Shri Ravindra Gupta, General Manager, South Central Railway addressed a Press Conference on Railway Budget 2016, today i.e. 25th February 2016 at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad. The Press Conference was attended by several Principal Heads of the Departments of the Zone.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Shri Ravindra Gupta highlighted the fact that South Central Railway has got the highest allocations for the ongoing projects, as compared to earlier years. He stated that: -
ØFor New Lines, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 1219 Crs., which is 102% more than previous year.
ØFor Doubling works, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 1332.85 Crs., which is 540% more than previous year.
ØFor Bridges, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 31.51 Crs., which is 17% more than previous year.
ØFor Road over Bridges, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 155.77 Crs, which is 53% more than previous year.
ØFor Traffic Facilities the budgetary grant is Rs 82.24 Crs for the year 2016-17 which is 102% more than previous year.
New Works Project:
ØGhatkesar–Raigir (Yadadri) MMTS project at an estimated cost of Rs.330 Crs
ØDevelopment of satellite Rail Terminal at Cherlapalli Railway station at an estimated cost of Rs.80 crs
ØDevelopment of Tiruchanur Railway station (conversion of ‘C’-class to ‘B’-class Station) to decongest Tirupati Railway station at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crs.
Ø40 Road Over Bridges (ROB) have been sanctioned over SCR jurisdiction
ØKazipet –Workshop for Wagon Periodical Overhauling sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 269 Crs and an amount of Rs.20 Crs allotted in this year
ØRajahmundry – Augmentation of MEMU rake maintenance facility sanctioned at a cost of Rs.7.2 Crs
ØKazipet Electrical Loco Shed augmentation of homing capacity from 125 locos to 175 locos at an estimated cost of Rs.18 crs
Budgetary Allocations for important ongoing new line projects:
ØRs.70 Crs for Peddapalli–Karimnagar-Nizamabad project.
ØRs. 110 Crs for Jaggayyapet–Mellacheruvu–Janpahad project.
ØRs. 100Crs for Nandyal–Yerraguntla project
ØRs 80 Crs for Gulbarga–Bidar project.
(This high allocation will enable in completing the above three projects.)
ØRs.180 Crs for Munirabad–Mahabubnagar project.
ØRs. 30 Crs for Manoharabad–Kothapalli project.
ØRs.180 Crs for Nadikudi–Srikalahasti project.
ØRs.200 Crs for Kotipalli–Narsapur
ØRs.80 Crs for Vijayawada–Bhimavaram–Nidadavolu doubling and electrification.
ØRs.31 Crs for Mancherial–Peddampet tripling project.
The General Manager detailed the new initiatives to be undertaken on the Zone, as announced in the Railway Budget-2016. These include –
New Works under Partnership with State Governments (JV):
ØDoubling of Railway Track between Guntur to Guntakal for a distance of 443 kms
ØGadchandur–Adilabad New Line for a distance of 70 kms
ØSecunderabad–Zahirabad New Line for a distance of 70 kms
ØBodhan–Bidar New Line for a distance of 100 kms
ØLatur–Nanded via Loha and Ahmedpur
ØGadwal–Macherla New Line for a distance of 184 kms
New Surveys:
ØMahboobnagar–Dhone Survey for doubling for a distance of 175kms
ØNallapadu–Bibinagar for doubling for a distance of 243 kms
ØBodhan–Biloli–Mudkhed–Jalkot–Latur Road New Line Survey for a distance of 130 kms
ØVijayawada–Guntur via Amravati for New Line Survey for distance of 67 kms
ØNarasapur–Machilipatnam New Line Survey for a distance of 85 kms
ØDarsi–Narsaraopet New Line Survey for a distance of 65 kms
ØCumbum–Ongole New Line Survey for a distance of 115 kms
ØChittoor–Kuppam New Line Survey for a distance of 118 kms
ØObulavaripalli–Vayalpadu New Line Survey for a distance of 150 kms
ØTuni–Kottavalasa New Line Survey for a distance of 112 kms
Other Highlights connected to SCR
ØProposed to take up Dedicated Freight Corridor North–South (New Delhi to Chennai) and East Coast Corridor Kharagpur–Vijayawada passing through SCR through innovative financing mechanism including PPP
ØPriority for development of Passenger Amenities and beautifications on Stations at pilgrim centers of Tirupati and Nanded and also to run Aastha Circuit Trains to connect important pilgrim centers
ØIntend to partner with Telangana State Government for developing Suburban Section
ØFor Senior citizens, the quota of lower berth will be increased per coach by 50% resulting in almost 120 lower berths per train for senior citizens.
ØFor women passengers, middle bays will be reserved in coaches for women security.
