Indian Railways Thread

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 13 Oct 2014 15:00

As I had pointed out earlier, it is highly challenging to make existing section between BLR-MYS in to a semi-high speed one (160 Kph).

Here is a prelim finding by HSR committee on the same

135 Curves Have Nixed the 165 Kph dream on BLR-MYS Tracks

The dream of running high-speed trains on the Mysore-Bangalore-Chennai railway corridor just turned a tad sour. A two-day survey, which concluded on Sunday, by top officials of the High Speed Rail Corporation (HSRC) found there were 145 curves on the proposed high-speed route! Of these, 135 were on the Mysore-Bangalore stretch.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, HSRC Managing Director and Chairman Satish Chandra Agnihotri said: "There are 135 curves on the 140-km stretch between Mysore and Bangalore; another 10-plus curves dot the Chennai-Jolarpettai stretch on the Bangalore-Chennai route. We have recorded all the data and now have to analyse it."

Agnihotri said no new tracks will be laid and the plan is only to upgrade the existing track to accommodate the semi-highspeed trains, since the Bangalore-Mysore line was converted into broad gauge just recently. "The sharp curves on this stretch are a real challenge to enhance the speed levels at the 165 kmph range. Preliminary findings suggest we need new rolling stock that can negotiate these curves without getting toppled at such high speeds. We need to conduct in-depth studies on this.

A busy route Currently 27 trains ply on the Mysore-Bangalore route and 21 on the Bangalore-Chennai route. While the average speed on the Bangalore-Mysore route is around 55-60 kmph, on the Bangalore-Chennai route it is 70-75 kmph. It takes two hours for the Shatabdi Express to ply on the Bangalore-Mysore route while it takes four hours fifty minutes on the Bangalore-Chennai stretch. It's not surprising that the Bangalore-Mysore stretch has 135 curves. In fact, the 14-km track between Bangalore city railway station and Kengeri station alone has 28 curves.

Even 130/140 Kph suffices between BLR-MYS. I believe currently the max speed is restricted to 90 Kph for trains other than Shatabdi. The latter is allowed to run @ 100 Kph.

Tilting rolling stock would work. I believe that's exactly what Briton did to run 200 Kph speed trains on old Victorian era curvy tracks.

Have the Chinese managed to copy tilting rolling stock design yet?

They are supposed to help IR with high-speed rail execution.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 17 Oct 2014 19:02

Railway Board reforms panel may push for decentralisation

Written by Avishek G Dastidar | New Delhi | Posted: October 17, 2014 1:48 am

The first meeting of the high-level committee on Railway Board restructuring headed by economist Bibek Debroy will take place on Friday. On the eve of the meeting, which aims to overhaul the all-powerful Board, Debroy said members of the panel favour decentralization of powers in the national transporter.
“Even before the first meeting, the committee members have been in touch with each other over email and other means, and there is a consensus that there needs to be decentralisation of the Railway Board,” Debroy told The Indian Express.
The all-day meeting will see a discussion on the terms of reference and a division of subgroups within the committee to carry out various stakeholder meeting in the coming months. A half-day meeting is scheduled on Saturday as well.
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“While meeting the various federations and unions, the entire committee should ideally be present, but for other meetings at zonal and division levels, the entire committee will not be present everywhere, so we will have subgroups of two or three,” he said.
Debroy said the effort is to come up with a draft report of recommendations in six months which will invite comments from everyone from stakeholders to general public. “We will recommend changes in the Railway Act and the Railway Board Act. We will point out the necessary changes, while the job of drafting the amendments is something the government will do,” he said.
There is a prevailing concern within the Railway bureaucracy that railwaymen have not been adequately represented in the panel. “We do not need people to be on the panel to interact with them. Let me assure you, we will interact with all stakeholders adequately,” he said.
The Railway Board is staring at a season high-level vacancies and a bit of crisis in its high-level promotions process.
Its post of Member Electrical is lying vacant since August and has finally gone for vigilance clearance after so much dilly dallying even though there is a serving general manager, who has been perfectly eligible to take over since the vacancy opened up.
In November Member Mechanical Aloke Johri will retire followed by Chairman Railway Board Arunendra Kumar. January will see Member Traffice DP Pande superannuate.
Problem with the Railways right now is that it is finding it difficult to fill Member-level vacancies because its rules of making General Managers are under the scanner of the PMO. The PMO returned its latest proposal of GM empanelment at least thrice with queries, replies to which have not been satisfactory to the PMO.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... bYutB.dpuf

