The Karnataka Express

The Karnataka Express is a daily Superfast train that runs between the Indian Capital New Delhi and Bangalore City, the Capital of Karnataka.

It is one of the most wanted trains, joining New Delhi to South India. It is also one of the most regular and punctual trains in India. The

Karnataka Express has a colourful history. This train was introduced as a bi-weekly for initial years, and then existed as a tri-weekly train

for some later years. The Karnataka Express ran merged with the present Kerala Express up to Jolarpettai and was popular as KK. It ran via

Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijaywada and Jolarpettai. In the remaining two days of the week, it was merged with the Andhra Pradesh Express. In 1987 this

train was bifurcated from the Kerala Express. Karnataka Express then ran via Guntakal, Secunderabad. Later it was diverted via Wadi, Daund,

Manmad, Bhusaval, Itarsi and Bhopal; which is its current route.The number alloted for New Delhi - Bangalore City (down) train is 12628 and

12627 is for the return (up) train. The train has been given the name 'Karnataka' as it connects the Capital of Karnataka to New Delhi. The

nomenclature is same as that of the Andhra Pradesh Express, Tamil Nadu Express, Goa Express and the Kerala Express.

Inspectional News of DRMC

Citing conflict of interest, Reliance Infrastructure has told the government it does not favour the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), its partner in the Airport Metro Expressway in this city, overseeing repair work for the project. Instead, it wanted the railways to take the lead role in this. However, as the railways are reluctant to be involved on a long-term basis, it would only carry out a ‘super check’ on the overall work.

At a meeting between Delhi Airport Metro Express officials and those from the Ministry of Urban Development, various lapses were found on the part of the contractor. According to a decision by the Urban Development Ministry, DMRC would be in charge of overseeing repair work, while the railways would carry out the final check. So far, the railways has not been involved in designing any element of the metro.
          
A DMRC official confirmed the entity would be carrying out repairs. The cost of the repair works, not estimated yet, would be borne by IJM, the contractor entrusted with the work, said a government official.

A joint inspection committee report has concluded all the bearings used in the Airport Metro Expressway have defects and 100 per cent replacement/repairs would be required. The committee, comprising experts from DMRC, Indian Railways and Reliance Infrastructure, carried out a site survey soon after the 23-km corridor between the New Delhi Railway Station and IGI Airport station was shut on July 8.

Delhi Suburban Railway

Delhi Suburban Railway is a suburban rail service operated by Northern Railway for the National Capital Region. This railway service covers

Delhi, along with the adjoining districts of Faridabad, Ghaziabad and other adjoining places in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. These services are

mostly run using EMU and MEMU rakes. This also includes passenger trains and DMU services up to Rewari in Haryana, which is also considered

part of the National Capital Region.  Delhi Ring Railway is part of the Delhi Suburban Railway services.The Ring Railway is a circular rail

network in Delhi, which runs parallel to the Ring Road and was conceived during the 1982 Asian Games. Started in 1975 to service goods, it

later upgraded for the Games, when 24 additional services were started. Its circular route is 35km long, which the train takes 90-120 minutes

to complete, both clockwise and anti-clockwise, via Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, from 8am-7pm. With a return ticket for the entire

journey costing INR12, compared to with Delhi Metro, which is around INR60, it is preferred by poor and middle-class families. It runs seven

clockwise and six anti-clockwise trains at a peak frequency of 60-90 min., during the morning and evening rush hours. However in the coming

decades Delhi spread far beyond Ring Road, making the ring railway largely redundant. Nevertheless, prior to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 7

stations near the sports venues, namely Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar, Inderpuri Halt, Lajpat Nagar, Sewa Nagar, Lodhi Colony and Safdarjung,

received a facelift at the cost of INR3 crores.
Delhi Ring Rail

The ring-railway service was introduced on a track laid in the 1975 so that the large number of goods trains originating, terminating, or

passing through the city, could bypass the main passenger stations at New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin. The track was called the

'Delhi Avoiding Line'. Today, however, the Northern Railway’s service for passengers within the city has become something which Delhiites are

avoiding. There are 12 electric trains on the ring rail. Only three of the twelve EMUs run to full capacity. The rest have just 1-2% occupancy.

The ring railway starts and ends at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with trains running in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions

around the city.

Kerala Tourism

A train journey through Kerala would be a series of sightseeing. Compared to other states, Kerala is more greener; the reason would be the green paddy fields and the tranquility. You can see many rivers, backwaters, estuaries, green paddy fields, old houses, cities and so on. You will not find so many natural things in any other train journey apart from Kerala. From Trivandrum central to Kasargod, You see it all. It would be almost a days journey to reach from one end to the other by train, unless otherwise you are in a super fat train like the Rajadhani express. Rail journey would be best option to reach bekkal and other important tourist destinations like Kanyakumari where the road transport would be tiring.
There are mostly 4 classes in a train namely General 2nd class sitting, Sleeper class, AC 3 tire and AC 2 tire - AC means airconditioned. Other classes would be AC chair car for day trains and for some trains there is an executive class called 1 tire AC, which is comparatively expensive and luxurious. 2nd class sitting is the basic where most of the passengers would be travelling and it is not necessary that you will get a seat to sit. It would be hard to find a seat, but if you are lucky enough you can find one. The sleeper class is where you have folded berths where you can sleep in the night that is how the name comes, during day time you just need a sleeper class ticket, but during nights you should have a sleeper class reservation ticket to claim a berth to sleep or else you will not be allowed to travel. AC 3 tire is where the sleeper class is Air conditioned. 2 tires is more luxurious then 3 tire and is more private area and you will be provided beds. The number of seats and berths are also less. Executive class is an exception and is not available in all trains.

