Chhattisgarh’s wish list - four new trains, five railway lines

October 8th, 2009 AMBALA - Salt bags that fell on the railway tracks from an overturned truck held up rail traffic on the Ambala-Saharanpur section for several hours Thursday morning, railway authorities said. The bags fell after a truck overturned early Thursday on the National Highway 1 flyover passing over the tracks.

October 2nd, 2009 PANAJI - A minor mudslide and heavy rain in Goa and north Karnataka have disrupted Konkan Railway services, with four trains including a Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express being "delayed temporarily", a railway spokesperson said. Three Goa-bound trains from Karnataka and Kerala, and the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi Rajdhani express have been halted at the Bhatkal railway station in north Karnataka.

July 7th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Rail services were affected at various places in Orissa Tuesday following demonstrations at railway stations by the youth wing of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to protest the alleged neglect of the state by the central government in the railway budget. Although the demonstrations were peaceful, railway officials said the movement of trains was affected as protesters sat on the tracks in some places for nearly two hours.

July 3rd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed the union railway budget presented by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha Friday as "disappointing". I am disappointed to find that funds for some railway projects have been reduced considerably from last year for Orissa.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, presenting the rail budget for 2009-10 in parliament Friday, said all railway zones have been instructed to ensure availability of 'Janata Khana' - national and regional cuisines - on trains. "National and regional cuisines will be introduced and priority would be given to provision of good quality food, drinking water and toilet facilities and ensure cleanliness on trains and stations," Banerjee said.

July 3rd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala got a fair share of the budgetary proposals of Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee tabled in parliament Friday. The small southern state which had long complained of being "neglected" by successive railways ministers got eight new trains, two new railway lines and a railway medical college.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Just a day before the government tables the railway budget, the Economic Survey for 2008-09 has suggested that the government should allow private players in passenger train operations to tourist spots. "Private entry into provision of passenger trains must be allowed to and from all the tourist destinations," said the survey.

June 1st, 2009 PATNA - Coaches of two passenger trains were set ablaze and the Khusrupur railway station in Bihar's Patna district was ransacked by a mob Monday to protest the East Central Railway's decision to not halt any express rain at the station. Police said hundreds of people set fire to three coaches of the Danapur-Jainagar Intercity Express and one bogie of Rajgir Danapur Express in Khusrupur, about 35 km from here.

June 1st, 2009 PATNA - Coaches of two passenger trains were set ablaze, rail lines uprooted and the Khusrupur railway station in Bihar's Patna district was ransacked by a mob Monday to protest the East Central Railway's decision to not halt any express train at the station. The running of nearly a dozen trains on the Danapur-Howrah and Patna-Barauni routes was disrupted following the incident and hundreds of passengers stranded at different railway stations.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the reduction in fares announced in the interim railway budget presented Friday: * Rs.1 reduction in passenger fares on tickets costing up to Rs.50 for non suburban mail, express and ordinary passenger trains for journey above 10 km; This reduction will not be applicable for second class rail journey up to 10 km * Fares of second class and sleeper class fares of all trains reduced * Fares of AC first class, AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier and AC chair car also reduced by 2 percent

February 12th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan Friday said he is disappointed with the interim rail budget for 2009-10 presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in parliament.

February 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa has been neglected in interim railway budget presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament Friday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here. 'I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected,' Patnaik told reporters here, adding that only one new express train was proposed to be introduced in the state in 2009-2010.

February 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - This metropolis needs at least three more terminals to split the growing rail traffic load, chairman of parliamentary standing committee on railways Basudeb Acharia said Saturday. 'Passenger rate in Eastern and South-Eastern railway is growing by 4.5 percent per year.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Dismissing a public interest petition on trains often running late, the Delhi High court Wednesday said it does not have a magic wand to solve all problems. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah pulled up the petitioner who was seeking directions to the government to run trains on time.

January 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Railways face a legal case for running trains late and putting passengers into trouble. Ramnath Garg, a Delhi resident, has filed a public interest petition in the Delhi High Court who has pointed out that trains running late by several hours put passengers in trouble as they go without food and water for protracted periods of time.