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 30 Oct 2014 13:28

First high speed train on Delhi-Agra section on Nov 10

http://www.rediff.com/business/report/p ... 141030.htm

The first high-speed train between Delhi and Agra with a speed of 160 km per hour is expected to run on November 10.

The Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory is all set to roll out the first rake of fourteen coaches of the train.

Rail Coach Factory (RCF) has manufactured four coaches of the high speed train so far and the work is going on war footing to complete work on the remaining ten coaches by November 10, RCF General Manager Pramod Kumar said.

RCF engineers in consultations with RDSO (Research Development and Standard Organisation) had made some changes in these coaches in designing of coupler system for smoother ride than Shatabdi and Rajdhani coaches, installation of smoke and fire detection system and automatic sliding of inner doors besides Passengers information system.

The approximate cost of one high speed coach would be between Rs 2.25-2.50 crore (Rs 225-250 million).

The high speed coaches manufactured in RCF for Shatabdi and Rajdhani express trains are capable of running at the optimum speed of 160 kilometres per hour, Pramod Kumar said.

Pramod Kumar said railways has selected ten routes on which high speed trains would run as announced by railway minister in his budget speech.

Initially speed of these trains would be 160 kilometre on select rail routes and gradually it would be enhanced up to 200 kilometer after upgrading the signalling system, barricading the area, he said.

The railway board and officials of railway department had already conducted a trial on these coaches on Delhi-Agra section at a speed of 160 kilometer and covered the 200 kilometer distance in 99 minutes a few days ago, a railway official said.

The RCF has also started working on the high speed coaches capable of running at a speed of 200 kilometre per hour by making some changes like automatic outer doors, changes in braking system with the provision of electro-pneumatic brakes, noise reduction with better sound insulation, provision of TV set on the back of every seat in the executive chair cars and Wi-Fi system besides improved vestibules, the GM said.

He said that high speed trains capable of running at 200 kilometre per hour would be rolled out by June next year.

They'll need to upgrade tracks on these sections to allow for 200kmph trains. Doesn't say so if it has started..

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 30 Oct 2014 20:25

Not bad. Less than 6 months after announcement.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Oct 2014 10:59

MG tracks in southern assam are now halted to all traffic for 6 months of intensive work to finish the BG conversion. hence rice shipments from AP were sent via bangladesh port and will continue to be.

here is a HD video of guwahati to jorhat(7 hrs) by jan shatabdi express. the season is winter and crops are harvested hence the rice fields are yellow and dry. in summer it would be a vivid green. but there is a good video assamese villages with small clusters of homes, and a lot of banana, betel nut and coconut trees along with bamboo. the areas near the track would all be ponds during rains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5NGs1kyuY

from 6:10 onward in his video of delhi->guwahati rajdhani it crosses alipurduar and you see what I talked about briefly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAy33klNUJw

vsunder · Post by **vsunder** » 01 Nov 2014 21:20

Singha wrote:MG tracks in southern assam are now halted to all traffic for 6 months of intensive work to finish the BG conversion. hence rice shipments from AP were sent via bangladesh port and will continue to be.

here is a HD video of guwahati to jorhat(7 hrs) by jan shatabdi express. the season is winter and crops are harvested hence the rice fields are yellow and dry. in summer it would be a vivid green. but there is a good video assamese villages with small clusters of homes, and a lot of banana, betel nut and coconut trees along with bamboo. the areas near the track would all be ponds during rains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5NGs1kyuY

from 6:10 onward in his video of delhi->guwahati rajdhani it crosses alipurduar and you see what I talked about briefly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAy33klNUJw

It is for exactly this reason foodgrain stocks were being built up in Assam, because the Haflong line is shut down for re-gauging for 6 months. Some people on BRF thought it was for some war preparation. Also GoI has explored the movement of foodgrains through BD. On another note, a documentary on the last run of steam loco through the Aravallis, enjoy the sadhu baba says 1-2-3 All India Free.(Ticketless travel is a social evil and other posters come to mind)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIpekofg6ug

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Nov 2014 15:13

10,000t tons of andhra rice has already been shipped through a BD port. more will follow.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 14 Nov 2014 02:47

found this update on other site
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... 85884.aspx
hope this really happens!