Red Ribbon Express

Red Ribbon Express is an AIDS/HIV awareness campaign train by the Indian Railways. The motto of the Red Ribbon Express is “Embarking on the journey of life. The Red Ribbon Express was launched in India on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007. The seven coach train was flagged off by United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The Red Ribbon Express became the first time information and awareness about HIV/AIDS was disseminated through a train service, Indian Railways. Initial talk of the HIV/AIDS awareness train began over two years before its launch. The idea of the Red Ribbon Express was developed by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the National AIDS Control Organisation and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan in 2004. This second phase aimed to reach out to a larger portion of the rural poor and the government hoped that more people would get tested and treated.The train was designed and fabricated by JWT(Delhi Office, INDIA). The train was designed and fabricated by DESIGN C (JWT). Mr.P.P.Mokashi (VP) and Vineet Pandey (Project Manager) operated and maintained whole year during phase-1(2007-08) and phase-2(2009-10).

Kharagpur

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. 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 Kasai river) in February 1900. Construction of the bridge over Kasai 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 Santragachhi 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.

The need for rail link between Panskura and Tamluk was conceived at the beginning of 20th century, almost at the same time when the rail link between Howrah and Kharagpur was opened. Railway company received offers for construction from two Agencies, M/S Martin & Company and M/s Babu Nibaran Chandra Dutta. The former against guaranteed return of 3.5% while the latter without any guarantee. Although the offer of the latter was lucrative, the dilemma of whether to offer the work of construction to a native or not forced the project to be abandoned. After Independence, the requirement of rail link connecting Panskura and Durgachak came up primarily for the purpose of constructing Haldia Port. The rail link between Panskura – Durgachak via Tamluk completed in 1968, which was later on extended to Haldia in 1975. Extension of rail link to Digha from Tamluk was sanctioned in 1984 and it took 20 years to complete this project in two phases, the first phase of linking Tamluk and Kanthi completed in November 2003 and the tourist destination Digha got connected to Howrah/Shalimar in December 2004

IR Budget

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi presented his budget where in he proposed to raise rail fares across all classes. Safety as recommended by the

Anil Kakodkar Committee was the main focus area. The budget, as many did say, was very bold. The financial health of Indian Railways has not

been very good since over the past decade there has not been any increase in fares. On the other hand, costs have gone up significantly.


Indian Railways has become a toy in the hands of the politicians that they use for their own benefit. During last one decade, there has been

mushroom growth of new passenger trains on an already insufficient rail infrastructure in the country. During last five years, addition of more

than five hundred new trains, increasing the frequency of trains and adding more coaches per train has left Indian Railways in a tight spot.

Today, IR needs spare capacity. Such a massive addition of passenger trains every year without any serious thought, mainly on political

consideration, has severe implications on safety preparedness of railways. Further, neither any system or mechanism exists to evaluate safety

risk of such uncoordinated measures nor has any effort been undertaken to ameliorate the worsening conditions created by such an act.

IR Transportaion

India is a famous country with different culture and heritage. Today, India has been noted for its rapid growth and development in areas like

transportation, production, infrastructure, tourism, information technology and other areas. Their transportation system is one of the best in

the world. However, the India transportation system is among the fastest growing in the world with modern facilities that is being put in place

by Indian government. Meanwhile, India has the best railways system and the largest railway network system in the world with more than one

million staffs.

Moreover, the central government of India has done so well by providing lots of modern trains to boost transportation in India. Not only that,

it also provided a luxury railway stations that is well equipped with modern facilities for passengers comfort. The introduction of Indian

railways system has really helped a lot of business to grow. Many people can now take the advantage and the comfort of Indian railway system.

The Indian railway also introduced a web based e-ticketing system and other services to take away the load off the railway ticketing

department. With web based e-ticket system, passengers can now purchase their tickets online right inside their bedroom without going to the

ticketing centers. With the e-ticketing system, passengers can even make reservations pending when they are ready to travel.

IRFCA

The Indian Railways Fan Club (IRFCA) is the internet's largest website devoted to the Indian Railways. The IRFCA is an electronic mailing list or discussion group connecting many fans particularly interested in railways in India. Mail traffic is moderately heavy, and runs around thirty to fifty messages a day most of the time.

Topics on IRFCA cover current passenger services, routes, timetables, technical details of railway operations, motive power, rolling stock, etc. It also has a large section on historical aspects of trains in India and the subcontinent.

IRFCA started with a group of rail fans discussing Indian trains in the Usenet newsgroup [1], who later decided to set up an electronic mailing list for themselves. The list was operational on 1989-08-29. The first incarnation of the list had just 9 members exchanging e-mail directly. The list was then hosted on various US university listservers (University of Maryland, College Park, Yale University, University of California, Santa Barbara) for many years, mainly because many of the members in those days were graduate students in US universities.

The list was later transferred to ONElist in 1999. ONElist later merged with eGroups, which was subsequently acquired by Yahoo! Groups. During the first ten years or so (1989–1999) the membership remained small, at 50 to 100 members, and predominantly consisted of persons in the US, with some members in the UK.

Derailment Of Punjab Mail

The derailment of the down Punjab Mail, (6 down in those days) on the East Indian Railway at about 1.20am of 17th July 1937 at Bihta, was a talking point for several railway and no-railway people alike, for a number of years. I was only nine years of age at the time, but being interested in trains and steam engines from a very young age, I used to listen to the "Accounts" and explanations offered about the accident by so many people, each one differing in a number of details, that even at my young age, I never knew which one was the factual one! For years I believed that the main cause of the accident was the XB locomotive, which I was told, was a very rough rider at high speeds. From time to time I heard it said that the Mail was not headed by a XB but, a passenger train ahead of it was, and that locomotive was to blame for the track damage which derailed the Punjab Mail.

It was in 1956 however, while talking to one of my uncles who was at the time, in the Traffic Department, Asansol Division of the EIR, and had retired to Hertfordshire in the UK, that I finally got as close to the truth as anyone could get about the cause of the accident; and even after hearing what he had to say, I was none the wiser than apparently, even the investigating team were! My uncle enthused about the accident and told me he was one of the EIR team set up to examine the likely causes of the accident. He confirmed that the train was not headed by a XB, as was generally put about, and then went on to say he had taken photographs during this inspection and disappeared for about ten minutes, returning with a photo-album full of railway photographs; Apart from being a keen photographer he was a meticulous man and went straight to the pages where he had placed the photographs.

