UK rail passengers face another day of disruption and only 20% of rail services ran on Thursday. As per reports, train services are paralysed again as cost of living crisis & inflation cause another rail strike.

UK: Railway unions stage fresh strikes; train services paralysed again

Anbazhagan (67) a retired employee of the Indian Railways is now a social media star owing to his rapid-fire way of issuing tickets to passengers. His viral video shows Anbazhagan operating an Automative Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) in southern Indian city of Chennai. &nbsp;The senior citizen's deftness is handing out as many as 4 tickets in 10 seconds has taken netizens by surprise.&nbsp;

Anbazhgan worked for the railways for 33 years. He took up the job of ATVM facilitator after his retirement. This post is only allocated to retired railway personnel. Anbazhgan works mainly at Egmore station in Chennai. He has been working since 2015.

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Nice gesture by <a href="https://twitter.com/DrmChennai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrmChennai</a> , to have identified &amp;appreciated Mr. Anbazhagan, aged 67, a Retd staff, serving as an Auto Ticket Vending Machine Facilitator at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chennai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chennai</a> Egmore station 
 
Gentleman doesn't even realize how viral he's become. He can give out 4 tickets in 10seconds <a href="https://t.co/TAyj2vX12o">https://t.co/TAyj2vX12o</a> <a href="https://t.co/rkmTogCBrd">pic.twitter.com/rkmTogCBrd</a>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1544694018642432000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
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While the ATVM kiosks at railway stations are meant to be operated by passengers themselves (those with railway prepaid cards) themselves, facilitators often operate the kiosks and hand out the tickets.&nbsp;

"I have a prepaid card and every time a passenger asks for a ticket and tenders the exact change, I swipe the card, select the destination on the screen and handover the ticket" Anbazhagan told WION.&nbsp;

When asked how he manages to do the job with such speed and perfection, he said, "There are dozens of destinations to select on my selection screen, but I don't take that trouble. The ticket costs either Rs.5/10/15, so I select the last destination that one can travel to for that particular amount. Thereby, instead of selecting from dozens of locations, I only have to select from 3-4 stations on my screen".&nbsp;

Anbazhagan adds that he prefers to do his work while standing, as that makes it easier to carry out the task in a fast and comfortable manner.&nbsp;

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Operating the ATVM kiosk during morning and evening peak hours, Anbazhagan manages to sell close to 1000 tickets every day, all of it in his inimitable style. A video of him at work having gone viral, has also prompted the Indian Railway authorities to felicitate and appreciate his services. The divisional railway manager of Chennai, identified him and awarded him a certificate of appreciation.

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Anbazhagan (67) a retired employee of the Indian Railways is now a social media star owing to his rapid-fire way of issuing tickets to passengers. His viral video shows Anbazhagan operating an Automative Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) in southern Indian city of Chennai.

Anbazhagan (67) a retired employee of the Indian Railways is now a social media star owing to his rapid-fire way of issuing tickets to passengers. His viral video shows Anbazhagan operating an Automative Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) in southern Indian city of Chennai. The senior citizen's deftness is handing out as many as 4 tickets in 10 seconds has taken netizens by surprise. Anbazhgan worked for the railways for 33 years. He took up the job of ATVM facilitator after his retirement. This post is only allocated to retired railway personnel. Anbazhgan works mainly at Egmore station in Chennai. He has been working since 2015. Nice gesture by @DrmChennai , to have identified &appreciated Mr. Anbazhagan, aged 67, a Retd staff, serving as an Auto Ticket Vending Machine Facilitator at #Chennai Egmore station Gentleman doesn't even realize how viral he's become. He can give out 4 tickets in 10seconds https://t.co/TAyj2vX12o pic.twitter.com/rkmTogCBrd — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) July 6, 2022 × While the ATVM kiosks at railway stations are meant to be operated by passengers themselves (those with railway prepaid cards) themselves, facilitators often operate the kiosks and hand out the tickets. "I have a prepaid card and every time a passenger asks for a ticket and tenders the exact change, I swipe the card, select the destination on the screen and handover the ticket" Anbazhagan told WION. When asked how he manages to do the job with such speed and perfection, he said, "There are dozens of destinations to select on my selection screen, but I don't take that trouble. The ticket costs either Rs.5/10/15, so I select the last destination that one can travel to for that particular amount. Thereby, instead of selecting from dozens of locations, I only have to select from 3-4 stations on my screen". Anbazhagan adds that he prefers to do his work while standing, as that makes it easier to carry out the task in a fast and comfortable manner. Operating the ATVM kiosk during morning and evening peak hours, Anbazhagan manages to sell close to 1000 tickets every day, all of it in his inimitable style. A video of him at work having gone viral, has also prompted the Indian Railway authorities to felicitate and appreciate his services. The divisional railway manager of Chennai, identified him and awarded him a certificate of appreciation. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

India: Viral video shows railway employee churning out 4 tickets in 10 seconds

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Deserted stations and long queues as UK hit by biggest rail strike in over 30 years - see pics

Thai railway market back on track post-pandemic - see pics

Optimus Prime? Nope, just a giant robot doing railway repair in Japan

The railways has notified the Indian Railway Management System (IRMS) which will unify the eight existing services of the national transporter. A gazette notification for the same was issued by the ministry on February 9.

The reform proposed during the tenure of Piyush Goyal as railway minister created a lot of heartburn among certain sections of officers. The railways had clarified that the seniority of officers will not be affected.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-coast-guard-inducts-made-in-india-choppers-for-maritime-security-of-west-coast-452113">Indian Coast Guard inducts made-in-India choppers for maritime security of west coast</a>

It said that 27 posts of GMs have been upgraded to apex grade. It will be ensured that eligible officers of all the erstwhile services get the apex grade post of GM. In the approved cabinet note, it has been mentioned that only the officers of IRMS will be eligible to become the functional members and chairman/CEO of the railway board.

Watch | India completes world's highest rail bridge arch

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There will likely be an option for employees to opt out of IRMS.

"In pursuance of Cabinet's decision dated 24.12.2019, there shall be creation of a new Group 'A' Central service called Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)," the notification stated.

The railways has notified the Indian Railway Management System (IRMS) which will unify the eight existing services of the national transporter. A gazette notification for the same was issued by the ministry on February 9.

The railways has notified the Indian Railway Management System (IRMS) which will unify the eight existing services of the national transporter. A gazette notification for the same was issued by the ministry on February 9. The reform proposed during the tenure of Piyush Goyal as railway minister created a lot of heartburn among certain sections of officers. The railways had clarified that the seniority of officers will not be affected. Also read | Indian Coast Guard inducts made-in-India choppers for maritime security of west coast It said that 27 posts of GMs have been upgraded to apex grade. It will be ensured that eligible officers of all the erstwhile services get the apex grade post of GM. In the approved cabinet note, it has been mentioned that only the officers of IRMS will be eligible to become the functional members and chairman/CEO of the railway board. Watch | India completes world's highest rail bridge arch There will likely be an option for employees to opt out of IRMS. "In pursuance of Cabinet's decision dated 24.12.2019, there shall be creation of a new Group 'A' Central service called Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)," the notification stated.

Indian Railway Ministry announces IRMS, bringing together eight existing services of the railways

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the railway ministry to look for alternatives to China for financing two railway projects.

Bangladesh looks for fresh funds as China pulls out of two railway projects

In a bizarre incident, a driver and his assistant in Pakistan have been suspended for stopping the train to buy yogurt near a railway station in Lahore, a media report said on Wednesday. &nbsp;

A video, which showed the driver halting the train near Kahna Kacha railway station to buy yogurt, went viral on social media. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/in-pak-pm-imran-khan-led-govts-tenure-rupee-fell-by-305-says-report-434805" hreflang="en">In Pak PM Imran Khan-led govt's tenure, rupee fell by 30.5%, says report</a>

The clip attracted immense criticism for the railways department. Acting on the issue, Pakistan's Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati suspended the driver and his assistant on Tuesday, a report by the Dawn newspaper said. &nbsp;

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Inter-city train driver in Lahore gets suspended after making unscheduled stop to pick up some yoghurt.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pakistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pakistan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Railway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Railway</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ViralVideo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ViralVideo</a> <a href="https://t.co/n6csvNXksQ">pic.twitter.com/n6csvNXksQ</a>
— Naila Tanveer🦋 (@nailatanveer) <a href="https://twitter.com/nailatanveer/status/1468511482598105089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The railways department has been in doldrums for some time due to issues like passenger safety, accidents and declining revenue. &nbsp;

Pakistan Railways’ Lahore administration was ordered by the minister to suspend driver Rana Mohammad Shehzad and his assistant Iftikhar Hussain, it said. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/four-women-assaulted-paraded-naked-and-filmed-in-pakistan-over-theft-suspicion-435021" hreflang="en">4 women assaulted, paraded naked and filmed in Pakistan over theft suspicion</a>

In a statement, the minister warned, "I will not tolerate such events in the future and allow anyone to use national assets for personal use." &nbsp;

“When you stop a train in the middle (of the tracks) it becomes a safety issue. Safety is our priority. We cannot tolerate anything, which compromises safety,” Syed Ijaz ul-Hassan Shah, spokesman, railway ministry told AFP on Wednesday. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a bizarre incident, a driver and his assistant in Pakistan have been suspended for stopping the train to buy yogurt near a railway station in Lahore, a media report said on Wednesday.

In a bizarre incident, a driver and his assistant in Pakistan have been suspended for stopping the train to buy yogurt near a railway station in Lahore, a media report said on Wednesday. A video, which showed the driver halting the train near Kahna Kacha railway station to buy yogurt, went viral on social media. Also Read: In Pak PM Imran Khan-led govt's tenure, rupee fell by 30.5%, says report The clip attracted immense criticism for the railways department. Acting on the issue, Pakistan's Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati suspended the driver and his assistant on Tuesday, a report by the Dawn newspaper said. Inter-city train driver in Lahore gets suspended after making unscheduled stop to pick up some yoghurt.#pakistan #Railway #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/n6csvNXksQ — Naila Tanveer🦋 (@nailatanveer) December 8, 2021 × The railways department has been in doldrums for some time due to issues like passenger safety, accidents and declining revenue. Pakistan Railways’ Lahore administration was ordered by the minister to suspend driver Rana Mohammad Shehzad and his assistant Iftikhar Hussain, it said. Also Read: 4 women assaulted, paraded naked and filmed in Pakistan over theft suspicion In a statement, the minister warned, "I will not tolerate such events in the future and allow anyone to use national assets for personal use." “When you stop a train in the middle (of the tracks) it becomes a safety issue. Safety is our priority. We cannot tolerate anything, which compromises safety,” Syed Ijaz ul-Hassan Shah, spokesman, railway ministry told AFP on Wednesday. (With inputs from agencies)

To buy yogurt, Pak driver, assistant halt train near railway station, get suspended  

In Pics: The most scenic, amazing rail journeys from around the world

Indian Railways, along with Indian government, has been running special Shramik trains for migrant labours who were stuck away from their hometowns during the lockdown.