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 14 Nov 2014 18:10

IR gets 100% FDI in 17 key Areas

17 key areas of Indian Railways where 100% FDI will be allowed

1. Installation and maintenance of Bio-toilets in passenger coaches
2. Technological solutions for manned and unmanned level crossings (Construction and maintenance of ROB/RUB /Limited Height Subway)
3. Technological solutions to improve safety and reduce accidents (Installation and maintenance of Asset failure detection systems (Track/ OHE/ Rolling Stock/Signaling etc.)
4. High Speed Train Projects: Projects involving those trains which will run above 250 Km/hr speed; and will have no connection or link with any existing railway line or route. The designer will have complete freedom to exercise his creativity and ideas; Government will also chip in with resources and money.)
5. Mechanized laundry (land will be leased by Ministry of Railways at Re 1 / annum)
6. Producing non-conventional energy from sources such as solar, tidal, wind etc with open market tender being offered.
7. Rolling stock procurement
8. Concessioning of standalone passenger corridors (branch lines, hill railways etc). (renovation of these lines, optimizing them for better commercial usage)
9. Testing facilities and world class laboratories for experimenting new technology
10. Setting up Railway Technical Training Institutes
11. Construction of world class passenger terminals and renovation/maintenance of existing stations
12. Creation of Freight terminals/ Logistics Parks in strategically important locations
13. Signaling system – Construction of new facilities to develop advanced systems and renovating/maintaining existing systems
14. Railway Electrification
15. Rolling stock including train sets and locomotives or coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities.
16. Dedicated freight lines on a Joint Venture and/or PPP model, with clear revenue sharing guidelines (Private Trains on certain lines will also be allowed from now on..)
17. Suburban corridor projects through PPP: All new suburban corridor projects are permissible when launched through PPP route by MoR. The developer can construct, maintain and operate the corridor within the concession period.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Nov 2014 19:33

don't they have to change the tracks for high speed rail? It must no?

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 02 Dec 2014 01:21

Train to Meghalaya

http://www.firstpost.com/india/finally- ... 28119.html

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 03 Dec 2014 18:45

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/cult ... lways.html

India's Disappearing Railways: A Photographic Journey by Angus McDonald (Author)

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Goodman Fiell (6 Nov 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1783130113
ISBN-13: 978-1783130115

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 04 Dec 2014 22:54

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 12 Dec 2014 03:57

A question for the technical gurus here.

What if they build a gauge track of 3 meters and a 5 meter wide and double decker train for Mumbai. Would that not increase the capacity .and solve the transportation problem of Mumbai. Limit the private cars to 100K and use the free space to run decent buses.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 12 Dec 2014 10:50

A broader the gauge lesser the turning angle, 2 building such wide train may not be economically viable. Many mumbaikars having grown on public transport are now want the pleasure of a car. While traffic may be a pain we can ban public cars, may be charge a extra congestin charge on top of road tax.

Baldev · Post by **Baldev** » 12 Dec 2014 11:17

has somebody seen new high speed bogies on engines in link below
http://www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/w ... 00.21_.pdf

arun · Post by **arun** » 13 Dec 2014 14:04

World Bank to lend USD 1.1 billion for the Kanpur - Mughal Sarai section of the eastern railway freight corridor.

Agreement is second after loan of USD 975 million for 343km Khurja - Kanpur section of project approved by World Bank in 2011 :

The project will help increase the capacity of these freight-only lines by raising the axle-load limit from 22.9 to 25 tonnes and enable speeds of up to 100km per hour. ....................

The agreement is the second after the first loan of $975 million for the 343km Khurja-Kanpur section for a project that was approved by the World Bank in May 2011. ..................