PSMT

 The Patiala State Monorail Tramway (PSMT) has held a fascination for railway enthusiasts since it was "rediscovered" and described in the February 1962 edition of the magazine Railway World. This was furthered by the restoration to working order of one of its locomotives at the National Railway Museum (NMR) in Delhi in the mid 1970s. However, despite two articles being published in the railway press (the article already mentioned and an article written by H R Ambler in the Railway Magazine in February 1969) confusion and misinformation surrounds the system and its history. Using these two articles and records preserved in the Asian, Pacific & African Collection of the British Library (notably Mike Satow's records), the following is an attempt to compile an accurate history of the system, both during their life time and its subsequent history after their demise. The article in the Railway World is important as its author, J R Day, had previously made a brief mention of the line in his 1957 book Unusual Railways. After its publication, Colonel C W Bowles, the engineer responsible for the construction of the PMST contacted Day providing him with much detail concerning the PSMT. This means the Day article is the nearest thing to a first hand history in existence.

BWEL

Bharat Wagon & Engineering Co. Limited (BWEL) an ISO - 9001:2000 certified company is a central PSU. It was under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Department of Heavy Industry till 13th August, 2008. From 13th August’08 (AN) the administrative control of this company has been transferred to Ministry of Railways.

BWEL was incorporated in December 1978 by take-over of two sick private wagon making companies, namely M/s Arthur Butler & Co. Ltd., Muzaffarpur and M/s Britannia Engineering Co. Ltd., (Wagon Division), Mokama. The third manufacturing unit was added to the company in the year 1983-84 at the Industrial Estate at Bela, Muzaffarpur for manufacture of LPG cylinders. In the year 1986, the company became a subsidiary of Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Ltd., Kolkata, under the Department of Heavy Industry.

Both, Muzaffarpur and Mokama Units are traditionally Wagon manufacturing factories. The layout, plant and machinery and locations are ideally suited for this product. With a rich experience of steel fabrication of over half century, BWEL possesses almost all the desired infrastructure facilities for heavy steel fabrication. Availability of 316 MT Brake Press at Mokama Unit, a rare asset, speaks in this direction. All the three manufacturing works are self-sufficient in power by way of installation of Captive DG sets. Operational ease is made possible due to location of the Works adjacent to important Railway Stations.

First Class Air Conditioned

The First Class air-conditioned class is the highest luxury class in the India railway system for the regular routes. The cost is roughly comparable with the economy class airfare. For about $150.00 USD, you can travel from Trivandrum to Delhi on the India railway system in this class. A number of the important long-distance routes along the Indian railways have these coaches. You’ll find the elite class of Indians and business executives traveling in this class.
On a side note, I once met a businessman on this class on a train, who informed me that he was afraid of flying, and therefore traveled only by train. Being a private compartment, you can travel days without even making eye contact with your other co-passengers. India travelers tend to mind their own business on these coaches, busy with the usual stuff - the newspaper reading, staring at the laptop screen, acting sleepy, etc. I have noticed this contrast between the First and Second or Third class on the Indian train in almost all of my India train journeys. Someone explained this to me as it being the product of the physical distances in the luxury classes. In a Sleeper class you are more physically close to the co-passengers and this increases the drive to interact with others.

Maharaja Express

Princely India – This tour is of 8 days/7 nights and travels through Mumbai – Vadoodara – Udaipur – Jodhpur – Bikaner – Jaipur – Ranthambore – Agra – Delhi. It is a spectacular journey through western India and the legendary Taj Mahal. One can discover the  vibrant, bustling city of Mumbai, imperial Delhi, marvel at the immortal beauty of the Taj Mahal, come face to face with a tiger in Ranthambore, visit the Amber Fort in Jaipur and explore the shimmering Lake City of Udaipur. All of this in true-blue royalty, of course.

Royal India – This tour is of 8 days/7 nights and travels through  Delhi – Agra – Ranthambore – Jaipur – Bikaner – Jodhpur – Udaipur – Vadodara – Mumbai. This route is actually reverse of the Princely India tour.

Classical India – This tour is of 7 days and 6 nights and travels through Delhi – Agra – Gwalior – Khajuraho – Bandhavgarh – Varanasi – Lucknow – Delhi. It is one of the most popular journeys  of Maharaja’s Express tours exploring the mystique of India. Embark on an unforgettable escapade that starts off with the capital city of Delhi. Travel through the sacred city of Varanasi and cruise on the River Ganges to observe ancient spiritual rites. Witness the immortal beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra, the sensuous moods of the temples of Khajuraho, the elegance and imperial splendour of the Nawabs in Lucknow and the wilderness of the Bandhavgarh National Park.

Royal Sojourn – This tour is of 8 days/7 nights and travels through  Delhi – Jaipur – Kota – Ranthambore – Agra – Delhi.  Step back in time travelling  through the royal India, where some of the world’s most ancient civilizations  and royalties thrived. Embark on a tranquil voyage through imperial India discovering its fascinating heritage and exquisite architecture. Enjoy Champagne and pay tribute to the world’s greatest monument to love, the legendary Taj Mahal. Chase the elusive tiger in Ranthambore National Park. Visit the glorious city of Kota, set on the east bank of Chambal River and dine in the lavish Durbar Hall. Feel like royalty as you participate in an exhibition Elephant Polo Match followed by dinner. Soak up the spectacular regal heritage of Rajasthan, with its landscape of hilltop forts and palaces. This extraordinarily unperturbed Royal journey through the Sojourns of Rajasthan will leave you rejuvenated.

IRIMEE

   The Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (also known as IRIMEE), started in the year 1888 as Technical School. In the year 1927, the training of Mechanical Officers for Indian Railways commenced. Thus, it is the oldest of the five Centralised Training Institutes (CTIs) functioning for training of Officers of Indian Railways. IRIMEE is located at Jamalpur in the Munger district of Bihar, on the Patna-Bhagalpur rail route.

The Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur is the Centralised Training Institute of Indian Railways, for the training of officers and supervisors of the Mechanical Engineering department.