Indian Railways has also started inter-state trains. However, reports have been emerging about how there aren't enough resources on-board for passengers of long journey.

In such a report, it has been revealed that at least seven deaths have been reported on-board the Shramik special trains. This claim by officials has raised multiple questions about how Indian Railways is handling the non-AC migrant trains.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/meet-lockdown-yadav-a-newborn-that-epitomises-the-coronavirus-pandemic-300784">Also read: Meet Lockdown Yadav, a newborn that epitomises the coronavirus pandemic</a>

The officials, however, also added that most of the deceased had pre-existing health conditions.

Out of these seven, four were travelling to Bihar and three to Uttar Pradesh. All these deaths have been reported in the past few days.

The issue was raised after a video was spotted where a toddler was trying to wake up the mother, without realizing that she has died. The 25-year-old lost her life on Bihar's Muzaffarpur, and Railways claimed that the lady had recently undergone a heart surgery.

Another death of a four-year-old was reported in Bihar as the father was seen hunting for milk around the station. This raised questions about the poor resources being provided by Indian Railways.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/uttar-pradesh-chief-minister-yogi-adityanath-gives-up-on-permission-issue-for-migrants-301248">Also read:&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath gives up on permission issue for migrants</a>

While a lot of passengers have claimed and criticised that Indian Railways has not been providing enough food and water on the trains or the stations and the trains are taking longer and undecided routes to reach the destination, the Railways has, however, maintained that these trains are running on "pre-scheduled rationalised routes".

Some trains which should have taken 24 hours to reach to their destinations, arrived in over two days, according to reports, leaving the passengers on-board hungry and desperate.

"A Few deaths have been reported in Shramik special trains. In most of these cases, it is discovered that those who died are old sick people and chronic disease patients, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment and could come back only after the Railways started these Shramik Special trains," said a spokesperson for the Railways.

He also said that 78,11,575 meals and 11,07,7,830 water bottles were given to migrant workers on board these trains till May 26.

However, many passengers have complained to media that they were starving on-board due to longer than anticipated run time of these trains.

The passengers also claimed that no food and water packages are being provided by the authorities of the origin station, as it was broadcasted by the Railways that the originating state has to provide food and water to the migrant workers before the start of the journey.

Although, the Railways had instructed the General Managers of each zone to spend up to Rs 1 lakh on each Shramik Special train to arrange meals for the workers, questions are being raised on whether or not this fund is being used in the right manner.

A senior official told media that due to the social-distancing norms, food and water is placed at the gate of the coaches, they are not distributed by anyone on-board and the workers are expected to share it among themselves. In case of any complaints, the meals are provided again at the next station where it is available.

However, videos have surfaced on the internet where migrant workers onboard the train can be seen fighting for food and water packages. The workers have claimed that the quantity provided is very less and that results in passengers fighting to get their hands first on the resources.

Indian Railways, along with Indian government, has been running special Shramik trains for migrant labours who were stuck away from their hometowns during the lockdown.

Indian Railways, along with Indian government, has been running special Shramik trains for migrant labours who were stuck away from their hometowns during the lockdown. Indian Railways has also started inter-state trains. However, reports have been emerging about how there aren't enough resources on-board for passengers of long journey. In such a report, it has been revealed that at least seven deaths have been reported on-board the Shramik special trains. This claim by officials has raised multiple questions about how Indian Railways is handling the non-AC migrant trains. Also read: Meet Lockdown Yadav, a newborn that epitomises the coronavirus pandemic The officials, however, also added that most of the deceased had pre-existing health conditions. Out of these seven, four were travelling to Bihar and three to Uttar Pradesh. All these deaths have been reported in the past few days. The issue was raised after a video was spotted where a toddler was trying to wake up the mother, without realizing that she has died. The 25-year-old lost her life on Bihar's Muzaffarpur, and Railways claimed that the lady had recently undergone a heart surgery. Another death of a four-year-old was reported in Bihar as the father was seen hunting for milk around the station. This raised questions about the poor resources being provided by Indian Railways. Also read: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath gives up on permission issue for migrants While a lot of passengers have claimed and criticised that Indian Railways has not been providing enough food and water on the trains or the stations and the trains are taking longer and undecided routes to reach the destination, the Railways has, however, maintained that these trains are running on "pre-scheduled rationalised routes". Some trains which should have taken 24 hours to reach to their destinations, arrived in over two days, according to reports, leaving the passengers on-board hungry and desperate. "A Few deaths have been reported in Shramik special trains. In most of these cases, it is discovered that those who died are old sick people and chronic disease patients, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment and could come back only after the Railways started these Shramik Special trains," said a spokesperson for the Railways. He also said that 78,11,575 meals and 11,07,7,830 water bottles were given to migrant workers on board these trains till May 26. However, many passengers have complained to media that they were starving on-board due to longer than anticipated run time of these trains. The passengers also claimed that no food and water packages are being provided by the authorities of the origin station, as it was broadcasted by the Railways that the originating state has to provide food and water to the migrant workers before the start of the journey. Although, the Railways had instructed the General Managers of each zone to spend up to Rs 1 lakh on each Shramik Special train to arrange meals for the workers, questions are being raised on whether or not this fund is being used in the right manner. A senior official told media that due to the social-distancing norms, food and water is placed at the gate of the coaches, they are not distributed by anyone on-board and the workers are expected to share it among themselves. In case of any complaints, the meals are provided again at the next station where it is available. However, videos have surfaced on the internet where migrant workers onboard the train can be seen fighting for food and water packages. The workers have claimed that the quantity provided is very less and that results in passengers fighting to get their hands first on the resources.

COVID 19: Atleast 7 passengers died on-board Shramik special train

Indian Railways has announced its plans to resume passenger trains from May 12. The announcement was made on&nbsp;Sunday through a statement.

The Railways plans to initially start with 15 pairs of special trains (30 return trains).

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Railways plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from 12th May, 2020, initially with 15 pairs of special trains connecting New Delhi with major stations across India. Booking in these trains will start at 4 pm on 11th May.<a href="https://t.co/DW9I1sPRx6">https://t.co/DW9I1sPRx6</a>
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1259499986309406721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The bookings can only be made online through the official website of Indian Railways (IRCTC):&nbsp;(https://www.irctc.co.in/) . Passengers will be able to book tickets online from 4pm on May 11, i.e. on Monday.

"Ticket booking counters at the railway stations shall remain closed and no counter &nbsp;tickets (including platform tickets) shall be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations. &nbsp;It will be mandatory for the passengers to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train. Further details including train schedule will be issued separately in due course,"&nbsp;read the statement.

The trains will connect New Delhi with Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.&nbsp;

The passengers&nbsp;will have to undergo screening before departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train. Wearing mask and following rules of social distancing will be compulsory at all times.

Details about train schedules will be announced soon.

More trains will be resumed after observing the movement and response of these 15 trains.

However, the ministry will reserve 20,000 coaches for COVID-19 care centres and will also make sure that adequate number of coaches are reserved for the&nbsp;operation migrant workers through&nbsp;300 trains every day as “Shramik Special” .

A day before lockdown 2.0 ended, Indian Railways was criticised for not issuing a proper statement and therefore creating confusion among the travellers as&nbsp;stranded migrant workers had flocked to the railway station to catch the first train to their hometowns. The chaos caused during that time had forced the railway ministry to urge the people who not come to the stations to book or board trains.

The announcement of resuming online bookings comes a week before lockdown 3.0 is coming to an end.&nbsp;

Indian Railways has announced its plans to resume passenger trains from May 12. The announcement was made on Sunday through a statement. The Railways plans to initially start with 15 pairs of special trains (30 return trains).

Indian Railways has announced its plans to resume passenger trains from May 12. The announcement was made on Sunday through a statement. The Railways plans to initially start with 15 pairs of special trains (30 return trains). Railways plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from 12th May, 2020, initially with 15 pairs of special trains connecting New Delhi with major stations across India. Booking in these trains will start at 4 pm on 11th May.https://t.co/DW9I1sPRx6 — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 10, 2020 × The bookings can only be made online through the official website of Indian Railways (IRCTC): (https://www.irctc.co.in/) . Passengers will be able to book tickets online from 4pm on May 11, i.e. on Monday. "Ticket booking counters at the railway stations shall remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) shall be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations. It will be mandatory for the passengers to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train. Further details including train schedule will be issued separately in due course," read the statement. The trains will connect New Delhi with Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi. The passengers will have to undergo screening before departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train. Wearing mask and following rules of social distancing will be compulsory at all times. Details about train schedules will be announced soon. More trains will be resumed after observing the movement and response of these 15 trains. However, the ministry will reserve 20,000 coaches for COVID-19 care centres and will also make sure that adequate number of coaches are reserved for the operation migrant workers through 300 trains every day as “Shramik Special” . A day before lockdown 2.0 ended, Indian Railways was criticised for not issuing a proper statement and therefore creating confusion among the travellers as stranded migrant workers had flocked to the railway station to catch the first train to their hometowns. The chaos caused during that time had forced the railway ministry to urge the people who not come to the stations to book or board trains. The announcement of resuming online bookings comes a week before lockdown 3.0 is coming to an end.

Railways to gradually start passenger trains from May 12; online bookings open on Monday

After the government announced a limited re-opening of its giant rail network beginning on Tuesday after a nearly seven-week lockdown, the interstate trains are set to be back on track, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for travel, which says that only those who have confirmed e-tickets and are symptomatic will be allowed to board the train.&nbsp;

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MHA issues SOPs for Movement of persons by Train: 
●Movement of passengers to &amp; fro railway station only on confirmed e-ticket 
●Compulsory Medical Screening &amp; only asymptomatic persons to travel 
●Strict adherence to Health/hygiene protocols and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SocialDistancing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SocialDistancing</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> <a href="https://t.co/KJUKZXP26P">pic.twitter.com/KJUKZXP26P</a>
— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) <a href="https://twitter.com/PIBHomeAffairs/status/1259763443671891969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/railways-to-gradually-start-passenger-trains-from-may-12-online-bookings-open-on-monday-297831">Also read: Railways to gradually start passenger trains from May 12; online bookings open on Monday</a> 
 
Indian Railways also said that passenger trains will run at full capacity. As India closes in on what is expected to be the last week of the lockdown

Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said on Monday that not every seat will be available for booking in the passenger train to ensure social distancing and other norms to prevent COVID-19 spread.