The eastern freight corridor is 1,839km long and extends from Ludhiana to Kolkata. India is building two freight corridors, in the east and the west, which will help the country increase its railway transportation capacity by building higher-speed dedicated freight corridors. ................................

“We are determined to adhere to the scheduled completion target of eastern corridor by December 2019. 90% of land acquisition for Kanpur-Mughal Sarai section, for which the loan agreement is being signed today, has been completed, and the contract for civil works will also be finalized by January. With the finalization of these contracts, the work will be progressing in two-thirds of the total length of eastern corridor,” Adesh Sharma, managing director of DFCCIL, said in the statement.

From here:

Live Mint

Shanmukh · Post by **Shanmukh** » 15 Dec 2014 06:13

Railway fares may be hiked early next year.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/railway-fare ... 045-3.html

I have a question-why are we still having the railway budget and general budget separately? It's not like railway budget is such a big part of the budget as it was in the 80s.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 26 Dec 2014 04:38

all weather system needs to be on the trains. trains should get radars, and optical devices as an offshoot of drdo products and services. we can't be just idle here. fogs can be overcome.

Saral · Post by **Saral** » 28 Dec 2014 18:51

http://swarajyamag.com/tag/columns-parallel-tracks/ is an ongoing series on Railways by Bibek Debroy.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 02 Jan 2015 03:29

India should go boldly in future.
Elon Musk To Unveil 'Hyperloop' 4000MPH Mega Train

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07 ... 03243.html

he Hyperloop was described by Musk earlier this year as "a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table", and would be both relatively low energy and safe, since the system would be totally self-contained.While such a system would be beautiful to behold - and capable of sending passengers to LA from New York in 45 minutes - it would also be hugely expensive.But Musk points out that given the extravagant cost of California's already-underway $70 billion 'high speed' rail system - which will be the slowest on the planet when finished - the US can afford to think more creatively about its transport problems."What you want is something that never crashes, that's at least twice as fast as a plane, that's solar powered and that leaves right when you arrive, so there is no waiting for a specific departure time," he said previously when asked about the system.At least one company is already working on a similar idea, and so it's unclear where Musk fits into the scheme. But he now says that he will publish his designs on August 12, as an 'open source' resource to anyone who wants to get involved

member_28939 · Post by **member_28939** » 03 Jan 2015 15:51

अच्छे दिन फुर्र, फिर महंगी होगी रेल यात्रा!

नई दिल्ली। अच्छे दिन का दंभ भरने वाली केंद्र सरकार एक बार फिर रेल किराया बढ़ा सकती है। रेलवे के वर्तमान हालात सुधारने के लिए डीके मित्तल समिति की रिपोर्ट में पैसेंजर/एक्सप्रेस ट्रेनों के किराए में अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से बढ़ाने की सिफारिश कर दी है। समिति ने इन ट्रेनों में टिकट की न्यूनतम दूरी बढ़ाने का सुझाव दिया है। रेल बजट में रिपोर्ट का असर दिख सकता है।
See more at: http://www.patrika.com/news/railway-pas ... ed/1067583

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 03 Jan 2015 16:02

@sunilsaini

* all posts in hindi or other vernacular languages HAVE to be accompanied with an english translation
* dont use BRF as a link dumping ground for your news website. doing so would attract warnings and eventual ban.

all your posts till now have been links to patrika. if you have no interest in participating in discussions please find somewhere else to spam.

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 03 Jan 2015 19:23

Swarajya mag has a series on railways and the challenges involved in improving it, written by Bibek Debroy. Must be usual stuff for Gurus here but I found it very helpful:

http://swarajyamag.com/tag/columns-parallel-tracks/

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 03 Jan 2015 20:54

thanks. very informative.

SanjayC · Post by **SanjayC** » 03 Jan 2015 21:04

Rahul M wrote:@sunilsaini

* all posts in hindi or other vernacular languages HAVE to be accompanied with an english translation
* dont use BRF as a link dumping ground for your news website. doing so would attract warnings and eventual ban.

all your posts till now have been links to patrika. if you have no interest in participating in discussions please find somewhere else to spam.