ØDevelopment of Satellite Terminal under PPP mode (Nagalpalli)
ØAs a part of computerization, Fuel Management System to be commissioned at a cost of
Rs.4.20 Crs
With regard to the overall plans envisaged for Indian Railways, as announced by Hon’ble Minister of Railways in the Railway Budget, the General Manager stressed that the focus is to ensure that the quality and standards of Rail travel are in tune with the expectations of the rail users. Towards this, the Hon’ble Minister of Railways spelt out several new proposals which include-
A) Improving quality of travel
For the Unreserved Passenger
·Antyodaya Express unreserved, superfast service.
·Deen Dayalu coaches – unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of mobile charging points.
For the Reserved Passenger
·Humsafar - fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals
·Tejas - will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above.Will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction
·UDAY - overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.
B) Ticketing:
·Sale of tickets through hand held terminals;
·e-ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis.
·Expansion of Vikalp – train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to waitlisted passengers.
·E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalists;
·Facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One Time Password’ sent on registered phone number,
·To improve tatkaal services CCTV cameras on windows and
·Periodic audit of PRS website.
C) Cleanliness
·‘Clean my Coach’ service through SMS,
·Ranking of A1 and A stations based on periodic third party audit and passenger feedback;
·Waste segregation and recycling centres;
·‘Awareness campaigns’;
·On SCR, this year 2015-16, a total of 2073 Bio-toilets were setup in 618 coaches and another 300 bio-toilets will be provided by the end of this fiscal. Targetted to provide 2000 more bio-toilets in the next financial year as a part of additional 30,000 bio-toilets on Indian Railways
·Providing portable structures with bio-toilets at all platforms of select stations to meet th demands of senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers,
D) Catering and stalls at stations
·IRCTC to manage catering services in a phased manner;
·Explore possibility of making catering services optional,
·Adding 10 more IRCTC operated base kitchens;
·To build local ownership and empowerment,
·Weightage will be given to district domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations.
E) Stoppages:
·Convert all operational halts into commercial halts for the benefit of the common man.
F) Measures for Divyang
·All stations under redevelopment accessible by Divyang;
·To provide at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next financial year
·To also ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these stations.
G) Travel Insurance to Passengers
·To offer optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the time of booking.
H) Hourly booking of Retiring Rooms
·Will be handed over to IRCTC.
I) Janani Sewa
·Children’s menu items on trains, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available.
J) SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches
·Design and layout of our coaches to ensure higher carrying capacity and
·Provision of new amenities including automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens, LED lit boards for advertising, PA system.
K) Mobile Apps
·Integrate all facilities into two mobile apps dealing with ticketing issues and for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions.
L) Improving customer interface
·Skilling our front-end staff and those we employ through our service providers,
·Information boards in trains enumerating the on-board services and also
·GPS-based digital displays inside coaches to provide real time information regarding upcoming halts.
·Work underway on installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations for enabling real time flow of information to passengers and also unlock huge advertising potential.
·All A1 class stations will be manned with duly empowered Station Directors supported by cross functional teams; to make one person accountable for all facilities on trains.
Winning back the lost modal share
A) Expanding the Freight Basket of IR
·To start time-tabled freight container, parcel and
·Special commodity trains on a pilot basis,
·Container sector would be opened to all traffic barring coal,
·Specified mineral ores and part-loads during the non-peak season.
·All existing terminals/sheds would be granted access to container traffic, where considered feasible.
B) Rationalising the Tariff Structure
·Undertake review of tariff policy to evolve a competitive rate structure vis a vis other modes, permit multi-point loading/unloading and
·Apply differentiated tariffs to increase utilization of alternate routes, explore possibility of signing long term tariff contracts with our key freight customers using pre-determined price escalation principles.
C) Building Terminal Capacity
·Proposed to develop Rail side logistics parks and warehousing in PPP mode,
·10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics Company of India, in 2016-17.
·Encourage development of cold storage facilities on vacant land near freight terminals.
·Local farmers and fisherman would be given preferential usage of the facility.
·A policy in this regard would be issued in the next 3 months.
D) Nurturing Customers
·Will appoint Key Customer Managers to liaison with our major freight stakeholders;
·Each Zonal Railway will develop customer commitment charter indicating service level commitments of IR,
·Will explore the feasibility of opening up leasing of general purpose wagons.
Sustainability and Social Initiatives:
A) Human Resources/ Skilling, Social initiatives, Environment
·To tie up with the Ministry of Health for ensuring an exchange between Railways hospitals and Government hospitals;
·To introduce ‘AYUSH’ systems in 5 Railway hospitals;
·Provide gang men with devices called ‘Rakshak’ for intimating them about approaching trains, also reduce the weight of the tools carried by them while patrolling.
·To provide toilets and air-conditioning in cabs for our loco pilots.
·Set up two chairs – one C T Venugopal chair on Strategic Finance, research and policy development and another Kalpana Chawla chair on geo-spatial technology.
