari, an all-embracing day-tripper destination, will advance gradually,” Kanyakumari Base Manager A. Chidambaram said.
The operation of Vivek Express will be benign for armed armament cadre who charge not change trains frequently to ability Assam and added places in the east and the arctic east. The agenda is acceptable for tourists and pilgrims as they can appointment assorted destinations in south Tamil Nadu in the four canicule amid accession and abandonment of the train.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Himsagar Express
Himsagar Express is the second longest (On 19th November 2011, Vivek Express took the first place) running train on the Indian Railways in terms of distance
and time. It runs from Kanyakumari in India's southernmost state, Tamil Nadu to Jammu Tawi, in Jammu & Kashmir - the northernmost state of India. In 71
hours, the train covers a distance of 3715 km at a speed of 58 km/h, and transverses nine of India's states halting at a total of 69 stations currently, to
go up to 77.
It runs weekly, starting every Friday at 14:05 hours from Kanyakumari, reaching Jammu on Mondays at 15:10 hours. It returns from Jammu on Mondays at
23:45 hours and reaches Kanyakumari on Thursdays at 22:45 hours. Because of this schedule, it needs just one rake to complete its entire run. There is a SLIP
ROUTE of this train, running from Erode Junction to Tirunelveli Junction & Chhindwara Junction to Bhopal Junction
Jammu to Kanyakumari: There are several long halts for this train like New Delhi 70 min, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal Junction and Erode, Nagpur, Itarsi
Junction, Jhansi, Gwalior Junction and Vijayawada 10-15 min each.
Kanyakumari to Jammu: The fastest speed is achieved near Kila Raipur (108 km/h) and the slowest speeds on the Hazrat Nizamuddin to New Delhi (24 km/h) and
Bhopal Habibganj to Bhopal Junction (19 km/h) . It takes around three hours for the train to clear the Delhi area.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Doon Train Accident
Due to derailment of train number 13009 Howrah-Dehradun Doon Express between Mihrawan-Khetasarai stations of Lucknow Division of Northern Railway, the following trains have been either been cancelled, diverted or short-terminated.
The trains cancelled include train number 14213 Varanasi-Gonda Intercity Express leaving Varanasi at 2.15 pm on Thursday. Consequently, 14214 will remain cancelled on Friday between Gonda and Varanasi. Train 54109 Mughalsarai-Faizabad Passenger has been cancelled between Mughalsarai and Faizabad. As a result, 54110 will remain cancelled on Friday between Faizabad-Mughalsarai. The 54372 Faizabad-Prayag Passenger has also been cancelled.
The trains passing through Lucknow, which were diverted on Thursday were train numbers 13010 Dehradun-Howrah Doon Express, which was diverted to run via Shahganj, Mau, Varanasi and Mughalsarai, 13308 Ferozepur-Dhanbad Ganga Sutlej Express, 14236 Bareilly-Varanasi Express, 14854 Jodhpur-Varanasi Marudhar Express and 13152 Jammu Tawi-Kolkata Sealdah Express has been diverted to run via Sultanpur, Zafrabad and Varanasi.
The 13238 Mathura-Patna Express and 13484 Delhi-Malda Town Farakka Express passing through Lucknow on Friday will be diverted to run via Sultanpur, Zafrabad, Varanasi and Mughalsarai. The 13010 Dehradun-Howrah Doon Express passing through Lucknow on Friday will be diverted to run via Faizabad, Sultanpur, Zafrabad, Varanasi and Mughalsarai. The 11055 Lokmanya Tilak Terminal-Gorakhpur Godan Express passing through Sahaganj on Thursday has been diverted to run via Zafrabad and Varanasi.
The trains passing through Varanasi are also affected. The 19168 Varanasi-Ahmedabad Sabarmati Express and 14235 Varanasi-Bareilly Express have been diverted to run via Zafrabad, Sultanpur, and Lucknow. The 13483 Malda Town-Delhi Jn. Farakka Express is diverted to run via Varanasi, Pratapgarh and Lucknow.