Built in the first decade of 20th century, the original two-storey building of IRIMEE was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1921. It was redesigned and reconstructed in 1924. The building encloses several beautifully landscaped gardens in quadrangles.

History
IRIMEE had humble beginnings, when it started in 1888 as a technical school attached to the Railway Locomotive Workshop Jamalpur of the East Indian Railway. In 1905, this Technical School started the Apprentice Mechanics Scheme for Anglo-Indians. At the end of the five year apprenticeship, the Apprentice Mechanics were appointed as Assistant Foremen or Assistant Superintendents on the East India Railway. The scheme was extended to cover other Indians, in 1911.

It came into national prominence when it started the training of Special Class Railway Apprentices as Mechanical and Electrical engineers, in February 1927. In 1974, the school was made a Centralised Training Institute (CTI), renamed as Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, and brought under the direct control of Railway Board. It is, therefore, the oldest of the CTIs.

The hostel for the Special Class Railway Apprentices is the Jamalpur Gymkhana

In 1988, the training of IRSME probationers was centralised under the control of Director, IRIMEE but with HQ at Kharagpur, where there was an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) co-ordinating the training with the Director. From 1997, HQ of IRSME Probationers was shifted to Jamalpur.

The Golden Chariot

It is a luxury tourist train that connects the important tourist spots in the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa. It is named after the Stone Chariot in the Vitthala Temple at Hampi.[1] The 19 coaches on the train are coloured purple and gold, and sport the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and a body of a lion. The Golden Chariot operates weekly and had its maiden commercial run on March 10, 2008.
The train, along with the Deccan Odyssey, is designed on the lines of the more popular Palace on Wheels with accommodations, spa treatments and dining. The train is operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and marketed by The Luxury Trains, whereas The Mapple Group handles the hospitality services on the train.
Karnataka's luxury train, The Golden Chariot, was ran with full occupancy for the first time since its launch four years ago, when it was chugs out of Bangalore on Monday (6th Jan, 2012) for its ‘Pride of the South' run across Karnataka and Goa.

India Railway Recruitment Board

Welcome to  portal Indian railway recruitment board list page. Here at this page we will be provide you details about Indian railway recruitment boards name, website address with phone numbers. If the candidates face any problem log on to com this page and may contact Indian railways various RRB boards through their website or phone numbers. Candidates may also check particular railway board latest recruitment by the given below websites.

Indian railway is the fourth largest commercial railway industry in the world with its headquarter in New Delhi. At present Indian railway have 17 railway zones and 1.4 + million employees in all over India. Every year Indian railway provides various technical and non technical jobs to lot of people. Indian Railway most jobs no interview taken by the board candidates directly recruit after the written examination. Selected candidates appointment letters always sent by registered post which address mentioned in the application form by candidates. Candidates can see the given below total Indian railway boards list with their website address and phone numbers.

RRB Boards Name	Website Address	Phone No.
RRB Ahmedabad	www.rrbahmedabad.gov.in	079-22940858
RRB Ajmer	www.rrbajmer.org	0145-2423292
RRB Allahabad	www.rrbald.gov.in	0532-2430472
RRB Bangalore	www.rrbbnc.gov.in	080-23330378
RRB Bhopal	www.rrbbhopal.gov.in	0755-2746660
RRB Bhubaneswar	www.rrbbbs.gov.in	0674-2303015
RRB Bilaspur	www.rrbbilaspur.gov.in	07752-247291
RRB Chandigarh	www.rrbcdg.gov.in	0172-2793414
RRB Chennai	www.rrbchennai.net	044-28275323
RRB Gorakhpur	www.rrbgkp.gov.in	0551-2201209
RRB Guwahati	www.rrbguwahati.gov.in	0361-2540815
RRB Jammu Srinagar	www.rrbjammu.nic.in	0191-2476757
RRB Kolkata	www.rrbkolkata.org	033-25432004, 32917928
RRB Malda	www.rrbmalda.gov.in	03512-264567
RRB Mumbai	www.rrbmumbai.gov.in	022-23090422
RRB Patna	www.rrbpatna.gov.in	0612-2677680
RRB Ranchi	www.rrbranchi.org	0651-2462429
RRB Secunderabad	www.rrbsecunderabad.nic.in	040-27821663
RRB Silliguri	www.rrbsiliguri.org	0353-2525431
RRB Thiruvanantha-puram	www.rrbthiruvananthapuram.net	0471-2323357

IRTS Indian Railway Traffic Service Exams

The Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) was fashioned within the year 1967. IRTS is one in every of the cluster ‘A’ Central Civil Service of India. The cadre controlling authority for IRTS is that the Ministry of Railways.
The selected candidates' coaching ground is at Indian Railway Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), Lucknow.
Cadre size: 750 posts (direct recruitment: five hundredth, promotion: 50%).
Functions of the Officers
There are 2 main streams of Traffic Department: Operations and business. The role of officers within the operating department is to make sure swish and quick transportation of freight and passengers. The role of officers within the business department is connected with sale, pricing of passenger and freight traffic. The organization plays a crucial role in an officers’ direct duty. The detailed functions of the officers are as follows:
Operations Department
- designing and transport service
- Long and short term going to run trains on day-to-day basis.
- Passenger trains’ detailed timetable issued once in six months.
- Arrangements of rolling stock, locomotives and wagons are created to fulfill the expected demand.
- Running of trains and continuous watch
- Running of trains would involve ordering of trains, booking of crew, watching that the conditions are safe for it to run and arranging numerous necessities on the run.
- Safety
- Economy and potency

National Railway Heritage

Yet another piece of national railway heritage on its way to history. The iconic stone and masonry Thane creek bridge, popular for the much-publicised photograph of the first train in India, is set to go out of public view forever.

As Central Railway prepares to lay new lines along the Thane creek bridge, the legendary bridge on which the first train ran will get covered on both sides with new structures, obliterating its view completely. “The foundation pillars for the new bridge are already in place and the girders are getting ready. The bridge will carry two new lines between Thane-Diva. It is important to connect the lines between Kurla-Thane to the lines between Kalyan-Diva so that there is seamless travel between Kurla to Kalyan ,” a senior official said. The lines are being laid along the slow corridor.

