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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
 Posted - 09/27/2009 : 04:01:44
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Modernise and speed up with new generation trains
If one considers the chaos in railway passengers services waiting in the wings within the very next few years, IR has to take up, willy-nilly, the high-speed passenger train projects without any further loss of time.
Indian Railways (IR) introduced the new generation Rajdhani Express trains-the Duronto Express-between Sealdah and New Delhi since September 18 and between Chennai Central and Hazrat Nizamuddin since September 22. A third between Mumbai Central and New Delhi is expected to be introduced soon, taking the total to three, as promised in her Railway Budget by Mamata Banerjee.
So far, so good. The promise has been kept and passengers travelling by the two trains have expressed satisfaction over the quality of service, although the first Duronto had arrived from Sealdah to New Delhi 50 minutes late, owing to a glitch near Dankuni Station, less than 25 kilomtres from Sealdah, and in any case it was a non-scheduled train.
However, how justified is the claim that these Rajdhanis belong to a new class of passenger service introduced by the new Railway Minister ? The fact that the coaches are of the LHB type, longer than the normal 72-feet Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambut, Chennai coaches and therefore providing half a dozen more berths per coach is the only new feature of the Durontos. They are neither faster than the original Rajdhanis nor are really non-stop, as pandered by spin doctors in Rail Bhavan.
Consider these facts, verifiable from railway records. The first Rajdhani to be introduced over IR was on March 19, 1969 when the 101 Up Howrah-New Delhi Radhani Express was flagged off at 5 p.m from platform No. 9 of the Howrah Station. It had arrived on right time at New Delhi on 9.50 a.m the next day, after 16 hours and 50 minutes. The return train 102 Down New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani had left at 6.15 pm arriving Howrah the next day at 1050 hrs, sixteen hours and fifty minutes later.
The 101 Up/102 Down had no commercial halt at all, meaning that only Howrah-New Delhi- Howrah tickets used to be issued for this train. It did have "technical halts" at Gomoh Junction (not Dhanbad), Mughalsarai and Kanpur for change of crew, drivers and guards, etc. No passengers could board this train at these halts which used to be run with nine coaches twice a week-five chair cars, one first class one pantry car, one brake can and one generator car. The entire train of course was air-conditioned and with all-reserved seats and berths.
A WDM-4 (broad gauge, diesel and mixed) locomotive imported from General Motors, USA used to haul this train at a maximum permissible speed (mps) of 120 kilometres per hour (kmph). The speed was raised to 130 kmph later but the timings, if one recalls correctly, were not changed. Even otherwise, Indian Railways had curiously, stuck to the mps of passenger-carrying trains to 60 miles (slightly more than 97 kilometres) an hour set by the British since 1853, which was considered a great step forward when the mps was raised to 100 kmph in 1967
The Mumbai Rajdhani was introduced in 1972 and its was considered the final step because the concept then was that the Rajdhani should be an overnight train between State capitals and the national capital and no other metropolis had qualified for this criterion for a long time.
The frequency of the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani was extended gradually till this train had fallen into bad days by the late 1970s. There were two factors contributing to this deterioration. First, the tracks on the route had degenerated because of lack of upgradation with times owing to paucity of funds , and even though the load was raised, there was no corresponding electric locomotive at that stage for this prestigious train.
It would astonish many if they were told that while the entire Rajdhani routed was electrified by 1976,the Rajdhani used to be hauled by double headed (that is two locomotives) WDM-2 diesel locos for several years.
It was after ABA Ghani Khan Chaudhari became the Railway Minister in 1982 that the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), Chittaranjan, had developed the WAP-1 ( broad gauge, alternating current and passenger-train hauling variant one) which had started hauling this prestigious train. A later variant WAP-3 was developed for the Shatabdi Express trains during the time of Shri Madhavrao Scindia.
Nevertheless, the Durontos are a good beginning for modernising passenger train services. However, if one considers the chaos in railway passengers services waiting in the wings within the very next few years, IR has to take up, willy-nilly, the high-speed passenger train projects without any further loss of time. We cannot subject, any longer, to passengers starting from say Dibrugarh in Assam for say Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to observe four sunrises and three sunsets during their journey by rail. The next railway Minister may introduce another one hundred new trains after taking over charge but he will only add more powder keg to the chaos bomb in railway passenger services.
Please go ahead, resolutely, towards launching the 250 to 300 kmph passenger carrying trains on major trunk routes without any further loss of time. If there is a resolute will, finances can come. IR engineers are capable of achieving this feat. There is certainly a mention of this programme in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Railway Budget this year, one admits. Let Mamata launch the project in right earnest. She will then render a better service to the country than merely winning the State Assembly elections in West Bengal in, 2011. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2009 : 07:06:08
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The bi-weekly Howrah-Mumbai Duranto Express (2262) began its inaugural run from Kolkata on Monday.
The non-stop train would take just a little more than 26 hours to reach CSTM station covering a distance of more than 1,860 kilometers. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2009 : 09:28:18
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4 more Duronto trains on track
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/63874/LATEST%20NEWS/4+more+Duronto+trains+on+track.html
New Delhi, September 28, 2009
Upbeat over the "success" of the two non-stop Duronto trains started this week, the railway ministry is launching more such trains on select routes across the country.