The 13151 Kolkatta-Jammu Tawi Sealdah Express to pass through Varanasi on Friday will be diverted to run via Varanasi, Sultanpur and Lucknow. Similarly, the 13307 Dhanbad-Ferozepur Ganga Sutlej Express passing through Varanasi on Friday will be diverted to run via Sultanpur, Faizabad and Lucknow. The 15668 Kamakhya-Gandhidham Express passing through Varanasi on Friday will be diverted to run via Varanasi, Pratapgarh and Lucknow.
The 54334 Faizabad-Varanasi Passenger was short terminated at Faizabad and remained cancelled between Faizabad and Varanasi.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Steps taken by IRCTC to prevent overcharging
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has taken some measures to ensure that passengers like us are not overcharged, and if so, then complaining about such incidents is as easy as possible:
They try to serve standard food products and proprietary articles such as packaged drinking water, biscuits and cold drinks etc., which have a printed MRP on them. Remember, retailers may sell below the MRP but it is an offence to charge a price above the MRP (MRP is the maximum retail price of a product, inclusive of the taxes).
As a result of continuous checking, the IRCTC Corporate Office has taken a policy decision to impose a fine of Rs.20000 on persons found overcharging the passengers (this applies to the caterers/sellers licenced by the IRCTC on trains)
Routine checks are conducted to ensure that the firms shortlisted by the Railway authorities make their products available at the same quantity and MRP as the local market rate.
Surprise visits by officials from the Vigilance Commission of IRCTC to check any compromise in quantity and quality, violation of rules and regulations, etc.
Many coaches now have menu cards and important numbers pasted on their walls so that passengers are aware of the exact quantity and price of a particular item to avoid being overcharged.
One may also check the a-la-carte menu, menu for Rajdhani/Shatabdi and standard menu for mobile units on the IRCTC website http://www.irctc.com/menu.html to find out actual prices.
Complaint Management System (CMS): Passengers may lodge their complaints online on the website www.irctc.com of Indian Railways. When you register a complaint, you will be allotted a unique complaint id number through which you can keep checking the status of your complaint.
Quick filing of complaints: Through the National Toll Free Number, 1800111139, the passengers can register their complaints on the phone at any time. You can also lodge your complaint through SMS on 9711111139.
They try to serve standard food products and proprietary articles such as packaged drinking water, biscuits and cold drinks etc., which have a printed MRP on them. Remember, retailers may sell below the MRP but it is an offence to charge a price above the MRP (MRP is the maximum retail price of a product, inclusive of the taxes).
As a result of continuous checking, the IRCTC Corporate Office has taken a policy decision to impose a fine of Rs.20000 on persons found overcharging the passengers (this applies to the caterers/sellers licenced by the IRCTC on trains)
Routine checks are conducted to ensure that the firms shortlisted by the Railway authorities make their products available at the same quantity and MRP as the local market rate.
Surprise visits by officials from the Vigilance Commission of IRCTC to check any compromise in quantity and quality, violation of rules and regulations, etc.
Many coaches now have menu cards and important numbers pasted on their walls so that passengers are aware of the exact quantity and price of a particular item to avoid being overcharged.
One may also check the a-la-carte menu, menu for Rajdhani/Shatabdi and standard menu for mobile units on the IRCTC website http://www.irctc.com/menu.html to find out actual prices.
Complaint Management System (CMS): Passengers may lodge their complaints online on the website www.irctc.com of Indian Railways. When you register a complaint, you will be allotted a unique complaint id number through which you can keep checking the status of your complaint.
Quick filing of complaints: Through the National Toll Free Number, 1800111139, the passengers can register their complaints on the phone at any time. You can also lodge your complaint through SMS on 9711111139.
Friday, 1 June 2012
ITDC
The Indian Railways and the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) joined hands Thursday to improve tourism services offered by the two entities, drawing maximum advantage from each other's large customer base, expertise and network of facilities.A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to this effect has been signed between the ITDC and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, according to a statement.Among the popular services offered by the IRCTC are the Bharat Darshan tourist trains, Mahaparinirvan Express (Buddhist circuit special train) and educational tours for school children.
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