The 158-year-old Thane creek bridge has been historically linked to the opening of the first railway line in the country and the famous sepia-toned photograph of a 14-coach steam engine pulled train is quite popular.

Indian Railways sign clean-up pledge

Indian Railways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Tourism Ministry for Campaign Clean India.

The MoU was signed by Mrs Mani Anand, executive director for tourism and catering and Mrs Usha Sharma, additional director general for tourism in the presence of the Railway Minister, Mukul Roy, and Tourism Minister, Subodh Kant Sahai.

Speaking on the development, Mukul Roy said: “Railways have taken a number of steps for improving cleanliness by way of green toilets, clean train stations, rag picking contracts, washable aprons on platforms, mechanized cleaning on the stations and on-board service schemes etc.

“Modern methods, equipment and material are being used by Railways for improved cleanliness and hygiene in and around railway stations.”

Under the MoU, Railways and Ministry of Tourism together will undertake vinyl wrapping of rakes of some long-distance trains highlighting Campaign Clean India.

“Convergence with Railway Ministry is very important for developing tourism in the country and abroad.

Railway is a major driver for development of tourism and the Ministry of Railway and Ministry of Tourism have decided to work together towards the common objective of brand positioning and effective promotion enhancing tourism in India,” Subodh Kant Sahai said.

Railways will also work towards the provision of controlled access to the stations and provision of chemical toilets in trains.

Jan Sadharan comforts railway passengers

Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewaks (JTBS), which act as the franchisee of the Railways for issuing current tickets, has come to stay in the city. The JTBS of late is enjoying good patronage here.

The serpentine queues in front of current ticket booking counters always cause anxiety to commuters. The JTBS has lessened burden for the Railways and passengers to a considerable extent.

The Railway Board introduced this concept under the banner ‘queue less counters’ to do away with the queue system at railway stations and to help last- minute travellers without a reserved ticket.

JTBS issues unreserved tickets for any destination in the country and for this service they charge one rupee extra over and above the ticket fare.

“The response has been good and we sell more than 350 tickets daily,” says S. M. Sathik Batcha, running the JTBS near Tiruchi junction. “I have many regular customers, including construction workers who visit the city from the nearby villages, and they get the tickets across the counter without difficulty. The demand is for four trains – Mayiladuthurai passenger, Karur passenger, Dindigul passenger and Vridachalam passenger – all originating from Tiruchi junction between 5.45 p.m. and 6.15 p.m.

On Friday evenings, queue could be seen in front of the JTBS run by Mr. Batcha.

It is the time when students and office-goers from other towns and staying in hostels in the city leave for their destinations for weekend .

Many feel that Railways should take more steps for creating awareness of this concept.

Trains originating from Bangalore Division

16501/16502 Ahmedabad – Bangalore Express (weekly) via Guntakal, Daund, Jalgaon, Surat.

16505/16506 Gandhidham – Bangalore Express (weekly) via Hubli, Miraj, Pune, Kalyan, Ahmedabad

16507/16508 Jodhpur – Bangalore Express (Bi-weekly) via Hubli, Miraj, Pune, Kalyan, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad.

16515/16516 Yeshwantpur - Karwar Tri-Weekly Express via Arsikere, Hassan, Mangalore.

16517/16518 Yeshwantpur – Kannur express via Mysore, Hassan and Mangalore.

16519/16520 Jolarpettai - Bangalore express via Bangarapet.

16521/16522 Bangarapet - Bangalore express.

16525/16526 Island Express (Daily) between Kanyakumari and Bangalore via Bangarpet, Erode, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Trivandrum (Tiruvanathapuram).

16527/16528 Yeshwantpur – Kannur express via Salem, Erode and Palakkad.

16529/16530 Udyan Express between Mumbai and Bangalore via Prasanti Nilayam, Guntakal and Pune. Udyan means Garden, Bangalore being city of gardens.

16531/16532 Garib Nawaz Express (weekly) between Ajmer and Yeshwantpur via Guntakal, Bellary, Hubli, Pune, Kalyan(Mumbai), Ahmedabad and Marwar.

16533/16534 Jodhpur – Yeshwantpur Weekly Express Via Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Bellary, Hubli, Miraj, Pune, Vasai Road, Ahmedabad.

16535/16536 Gol Gumbaz Express a daily train between Yeshwantpur and Solapur via Tumkur, Davangere, Haveri, Hubli, Gadag, Bagalkot and Bijapur named after Historical Monument Gol Gumbaz.

16537/16538 Bangalore City - Nagercoil Weekly Express via Salem, Erode and Madurai.

16557/16558 Rajya Rani Express between Mysore and Bangalore via Mandya and Ramanagaram.

16559/16560 Yeshwantpur - Mysore Express via Ramanagara and Mandya.

16589/16590 Rani Chennamma Express between Kolhapur and Bangalore via Tumkur, Hubli-Dharwar, Belgaum, Miraj named after legendary queen of Kittur Kingdom in Belgaum district.

16591/16592 Hampi Express between Hubli and Bangalore via Bellary, Guntakal. Hampi was the capital of Legendary Vijayanagara Empire which is in Bellary district.

16593/16594 Nanded - Bangalore Express via Parbhani, Parli Vaijnath, Bidar, Vikarabad, Raichur and Guntakal.

12027/12028 Shatabdi Express Between Bangalore and Chennai Central.

12079/12080 Jan Shatabdi Express between Bangalore and Hubli.

12251/12252 Wainganga Weekly Express between Yeshwantpur and Korba.

12253/12254 Anga Express between Yeshwantpur and Bhagalpur.

12255/12256 Yeshwantpur - Pondicherry Weekly Garib Rath Express via Salem, Villupuram.

12257/12258 Yeshwantpur - Kochuveli (Thiruvanthapuram) Garib Rath Express Tri-Weekly via Salem, Erode, Coimbatore.

12291/12292 Yeshwantpur – Chennai Weekly Express via Jolarpet.