<img alt="Standard Operating Procedures" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a72367f9-6538-4c0e-95c9-ac9ade81a5a7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/railway.png" />

Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued a Standard Operating Procedures for movement of persons by train, states, "Only those with confirmed e-tickets shall be allowed to enter the station."

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To ensure that social distancing&amp;other norms are strictly followedall seats will not be available for booking in the passenger trains:Union Min of State for Railways Suresh Angadi on Indian Railways' decision to restart passenger trains from 12 May.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoronavirusLockdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoronavirusLockdown</a>(File pic) <a href="https://t.co/UCejLnyRtq">pic.twitter.com/UCejLnyRtq</a>
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ICMR issues guidance for the appropriate recording of COVID-19 deaths to create robust data

COVID-19 would be recorded as an "underlying cause of death" when leading to pneumonia, cardiac injury and clotting in the bloodstream, among others, according to the guidance issued by ICMR for the appropriate recording of deaths due to the disease.

After the government announced a limited re-opening of its giant rail network beginning on Tuesday after a nearly seven-week lockdown, the interstate trains are set to be back on track, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for travel, which says that only those who have confirmed e-tickets and are symptomatic will be allowed to board the train.

After the government announced a limited re-opening of its giant rail network beginning on Tuesday after a nearly seven-week lockdown, the interstate trains are set to be back on track, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for travel, which says that only those who have confirmed e-tickets and are symptomatic will be allowed to board the train. MHA issues SOPs for Movement of persons by Train: ●Movement of passengers to & fro railway station only on confirmed e-ticket ●Compulsory Medical Screening & only asymptomatic persons to travel ●Strict adherence to Health/hygiene protocols and #SocialDistancing#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/KJUKZXP26P — Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) May 11, 2020 × Also read: Railways to gradually start passenger trains from May 12; online bookings open on Monday Indian Railways also said that passenger trains will run at full capacity. As India closes in on what is expected to be the last week of the lockdown Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said on Monday that not every seat will be available for booking in the passenger train to ensure social distancing and other norms to prevent COVID-19 spread. Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued a Standard Operating Procedures for movement of persons by train, states, "Only those with confirmed e-tickets shall be allowed to enter the station." To ensure that social distancing&other norms are strictly followedall seats will not be available for booking in the passenger trains:Union Min of State for Railways Suresh Angadi on Indian Railways' decision to restart passenger trains from 12 May.#CoronavirusLockdown(File pic) pic.twitter.com/UCejLnyRtq — ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2020 × ICMR issues guidance for the appropriate recording of COVID-19 deaths to create robust data COVID-19 would be recorded as an "underlying cause of death" when leading to pneumonia, cardiac injury and clotting in the bloodstream, among others, according to the guidance issued by ICMR for the appropriate recording of deaths due to the disease.

Trains to restart: Not all seats to be available, only asymptomatic persons to be allowed

Amid uproar over Citizenship Amendment Act, railway property worth and estimated Rs 88 crore has been destroyed in the various zone across the Indian Railway network.

"Property worth Rs 72 crores have been damaged in Eastern zone, 13 crores in the South Eastern zone, three crores worth was damaged in North East Frontier zone," informed Indian Railways.

The estimates of damages comes after violent protests erupted in different parts of the country over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Earlier reacting strongly to reports of damages being caused to railway property during protests, Union Minister of State (MoS) Railways, Suresh Angadi on Tuesday had warned that the concerned district administration and railway authorities to `shoot` at sight if anybody destroys the public property.

"I strictly warn concerned district administration and railway authorities, if anybody destroys public property, including railway, I direct as a Minister, shoot them at sight", Angadi told ANI while replying to a question regarding the railway facing losses in West Bengal and other states due to the ongoing protests in the region.

The minister had further asserted that it is taxpayers` money and to develop one train it takes years together.

The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Amid uproar over Citizenship Amendment Act, railway property worth and estimated Rs 88 crore has been destroyed in the various zone across the Indian Railway network.

Amid uproar over Citizenship Amendment Act, railway property worth and estimated Rs 88 crore has been destroyed in the various zone across the Indian Railway network. "Property worth Rs 72 crores have been damaged in Eastern zone, 13 crores in the South Eastern zone, three crores worth was damaged in North East Frontier zone," informed Indian Railways. The estimates of damages comes after violent protests erupted in different parts of the country over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Earlier reacting strongly to reports of damages being caused to railway property during protests, Union Minister of State (MoS) Railways, Suresh Angadi on Tuesday had warned that the concerned district administration and railway authorities to `shoot` at sight if anybody destroys the public property. "I strictly warn concerned district administration and railway authorities, if anybody destroys public property, including railway, I direct as a Minister, shoot them at sight", Angadi told ANI while replying to a question regarding the railway facing losses in West Bengal and other states due to the ongoing protests in the region. The minister had further asserted that it is taxpayers` money and to develop one train it takes years together. The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Railway property worth Rs 88 crore damaged during CAA protest 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that Prime Minister visualises Railways as a lifeline to achieve the goal of making India a $5 trillion economy.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/amit-shah-flagged-off-vande-bharat-express-between-new-delhi-katra-253394">Flagging off Vande Bharat Express train</a> from here, Shah said modernisation of railways was taking place at a fast pace under the leadership of Prime Minister and various initiatives such as gauge conversion and laying of tracks was taking place at twice the speed compared to the UPA government.

He congratulated Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over the speed at which the Railways have adopted <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/finance-minister-nirmala-sitharamans-announcement-to-boost-make-in-india-250764">'Make in India'</a>&nbsp;initiative of the Prime Minister.

Noting that Mahatma Gandhi had used the Railways to give the country freedom, he said the Prime Minister has taken inspiration from Bapu and wants to make Railways a "lifeline" in the target of making India a five trillion dollar economy.

The minister said that 'Vande Bharat'&nbsp;was a hallmark of the success of 'Make in India'&nbsp;and the potential that it holds in giving a boost to the economy.

"The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/india-gets-its-fastest-train-vande-bharat-express-197645">Railways</a> should keep increasing its passenger and freight traffic. Railways must keep a fast-paced development and achieve Prime Minister's vision of US $ 5 trillion economy&nbsp;in the same way as Railways played a major role in the success of Bapu's freedom struggle," he said.

Shah said it was an incident in a railway coach in South Africa that shaped Gandhi's transformation into a leader of the freedom movement.

He said it was during a train journey that he decided against wearing full clothes seeing the poverty of countrymen.

Shah said Modi has given a big gift to Jammu and Kashmir in the form of Vande Bharat Express and it was also a gift during Navratri.

"For the development of Jammu and Kashmir, religious tourism will play a big part, there cannot be any village in India where people do not want to go to Mata Vaishno Devi temple and this will help in the development of the region," Shah said.

He said the first Vande Bharat Express train between Delhi and Varanasi started on February 17.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forth his dream of a high-speed train network across India to the Railways and it is working hard to achieve that," he said.

The first commercial run of Vande Bharat will start from October 5 and the bookings have started on the IRCTC website.

The minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi (NDLS) to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) will be Rs 1,630 and the maximum will be Rs 3,015.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that Prime Minister visualises Railways as a lifeline to achieve the goal of making India a $5 trillion economy. Flagging off Vande Bharat Express train from here, Shah said modernisation of railways was taking place at a fast pace under the leadership of Prime Minister and various initiatives such as gauge conversion and laying of tracks was taking place at twice the speed compared to the UPA government.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that Prime Minister visualises Railways as a lifeline to achieve the goal of making India a $5 trillion economy. Flagging off Vande Bharat Express train from here, Shah said modernisation of railways was taking place at a fast pace under the leadership of Prime Minister and various initiatives such as gauge conversion and laying of tracks was taking place at twice the speed compared to the UPA government. He congratulated Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over the speed at which the Railways have adopted 'Make in India' initiative of the Prime Minister. Noting that Mahatma Gandhi had used the Railways to give the country freedom, he said the Prime Minister has taken inspiration from Bapu and wants to make Railways a "lifeline" in the target of making India a five trillion dollar economy. The minister said that 'Vande Bharat' was a hallmark of the success of 'Make in India' and the potential that it holds in giving a boost to the economy. "The Railways should keep increasing its passenger and freight traffic. Railways must keep a fast-paced development and achieve Prime Minister's vision of US $ 5 trillion economy in the same way as Railways played a major role in the success of Bapu's freedom struggle," he said. Shah said it was an incident in a railway coach in South Africa that shaped Gandhi's transformation into a leader of the freedom movement. He said it was during a train journey that he decided against wearing full clothes seeing the poverty of countrymen. Shah said Modi has given a big gift to Jammu and Kashmir in the form of Vande Bharat Express and it was also a gift during Navratri. "For the development of Jammu and Kashmir, religious tourism will play a big part, there cannot be any village in India where people do not want to go to Mata Vaishno Devi temple and this will help in the development of the region," Shah said. He said the first Vande Bharat Express train between Delhi and Varanasi started on February 17. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forth his dream of a high-speed train network across India to the Railways and it is working hard to achieve that," he said. The first commercial run of Vande Bharat will start from October 5 and the bookings have started on the IRCTC website. The minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi (NDLS) to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) will be Rs 1,630 and the maximum will be Rs 3,015.

Railways vital to achieve PM Modi's vision of $5 trillion economy: Amit Shah

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/railways-needs-investment-of-rs-50-lakh-crore-by-2030-to-make-it-worlds-best-piyush-goyal-233681&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi49du-lrHjAhVMpY8KHRJPC_cQFjAGegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PRa79er7RsPwzDDwByBm6">Railway</a> Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said there is "no question and no meaning" of privatising Railways, but the public-private partnership will be encouraged and there will be corporatisation of some units.