The railways is planning at least four more Duronto trains in the near future. This will be in addition to the 12 trains announced by railway minister Mamata Banerjee in her budget speech this year.
Two Duronto trains-one between Sealdah and New Delhi, and the other between Chennai and New Delhi-were flagged off last week by Banerjee and Union home minister P. Chidambaram.
Sources in the railway ministry said the trains were a "big hit" among the passengers.
Sources in the railway ministry said it was studying the prospects for starting more Duronto trains on various routes. "Passengers received the Duronto trains well. Both trains reached their destinations well ahead of the scheduled time.
This has prompted us to start more such trains," the official said.
He said the railways was considering several busy routes for the non-stop trains. "We will carry out studies to find the possibility of running non- stop trains between Hyderabad and Vishakhapattanam, Hyderabad and Mumbai, Delhi and Bhopal, and Bangalore and Kochi. We believe the Duronto trains will reduce the problems of passengers on these routes," the official added.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2009 : 10:10:54
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Neither Tatkal nor any concessions in Duronto trains
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Transportation/Railways/Neither-Tatkal-nor-any-concessions-in-Duronto-trains/articleshow/5065303.cms
28 Sep 2009, 1855 hrs IST
NEW DELHI: Plan your trip well in advance if you wish to travel by Duronto, for railways have not only done away with Tatkal quota in this non-stop train but also kept aside various concessions.
Discounts on tickets will not be available under any scheme for patients, students, artistes, physically challenged and others in Duronto trains.
"Except benefits for senior citizens, no other provisions will be applicable in Duronto trains," a senior Railway Ministry official today said amid growing complaints from passengers.
Non-availability of Tatkal scheme has created confusion among passengers including those belonging to the business community as the scheme was of much help to them.
The non-stop AC Duronto Express is having all the facilities including food, bedrolls like Rajdhani trains.
"Since railways is giving so much facilities in Duronto, on par with Rajdhani and has kept the fares low, it is not considering any other concessions in the train," said the official.
A total of 12 Duronto trains will be launched as announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her Rail Budget 2009-10.
Four Duronto Express trains have already been launched for Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that all the Duronto trains will be operating during the next two months.
According to the official, Railways is also contemplating introducing a few more such services between cities.
Railways have already got the Election Commission clearance for launching two more Duronto trains between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Pune and Howrah and Mumbai. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2009 : 03:23:21
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Duronto Express makes its maiden trip to Kolkata
Roana Maria Costa, TNN 30 September 2009, 02:39am IST
MUMBAI: The much-awaited Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express made its first trip to Kolkata on Tuesday from CST's platform 13. The train arrived at the
platform an hour and a half earlier than its scheduled time-10.30 am.
Amit Gupta and his wife, Ashoka, from Kolkata were among the first passengers to take the trip. "I flew in to the city on Sunday for urgent work and thought this new service was good,'' he said. Nilesh Patel, also from Kolkata, said, "I am glad I got a seat as this was the train's first trip.
IRCTC officials said that as is done in Rajdhanis, all meals were included in the ticket cost. High tea consists of a vegetable-cheese sandwich, a samosa and a sweet. Soup follows at 7:00 pm and dinner at 8.30 pm. The dinner includes rice, daal, chicken (for non-vegetarians) and a paneer dish (for vegetarians), salad, curd, pickle and ice-cream. Breakfast comprises a vegetable cutlet, bread-butter, omelette, a tetrapack of fruit juice and confectionery.
The train has only four operational halts-Tatanagar, Bilaspur, Nagpur and Bhusaval.
Indian Railway Fan Club Association member Chaitanya Gokula, who came to see the rake, pointed out that it comprised a mix of old Rajdhani and Garib Rath coaches. The train consists of four classes: AC one-tier, two-tier and three-tier and AC three-tier (economy), which has extra side middle berth. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2009 : 19:59:27
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Duronto fails to click with passengers
V Ayyappan, TNN 12 October 2009, 07:10am IST
CHENNAI: The weekly non-stop Duronto Express to New Delhi is yet to catch the fancy of Chennaiites. Lack of awareness, officials say, is to blame for the poor patronage for Railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s pet project.
The weekly service launched on September 21 has since been registering less than 50% occupancy. The regular Tamil Nadu Express and the Grand Trunk Express continue to see full occupancy.On the inaugural day, the Duronto — which reaches the national capital in almost the same time as the premium Rajdhani Express — received 50% bookings.. This dipped to 40% on September 28. However, things improved slightly and the Duronto saw 45% bookings on October 5, officials said.
“We expect the bookings to go up in the coming weeks. Those who book online prefer to reserve for the Duronto because its name shows up on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) website. Those who book tickets at the counters do not know much of the new service. They still go for trains they are familiar with. A majority of the people who come to reserve tickets from the reservation centres do not check whether new trains or special trains are available,” said a senior official.