12295/12296 Sanghamithra Express between Bangalore and Patna via, Chennai, Warangal, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Mughalsarai. This train was named after Sangamitra (daughter of Buddha).

12493/12494 Rajdhani Express between Bangalore and Hazrat Nizamuddin via Secunderabad, Nagpur and Bhopal.

12539/12540 Yeshwantpur – Lucknow Weekly SF Express via Nagpur, Allahabad.

12607/12608 Bangalore – Chennai Lalbagh Express running via Krishnarajapura, Bangarpet, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Arakkonam.

12609/12610 Bangalore - Chennai Intercity Express running via Krishnarajapura, Bangarpet, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Arakkonam.

12613/12614 Tippu Express between Mysore and Bangalore named after Tippu Sultan who ruled Srirangapatna near Mysore Province

12627/12628 Karnataka Express between New Delhi and Bangalore via Satya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam, Guntakal, Raichur, Gulbarga, Daund, Jalgaon, Bhopal and Agra named after the state where it originates.

12629/12630 Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express (Bi weekly) between Yeshwantpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin via Tumkur, Hubli, Miraj, Pune and Bhopal introduced as part of the Sampark Kranti Series. (Sampark = Contact, Kranti = Revolution).

12649/12650 Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express (5 days a week) between Yeshwantpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin via Dharmavaram, Kacheguda, Nagpur and Bhopal.

12657/12658 Bangalore - Chennai Mail via Bangarpet, Jolarpettai and Katpadi

12725/12726 Siddaganga Intercity Express between Dharwad and Bangalore via Hubli, Davangere.

Operation Management of indian Railways

Operation Management of indian Railways
In the present business world there has been a significant concentration on service basedindustries. This paper presents the way one of the

world’s second biggest employer INDIANRAILWAYS has been operating and together analyzing its various issues/ problems, and itsrelationship to

operations practice in the organization. Though there have been many issuessubjected to operations management practice, in the interest of word

limitation a few issuesrelating to the concepts below has been discussed throughout. Consequently, incorporating someof the Operations

Management theory like process(es) structure, quality dimensions, TQM,capacity planning, impact analysis, and improvement concepts. The study

is based on thecomparison of theories with actual practice, evaluating the applicability of these theories in realtime progression of the

organization, consideration of its impact on quality and customer focus.Finally, a proposal as to how the practice (es) could be enhanced.

Importance of indian Railways

Railways and roadways are the two means of transport over the land. Roads can be built in the hilly areas also whereas railway lines cannot be laid easily. The railways have advantage over the roadways that they can carry a large number of passengers and large and heavy loads to long distances. Also journey by train is more comfortable than by bus.

India has a large network of railways throughout the country. We have trains from one corner of India to the other corner. Total length of the railway tracks in India is about 63000 kilometers. About 7800 trains carry about eleven million passengers to their destinations every day. Our railway network is the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world. Our goods trains transport about 6 lac tonnes of goods from one place to another daily.

The first railway in India ran in 1853 from Bombay to Thane a distance of 34 km. In less than 150 years we have the largest network of railways in Asia. Indian railways employ about 17 lac people. For administrative convenience Indian railways have been divided into the following nine

Crackdown By Railway Vigilance

Another crackdown by railway vigilance has exposed the nexus between agents and railways own staff. After railways received a tip-off that an authorized Rail Travel Service Agents (RTSA) is involved in preparing Tatkal tickets without Id proof, in connivance with the Railway staff by overcharging passengers, a vigilance check was conducted on the said agency.

Northern Railway vigilance staff impersonating as passengers approached the RTSA for seeking Tatkal reservation without ID proof. The RTSA agreed to book Tatkal Tickets for July 5 in train no. 12952 Mumbai Rajdhani Express in 3AC, without ID and demanded Rs 2300 per passenger which was Rs 500 more than the fare, Rs 1800.

The money was paid to him. However, on the next day the RTSA refused to provide the ticket on the plea of strict checking by vigilance and RPF staff. Further, when the PRS system was checked it was found that the ticket in the names, as given by vigilance team have been booked on the ID of an unknown person.

On July 5, simultaneous vigilance checks at the office of the RTSA agent and on the Train no. 12952 were conducted. The passenger on whose ID the reservation was made in train did not turn up. During raid at the office of RTSA, he confessed that he had agreed to book tickets without ID proof and has overcharged. He further informed that the Tatkal ticket was booked in connivance with PRS staff of Gwalior during banned hours for agents, (i.e. 8 am. to 10 am)

Special Railway Protection Force

Special Railway Protection Force teams to crack down on touts

Three days after TOI began a campaign highlighting the difficulties faced by passengers trying to book Tatkal tickets — touts crowding booking counters and online portals not being the least — the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has set up two special teams to crack down on the fraudsters.

Given the summer rush, policing will be stepped up at stations — particularly ticketing offices — to swoop down on unauthorized vendors and ticket canvassers.

“The intensified checks by the Delhi division led to the arrest of 73 people involved in canvassing tickets, hotels and taxis in the three days since TOI highlighted the problem,” said divisional railway manager (Delhi) Anurag Sachan.

Sachan also admitted that CCTVs in the reservation complex had been made operational only since the reports were published. The DRM said he was personally monitoring the renewed checks and had conducted a surprise check at the IRCA reservation complex in Paharganj. “During this check, the CCTV monitoring room on the second floor was made functional. To further improve monitoring through the CCTV network, I have ordered RPF staff to man the control room round the clock. I have also directed them to provide the CCTV camera feed to the local RPF inspector for continuous supervision of the ticket hall and other passengers interface areas of the IRCA complex,” said Sachan.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has launched its own drive to take on the touts.

Introduction Of Indian Railway

     If you are looking forward to know more about Indian Railways then you will probably have to go more than 175 years back when plan for railway system in Indian was put forward in 1932 but nothing happened until 1844 when Lord Hardinge who was then the Governor general of India gave the green signal to private entrepreneurs to set up a railway system in India and heavy interest from UK investors led to the creation of railway system at a faster pace in the country.