OT:
Your points are well justified, but one small clarification (since I work in the PR industry) -- Patrika is a huge media house that publishes Hindi newspapers with very large circulation (especially Rajasthan Patrika) in states like Rajasthan and MP. It is as influential in these states as Times of India is in Delhi. It is not the poster's news website.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 03 Jan 2015 22:25

it is, in the sense that he works for it. let's leave it at that.

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 14 Jan 2015 13:24

How ManMohan Singh killed SkyBus Project in India

The Sky Bus as a mode of transport in South Asian countries had so impressed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, then prime minister of Malaysia, that he offered Rs.2,000 crore (over $322 million) as an outright grant to finance the project in Hyderabad.

Unfortunately, then prime minister Manmohan Singh, to whom Badawi had made the offer in a letter dated Sep 18, 2006, did not respond, paving the way for the promising project's gradual demise, B. Rajaram, former managing director of Konkan Railway, told IANS from Herendon in the US.

Badawi had also mentioned his choice of Hyderabad because of its long association with Rajaram, who had designed and developed the Sky Bus, regarded as one of the most iconic symbols of Indian engineering skills.

Significantly, then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had allocated Rs.500 crore for the Sky Bus project in Goa, on the basis of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's recommendation as his principal scientific advisor, to support "the initiative to redefine metro technology".

"Kalam and fellow scientists of the likes of Anil Kakodkar and P. Ramarao, examined me, before being convinced of the Sky Bus' utility and viability on scientific grounds," said Rajaram.
.....
....

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 14 Jan 2015 23:38

If I remember correctly Sky Bus trial in Goa had met with accident and thereafter the idea was scrapped. Rajaram was promoting it and seemed a viable model at that time. Should have been followed up with more grants to the project.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 15 Jan 2015 08:57

Jhujar wrote:India should go boldly in future.
Elon Musk To Unveil 'Hyperloop' 4000MPH Mega Train

perhaps only a breaper class can afford a tesla.. and you are talking about this elon-gated dream for lalloo class travellers

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 31 Jan 2015 20:22

Railways chugs down memory lane
Its now 150 years since the trains chugged into Bengaluru. This exhibition is a worth a visit, at least for the rail fans. Lots of old photographs, focusing on the steam era.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2015 15:24

san francisco has actually broken ground in Dec on a HSR to LA. it will go via the central valley ie I guess parallel to I-5.

the scheduled completion date if funded properly is 2033 I think!

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 03 Feb 2015 01:13

http://articles.economictimes.indiatime ... ay-coaches Railways plans to rope-in NID for improving designs of coaches

--

they should not design carry on bins at 180* flat to surface.. an angle of about 15* can help in reducing accidents while on the move.. especially check the huge 29er luggage here.. sure to kill that sleeping guy:

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 20 Feb 2015 14:29

PM Modi flags off Arunachal-Delhi train

ITANAGAR: Prime Mninister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar on Friday to participate in the state's 29th foundation day has flagged off the first ever express train from Naharlagun to New Delhi.

"PM @narendramodi dedicates line to the Nation! Flags off the AC express train from Naharlagun to New Delhi in presence of MR @sureshpprabhu," the PMO said in its Twitter handle.

"AC express train — an "anmol nazrana" for the state of Arunachal Pradesh on the occasion of its birthday," said Modi.

He also expressed pride in the rail connectivity from Naharlagun to New Delhi and to Guwahati.

Modi said, "I am glad to come here on the occasion of your statehood day. The Governor and the CM came and told me to come. The affection of this state is such that I had to come."

"A big impediment in the Northeast's development is connectivity be it rail, roads, air. The more connectivity increases, better it is. With the rail connectivity I am sure the tourism will increase, people will see the beauty of this land," the prime minister said.
READ ALSO: PM announces Rs 28,000 crore for new rail projects in northeast
"Rail network is the backbone of development. Railways will emerge as a strength for Arunachal Pradesh's development," he said.

READ ALSO: Modi dreams big for northeast, calls it the new gateway to Asia

Modi also said that the railway network will bring prosperity to the hill state.