Replying to the debate on the demands for grants of his ministry, in which 99 members participated, Goyal outlined the plans of the government to boost safety and technology and said its performance has been far better compared to that of the UPA government.&nbsp;

He made a veiled attack on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her opposition to the corporatisation of the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli and credited <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-asks-mps-to-take-150-kilometres-march-on-gandhi-jayanti-234213&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjihtD0lrHjAhULUI8KHbPYDVk4ChAWMAN6BAgOEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw2mq2heMNuhNTqHeRsM11JO">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> for its turnaround.

The Minister also accused the UPA government of "inaction" following the July 2006 train blasts and said if the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in power, terrorists would have gotten a befitting reply.

The House passed the demands for grants for railways (2019-20) after cut motions of the opposition were rejected by a voice vote.

Amid desk thumping by MPs of the treasury benches, Goyal said demands raised by members had been compiled overnight over 74 pages and he will individually write to the members.

He said capital expenditure of Railways had increased 2.5 times during the Modi government, adding that the current government had done away with the practice of a separate railway budget as they were mostly "political budgets.

"Slamming the UPA government, Goyal said the work for Dedicated Freight Corridor started in 2007, but not one kilometre of track linking had been done till 2014.&nbsp;

The NDA government completed 1900 kilometres of track linking in five years, he claimed.

The Railway Minister said track kilometre grew slowly in 64 years, while in the past five years it grew by 7,000 kilometres.&nbsp;

He also said railway stations were cleaner and train punctuality improved, as had the safety record of trains.

Goyal accused the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-leaders-stage-protest-over-political-crisis-in-karnataka-and-goa-sonia-gandhi-meets-party-mps-234887&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjtr9OMl7HjAhXJL48KHeTlC90QFjAAegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2f5YP5GuPo2VEaiA-DDPZt">Congress party</a> of shedding "crocodile tears" over the corporatisation of some units, saying the Modi government was carrying forward a process that had been initiated earlier.&nbsp;

"Sometimes it is said we are going to privatise the railways.&nbsp;

We have spoken loudly so many times that nobody can privatise railways.

There is no meaning, no question of privatising railways," he said.

He said allegations about privatisation had been replied earlier and repeating them will not change the truth.&nbsp;

"The truth is that if you want to increase the facilities of railways, spread them to all parts of the country, we need big investments," he said.

Goyal said passengers want a comfortable journey and the capacity of railways to carry goods should increase.

"The government has decided that in the future it will encourage more public-private partnerships.&nbsp;

To increase route length, to bring foreign investment, we will corporatise some units.&nbsp;

You started it, we will complete the work you left half-finished. Why are you shedding crocodile tears that there is corporatisation?&nbsp;

We have been elected to complete the tasks you did not do," he said.

He said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore in railways and related areas in the next ten-twelve years and has laid a roadmap of how the railways will move forward.&nbsp;

Her budget speech, he said, reflected the "new thinking and new direction" in which the government will work.

He said not a single coach was produced at coach factory in Rae Bareli, the constituency of Sonia Gandhi, during the rule of Congress-led government.&nbsp;

The coach factory produced 1425 coaches in 2018-19 against its capacity of 1,000 due to Modi`s directions and the target was to make it the biggest coach factory in the world which produced 5,000 coaches annually, he added.

Sonia Gandhi had earlier this month opposed corporatisation of Modern Coach Factory and said it was the first step towards privatisation.

Replying to queries, he said some projects in West Bengal were pending for years as the land had not been made available by the state government.&nbsp;

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said there is "no question and no meaning" of privatising Railways, but the public-private partnership will be encouraged and there will be corporatisation of some units.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said there is "no question and no meaning" of privatising Railways, but the public-private partnership will be encouraged and there will be corporatisation of some units. Replying to the debate on the demands for grants of his ministry, in which 99 members participated, Goyal outlined the plans of the government to boost safety and technology and said its performance has been far better compared to that of the UPA government. He made a veiled attack on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her opposition to the corporatisation of the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its turnaround. The Minister also accused the UPA government of "inaction" following the July 2006 train blasts and said if the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in power, terrorists would have gotten a befitting reply. The House passed the demands for grants for railways (2019-20) after cut motions of the opposition were rejected by a voice vote. Amid desk thumping by MPs of the treasury benches, Goyal said demands raised by members had been compiled overnight over 74 pages and he will individually write to the members. He said capital expenditure of Railways had increased 2.5 times during the Modi government, adding that the current government had done away with the practice of a separate railway budget as they were mostly "political budgets. "Slamming the UPA government, Goyal said the work for Dedicated Freight Corridor started in 2007, but not one kilometre of track linking had been done till 2014. The NDA government completed 1900 kilometres of track linking in five years, he claimed. The Railway Minister said track kilometre grew slowly in 64 years, while in the past five years it grew by 7,000 kilometres. He also said railway stations were cleaner and train punctuality improved, as had the safety record of trains. Goyal accused the Congress party of shedding "crocodile tears" over the corporatisation of some units, saying the Modi government was carrying forward a process that had been initiated earlier. "Sometimes it is said we are going to privatise the railways. We have spoken loudly so many times that nobody can privatise railways. There is no meaning, no question of privatising railways," he said. He said allegations about privatisation had been replied earlier and repeating them will not change the truth. "The truth is that if you want to increase the facilities of railways, spread them to all parts of the country, we need big investments," he said. Goyal said passengers want a comfortable journey and the capacity of railways to carry goods should increase. "The government has decided that in the future it will encourage more public-private partnerships. To increase route length, to bring foreign investment, we will corporatise some units. You started it, we will complete the work you left half-finished. Why are you shedding crocodile tears that there is corporatisation? We have been elected to complete the tasks you did not do," he said. He said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore in railways and related areas in the next ten-twelve years and has laid a roadmap of how the railways will move forward. Her budget speech, he said, reflected the "new thinking and new direction" in which the government will work. He said not a single coach was produced at coach factory in Rae Bareli, the constituency of Sonia Gandhi, during the rule of Congress-led government. The coach factory produced 1425 coaches in 2018-19 against its capacity of 1,000 due to Modi`s directions and the target was to make it the biggest coach factory in the world which produced 5,000 coaches annually, he added. Sonia Gandhi had earlier this month opposed corporatisation of Modern Coach Factory and said it was the first step towards privatisation. Replying to queries, he said some projects in West Bengal were pending for years as the land had not been made available by the state government.

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal says no privatisation of Railways, targets Congress

During the interim Budget presented by former finance minister Piyush Goyal the Modi government had pushed for electric vehicles(EVs) and emphasised on green technology, the move was taken forward by the new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/budget-2019-finance-minister-sitharaman-proposes-opening-up-insurance-aviation-sectors-to-boost-growth-233235">finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman</a> who took forward the Sagarmala project for road, rail and port connectivity.

The "Bharatmala", "Sagarmala" and UDAN was proposed by the finance minister to "bridge the rural-urbal divide".

"Schemes such as 'Bharatmala', 'Sagarmala' and UDAN are bridging the rural and urban divide, improving our transport infrastructure," Sitharaman stressed.

Sitharaman said in the second phase of Bharatmala project states will be helped to develop roadways. The Sagarmala project unveiled by the first Modi government had envisaged developing India's waterways and costline by setting up new ports linking it through rail and roads.

"Comprehensive restructuring of National Highways Programme will be done to ensure the creation of National Highways Grid of desirable capacity," Sitharaman said during her maiden Budget presentation in Parliament.

"Government envisions using rivers for cargo transport,it will also decongest roads and railways," the finance minister informed.

Sitharaman said 1.25 lakh kilometres roads would be upgraded under the PM Gram Sadak Yogana with the government set to invest Rs 80,250 crores.

The finance minister also said 657 km of metro rail network would become operational across the country.

Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha that "Dedicated Freight Corridors" by Indian Railways will decongest the mainline railway network with PPP (Public-Private Partnership) for Railway development.

The finance minister Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) will encourge suburban railway network development. &nbsp;Indian Railways needs Rs 50 lakh crore investment till 2030, Sitharaman said.&nbsp;

During the interim Budget presented by former finance minister Piyush Goyal the Modi government had pushed for electric vehicles(EVs) and emphasised on green technology, the move was taken forward by the new finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman who took forward the Sagarmala project for road, rail and port connectivity.

During the interim Budget presented by former finance minister Piyush Goyal the Modi government had pushed for electric vehicles(EVs) and emphasised on green technology, the move was taken forward by the new finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman who took forward the Sagarmala project for road, rail and port connectivity. The "Bharatmala", "Sagarmala" and UDAN was proposed by the finance minister to "bridge the rural-urbal divide". "Schemes such as 'Bharatmala', 'Sagarmala' and UDAN are bridging the rural and urban divide, improving our transport infrastructure," Sitharaman stressed. Sitharaman said in the second phase of Bharatmala project states will be helped to develop roadways. The Sagarmala project unveiled by the first Modi government had envisaged developing India's waterways and costline by setting up new ports linking it through rail and roads. "Comprehensive restructuring of National Highways Programme will be done to ensure the creation of National Highways Grid of desirable capacity," Sitharaman said during her maiden Budget presentation in Parliament. "Government envisions using rivers for cargo transport,it will also decongest roads and railways," the finance minister informed. Sitharaman said 1.25 lakh kilometres roads would be upgraded under the PM Gram Sadak Yogana with the government set to invest Rs 80,250 crores. The finance minister also said 657 km of metro rail network would become operational across the country. Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha that "Dedicated Freight Corridors" by Indian Railways will decongest the mainline railway network with PPP (Public-Private Partnership) for Railway development. The finance minister Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) will encourge suburban railway network development. Indian Railways needs Rs 50 lakh crore investment till 2030, Sitharaman said.

Budget 2019: 'Bharatmala', 'Sagarmala' and UDAN bridging rural-urban divide: Sitharaman

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ensure-that-untreated-water-sewage-not-used-for-crops-bombay-hc-to-rlys-214792&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjNjLnH7_zhAhUJP48KHcsyA1g4ChAWMAN6BAgPEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw29E_mg9SzWxWJdoE9xu9gk">The Railways </a>Thursday said around 95 trains have been cancelled in the last two days in view of the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm 'Fani', which is likely to affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, while three special trains have been pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers from affected areas.

The national transporter said it will grant a full refund to passengers for the cancelled or diverted trains if tickets are produced for cancellation within three days from the scheduled date of journey.

The Railways had cancelled 81 trains on Wednesday.

The trains which have been cancelled include the Howrah-Chennai Central Coromandal Express, Patna-Ernakulam Express, New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, Howrah-Hyderabad East Coast Express and the Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Express.