It took another seven years until 1851 when the first train was introduced in India which was used for hauling of construction materials in Roorkee and by 1853 the first passenger train service started running between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thane. By 1880 the Indian Railways network was covering major port cities of Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata and five years later it even started building its own locomotives.

Later on various independent kingdoms came up with their own railways system and the network started spreading to other regions including Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Rajasthan. It was only in 1907 that Indian Railways started churning profits for the first time. 1908 saw electronic locomotives being introduced but WWI and WWII almost crippled the railways system in the country and independence saw major part of the network moving to Pakistan and therefore India was hence left with forty-two separate railway systems owned by Indian princely states which was merged to forma single unit called Indian Railways.

NEW DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES

Sanjeev Handa, member (mechanical) of the Railway Board, said the Indian Railways (IR) would soon manufacture high power locomotives of 12,000 horsepower.

Handa was addressing a function at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) on Saturday. He also flagged off a duel cab WDP 4D locomotive of 4,500 HP on the occasion. Addressing the function, he appreciated the work of DLW personnel in manufacturing the ultra modern locomotive. He said the operation of high speed trains was a challenge before the Indian Railways for which high power locomotives were needed.

Speaking on the occasion, DLW general manager KK Saxena highlighted the performance of DLW and said locomotives were being exported to countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Chief mechanical engineer Rakesh Vatash highlighted the features of WDP 4D locomotive. The DLW manufactured the duel cab locomotives with front and rear options for the first time. It can run at 130-km per hour maximum and 22.5km minimum speed.

Tatkal Changes

Concerned over large-scale complaints in the sale of Tatkal (emergency travel) tickets, the railways Friday announced changes in the procedure and timing of their sale.
It was decided that from July 10, the booking of tickets will start at 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. at present.
From July 10, reservation of tatkal tickets will start from 10 am instead of 8 am and no authorised agents will be allowed to book them during the first two hours. File Pic
The railways also decided that no authorised agents, including those of the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation, will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets in the first two hours — from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, said a statement from the Railway Board.
The existing restriction on agents booking general tickets on the opening day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. will also continue, it said.
Officials said while there was a huge passenger demand on the Tatkal system during the first few minutes after the booking counters open at 8 a.m., the role of touts has been bothering the ministry despite many steps to curb the menace.

Double Track Between Bangalore And Mysore

South Western Railways to double tracks between Bangalore and Mysore by 2014
BANGALORE: The Minister of state for Railways, KH Muniyappa said that the doubling of tracks between

Bangalore and Mysore will be completed by 2014. He said in a press conference in Bangalore that the

project was facing a lot of issues pertaining to land acquisition, which is now being resolved.

This route has become busier by day; at present around 25,000 people travel between these two cities

by the railway on a daily basis. South Western Railways eyed the project of doubling the tracks work

which would ensure better connectivity and more trains between these two places in 2008. But land

acquisition was the hindrance.


A total of 138 km of tracks have to be doubled and is sanctioned in three phases-Bangalore to Kengeri

(12km), Kengeri to Ramnagaram(32km) and Ramnagaram to Mysore(94km). Although these works were

sanctioned between 2003-2008, the works never started, because of right of way issues in Mandya.

Muniyappa said that the work is going on full swing. "There is 50 acre land which is left to be

acquired in Mandya district. The work was supposed to be complete by 2011 but the delay is attributed

land related issues," he said.

He also said that shortage of funds from the ministry of railways is a second reason, why multiple

rail projects are yet not taken up in the state. He said that when the SWR requires Rs210 crores for

works related to the state, they get only Rs30 crores as funds. Last year the SWR was sanctioned Rs60

crores only.

Rail Coach Factory

RCF has already replaced conventional toilet system in coaches with green toilets in various trains including Gwalior-Indore Express and Lucknow -Mumbai CST Pushpak Express.

"Three more rakes of Indore Jammu Tawi Malwa Express, Nizammudin-Indore Intercity Express and Varanasi-Mumbai CST Mahanagari Express have been targeted for this month," he said.
Railways has been laying emphasis on replacing open discharge toilets with green toilets with an aim to dispose of human excreta in an environment-friendly way.

 
The creation of bio-toilets is based on technology provided by Gawalior-based Defence Research and Development Establishment. Under this system, anaerobic bacteria are used to convert human excreta into disinfected liquid, that is then discharged on the tracks.

BHEL

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been in the field of manufacture and supply of railway

engines/ locomotives since mid-1980s. For this, the company has established facilities for manufacture

of a range of traction machines, diesel and electric locomotives, rolling stock for Indian Railways,

Industrial use and other Urban Transportation applications. These include, mainline electric

locomotives upto 5000 Horse Power (HP) for Railways, Diesel Electric Locomotives ranging from 350 HP

to 2600 HP for different medium and large industries, Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches, and

related electrics/drives/controls.

The Jhansi Unit of BHEL has the main facilities for manufacture of railway locomotives which are

presently being enhanced. BHEL has the necessary human resources and technology for manufacture of its

present range of locomotives & railway engines/equipment.At present there is no proposal under

consideration for setting up separate plant/unit of BHEL to manufacture railway engines/locomotives.

This was stated by Shri Arun Yadav, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in

the Lok Sabha today.

Varanasi, the oldest living city in the world has an auspicious place in the global arena both as a centre of culture and technology. Where the

ringing of holy bells of the temples brings the city to life, Diesel Locomotive Works is an ISO 9002 certified manufacturer of diesel electric

locomotive and is one of the biggest industrial complexes in eastern part of the country. DLW attracts lot of foreign tourists, students to

witness on going wonderful locomotive manufacturing process and is christened as Industrial
       
Temple of Varanasi. It is situated at the North end of the city and approximately 8 Kilometers away from the Ghats of Holy river Ganges in

Varanasi.

Diesel Locomotive Works was set up in 1961 with technical collaboration from M/s. ALCO/USA with a modest beginning of manufacturing 4 locos

1964, today DLW is the largest Diesel Locomotive manufacturer in the world, and the largest in Asia. In order to capture export market & widen

its product range. Indian railway entered in to a contract for Transfer of Technology (TOT) with M/s. General Motors, USA for manufacture of

4000 HP state of the art locos at DLW. After assimilation of this technology , DLW will become the only factory in the world capable of

producing ALCO as well as General Motors designs of locomotives.