·For youth – open our organisation to 100 students across Engineering and MBA schools for ‘2-6 months’ internships each year.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Shri Ravindra Gupta highlighted the fact that South Central Railway has got the highest allocations for the ongoing projects, as compared to earlier years. He stated that: -
ØFor New Lines, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 1219 Crs., which is 102% more than previous year.
ØFor Doubling works, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 1332.85 Crs., which is 540% more than previous year.
ØFor Bridges, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 31.51 Crs., which is 17% more than previous year.
ØFor Road over Bridges, the budgetary grant for 2016-17 is Rs 155.77 Crs, which is 53% more than previous year.
ØFor Traffic Facilities the budgetary grant is Rs 82.24 Crs for the year 2016-17 which is 102% more than previous year.
New Works Project:
ØGhatkesar–Raigir (Yadadri) MMTS project at an estimated cost of Rs.330 Crs
ØDevelopment of satellite Rail Terminal at Cherlapalli Railway station at an estimated cost of Rs.80 crs
ØDevelopment of Tiruchanur Railway station (conversion of ‘C’-class to ‘B’-class Station) to decongest Tirupati Railway station at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crs.
Ø40 Road Over Bridges (ROB) have been sanctioned over SCR jurisdiction
ØKazipet –Workshop for Wagon Periodical Overhauling sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 269 Crs and an amount of Rs.20 Crs allotted in this year
ØRajahmundry – Augmentation of MEMU rake maintenance facility sanctioned at a cost of Rs.7.2 Crs
ØKazipet Electrical Loco Shed augmentation of homing capacity from 125 locos to 175 locos at an estimated cost of Rs.18 crs
Budgetary Allocations for important ongoing new line projects:
ØRs.70 Crs for Peddapalli–Karimnagar-Nizamabad project.
ØRs. 110 Crs for Jaggayyapet–Mellacheruvu–Janpahad project.
ØRs. 100Crs for Nandyal–Yerraguntla project
ØRs 80 Crs for Gulbarga–Bidar project.
(This high allocation will enable in completing the above three projects.)
ØRs.180 Crs for Munirabad–Mahabubnagar project.
ØRs. 30 Crs for Manoharabad–Kothapalli project.
ØRs.180 Crs for Nadikudi–Srikalahasti project.
ØRs.200 Crs for Kotipalli–Narsapur
ØRs.80 Crs for Vijayawada–Bhimavaram–Nidadavolu doubling and electrification.
ØRs.31 Crs for Mancherial–Peddampet tripling project.
The General Manager detailed the new initiatives to be undertaken on the Zone, as announced in the Railway Budget-2016. These include –
New Works under Partnership with State Governments (JV):
ØDoubling of Railway Track between Guntur to Guntakal for a distance of 443 kms
ØGadchandur–Adilabad New Line for a distance of 70 kms
ØSecunderabad–Zahirabad New Line for a distance of 70 kms
ØBodhan–Bidar New Line for a distance of 100 kms
ØLatur–Nanded via Loha and Ahmedpur
ØGadwal–Macherla New Line for a distance of 184 kms
New Surveys:
ØMahboobnagar–Dhone Survey for doubling for a distance of 175kms
ØNallapadu–Bibinagar for doubling for a distance of 243 kms
ØBodhan–Biloli–Mudkhed–Jalkot–Latur Road New Line Survey for a distance of 130 kms
ØVijayawada–Guntur via Amravati for New Line Survey for distance of 67 kms
ØNarasapur–Machilipatnam New Line Survey for a distance of 85 kms
ØDarsi–Narsaraopet New Line Survey for a distance of 65 kms
ØCumbum–Ongole New Line Survey for a distance of 115 kms
ØChittoor–Kuppam New Line Survey for a distance of 118 kms
ØObulavaripalli–Vayalpadu New Line Survey for a distance of 150 kms
ØTuni–Kottavalasa New Line Survey for a distance of 112 kms
Other Highlights connected to SCR
ØProposed to take up Dedicated Freight Corridor North–South (New Delhi to Chennai) and East Coast Corridor Kharagpur–Vijayawada passing through SCR through innovative financing mechanism including PPP
ØPriority for development of Passenger Amenities and beautifications on Stations at pilgrim centers of Tirupati and Nanded and also to run Aastha Circuit Trains to connect important pilgrim centers
ØIntend to partner with Telangana State Government for developing Suburban Section
ØFor Senior citizens, the quota of lower berth will be increased per coach by 50% resulting in almost 120 lower berths per train for senior citizens.
ØFor women passengers, middle bays will be reserved in coaches for women security.
