Today's Cancelled Trains
track
07:30
Showing posts with label track. Show all posts
Showing posts with label track. Show all posts
Monday, 30 July 2018
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Track Monitor
12:22
Indian Railways to procure sensor devices to detect defects on tracks
Railways to procure sensor devices to detect defects on tracks
Govt to buy 6,800 such systems at an estimated cost of Rs 63 crore
In order to prevent catastrophic damages to its assets, Indian Railways is going for offshore procurement of high-powered sensor-based equipment, a first-of-its-kind for the public transporter, to detect defects on tracks and rolling stock.
The sensor-based equipment, known as on board condition monitoring system, currently operational in countries like the US, the UK and Israel, will monitor the condition of tracks, coaches, wagons and locomotives, and send early signal to the control room in case of any deficiency.
"We will purchase 6,800 sensor-based systems to be installed in coaches, wagons and locomotives at an estimated cost of Rs 63 crore," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
Railways will equip the system in selected assets on a trial basis in the current fiscal as it was one of the Rail Budget proposals. The system will be fitted on wheels and the control room will receive signals through vibrations.
The official said the system is operational in railways of the US and the UK, while Israel is using it in its aircraft and helicopter service.
"Any slightest defect on track or rolling stock will be immediately spotted at the control room. Besides, the condition of the assets can be constantly monitored," he said.
Railways will be able to know the exact condition through micro-analysis of data and this will reduce the possibility of sudden catastrophic failures. As a result, the safety aspect of track and rolling stock will be enhanced.
It will also enable the Railways to prepare a predictive maintenance schedule for its assets.
Railways had issued the expression of interest (EoI) seeking response from interested vendors for the Rs 63 crore deal.
"Since it will be procured from outside the country we have sought global response," the official said.
Railways will open the EoI documents on September 7 to know responses from prospective bidders.
Source:http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/railways-to-procure-sensor-devices-to-detect-defects-on-tracks-115083000123_1.html
Source:http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/railways-to-procure-sensor-devices-to-detect-defects-on-tracks-115083000123_1.html
Saturday, 22 August 2015
track
20:01
Indian Railways investigating what Caused derailment train towards Jogeshwari Railway Station (Mumbai)
Indian Railways investigating what Caused derailment train towards Jogeshwari Railway Station (Mumbai)
Indian Railways freight train derails in Mumbai
A major mishap was averted on Friday when three coaches of an Indian Railways freight train coming to Mumbai from Rajasthan derailed.
The incident took place at the Kandivli Railway Station of Borivli.
The train was coming from Banas and heading towards the Jogeshwari Railway Station, when three of its coaches derailed in the middle of Borivli-Kandivli railway track.
The derailment, however, did not claim any lives, nor did it disrupt the services of local trains. Cranes were used to get the three derailed train coaches back on track.
The coaches contained cement bags, which were transferred to a freight train going in the opposite direction to ensure clearance of the railway track and route.
Friday, 21 August 2015
track
19:30
Katra-Banihal imbroglio: IR says ‘Even experts can make mistakes'; emphasize on dismissal of PIL
Katra-Banihal imbroglio: IR says ‘Even experts can make mistakes'; emphasize on dismissal of PIL
Railways questions E Sreedharan’s expertise over J&K line in the Court
New Delhi: Indian Railways has cast doubt on the expertise of E Sreedharan, renowned as the man behind Delhi Metro and the Konkan Railway, in a Delhi High Court battle over the safety of a line being built in Jammu and Kashmir that’s already eight years behind schedule.
The high court had appointed a panel headed by Sreedharan to examine plans for the 111-kilometre, Katra-Banihal stretch after Prashant Bhushan’s Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) filed a PIL on the matter. The railways, rushing to finish the line in five years, has already spent more than Rs 10,000 crore over the past 13 years on the section in a politically sensitive state where the Bharatiya Janata Party is part of the governing coalition.
The railways questioned the Konkan Railway’s “speckled safety record”, providing a detailed report of accidents on the line that had resulted in the death of 71 passengers since it started, emphasising that “even experts can make mistakes”. It also said that, “in stark comparison to Konkan line’s record, there has been no casualty in the Jammu-Baramullah line”, which was built in far tougher geological conditions.
Sreedharan said he would only respond in court to what the railways had to say about his report or regarding the Konkan Railway.