READ ALSO: Silent on insurgency, Narendra Modi woos Nagaland

"Today the state is getting both 'Gati' and 'Urja'. Both are essential for progress. Indian Railways network will bring prosperity to the state of Arunachal Pradesh," he said.

Modi is accompanied by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu, minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha and minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju.

PM announces Rs 28,000 crore for new rail projects in northeast
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 331691.cms

NEW DELHI/ KOHIMA: Focusing on improving connectivity to the northeast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Centre would provide Rs 28,000 crore for laying new railway lines in the region and develop the "untapped" tourism potential of the area.

The Prime Minister also said that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 5000 crore to provide 2G mobile coverage in this area for comprehensive telecom development plan of the northeast region.

"So many tourists are coming here from other parts of the country and abroad. This is the best destination for tourists. But for that we require connectivity. Unless we have road connectivity, rail connectivity, air connectivity, it is very difficult to develop tourism.

"That is why for the development of this area and for the development of tourism, Rs 28,000 crore will be provided for a new railway-line project and 14 new railway lines", he said inaugurating Nagaland's biggest annual Hornbill festival here.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 26 Feb 2015 02:15

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 26 Feb 2015 02:15

Any news on Railway Budget 2015?

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 26 Feb 2015 10:02

Govt to embark on rail investment splurge thanks to cheap oil

The decrepit state-run train services stand to receive at least a 25% boost in investment to over $9 billion, funded solely by falling fuel costs, according to officials familiar with a railway budget set to be unveiled on Thursday.

The world's fourth largest rail network could get even more if Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes it a priority, as China did during its rapid economic growth over the past two decades.

There are high hopes that his nine-month-old government will plough money into investment in infrastructure needed to haul the economy out of a rut when it presents its first annual federal budget on Saturday.

The separate rail budget - a relic of the country's British colonial past - could show how far Modi's India is prepared to drive investment in a vital transport sector.

"The fall in diesel prices and a pick-up in freight earnings have given us a golden chance to raise investments," said one government official.

Falling oil prices have saved billions of dollars in subsidy spending across the economy, but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is under pressure to prevent the fiscal deficit from busting a target of 3.6% of gross domestic product.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, according to the officials, has factored in savings from cheaper diesel totalling between Rs 12,000-15,000 crore ($1.9 billion-$2.4 billion) in the 2015-16 fiscal year, starting on April 1.

But, he has also asked the finance ministry for an extra Rs 20,000 crore ($3.2 billion) to invest in track and rolling stock upgrades for a network used by some 25 million passenger each day.

He is unlikely to get that much, though one official with knowledge of the budget discussions expected a significant increase in federal funding for the railways.

In 2014-15, Rs 45,450 crore ($7.30 billion) was budgeted for investment in the railway - with the government providing 66% and the rest coming from internal resources.

suvod · Post by **suvod** » 26 Feb 2015 10:30

Indian Railways is the perfect case study for how to waste a resource / enterprise through mis-management. Today, in a short while from now, the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will present the budget. I'm primarily looking for the following from the budget:

1. Plan / Mechanism to revive the freight traffic and resultant revenue. I expect this govt. to finally shift the focus from passenger traffic to freight.
2. Use the increased revenue from freight to invest in safety & security. And have time-bound implementation plans for the same.
3. No new trains. If there is money, invest in track modernization. Invest in new coaches that are safer and offer better comfort.
4. Engage the "Swachh Bharat" campaign in the trains as well as stations. This is one area which is completely under central control.

Bibek Debroy has published a series of notes on the sate of Railways and what can be done in a monthly column in the Swarajya Mag. Very informative and incisive as always. Posting the link to the first in the series: <http://swarajyamag.com/columns/railways ... etition-i/>

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 26 Feb 2015 12:54

suvod, so far, all of these have been announced by the Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu:
* No emphasis made on new trains
* Focus on electrification, double and triple tracking
* Freight revenues focus: Freight rates hiked by 0.8% for iron & steel; 2.7% for cement, 10% for urea, 6.3% for coal
* Swachh Bharat program expanded to IR

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 26 Feb 2015 13:17

In my opinion it's a reformist budget, though one may argue that no hike in fares was meant to serve as a sop.