ØDevelopment of Satellite Terminal under PPP mode (Nagalpalli)
ØAs a part of computerization, Fuel Management System to be commissioned at a cost of
Rs.4.20 Crs
With regard to the overall plans envisaged for Indian Railways, as announced by Hon’ble Minister of Railways in the Railway Budget, the General Manager stressed that the focus is to ensure that the quality and standards of Rail travel are in tune with the expectations of the rail users. Towards this, the Hon’ble Minister of Railways spelt out several new proposals which include-
A) Improving quality of travel
For the Unreserved Passenger
·Antyodaya Express unreserved, superfast service.
·Deen Dayalu coaches – unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of mobile charging points.
For the Reserved Passenger
·Humsafar - fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals
·Tejas - will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above.Will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction
·UDAY - overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.
B) Ticketing:
·Sale of tickets through hand held terminals;
·e-ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis.
·Expansion of Vikalp – train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to waitlisted passengers.
·E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalists;
·Facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One Time Password’ sent on registered phone number,
·To improve tatkaal services CCTV cameras on windows and
·Periodic audit of PRS website.
C) Cleanliness
·‘Clean my Coach’ service through SMS,
·Ranking of A1 and A stations based on periodic third party audit and passenger feedback;
·Waste segregation and recycling centres;
·‘Awareness campaigns’;
·On SCR, this year 2015-16, a total of 2073 Bio-toilets were setup in 618 coaches and another 300 bio-toilets will be provided by the end of this fiscal. Targetted to provide 2000 more bio-toilets in the next financial year as a part of additional 30,000 bio-toilets on Indian Railways
·Providing portable structures with bio-toilets at all platforms of select stations to meet th demands of senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers,
D) Catering and stalls at stations
·IRCTC to manage catering services in a phased manner;
·Explore possibility of making catering services optional,
·Adding 10 more IRCTC operated base kitchens;
·To build local ownership and empowerment,
·Weightage will be given to district domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations.
E) Stoppages:
·Convert all operational halts into commercial halts for the benefit of the common man.
F) Measures for Divyang
·All stations under redevelopment accessible by Divyang;
·To provide at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next financial year
·To also ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these stations.
G) Travel Insurance to Passengers
·To offer optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the time of booking.
H) Hourly booking of Retiring Rooms
·Will be handed over to IRCTC.
I) Janani Sewa
·Children’s menu items on trains, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available.
J) SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches
·Design and layout of our coaches to ensure higher carrying capacity and
·Provision of new amenities including automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens, LED lit boards for advertising, PA system.
K) Mobile Apps
·Integrate all facilities into two mobile apps dealing with ticketing issues and for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions.
L) Improving customer interface
·Skilling our front-end staff and those we employ through our service providers,
·Information boards in trains enumerating the on-board services and also
·GPS-based digital displays inside coaches to provide real time information regarding upcoming halts.
·Work underway on installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations for enabling real time flow of information to passengers and also unlock huge advertising potential.
·All A1 class stations will be manned with duly empowered Station Directors supported by cross functional teams; to make one person accountable for all facilities on trains.
Winning back the lost modal share
A) Expanding the Freight Basket of IR
·To start time-tabled freight container, parcel and
·Special commodity trains on a pilot basis,
·Container sector would be opened to all traffic barring coal,
·Specified mineral ores and part-loads during the non-peak season.
·All existing terminals/sheds would be granted access to container traffic, where considered feasible.
B) Rationalising the Tariff Structure
·Undertake review of tariff policy to evolve a competitive rate structure vis a vis other modes, permit multi-point loading/unloading and
·Apply differentiated tariffs to increase utilization of alternate routes, explore possibility of signing long term tariff contracts with our key freight customers using pre-determined price escalation principles.
C) Building Terminal Capacity
·Proposed to develop Rail side logistics parks and warehousing in PPP mode,
·10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics Company of India, in 2016-17.
·Encourage development of cold storage facilities on vacant land near freight terminals.
·Local farmers and fisherman would be given preferential usage of the facility.
·A policy in this regard would be issued in the next 3 months.
D) Nurturing Customers
·Will appoint Key Customer Managers to liaison with our major freight stakeholders;
·Each Zonal Railway will develop customer commitment charter indicating service level commitments of IR,
·Will explore the feasibility of opening up leasing of general purpose wagons.
Sustainability and Social Initiatives:
A) Human Resources/ Skilling, Social initiatives, Environment
·To tie up with the Ministry of Health for ensuring an exchange between Railways hospitals and Government hospitals;
·To introduce ‘AYUSH’ systems in 5 Railway hospitals;
·Provide gang men with devices called ‘Rakshak’ for intimating them about approaching trains, also reduce the weight of the tools carried by them while patrolling.
·To provide toilets and air-conditioning in cabs for our loco pilots.
·Set up two chairs – one C T Venugopal chair on Strategic Finance, research and policy development and another Kalpana Chawla chair on geo-spatial technology.
·For youth – open our organisation to 100 students across Engineering and MBA schools for ‘2-6 months’ internships each year.
