Railway concession for accredited press correspondents

September 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - Police on Tuesday resorted to firing in the air and baton charging irate passengers near a Mumbai railway station. According to preliminary television reports, the incident took place at the Nala Sopara Railway Station nin Thane District, as the passengers expressed their anger over the delay and disruption of local train services.

September 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - Train services along the Western Railway route resumed partially on Tuesday, hours after police had to resort to a baton charge and firing in the air to disperse irate passengers. The Chief Public Relations Officer of the Western Railway, S.S.

August 25th, 2009 SUNDARGARH - Maoists blew up a railway station and abducted three railway employees in Orissa's Sundargarh district on Tuesday morning. According to the police, about 20 left-wing ultras blew up Roxy railway station, located in a remote area under K Bolang police station and triggered the explosion after asking the employees to move out.

August 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The 50 percent discount on train journeys for accredited media persons, as announced in the railway budget, comes into effect Aug 15. Accredited press correspondents will be eligible for a 50 percent discount on the basic fares of all classes of mail or express trains, while all other charges will to be collected in full.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Rail Budget for 2009-10 by voice vote after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced some more concessions, few new rail lines and setting up of an expert committee. Replying to a marathon debate on rail budget in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said an expert committee, headed by Amit Mitra, will prepare a blue print for business plans of railways.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to reply to the general discussion on rail budget on Thursday in Lok Sabha. The Railway budget is still under discussion in both houses of parliament.

July 4th, 2009 KOLKATA - Atleast ten persons, including three women, were killed and 40 others injured when a mini bus carrying passengers fell from the over bridge onto a railway track of the Howrah station here on Saturday. Survivors of the accident have been rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the highlights of the rail budget for the current fiscal presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha Friday: - No increase in passenger, freight fares - Rs.1,102 crore allocated towards improving passenger amenities - Kolkata metro to be extended - Rs.50 billion increase in budgetary support in 2009-10 - Freight target for 2009-10 set at 882 million tonnes - Target set in interim budget unrealistic - Freight cargo increased 5 percent in 2008-09 - One doctor to be posted on each long distance train - Rs.25 monthly pass for unorganised sector employees with income below Rs.1,500 for travel up to 100 km - New "Yuva" fully air-conditioned train for youth - Yuva fares Rs.299 up to a distance of 1,500 km and Rs.399 up to 2,500 km - Student concession to be extended to madarssa students - Student concession of 60 percent on Kolkata Metro - Introduction of trains for women during peak seasons - 12 non-stop trains - New train information system to be started in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi - 50 mobile rail ticket vans to be introduced - ATMs on 200 mid and small-sized stations - Integrated security scheme for 140 vulnerable stations - Setting up of a 1,000 MW power plant - Special recruitment drive for the physically challenged, minorities - Committee under Sam Pitroda to commercialise railways' optic fibre network - Private operation of freight terminals to be encouraged - New factory in West Bengal for making 500 state-of-the-art coaches annually - "Janta khana" (peoples' food) to be provided at railway stations - Railways will not be guided by economic viability, but by social commitment - Seven nursing colleges to provide employment to railway spouses - Medical colleges proposed to be opened through public-private partnership model - Cold storages and cargo facilities to eliminate wastage of perishables - 50 world class stations to be developed on public-private partnership model - 309 out of 375 stations will be developed with modern facilities - 50 stations at tourist, religious places to have integrated facilities - Infotainment facilities on Rajdhani Express for long distance passengers - Unreserved ticketing systems to be expanded from 5,000 to 8,000 terminals - Passengers can buy unreserved tickets at 5,000 post offices - Air-conditioned double-decker trains for inter-city travel - SMS updates for wait-listed passengers - 200 automatic vending machines at key stations for selling tickets - Discount for press correspondents increased from 30 to 50 percent - Discount of 60 percent on fare if press correspondents travel with spouse

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the highlights of the rail budget for the current fiscal presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha Friday: - Rs.25 pass for unorganised sector employees of income below Rs.1,500 up to 100 km - New "Yuva" fully air-conditioned train for youth - Yuva fares Rs.299 up to a distance of 1,500 km and Rs.399 up to 2,500 km - Student concession to be extended to madarssa students - Student concession of 60 percent on Kolkata Metro - Introduction of trains for women during peak seasons - 12 non-stop trains - New train information system to be started in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi - 50 mobile rail ticket vans to be introduced - ATMs on 200 mid- and small-sized stations - Integrated security scheme for 140 vulnerable stations - Setting up of a 1,000 MW power plant - Special recruitment drive for the physically challenged, minorities - Committee under Sam Pitroda to commercialise railways' optic fibre network - Private operation of freight terminals to be encouraged - One doctor to be posted on each long distance train - New factory in West Bengal for making 500 state-of-the-art coaches annually - "Janta khana" (peoples' food) to be provided at railway stations - Railways will not be guided by economic viability, but by social commitment - Seven nursing colleges to provide employment to railway spouses - Medical colleges proposed to be opened through public-private partnership model - Cold storages and cargo facilities to eliminate wastage of perishables - 50 world class stations to be developed on public-private partnership model - 309 out of 375 stations will be developed with modern facilities - 50 stations at tourist, religious places to have integrated facilities - Infotainment facilities on Rajdhani Express for long distance passengers - Unreserved ticketing systems to be expanded from 5,000 to 8,000 terminals - Passengers can buy unreserved tickets at 5,000 post offices - Air-conditioned double-decker trains for inter-city travel - SMS updates for wait-listed passengers - 200 automatic vending machines at key stations for selling tickets - Discount for press correspondents increased from 30 to 50 percent - Discount of 60 percent on fare if press correspondents travel with spouse

April 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rakesh Chopra, an officer of Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) of 1971 batch, has taken over as the new Member (Engineering), Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India. He took over from S.K.

March 21st, 2009 PATNA - Suspected Maoist rebels blasted a railway track in Bihar's Gaya district, disrupting train services on the Gaya-Mughalsarai section, officials said Saturday. Railway sources said a group of armed Maoists blew up the track between Guraru and Pairayya stations in Gaya this morning.

March 19th, 2009 GREATER NOIDA - A railway passenger was attacked by robbers who set him ablaze for refusing to part with his money and valuables and then threw him out of the train, the police said Wednesday. The critically injured passenger was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi with 40 percent burns.

March 19th, 2009 DISPUR - A powerful bomb exploded on the railway track between the Diphu and Daldoli Railway Stations in Assam's Karbi Anglong District at around 1 a.m. on Thursday.

January 31st, 2009 PATNA - Railways Minister Lalu Prasad is set to gift his home district, Gopalganj in Bihar, a railway division before the next Lok Sabha polls. After Lalu Prasad's ancestral village Phulwaria is connected with his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi's Salar Kalan village, Lalu now plans to give another rare gift to Bihar by announcing the establishment of a railway division in Thawe at Gopalganj.

January 22nd, 2009 RANCHI - Indian Railways Friday paid tributes to freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by renaming a railway station in Jharkhand after him. Railways Minister Lalu Prasad announced the new name of the Gomo railway station that comes under the Dhanbad railway division.