New Delhi: The record loading of 1010 million tonnes freight and slight improvement of punctuality and safety have been listed as major achievements of the Railway Ministry during the year by the UPA government. Besides ongoing rail expansion, execution of Dedicated Freight Corridor work and introduction of bio-toilets have also found mention in the UPA's Report to the People for the year 2012-13.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released the UPA report card on the occasion of fourth anniversary of UPA-II in Delhi on Wednesday. With a record loading of about 1010 million tonnes in 2012-13, Railways joined the select billion tonne club joining the US, China and Russia. The report highlighted that as many as 8.5 billion passengers were carried by the national transporter and there has been an improvement of 4 per cent in punctuality and 7.6 per cent in safety. In 2012-13, over 500 km of new lines, doubling of 705 km and gauge conversion of 605 km were added in the railway infrastructure.
...
more
12:45 AM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: Pawan Kumar Bansal on Friday evening resigned as Railway Minister following allegations of corrupt practices by his close relatives and aides. Sources say that Bansal resigned after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him to force the Railway Minister to put in his papers. Bansal has already sent his resignation to the Prime Minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior Congress leader from Karnataka, is...
06:08 PM, May 10, 2013
New Delhi: Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who is facing allegations of being involved in the cash for jobs scam in the Indian Railways, visited Rail Bhawan on Friday. Bansal has not been attending office for the last two days. He reportedly went to Rail Bhawan on Friday to clear his files. The net is closing in on the Railway Minister following allegations that his family members were involved in...
05:56 PM, May 10, 2013
New Delhi: India's Railway Board is vested with the powers to oversee and manage what is ranked among the world's top five railroad networks and one of the largest employers, with an estimated 1.4 million people on its rolls. The board, including its chairman, comprises seven members, each entrusted with a specific area of operation, reporting directly to the Railways minister. The members oversee areas related to mechanical, traffic, engineering,...
05:50 PM, May 04, 2013
New Delhi: The advance booking period for train tickets will be reduced from existing four months to two months from Wednesday as part of the Railways' efforts to prevent touts to corner bulk tickets. "The reduction of advance reservation period to 60 days will be a deterrent for touts who book bulk tickets in advance. We hope the reduction of booking period will help genuine travellers," a senior Railway Ministry...
08:10 PM, Apr 30, 2013
With the Rail Budget just around the corner, CNN-IBN gets you the wishlist of the passengers in Kolkata. Topping their wishlist is better quality food, hygiene in toilets and safety for women passengers. ...
08:31 AM, Feb 24, 2013
Is the steep hike in rail fare justified? Professor G Raghuram shared his perspective in an interaction with IBNLive readers. ...
05:00 PM, Jan 10, 2013
The Railway Ministry is likely to take a decision soon to set up Rail Tariff Regulatory Authority (RTRA) to suggest tariff hike in passenger and freight fare, Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Wednesday. ...
04:45 AM, Dec 27, 2012
Faced with mounting deficit of over Rs 20,000 crore in the passenger segment, Railways is keen on raising passenger fares between 5-10 paise per km in the coming months to generate the revenue of about Rs 4,000 crore. The hike could come close on the heels of Railways finalising the broader contours of the proposed Rail Tariff Authority (RTA), which would be placed before Cabinet in January. ...
12:45 PM, Dec 23, 2012
The Minister of State for Railways Surya Prakash Reddy has indicated that the train fares may be hiked soon as the "financial condition of the Railways is not sound". Speaking to reporters, Reddy said that hiking the fares had become necessary. ...
10:14 AM, Dec 16, 2012
New Delhi: The Cabinet reshuffle, that was expected to take place this week, has been postponed, say sources. The reshuffle will now take place after October 14, they add. The reshuffle was necessitated after key ally, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), withdrew its support to the ruling coalition government, the United Progressive Alliance, (UPA), leaving many of the ministries vacant. One of the key ministries to get a new head will...
01:43 PM, Sep 27, 2012
New Delhi: Newly-appointed Railway Minister CP Joshi on Monday said safety of passengers will be his top priority, along with modernisation and improvement in passenger amenities. Joshi, who has been given additional charge of railways after TMC withdrew support to the UPA government, said he will set the agenda for his ministry after holding discussions with railways officials. Talking to reporters after his maiden visit to Rail Bhawan in Delhi,...
11:52 AM, Sep 24, 2012
New Delhi: Union minister CP Joshi on Monday formally took charge as the new Railway Minister until the Cabinet reshuffle takes place. Joshi was given the additional charge of the Railways on Saturday, a day after Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy quit the post after his party chief Mamata Banerjee withdrew support from the government. Joshi already holds the portfolio of Road Transport and Highways Ministry. The Cabinet reshuffle is...
10:54 AM, Sep 24, 2012
Union Minister CP Joshi already holds the portfolio of Road Transport and Highways ministry. ...
09:29 PM, Sep 22, 2012
New Delhi: Union Minister CP Joshi was on Saturday given additional charge of Railway Ministry, a day after the resignation of Mukul Roy and other Trinamool Congress ministers. According to Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venu Rajamony, Joshi was assigned with the additional charge by President Pranab Mukherjee on the advice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The announcement came on a day the Prime Minister met the President amid speculation of a...
06:45 PM, Sep 22, 2012
New Delhi: The government on Friday expressed hope that it would now be able to attend to the ailing railway ministry, freed of the Trinamool Congress' hold with the party quitting the Congress-led UPA. "Railways is a key infrastructure ministry vital for economic development of the country. There is a need to restore its fiscal health and technological strength. Safety of passengers is a prime and compelling need," said Minister...
07:00 PM, Sep 21, 2012
New Delhi: With Mamata Banerjee's men leaving the Manmohan Singh team on Friday, six key positions will fall vacant. The most important among these is the Cabinet rank of Railway Minister. Sources say the Congress is likely to keep Railway after Mukul Roy quits. This means the Railway will soon have a new minister, the third in a year. Current Railway Minister Mukul Roy was appointed in March after Mamata...
08:43 AM, Sep 21, 2012
The Managing Director of the IRCTC, Rakesh Tandon has admitted that the Tatkal scheme is misused and needs a revamp. ...
09:18 AM, Jun 30, 2012
New Delhi: Railway officials and the IRCTC have decided to scale up policing at stations by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) following an IBN7 expose on the Tatkal ticket booking scam. Railway board officials on Thursday met the IRCTC MD to discuss the issue. The expose conducted by IBN7 reporters showed how touts cornered bulk of the tickets meant for emergency travel and then sold them at a premium price...
03:27 PM, Jun 28, 2012
New Delhi: The government is finally taking visible steps to end its policy paralysis. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to meet key economic ministers on Wednesday to review their performance. During the meeting, the ministers for Coal, Shipping, Railways, Civil Aviation and Power will be presenting their proposals. The Prime Minister is also expected to present a blueprint and deadline to bring the economy back on track at the...
05:58 PM, Jun 06, 2012