The New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, New Delhi-Puri Nandan Kanan Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express and the New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express which had to begin their journeys Thursday have been cancelled as well.

The Railways has also cancelled six more trains which were to begin on Friday.

These include the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Puri-New Delhi Nandan Kanan Express.

The transporter has issued directions to the divisional managers of all zones that frequent announcements are to be made at important stations for sensitising passengers about the cancellations, short termination and diversion of coaching trains in both directions of the Bhadrak (Odisha)-Visakhapatnam section.

So far, the Railways has announced three tourist special trains to ferry passengers from affected areas.

A special train has started from Puri at 12 noon, going towards Shalimar in West Bengal.

It has reserved as well as unreserved accommodation. It will stop at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendujhar Road, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Kharagpur.

The other two special trains will ferry passengers from Puri to Howrah.&nbsp;

Earlier on Wednesday, Railways had issued instructions that dry food items, 'Janata khana' and water bottles in sufficient quantities were to be made available at catering stalls of all major stations.

Due to the disruption of train services, the situation may warrant transhipment of passengers.

Local transporters are to be contracted for the hiring of road vehicles for meeting exigencies as and where necessary, it said.

The national transporter has also instructed that a sufficient amount of cash be made available at major stations for granting refunds to passengers and meeting other exigencies.

Frontline staff are to be advised to be extremely polite while dealing with passengers and leaving no scope for complaint, it added.

"Emergency control is to operate round the clock with helpline numbers for guiding passengers.

No staff are to be allowed to go on leave for the next three days," the Railways said.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/cyclone-fani-has-intensified-into-severe-cyclonic-storm-imd-214625&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiHu5HH8PzhAhX07XMBHRVmAKkQFjACegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw10nYH58htLolCXuHTkYs9T">The National Crisis Management Committee</a> (NCMC), the country's top body to handle an emergency situation, Wednesday reviewed the preparedness for Cyclone 'Fani', which is likely to hit the south of Puri in Odisha on Friday, a Home Ministry official said.

Around 900 cyclone shelters have been made ready to house evacuees, while troops of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and 78 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been requisitioned for deployment.

The Railways Thursday said around 95 trains have been cancelled in the last two days in view of the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm 'Fani', which is likely to affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, while three special trains have been pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers from affected areas.

The Railways Thursday said around 95 trains have been cancelled in the last two days in view of the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm 'Fani', which is likely to affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, while three special trains have been pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers from affected areas. The national transporter said it will grant a full refund to passengers for the cancelled or diverted trains if tickets are produced for cancellation within three days from the scheduled date of journey. The Railways had cancelled 81 trains on Wednesday. The trains which have been cancelled include the Howrah-Chennai Central Coromandal Express, Patna-Ernakulam Express, New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, Howrah-Hyderabad East Coast Express and the Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Express. The New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, New Delhi-Puri Nandan Kanan Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express and the New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express which had to begin their journeys Thursday have been cancelled as well. The Railways has also cancelled six more trains which were to begin on Friday. These include the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Puri-New Delhi Nandan Kanan Express. The transporter has issued directions to the divisional managers of all zones that frequent announcements are to be made at important stations for sensitising passengers about the cancellations, short termination and diversion of coaching trains in both directions of the Bhadrak (Odisha)-Visakhapatnam section. So far, the Railways has announced three tourist special trains to ferry passengers from affected areas. A special train has started from Puri at 12 noon, going towards Shalimar in West Bengal. It has reserved as well as unreserved accommodation. It will stop at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendujhar Road, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Kharagpur. The other two special trains will ferry passengers from Puri to Howrah. Earlier on Wednesday, Railways had issued instructions that dry food items, 'Janata khana' and water bottles in sufficient quantities were to be made available at catering stalls of all major stations. Due to the disruption of train services, the situation may warrant transhipment of passengers. Local transporters are to be contracted for the hiring of road vehicles for meeting exigencies as and where necessary, it said. The national transporter has also instructed that a sufficient amount of cash be made available at major stations for granting refunds to passengers and meeting other exigencies. Frontline staff are to be advised to be extremely polite while dealing with passengers and leaving no scope for complaint, it added. "Emergency control is to operate round the clock with helpline numbers for guiding passengers. No staff are to be allowed to go on leave for the next three days," the Railways said. The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to handle an emergency situation, Wednesday reviewed the preparedness for Cyclone 'Fani', which is likely to hit the south of Puri in Odisha on Friday, a Home Ministry official said. Around 900 cyclone shelters have been made ready to house evacuees, while troops of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and 78 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been requisitioned for deployment.

Cyclone Fani: Around 95 trains cancelled, 3 special trains put in service to ferry stranded tourists

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention and sought two new railway divisions at Rourkela and Jajpur districts to unify the railways under one administrative zone in Odisha.

Patnaik said he had come to know from media reports that Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced setting up of a new zone, South Coast Railway (SCoR), which will be formed by carving out part of the East Coast Railway's (ECoR's) Waltair division.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief said it had come as a "rude shock" to the people of the state.

"Till such (formation of new divisions) time, I would request in the interest of the people of Odisha, not to operationalise the declared South Coast Railway zone at Visakhapatnam which has been done without consultation with Odisha," Patnaik said in a letter to Modi.

Patnaik wrote the letter hours after the ruling BJD members staged a demonstration before the headquarters of the ECoR here.

At present, about 70 per cent of Odisha is under the jurisdiction of the ECoR that has its headquarters in Bhubaneswar. The state has the maximum resources of almost all major minerals like coal, iron ore, bauxite and manganese ore.

"With our thrust on industrialisation and Make in Odisha, we have been able to add value to these minerals within the State," Patnaik said.

The chief minister said an efficient and strong railway network with a single administrative structure within the state was necessary to maintain the impetus of growth. Currently, the major minerals like iron ore and coal are under Zonal Railways.

"My Government has also come forward to invest heavily to bridge the gap in investment in Railway Infrastructure, as in Haridaspur Paradip and Angul

Sukinda new lines. The State has provided land free of cost for Khurda Road Bolangir, Jeypore Malkangiri, Jeypore Nabarangpur Projects," he added.

"The commitment of my government to railway projects stands today in excess of Rs 5,000 crores, signifying our focus and priority to this sector," Patnaik said.

It is in this backdrop that Odisha has been asking for the reorganisation of railways in Odisha and unifying the railways in the state under one administrative zone of ECoR, Bhubaneswar, he said.

As the Centre has created the SCoR, the similar demand of Odisha may be considered likewise, Patnaik said.

"In view of our genuine concern and demand, I urge your kind intervention to declare two new Railway Divisions at Rourkela and Jajpur to unify Railways in Odisha under one administrative Zonal Headquarters of ECoR, Bhubaneswar," he added.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention and sought two new railway divisions at Rourkela and Jajpur districts to unify the railways under one administrative zone in Odisha.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention and sought two new railway divisions at Rourkela and Jajpur districts to unify the railways under one administrative zone in Odisha. Patnaik said he had come to know from media reports that Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced setting up of a new zone, South Coast Railway (SCoR), which will be formed by carving out part of the East Coast Railway's (ECoR's) Waltair division. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief said it had come as a "rude shock" to the people of the state. "Till such (formation of new divisions) time, I would request in the interest of the people of Odisha, not to operationalise the declared South Coast Railway zone at Visakhapatnam which has been done without consultation with Odisha," Patnaik said in a letter to Modi. Patnaik wrote the letter hours after the ruling BJD members staged a demonstration before the headquarters of the ECoR here. At present, about 70 per cent of Odisha is under the jurisdiction of the ECoR that has its headquarters in Bhubaneswar. The state has the maximum resources of almost all major minerals like coal, iron ore, bauxite and manganese ore. "With our thrust on industrialisation and Make in Odisha, we have been able to add value to these minerals within the State," Patnaik said. The chief minister said an efficient and strong railway network with a single administrative structure within the state was necessary to maintain the impetus of growth. Currently, the major minerals like iron ore and coal are under Zonal Railways. "My Government has also come forward to invest heavily to bridge the gap in investment in Railway Infrastructure, as in Haridaspur Paradip and Angul Sukinda new lines. The State has provided land free of cost for Khurda Road Bolangir, Jeypore Malkangiri, Jeypore Nabarangpur Projects," he added. "The commitment of my government to railway projects stands today in excess of Rs 5,000 crores, signifying our focus and priority to this sector," Patnaik said. It is in this backdrop that Odisha has been asking for the reorganisation of railways in Odisha and unifying the railways in the state under one administrative zone of ECoR, Bhubaneswar, he said. As the Centre has created the SCoR, the similar demand of Odisha may be considered likewise, Patnaik said. "In view of our genuine concern and demand, I urge your kind intervention to declare two new Railway Divisions at Rourkela and Jajpur to unify Railways in Odisha under one administrative Zonal Headquarters of ECoR, Bhubaneswar," he added.

Naveen seeks PM's intervention seeking single railway zone in Odisha

Nepal has started the procurement process to launch railway services from Janakpur in Nepal to Jayanagar in India, for which Indian companies have been approached.

The Government of Nepal had, on January 13, gave a go-ahead for the procurement process following which the Department of Railways, under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, started preparations for the purchase of rails.

"The Department has sent proposals to Indian government companies towards that end, and some of them have responded to the proposals,''&nbsp;the state news agency RSS reported.

Though the Government of Nepal allocated NRs 500 million for the purchase of two trains for the service, the Department has stated that at least NRs 1.5 billion would be required for the purchase of rails.

The newly upgraded railway line between Nepal and India would cover a total distance of 35 kilometres in the first phase, for which the trial has already been carried out.

The total length of the Bardibas-Janakpur-Jayanagar-Kurtha-Bijayapura is 69 kilometres.&nbsp;

Nepal has started the procurement process to launch railway services from Janakpur in Nepal to Jayanagar in India, for which Indian companies have been approached.

Nepal has started the procurement process to launch railway services from Janakpur in Nepal to Jayanagar in India, for which Indian companies have been approached. The Government of Nepal had, on January 13, gave a go-ahead for the procurement process following which the Department of Railways, under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, started preparations for the purchase of rails. "The Department has sent proposals to Indian government companies towards that end, and some of them have responded to the proposals,'' the state news agency RSS reported. Though the Government of Nepal allocated NRs 500 million for the purchase of two trains for the service, the Department has stated that at least NRs 1.5 billion would be required for the purchase of rails. The newly upgraded railway line between Nepal and India would cover a total distance of 35 kilometres in the first phase, for which the trial has already been carried out. The total length of the Bardibas-Janakpur-Jayanagar-Kurtha-Bijayapura is 69 kilometres.