“Whatever I have to say, I will say it in the court,” he said. About the Katra-Banihal line, he said that the court had asked advocates from both sides to tabulate what he had said in the report and what railways were saying. The court will decide, he added.
Sreedharan, then with Indian Railways, and his team successfully built the Konkan Railway two decades ago after difficult terrain had frustrated previous efforts. Being on the coast, the line is vulnerable to heavy monsoon rain that leads to landslides. Delhi Metro is regarded as one of the most successful mass transit systems in India, having transformed public transport in the capital.
Officials said the Prime Minister’s Office is closely monitoring progress of the Katra-Banihal line and wants the railways to take a tough stand on the case. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have sought regular reports from the railway ministry on the line. The railways has promised the PMO that the line will be completed by 2020.
“In fact, when the PM got to know that the main reason for delay of the project was the PIL, he asked attorney general Mukul Rohatgi to personally review the case. Additional solicitor general Maninder Singh has been arguing for the railways ever since,” an official said.
The Sreedharan committee submitted its report in February, stating “the biggest concern regarding the existing alignment is the poor survivability of the tunnels, bridges and cuttings against the threats of landslides, earthquakes, and the security risks arising out of the nearness of the line to the LoC (Line of Control)”. The railways dismissed the report’s conclusions.
“The committee had no topographic sheets to study, no geological, geotechnical, slope stability or seismic study reports to study about a paper alignment which is not even properly marked on paper,” it said. “Therefore, the conclusions of the committee are mere conjectures, fallacious, specious and delusive statements.”
It said none of the committee members had visited the site. “Therefore, the committee had to suggest that the proposed alignment in the report is only a ‘paper alignment’,” the railways said, adding that “the existing alignment is well-researched, well-investigated line where work is progressing successfully without any mishaps or problems.”
The railways also said the committee did not hold discussions with officials and international experts working on the project. “The committee did not consider the voluminous documentation provided by the project team. The committee did not allow presentations from experts, and it did not provide any technical justification and logic supported by any calculations or analysis in support of its paper alignment,” it told the court.
The Railway Board was the sole authority competent to take decisions, including track alignment.
Asking the court to dismiss the PIL, the railways said that if “such administrative decisions continue to be challenged, it would open a Pandora’s Box, making other infrastructure projects prone to challenge and scrutiny thereby affecting the progress of work and as a consequence affecting development of the country at the instance of vested interests.”
Sunday, 9 August 2015
track
15:16
Track-laying for Kolkata’s East-West Metro to start
Track-laying for Kolkata’s East-West Metro to start
Kolkata: Laying of tracks along the East-West Metro corridor will start in a few weeks and is expected to be completed in a year’s time.
While this bit of news will cheer you, the planners are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that the imbroglio over extension beyond Sealdah to Mahakaran is resolved by then. It will help them continue laying tracks, as and when the link progresses, without taking a break. Track-laying is considered the start of the final stage in any railway project.
It is interesting that the EW corridor has ended up being a Metro Railway project. Several years ago, when it was first planned, Metro was urged to take up construction. Metro agreed but on one condition: the tracks would have to be broad gauge. Engineers associated with the project refused and insisted on standard gauge. The Metro opted out but ultimately the project came its way. Metro had insisted on broad gauge tracks because they planned an interface between the east-west and north-south lines at Central station. The north-south corridor had been built with such a provision in mind.
“As the EW corridor will have standard gauge, an interface will make no sense. Ideally, the main station in the EW network should be at Esplanade, where there is sufficient space. It will also benefit commuters who can travel from Sector V to Esplanade and then take another train towards south Kolkata. The station building at Esplanade can also be a landmark and ease a lot of existing problems in the heart of Kolkata. It is no longer advisable to consider a station on Brabourne Road as any construction there will result in subsidence. The best option is to take the line to Mahakaran station and then towards the Hooghly,” an engineer said.
According to him, the station at Esplanade can be a multi-storied structure with parking lots and commercial establishments on top. Parking is a major problem in Esplanade and the commercial space can be commercially exploited, making the project more viable.
“When any underground structure is built, engineers have to contend with buoyancy. The underground water tries to push up the structure. To counter this, a lot of load can be added on the underground structure. Even a multi-storied structure over the Metro station at the existing tram depot near Curzon Park won’t cause any problem,” said an official. Rather it would create some much needed vertical space, he added. This is what officials would discuss with those from the defence ministry when putting forward their case for a station at Esplanade.