Rail Coach Factory

Established in 1986, the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) was the second coach manufacturing unit of Indian Railways. Its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. It has manufactured around 16,000 passenger coaches of 51 different types including self propelled passenger vehicles.

This output constitutes over 35% of the total population of coaches on Indian Railways. RCF is at the threshold of setting an all time record by manufacturing more than 1400 coaches during the Financial Year 2005-06 including around 150 stainless steel coaches and 260 AC 3 Tier coaches in corten steel shell design.[citation needed]

RCF is equipped with CAD centre and CNC machines to undertake design and manufacture of bogies, shell (both with stainless steel and corten steel). RCF has also manufactured Alstom LHB coaches for both Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express.

The RCF is in the town of Kapurthala in the Indian state of Punjab. Pincode - 144602.In 2010 a new double decker coaches rushed out from the kapurthala rail coach factory which runs as a train between howrah and dhanbad known as the 'black diamond express'

INTEGRAL COACH FACTORY

Started in 1952, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is located in Chennai, India. Its primary products are rail coaches. Most of the coaches manufactured are supplied to the Indian Railways, but it has also manufactured coaches for railway companies in other countries, including Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, Zambia, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Nigeria, Mozambique and Bangladesh. Recently,[when?] ICF exported coaches to Angola. It also has got orders worth of Rs. 102 crores from Sri Lanka. However, Sri Lanka suspended imports after one DMU stopped for 20 minutes due to an electrical short circuit. The import was resumed after an investigation revealed that the fault was triggered by tinkering and adding more cars than the hauling capacity of the train. The air-conditioned train-sets manufactured by ICF for Kolkata Metro have also broken down causing disruption of services. According to newspaper reports the air-conditioned rakes have been sent to Kolkata without conducting dry runs because the Integral Coach Factory does not have third rail testing facilities. At least one failure was attributed to unacceptably high levels of seepage of water in the 27-year old tunnels of Kolkata Metro.

Shatabdi Express

Shatabdi Express trains offer fast connectivity with only a few intermediate stops. They are fully air-conditioned and of a much higher standard than most Indian trains. Shatabdi Express travelers are provided with snacks, breakfast, meals, coffee or tea, a one-litre water bottle and a glass of canned juice. Travelers are also provided newspapers.

Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express trains have to be reserved in advance before boarding the train. There is no unreserved accommodation in these trains, unlike most of the other trains in India. A few Shatabdis have a current booking system where tickets can be booked within a couple of hours before departure.

As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, most of the coaches on the train have only airconditioned seats (called AC Chair Car or CC) and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one coach of first class airconditioned seating. These coaches have wider leg room and offer better food compared to the normal Air conditioned seating(CC).

New on board entertainment systems have also been installed on some of these trains where the passengers can view movies and television serials directly via satellite. One of the first services to have this system is the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Shatabdi Express.

Shatabdi Express

Shatabdi Express trains offer fast connectivity with only a few intermediate stops. They are fully air-conditioned and of a much higher standard than most Indian trains. Shatabdi Express travelers are provided with snacks, breakfast, meals, coffee or tea, a one-litre water bottle and a glass of canned juice. Travelers are also provided newspapers.

Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express trains have to be reserved in advance before boarding the train. There is no unreserved accommodation in these trains, unlike most of the other trains in India. A few Shatabdis have a current booking system where tickets can be booked within a couple of hours before departure.

As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, most of the coaches on the train have only airconditioned seats (called AC Chair Car or CC) and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one coach of first class airconditioned seating. These coaches have wider leg room and offer better food compared to the normal Air conditioned seating(CC).

New on board entertainment systems have also been installed on some of these trains where the passengers can view movies and television serials directly via satellite. One of the first services to have this system is the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Shatabdi Express.

Chittaranjan Loco Works

Inaugurated on Jan. 26, 1950, CLW produced its first locomotive by Nov. 1, 1950 (a WG loco, #8401, named 'Deshbandhu' for Deshbandhu

Chittaranjan Das, an Indian freedom-fighter; incidentally it was his widow, Basanti Devi, who inaugurated the works). CLW, originally named

just the Locomotive Manufacturing Works, was located near a village called Mihijam, which was shortly afterwards renamed Chittaranjan. It is

said that originally the locomotive works, which were under planning even in the mid-1940s, were to be set up at Kalyani near Howrah, but a

concern about losing such a strategic asset in the foreseen partition of British India resulted in the shift to Chittaranjan, on the border of

West Bengal and Bihar (Chittaranjan railway station is in Bihar).

CLW became a major producer of steam locomotives, producing a large number of BG and MG steam locomotives through 1972 (total count – 2351).

The last BG steam loco made in India, a WG (#10560, 'Antim Sitara' ('The Last Star') was delivered by CLW on June 30, 1970, and the last steam

loco made in India was the MG YG classloco (#3573), delivered on Feb. 5, 1972.

CLW started early on the manufacture of electric locos, building the WCM-5 series DC locos starting in 1961. The first one was named

'Lokamanya', and delivered on Oct. 14, 1961. A few years later it began production of AC electric locos, starting with 'Bidhan', a WAG-1 class

loco delivered on Nov. 16, 1963, which was also notable as the first fully Indian-built electric locomotive. Since then CLW has manufactured

ever more sophisticated generations of electric locomotives, most recently delivering the advanced WAP-5 and WAP-7 3-phase AC locomotives. It

has a capacity of around 200 or so electric locomotives a year.

CLW has also manufactured many diesel locos, mainly diesel-hydraulic shunters such as the WDS-4 class (begun in 1967-1968, although large

numbers were produced only in 1969). In the '70s and '80s it built some diesels in the ZDM series and some YDM-2 units (diesel-electrics).

Total diesel loco count – over 660 BG diesel shunters, over 140 NG diesels, and over 40 BG mainline diesels.

Passenger Reservation System

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.