Nepal starts Janakpur-Jayanagar railway procurement process, approaches Indian companies

Northeast Frontier Railway said Saturday it is constructing the tallest railway bridge of the world in Manipur at 141 metres surpassing the existing record of 139-metre Mala-Rijeka viaduct, at Montenegro in Europe.

The bridge is part of a new broad gauge line being constructed to connect the northeastern state with the rest of the country and the pillars have already been built.

"The bridge is being constructed across the valley of river Ijai near Noney with a pier height of 141 meters. It will surpass the existing record of 139 meters of Mala-Rijeka viaduct, Montenegro in Europe," NFR Senior Public Relations Officer S K Ojah said in a statement.

The bridge is part of the 111-km long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge line project in Manipur, he added.

"The total length of the bridge will be 703 meters. The piers of the bridge are constructed using hydraulic augers. The tall piers needed specially designed 'slip-form technique' to ensure efficient and continual construction," Ojah said.

The steel girders are pre-fabricated in a workshop, transported in segments and erected at the site by Cantilever launching scheme, he added.

'Self-erecting' electric lifts are used at each pier for the safe and speedy conveyance of men and materials to the top," NF Railway said.

There are a total of 45 tunnels in the project. The longest is Tunnel No. 12 with a length of 10.280 km. This will be the longest railway tunnel in the North East," the official said.

He said the project picked momentum in the last three years due to its importance as a National Project.&nbsp;

Northeast Frontier Railway said Saturday it is constructing the tallest railway bridge of the world in Manipur at 141 metres surpassing the existing record of 139-metre Mala-Rijeka viaduct, at Montenegro in Europe.

Northeast Frontier Railway said Saturday it is constructing the tallest railway bridge of the world in Manipur at 141 metres surpassing the existing record of 139-metre Mala-Rijeka viaduct, at Montenegro in Europe. The bridge is part of a new broad gauge line being constructed to connect the northeastern state with the rest of the country and the pillars have already been built. "The bridge is being constructed across the valley of river Ijai near Noney with a pier height of 141 meters. It will surpass the existing record of 139 meters of Mala-Rijeka viaduct, Montenegro in Europe," NFR Senior Public Relations Officer S K Ojah said in a statement. The bridge is part of the 111-km long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge line project in Manipur, he added. "The total length of the bridge will be 703 meters. The piers of the bridge are constructed using hydraulic augers. The tall piers needed specially designed 'slip-form technique' to ensure efficient and continual construction," Ojah said. The steel girders are pre-fabricated in a workshop, transported in segments and erected at the site by Cantilever launching scheme, he added. 'Self-erecting' electric lifts are used at each pier for the safe and speedy conveyance of men and materials to the top," NF Railway said. There are a total of 45 tunnels in the project. The longest is Tunnel No. 12 with a length of 10.280 km. This will be the longest railway tunnel in the North East," the official said. He said the project picked momentum in the last three years due to its importance as a National Project.

World's tallest rail bridge construction picks pace in Manipur

Actress Shabana Azmi has apologized for sharing a video of a group of workers washing dishes in muddy water, assuming they were the staff of the Indian Railways.

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<a href="https://t.co/qzDWMwJ0yi">https://t.co/qzDWMwJ0yi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PiyushGoyal</a> Indian Railways pls watch
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"Thank you for clarifying this. I stand corrected. Please accept my apologies," she tweeted.

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Thank you for clarifying this . I stand corrected. Pls accept my apologies <a href="https://t.co/30Kodpcqfm">https://t.co/30Kodpcqfm</a>
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On Monday, Azmi had tweeted a video tagging Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, where three people were seen squatting and rinsing plates in a puddle of water in a pothole."@PiyushGoyal Indian Railways pls watch," she captioned the video.

However, the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday clarified that the video was of a Malaysian eatery, and not of Indian railways` staff.

"Mam, the video is of Malaysian eatery which faces closure after video shows workers washing dishes in a puddle of murky water," the ministry clarified on Twitter.

Shabana Azmi thanks the railway minister for clarifying her doubt

Actress Shabana Azmi has apologized for sharing a video of a group of workers washing dishes in muddy water, assuming they were the staff of the Indian Railways. https://t.co/qzDWMwJ0yi @PiyushGoyal Indian Railways pls watch — Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) 5 June 2018 × "Thank you for clarifying this. I stand corrected. Please accept my apologies," she tweeted. Thank you for clarifying this . I stand corrected. Pls accept my apologies https://t.co/30Kodpcqfm — Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) 5 June 2018 × On Monday, Azmi had tweeted a video tagging Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, where three people were seen squatting and rinsing plates in a puddle of water in a pothole."@PiyushGoyal Indian Railways pls watch," she captioned the video. However, the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday clarified that the video was of a Malaysian eatery, and not of Indian railways` staff. "Mam, the video is of Malaysian eatery which faces closure after video shows workers washing dishes in a puddle of murky water," the ministry clarified on Twitter.

Shabana Azmi apologizes for incorrect railways tweet

In what should come as a relief to railway passengers frustrated by delays in services, trains are now likely to run on time as any deviation from the schedule will cost officials of the national transporter their promotions.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal has warned heads of zonal railways that delays in train services will defer their appraisal proportionately, giving them a month to improve punctuality.

During an internal meeting last week, Goyal lashed out at zonal general managers and said that they cannot hide behind the pretext of maintenance work to explain delays in train services, a senior railway ministry source said.

In 2017-2018 fiscal, 30 per cent trains were running late on the railway network, with the numbers failing to pick up even during the holiday season this summer.

The General Manager (GM) of Northern Railway bore the brunt of Goyal's wrath, with the region recording an abysmal 49.59 per cent punctuality performance till May 29, a 32.74 per cent dip compared to the same period last year.

"While the minister has taken a lot of flak for the delays, he knew it was a price he had to pay for the large-scale renewal of tracks. However, the punctuality figures are way worse than what we had expected. Clearly, the zones are using maintenance work as an excuse to hide their inefficiency," the source said.

During the meeting, the minister called out every zonal head individually and asked them to explain the poor punctuality figures, the source said.

Goyal, who faced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's queries on punctuality of trains at the Pragati meeting last month, was particularly harsh on the Northern Railways chief as the zone was placed lowest on the punctuality index.

It was followed closely by the Northeast Frontier Railway and the Eastern Railway - which recorded 27 per cent and 26 per cent plunge respectively.&nbsp;

Goyal quoted reports to explain how misusing resources have led to delays. He recalled a recent incident when engineers apparently wasted Rs 25 lakh in a failed attempt to replace a girder at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi.

"The minister demanded accountability from the GMs and said such wasteful blocks should not be taken. He was aghast that such unnecessary delays were happening during the holiday season when trains are in high demand," the source said.

"He has now made it clear that by June 30, if he doesn't see improvement, the respective GMs will not be considered for promotion. He also said that their performance ratings will depend on where they figure on the delay list. The lower they are, the worse for them," the source, who was present during the meeting, said.&nbsp;

Railway minister Piyush Goyal has warned heads of zonal railways that delays in train services will defer their appraisal proportionately, giving them a month to improve punctuality.

In what should come as a relief to railway passengers frustrated by delays in services, trains are now likely to run on time as any deviation from the schedule will cost officials of the national transporter their promotions. Railway minister Piyush Goyal has warned heads of zonal railways that delays in train services will defer their appraisal proportionately, giving them a month to improve punctuality. During an internal meeting last week, Goyal lashed out at zonal general managers and said that they cannot hide behind the pretext of maintenance work to explain delays in train services, a senior railway ministry source said. In 2017-2018 fiscal, 30 per cent trains were running late on the railway network, with the numbers failing to pick up even during the holiday season this summer. The General Manager (GM) of Northern Railway bore the brunt of Goyal's wrath, with the region recording an abysmal 49.59 per cent punctuality performance till May 29, a 32.74 per cent dip compared to the same period last year. "While the minister has taken a lot of flak for the delays, he knew it was a price he had to pay for the large-scale renewal of tracks. However, the punctuality figures are way worse than what we had expected. Clearly, the zones are using maintenance work as an excuse to hide their inefficiency," the source said. During the meeting, the minister called out every zonal head individually and asked them to explain the poor punctuality figures, the source said. Goyal, who faced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's queries on punctuality of trains at the Pragati meeting last month, was particularly harsh on the Northern Railways chief as the zone was placed lowest on the punctuality index. It was followed closely by the Northeast Frontier Railway and the Eastern Railway - which recorded 27 per cent and 26 per cent plunge respectively. Goyal quoted reports to explain how misusing resources have led to delays. He recalled a recent incident when engineers apparently wasted Rs 25 lakh in a failed attempt to replace a girder at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi. "The minister demanded accountability from the GMs and said such wasteful blocks should not be taken. He was aghast that such unnecessary delays were happening during the holiday season when trains are in high demand," the source said. "He has now made it clear that by June 30, if he doesn't see improvement, the respective GMs will not be considered for promotion. He also said that their performance ratings will depend on where they figure on the delay list. The lower they are, the worse for them," the source, who was present during the meeting, said.

Train delays to cost officials their promotions: Union Railway Minister

People across Delhi-NCR braved a dust storm accompanied by squall on Sunday afternoon. So far, four incidents of wall collapse have been reported from various parts of Delhi.

The incidents were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar, and Raj Nagar in Palam.

Two fire tenders each were rushed to the areas, no casualty, injury or loss of property have been reported so far.&nbsp;

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Number of flight diversions at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport due to bad weather conditions goes up to 70. <a href="https://t.co/tdETtZNMRb">pic.twitter.com/tdETtZNMRb</a>
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The storm affected flight, rail and metro operations across Delhi-NCR. As many as 70 flights were diverted and more than 24 delayed. Metro operations were also halted for as long as 45 minutes.&nbsp;

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Ghaziabad: One killed, 4 injured after a tree fell on them near Lal Kuan Shiv temple during the thunderstorm.
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The Northern Railways said the train movement was disrupted on the section between the Hazrat Nizamuddin and Palwal stations due to tree felling.

A few passenger and freight trains were held up for around 25 minutes because of the disruption. The Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express was also stopped near Sonepat due to the uprooting of trees.