Around 200 sleeper berths are still available for the October 12 Duronto service; on the same day, all sleeper class berths have been booked on the GT Express and the Tamil Nadu Express. The waiting list is 36 for the sleeper coaches on these trains.
For the the Third AC class, too, patronage is poor on the Duronto —59 berths are still available for the October 12 service. All berths in the same class on TN Express and GT Express have been sold out.
Southern Railway officials said “Duronto Express will be a blessing for passengers who wish to travel by sleeper class coaches because they get full service too unlike in TN Express and Grand Trunk Express.”
Duronto has 48 AC 2-tier berths, 224 AC 3-tier berths and 624 sleeper class berths. The AC 2-tier fare is Rs 2,530 (Rs 2,625 in the Rajdhani Express) and the AC 3-tier fare is Rs 1,925 (Rs 2,005 in the Rajdhani Express. A sleeper class berth on the Duronto costs Rs 760, including food.
“The train has completed just three services and runs only once a week. It will become popular in the coming days,” said Southern Railway chief public relations officer A J Accamma. Southern Railway general manager M S Jayanth said “we are waiting for the new rake to start the second service of the Duronto on Thursdays on the Chennai-H Nizamuddin route.”
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 03:53:57
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Mamata’s Durontos too fast for passengers
Submitted by Sarthak Gupta on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 06:20.
http://www.topnews.in/mamata-s-durontos-too-fast-passengers-2232175
Mamata-BanerjeeThe Duronto is turning out to be a bit too fast — for passengers and their relatives and friends.
Since its launch, the “fastest trains in India” have been reaching destinations much before time.
Result: travellers have often surprised their relatives and friends with calls from stations, at times two hours before their expected arrival.
“My uncle’s family waited over an hour for me at Nizamuddin because the train from Pune reached early,” said Cyril N, an MNC executive who lives in Dwarka.
For instance, the twice-weekly Duronto from Pune reached Delhi before time all of last month — sometimes at 5.30 am against the scheduled time of 7.10 am.
“Since there are only ‘operational stops’, the trains do not get delayed anywhere,” said Anil Saxena, Indian Railways spokesman.
The Durontos also benefit from being rail minister Mamata Banerjee’s pet project. Sources say not wanting to invite her wrath, all zones and divisions give the trains the green light on a priority basis — ahead of even Rajdhanis.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 08:34:56
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Railways displays its new Duronto train at IITF
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-153465.html
New Delhi, Nov 18: The Indian Railways, in a bid to popularise the newly-launched non-stop superfast train 'Duronto', has put it on display at the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF).
The Railways pavilion, with its central theme of ongoing modernisation and technical upgrade, showcased it at the fair to attract visitors. Since 'Duronto' is the latest superfast train introduced this year, it has generated a lot of interest, said a senior railway official involved with the fair.
Earlier, this year Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the launching of 12 non-stop superfast Duronto Expresses in her budget.
Since then four Durontos have been launched from Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Pune and rest are to be flagged off during the current financial year.
A makeshift tunnel has also been created in the railway pavilion for visitors to experience the feeling of going through a tunnel along a track.
A reservation counter opened at the railway pavilion is also doing brisk business.
--UNI |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 08:47:01
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RCF's first AC Duronto rake rolls out
http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=911180563&cat=&n_date=20091118
Kapurthala | Wednesday, Nov 18 2009
The first air conditioned Duronto rake with High Speed Stainless Steel (HS) coaches, rolled out for Eastern Railway from the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) here.
Praveen Kumar, Member Mechanical, Railway Board, visited the RCF yesterday and rolled out the first of its kind rake comprising 16 coaches, including first class AC, AC-2 Tier, AC-3 Tier, Pantry and Power Cars. He was accompanied by A K Nigam, Additional Member (Production Unit).
The RCF had started manufacturing Duronto trains as per commitment made in the Rail Budget 2009-10 for introducing long distance non-stop services, especially meant for those who wish to travel without any disturbance on the way.
The three Duronto rakes, rolled out by the RCF earlier, comprised AC and non AC coaches, whereas this rake was fully AC. During his visit to the workshop, Mr Praveen Kumar inaugurated the newly laid bay in Shell Shop constructed under the capacity expansion project. He expressed satisfaction over the preparations made by the RCF for developing prestigious double decker coaches. He also inspected
the newly developed all stainless steel lavatory was also inspected by Mr Kumar and said it holds a potential to improve the general hygiene and aesthetics of lavatories and will live upto the expectation of the passengers. Addressing the RCF staff, he advocated the need to provide high class passenger amenities in the coaches and make travel more comfortable. He said the RCF was one of the
leading coach manufacturing units of the world with best infrastructure and it should maintain it's lead in the ensuing competition. RCF General Manager Pradeep Kumar said the RCF was ready to accept any challenge and would not only meet its targets but
would rather surpass these on all fronts. Mr Praveen Kumar later inaugurated the Railway Heritage Park which has a unique display of historic locomotives and carriages. He also inaugurated the new cricket stadium and a basketball ground in the RCF complex.
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DURONTO