The weatherman forecast partly cloudy skies and a possibility of light rainfall tomorrow.&nbsp;

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1 woman dead & 1 man seriously injured after a hoarding fell on them due to heavy dust storm in Greater Noida
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The officials said two squalls whipped through the national capital. One clocking 109 kmph hit the Safdarjung area at 4:44 pm and continued till 4:46 pm. The other gusting to 96 kmph battered the Palam area at 4:33 pm.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The storm affected flight, rail and metro operations across Delhi-NCR

People across Delhi-NCR braved a dust storm accompanied by squall on Sunday afternoon. So far, four incidents of wall collapse have been reported from various parts of Delhi. The incidents were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar, and Raj Nagar in Palam. Two fire tenders each were rushed to the areas, no casualty, injury or loss of property have been reported so far. Number of flight diversions at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport due to bad weather conditions goes up to 70. pic.twitter.com/tdETtZNMRb — ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2018 × The storm affected flight, rail and metro operations across Delhi-NCR. As many as 70 flights were diverted and more than 24 delayed. Metro operations were also halted for as long as 45 minutes. Ghaziabad: One killed, 4 injured after a tree fell on them near Lal Kuan Shiv temple during the thunderstorm. — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 13, 2018 × The Northern Railways said the train movement was disrupted on the section between the Hazrat Nizamuddin and Palwal stations due to tree felling. A few passenger and freight trains were held up for around 25 minutes because of the disruption. The Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express was also stopped near Sonepat due to the uprooting of trees. The weatherman forecast partly cloudy skies and a possibility of light rainfall tomorrow. 1 woman dead & 1 man seriously injured after a hoarding fell on them due to heavy dust storm in Greater Noida — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 13, 2018 × The officials said two squalls whipped through the national capital. One clocking 109 kmph hit the Safdarjung area at 4:44 pm and continued till 4:46 pm. The other gusting to 96 kmph battered the Palam area at 4:33 pm. (With inputs from agencies)

Delhi dust storm: Four incidents of wall collapse reported

The railway authorities have put a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a tea vendor in Railways on charges that the vendor was using water from the train toilet for brewing tea/coffee.

A video went viral on social media showing few people getting tea/coffee cans from outside a train toilet in Telangana.

The video which surfaced now on social media was shot&nbsp;at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017.

The incident highlights the unhygienic conditions that prevail in Indian Railways.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A CAG report filed in Parliament in 2017 also highlighted that the&nbsp;Railways Ministry had failed to provide quality food served at reasonable prices.

The report said that train passengers were served filthy food and the zonal railways had no plan in place to provide food in long-distance trains.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The video which surfaced now on social media was shot at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017

The railway authorities have put a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a tea vendor in Railways on charges that the vendor was using water from the train toilet for brewing tea/coffee. A video went viral on social media showing few people getting tea/coffee cans from outside a train toilet in Telangana. The video which surfaced now on social media was shot at Secunderabad station in Telangana in December 2017. The incident highlights the unhygienic conditions that prevail in Indian Railways. A CAG report filed in Parliament in 2017 also highlighted that the Railways Ministry had failed to provide quality food served at reasonable prices. The report said that train passengers were served filthy food and the zonal railways had no plan in place to provide food in long-distance trains.

Watch: Railway vendor serves tea & coffee from train toilet

Seventeen stations on Delhi's 35-km ring rail network could soon get a makeover if the Railway Board approves a proposal by the station redevelopment arm of the Indian Railways to commercially develop them, officials said.

The ring rail, constructed in 1975, links with the 231-km Delhi Metro network at seven locations and this, the officials say, creates a potential for investment.

Among the stations likely to get a facelift are Lajpat Nagar, Lodi Colony, Sarojini Nagar, Safdurjung and Chanakyapuri.

"We have given a proposal to the Board to develop 17 of the 21 stations commercially. These stations are under-utilised and can be developed to generate revenue," said S K Lohia, managing director, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation. The

IRSDC is also in-charge of redeveloping 600 railway stations across India.

The ring rail network carried around 4,000 people daily. "This is an example of transit oriented development. We will do a comprehensive study once our plan is approved by the board," said Lohia.

Officials say the area around these stations will be developed commercially and hotels, restaurants, hospitals, shops, parlours, games parlours and residential complexes would be constructed.

The rail ministry will soon kick off its station redevelopment plan worth Rs 1 lakh crore.&nbspIts&nbspstate-run unit, the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC), will raise Rs 4,000 crore from the markets to upgrade at least 50 stations, as per a report by Business Standard.

This project will be undertaken by the railway ministry on its own with help from IRSDC under an engineering, procurement and construction model since private companies did not show much interest when tenders were floated for the redevelopment of 21 stations.

The ring rail, constructed in 1975, links with the 231-km Delhi Metro network at seven locations and this, the officials say

Seventeen stations on Delhi's 35-km ring rail network could soon get a makeover if the Railway Board approves a proposal by the station redevelopment arm of the Indian Railways to commercially develop them, officials said. The ring rail, constructed in 1975, links with the 231-km Delhi Metro network at seven locations and this, the officials say, creates a potential for investment. Among the stations likely to get a facelift are Lajpat Nagar, Lodi Colony, Sarojini Nagar, Safdurjung and Chanakyapuri. "We have given a proposal to the Board to develop 17 of the 21 stations commercially. These stations are under-utilised and can be developed to generate revenue," said S K Lohia, managing director, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation. The IRSDC is also in-charge of redeveloping 600 railway stations across India. The ring rail network carried around 4,000 people daily. "This is an example of transit oriented development. We will do a comprehensive study once our plan is approved by the board," said Lohia. Officials say the area around these stations will be developed commercially and hotels, restaurants, hospitals, shops, parlours, games parlours and residential complexes would be constructed. The rail ministry will soon kick off its station redevelopment plan worth Rs 1 lakh crore.&nbspIts&nbspstate-run unit, the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC), will raise Rs 4,000 crore from the markets to upgrade at least 50 stations, as per a report by Business Standard. This project will be undertaken by the railway ministry on its own with help from IRSDC under an engineering, procurement and construction model since private companies did not show much interest when tenders were floated for the redevelopment of 21 stations.

IRSDC pitches to develop 17 stations on Delhi ring rail network

In the wake of the death of 13 children after a train rammed into their school van in Uttar Pradesh today, the railways said it will eliminate all unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) by March 31, 2020.

Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani also said no step the national carrier takes could be completely foolproof against the negligence of people and urged them to be careful while crossing tracks.

"We will eliminate all UMLCs (unmanned level crossings) by March 31, 2020," he said, hours after a passenger train hit the school van killing 13 children -- all of them between the ages of 8-10 years on the spot. Eight others, including the driver of the van, were injured, officials said.

Lohani said till the UMLCs are eliminated, people need to be careful while crossing tracks. "There is no substitute to that. The railways cannot take any step that is completely foolproof against negligence," he said.

The officer also said the national transporter has been aggressively removing UMLCs — 1,565 of them were eliminated in 2017-18 and the target is to remove 1,600 in 2018-19.

He said that the elimination has resulted in the decrease in the number of accidents at such crossings over the years - in 2014-2015, 50 such accidents took place at UMLCs, 29 in 2015-2016, 20 in 2016-2017, 10 in 2017-2018 and one this financial year.

Accidents also took place at manned railway crossings - in 2014-15 and 2015-16, there were six accidents each, in 2016-17 there were no such accidents. In 2017-18, there were three accidents and only one reported this year, according to data provided by the railways.

Presently, there are 5,792 such unmanned and 19,507 manned crossings across the railway network. Lohani also said that while till March 31 this year, the railways had completed the work of eliminating most of the unmanned level crossings at the busy stations, work on 44 such stations is going on and will be finished by June.

The railways have also built over bridges and subways for people to cross the tracks — 1,354 ROB/RUB were built in 2016-17 and the target is 1600 in 2018-19.

The railways has also issued both print and television advertisements creating awareness against irresponsible crossing of tracks.

"While crossing UMLCs, the primary responsibility lies with the road user, and not with the railways. The rule while crossing such railway lines is to look both ways, stop and then proceed. In this case, according to reports, the driver did not stop.

"However, because the accidents happened in our territory, it remains our concern. That's why we are trying to eliminate all unmanned level crossings. In the meantime, I urge people to be careful. Also, please do not use earphones when walking near the railway tracks," Lohani said.

Section 131 of the Motor Vehicles Act as well as Section 161 of The Railways Act have provisions on crossing unmanned railway lines -- both put the onus on the driver of the motor vehicle to ensure that there is no train approaching.

Earlier in the day, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased. The minister also said the railways will provide an ex gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries.

"My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and I pray for the early recovery of the injured. Ministry of Railways will provide an ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries," the railway minister said in a statement.

The accident site is 90-100 km away from Gorakhpur and 30 km from Pandrauna.

There were 50 accidents on unmanned level crossings in 2014-15, 29 in 2015-16, 20 in 2016-17 and ten in 2017-18.

In the wake of the death of 13 children after a train rammed into their school van in Uttar Pradesh today, the railways said it will eliminate all unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) by March 31, 2020. Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani also said no step the national carrier takes could be completely foolproof against the negligence of people and urged them to be careful while crossing tracks. "We will eliminate all UMLCs (unmanned level crossings) by March 31, 2020," he said, hours after a passenger train hit the school van killing 13 children -- all of them between the ages of 8-10 years on the spot. Eight others, including the driver of the van, were injured, officials said. Lohani said till the UMLCs are eliminated, people need to be careful while crossing tracks. "There is no substitute to that. The railways cannot take any step that is completely foolproof against negligence," he said. The officer also said the national transporter has been aggressively removing UMLCs — 1,565 of them were eliminated in 2017-18 and the target is to remove 1,600 in 2018-19. He said that the elimination has resulted in the decrease in the number of accidents at such crossings over the years - in 2014-2015, 50 such accidents took place at UMLCs, 29 in 2015-2016, 20 in 2016-2017, 10 in 2017-2018 and one this financial year. Accidents also took place at manned railway crossings - in 2014-15 and 2015-16, there were six accidents each, in 2016-17 there were no such accidents. In 2017-18, there were three accidents and only one reported this year, according to data provided by the railways. Presently, there are 5,792 such unmanned and 19,507 manned crossings across the railway network. Lohani also said that while till March 31 this year, the railways had completed the work of eliminating most of the unmanned level crossings at the busy stations, work on 44 such stations is going on and will be finished by June. The railways have also built over bridges and subways for people to cross the tracks — 1,354 ROB/RUB were built in 2016-17 and the target is 1600 in 2018-19. The railways has also issued both print and television advertisements creating awareness against irresponsible crossing of tracks. "While crossing UMLCs, the primary responsibility lies with the road user, and not with the railways. The rule while crossing such railway lines is to look both ways, stop and then proceed. In this case, according to reports, the driver did not stop. "However, because the accidents happened in our territory, it remains our concern. That's why we are trying to eliminate all unmanned level crossings. In the meantime, I urge people to be careful. Also, please do not use earphones when walking near the railway tracks," Lohani said. Section 131 of the Motor Vehicles Act as well as Section 161 of The Railways Act have provisions on crossing unmanned railway lines -- both put the onus on the driver of the motor vehicle to ensure that there is no train approaching. Earlier in the day, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased. The minister also said the railways will provide an ex gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries. "My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and I pray for the early recovery of the injured. Ministry of Railways will provide an ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries," the railway minister said in a statement. The accident site is 90-100 km away from Gorakhpur and 30 km from Pandrauna.

All unmanned crossings to shut by 2020: Railway board chairman

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the available information about the Indian Railways' operating ratio, the direct indicator of working of the national transporter, has indicated a "comprehensive failure" of its management.

In a series of tweets, Chidambaram asked what was the operating ratio of the Railways in 2017-18 and would it be the worst ratio in recent years.

"Is it correct that the true operating ratio has exceeded 100 per cent.&nbspIs it correct that the accounts are being 'dressed' to show an Operating Ratio just a little less than 100 per cent," he wrote on Twitter.

The former Finance and Home? Minister said if the operating ratio is close to 100 per cent or has exceeded 100 per cent, that indicates a "comprehensive failure" of management of the Indian Railways.

As per the reports, the Railways operating ratio, the direct indicator of working of the government-run transporter, could settle at 98.5 per cent for 2017-2018, recording its worst performance ever since 2000-2001 when it was 98.3 per cent.

The number reflected the increased burden of allowances and pensions that have gone up because of the revision in the 7th Pay Commission, an official said.

An operating ratio of about 98.5 per cent in fiscal 2017-18 would mean a dip of more than two per cent in the revised 96 per cent figure announced in the February budget.&nbsp

The operating ratio indicates how much railway spends to earn a rupee.

In a series of tweets, Chidambaram asked what was the operating ratio of the Railways in 2017-18 and would it be the worst ratio in recent years

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the available information about the Indian Railways' operating ratio, the direct indicator of working of the national transporter, has indicated a "comprehensive failure" of its management. In a series of tweets, Chidambaram asked what was the operating ratio of the Railways in 2017-18 and would it be the worst ratio in recent years. "Is it correct that the true operating ratio has exceeded 100 per cent.&nbspIs it correct that the accounts are being 'dressed' to show an Operating Ratio just a little less than 100 per cent," he wrote on Twitter. The former Finance and Home? Minister said if the operating ratio is close to 100 per cent or has exceeded 100 per cent, that indicates a "comprehensive failure" of management of the Indian Railways. As per the reports, the Railways operating ratio, the direct indicator of working of the government-run transporter, could settle at 98.5 per cent for 2017-2018, recording its worst performance ever since 2000-2001 when it was 98.3 per cent. The number reflected the increased burden of allowances and pensions that have gone up because of the revision in the 7th Pay Commission, an official said. An operating ratio of about 98.5 per cent in fiscal 2017-18 would mean a dip of more than two per cent in the revised 96 per cent figure announced in the February budget. The operating ratio indicates how much railway spends to earn a rupee.

Railways operating ratio indicates failure of its management: Chidambaram

Hundreds of thousands of railway workers took to the streets to start a strike across France on Monday evening to voice their discontent with the government reform plan.

Two-thirds of the trains have been cancelled as 323,000 rallied to protest against a series of reforms launched by French President Emmanuel Macron as part of the plan to remove 120,000 positions in the public service by 2023.

The union of the SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais), the national rail network, called on its members to take a long-term strike, that is, strike for two days and work for three.

About 48 per cent of the railway workers, 77 per cent being trained drivers, have participated in the strike since Tuesday. The strike significantly affected the operation of domestic trains. Meanwhile, some passengers were caught unaware.

"The train will leave at 15:50 and it is expected to be on time. We didn't know that there would be a strike when we bought the tickets. The SNCF told us that our train will run normally no matter what," said a passenger at the Lyon station in Paris.

The domestic train service has been more seriously affected than the international train services. However, many still hold that the strike has brought much inconveniences to people.

"We cannot work well during the strike. All the people have been affected, vendors or others. People cannot go out or go on a vacation. They have to stay at home. If this continues tomorrow, we will lose much income," said Robert, a taxi driver in Paris.

Two-thirds of the trains have been cancelled as 323,000 rallied to protest against a series of reforms launched by French President Emmanuel Macron

Hundreds of thousands of railway workers took to the streets to start a strike across France on Monday evening to voice their discontent with the government reform plan. Two-thirds of the trains have been cancelled as 323,000 rallied to protest against a series of reforms launched by French President Emmanuel Macron as part of the plan to remove 120,000 positions in the public service by 2023. The union of the SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais), the national rail network, called on its members to take a long-term strike, that is, strike for two days and work for three. About 48 per cent of the railway workers, 77 per cent being trained drivers, have participated in the strike since Tuesday. The strike significantly affected the operation of domestic trains. Meanwhile, some passengers were caught unaware. "The train will leave at 15:50 and it is expected to be on time. We didn't know that there would be a strike when we bought the tickets. The SNCF told us that our train will run normally no matter what," said a passenger at the Lyon station in Paris. The domestic train service has been more seriously affected than the international train services. However, many still hold that the strike has brought much inconveniences to people. "We cannot work well during the strike. All the people have been affected, vendors or others. People cannot go out or go on a vacation. They have to stay at home. If this continues tomorrow, we will lose much income," said Robert, a taxi driver in Paris.

French railway workers on strike against government reform

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday announced that railway examination fees incurred by the applicants will be refunded once they appear&nbsp;for the examination.

Goyal announced that exam fee of Rs 250 for the exempted categories will be fully refunded to the applicants after they take the exam.&nbsp;

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Railway examination fees for exempted categories is Rs 250, which will be refunded once they appear in the exam &amp; for general categories, it is Rs 500, of which Rs 400 will be refunded after appearing in exam: Piyush Goyal,Railway Minister
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For the applicants appearing in the general category, Rs 400 out of the total fee of Rs 500 will be refunded.

According to the minister, close to 60 per cent of the applicants appear for the final exam. 
&nbsp;

Exam fee for the exempted categories will be fully refunded to the applicants after they take the exam

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday announced that railway examination fees incurred by the applicants will be refunded once they appear for the examination. Goyal announced that exam fee of Rs 250 for the exempted categories will be fully refunded to the applicants after they take the exam. Railway examination fees for exempted categories is Rs 250, which will be refunded once they appear in the exam & for general categories, it is Rs 500, of which Rs 400 will be refunded after appearing in exam: Piyush Goyal,Railway Minister — ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2018 × For the applicants appearing in the general category, Rs 400 out of the total fee of Rs 500 will be refunded. According to the minister, close to 60 per cent of the applicants appear for the final exam.

Railway examination fees will be refunded: Piyush Goyal

Rattled by the recent spate of train derailments in the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday, assured the people about the ambitious project and said that that the bullet train has not seen a single accident in Japan.

&quot;It has been a zero-accident train in Japan and I am sure the track record will remain the same in India,&quot; Piyush Goyal said.

Ahead of Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the bullet train project, Goyal said that the country`s rail network will be transformed and revolutionised with the initiative.

&quot;Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given directions for a holistic development of the Indian Railways,&quot; Goyal said, adding, India`s transport sector is all set to change and &quot;it is indeed a matter of celebration.&quot; Goyal further said that the new initiative will help boost the employment in the country. &quot;The coming of bullet trains to India will not only boost employment , but also will help India to export it,&quot; he said.

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe will also be visiting India to attend the `Bhoomi Poojan` and foundation stone laying ceremony of the Rs. 97,636-crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail link, using Japanese bullet-train technology. During the visit, Prime Minister Abe will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi and is expected to serve as the &quot;top salesman&quot; for the adoption of the Shinkansen technology by other Indian railway systems, with China also aiming to win orders for the projects, the Japan Times had reported, earlier in August.

The 500-km railway will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India, with services planned to commence in 2023. This train is based on Japanese high-speed technology called Shinkansen, known for its safety and comfort. India has pledged to build high-speed railways, focused on the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

When Prime Minister Modi went to Japan last November, he travelled by Shinkansen with his Japanese counterpart from Tokyo to Kobe to visit a bullet-train plant of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., a maker of Shinkansen cars.

'It has been a zero-accident train in Japan and I am sure the track record will remain the same in India,' the new railway miniser said

Rattled by the recent spate of train derailments in the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday, assured the people about the ambitious project and said that that the bullet train has not seen a single accident in Japan. "It has been a zero-accident train in Japan and I am sure the track record will remain the same in India," Piyush Goyal said. Ahead of Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the bullet train project, Goyal said that the country`s rail network will be transformed and revolutionised with the initiative. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given directions for a holistic development of the Indian Railways," Goyal said, adding, India`s transport sector is all set to change and "it is indeed a matter of celebration." Goyal further said that the new initiative will help boost the employment in the country. "The coming of bullet trains to India will not only boost employment , but also will help India to export it," he said. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe will also be visiting India to attend the `Bhoomi Poojan` and foundation stone laying ceremony of the Rs. 97,636-crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail link, using Japanese bullet-train technology. During the visit, Prime Minister Abe will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi and is expected to serve as the "top salesman" for the adoption of the Shinkansen technology by other Indian railway systems, with China also aiming to win orders for the projects, the Japan Times had reported, earlier in August. The 500-km railway will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India, with services planned to commence in 2023. This train is based on Japanese high-speed technology called Shinkansen, known for its safety and comfort. India has pledged to build high-speed railways, focused on the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. When Prime Minister Modi went to Japan last November, he travelled by Shinkansen with his Japanese counterpart from Tokyo to Kobe to visit a bullet-train plant of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., a maker of Shinkansen cars.

Piyush Goyal assures people Indian bullet train will be safe

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