Indian Economy-News & Updates

[Nilgiri]

and those were supposed to last 35+ years !

They will probably "last" that long....babus will just change the definition of what "lasting" is

 

[proud_indian]

BOMBARDIERS ARE RAIN READY, BUT COMMUTERS FAR FROM CONVINCED

By Kamal Mishra, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 13, 2016, 09.19 AM IST

A day after the season's first spell of showers brought eight Bombardier rakes to a grinding halt, crippling services on the Western Railway, authorities on Sunday claimed to have fixed the problem. Minor fluctuations in power supply shut down the state-of-the-art rakes on Saturday, leading to cancellation of 80 services between Churchgate and Borivali, once again triggering fears of nightmarish commute in the coming months.

Commuters said they won't feel assured until the claims are proved. WR currently has a fleet of 39 Bombardier rakes and will acquire an additional 33 trains, each costing about Rs 40 crore, from Germany. Nearly 34 lakh people use WR's network daily.

WR officials said the hi-tech trains respond to minor variations in current and resistance by tripping the power supply. Once it happens thrice on the trot, there is no way the motorman can switch on the power system. It has to be hauled to the car shed.

Shailesh Gupta, additional divisional railway manager of WR's Mumbai Central unit, said a team of 25 engineers worked round-theclock to fix the glitch. "We have upgraded the software the Bombardier rakes are ready to run during rains."

The railways included the 12-car Bombardier rakes in 2015, claiming that they were fast, more spacious, reliable and had better suspension and that the features would improve commuting experience for commuters. According to Ajay Singh, general secretary of WR Mazdoor Sangh, several senior officials visited Germany under the pretext of understanding the features of the new-age rakes. "They should be asked as to what they did there. What took them so long to realise that Indian conditions are different from Germany and certain customisations are essentials for the Bombardiers to run in Mumbai."

Singh said such problem do not develop in the trusted Siemen trains as WR has modified their power supply system to weather city conditions. Rajiv Singhal, member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC), said the "tall" claims of officials will be put to test once rains hit the city in full force. "Railway officials say many things, but it is the same experience every year. Only time will tell if they have really fixed the problem."

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/...s-far-from-convinced/articleshow/52722221.cms​

 

[Nilgiri]

BOMBARDIERS ARE RAIN READY, BUT COMMUTERS FAR FROM CONVINCED

By Kamal Mishra, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 13, 2016, 09.19 AM IST

A day after the season's first spell of showers brought eight Bombardier rakes to a grinding halt, crippling services on the Western Railway, authorities on Sunday claimed to have fixed the problem. Minor fluctuations in power supply shut down the state-of-the-art rakes on Saturday, leading to cancellation of 80 services between Churchgate and Borivali, once again triggering fears of nightmarish commute in the coming months.

Commuters said they won't feel assured until the claims are proved. WR currently has a fleet of 39 Bombardier rakes and will acquire an additional 33 trains, each costing about Rs 40 crore, from Germany. Nearly 34 lakh people use WR's network daily.

WR officials said the hi-tech trains respond to minor variations in current and resistance by tripping the power supply. Once it happens thrice on the trot, there is no way the motorman can switch on the power system. It has to be hauled to the car shed.

Shailesh Gupta, additional divisional railway manager of WR's Mumbai Central unit, said a team of 25 engineers worked round-theclock to fix the glitch. "We have upgraded the software the Bombardier rakes are ready to run during rains."

The railways included the 12-car Bombardier rakes in 2015, claiming that they were fast, more spacious, reliable and had better suspension and that the features would improve commuting experience for commuters. According to Ajay Singh, general secretary of WR Mazdoor Sangh, several senior officials visited Germany under the pretext of understanding the features of the new-age rakes. "They should be asked as to what they did there. What took them so long to realise that Indian conditions are different from Germany and certain customisations are essentials for the Bombardiers to run in Mumbai."

Singh said such problem do not develop in the trusted Siemen trains as WR has modified their power supply system to weather city conditions. Rajiv Singhal, member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC), said the "tall" claims of officials will be put to test once rains hit the city in full force. "Railway officials say many things, but it is the same experience every year. Only time will tell if they have really fixed the problem."

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/...s-far-from-convinced/articleshow/52722221.cms​

ICF seems to not care about the quality finish of the bare metal in stress concentrated areas, edges or even in general areas for the paint to adhere effectively. Neither is there a proper laminate and final coating procedure for protection.

So far from I can see at least there are no major safety issues.

 

[proud_indian]

FIRST RAIN SPELL HOLDS 130 TRAINS TO RANSOM

By Iram Siddique, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 12, 2016, 12.00 AM IST​

Stranded commuters wait for trains at Bandra station on Saturday as many of the services were cancelled or delayed​

80 WR trains cancelled while five brand new Bombardier rakes break down due to current fluctuation; 50 CR trains cancelled and 100 trains delayed.

The first proper showers to lash the city on Saturday brought with it 130 train cancellations and 200 delays along both the Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR), thereby reminding us that the rains could still hold the city's much-needed train services to ransom.

Five of the newly procured trains of Bombardier make came to an abrupt halt with the first showers. All of them were stuck on the tracks between 8 am and 1pm, resulting in disrupted and cancellation of about 80 train services. According to WR officials, power tripping in the concerned sections, which the Bombardier rakes are not equipped to handle, was the culprit.

An official explained, "The converter module of Bombardier trains is very stringent and any issue of power-tripping renders it dysfunctional."

Three of these Bombardier trains were rectified at the spot and were allowed to go ahead. But a Churchgatebound ladies special train and another Virar-Churchgate fast local were cancelled and had to be pulled to the car shed using a diesel engine.

Anjum Shaikh, a resident of Mumbai Central was headed to Bandra in the ladies special train when she got stuck there for over 40 minutes.

"The train came to an abrupt halt and the commuters did not know what to do. There were no indications if the train would move or not. The train was standing on the tracks and so, blocked the entire line. Finally, I was forced to take a taxi to reach Bandra after waiting for about 40 minutes."

Chief PRO of WR, Ravindra Bhakar said, "It was the first time that the newly procured trains were running isn the rains and were bound to have teething problems. However, the tolerance of the trains will be increased following consultation with Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO)."

Similarly, 50 CR trains were cancelled and 100 CR trains were delayed on Saturday.

Three trains were stuck with problems in their motor coach. One train was stuck at Kharghar while the other two were stuck between Thane and Kurla.

Prashant Mishra, who was heading to Ghatkopar from Mulund, was stuck for about an hour at the station. "The indicators showed varying timings and there were no announcements, which only worsened the situation," he rued.

The heavy showers also caused constant current fluctuations and there were sparks in the over head equipment in Mulund, which created panic among passengers.

RPF ROPES IN NGO TO ADDRESS HELPLINE WOES

In a bid to address complaints from commuters about malfunctioning RPF helpline numbers, the Central Railway (CR) has now roped in Akshara Foundation to impart training to its staff members.

The NGO will be using previous call recordings from the helpline to analyse earlier responses given by the staff to provide them with alternatives in which they can handle a situation. The RPF will also work towards improving awareness among commuters, informing them on how to travel in suburban trains.

Senior Divisional Security Commissioner for RPF on CR said, "We will also be starting a new What'sApp group to help commuter get in touch with the inspectors directly."

The RPF will also be conducting two separate drives to help officials ensure the safety of passengers


First rain spell holds 130 trains to ransom - Mumbai Mirror​

 

[proud_indian]

1. • 

Mumbai: Your AC local ride could take 4 months to a year

BINOO NAIR | Wed, 18 May 2016-06:50am , Mumbai , dna

Just when will Mumbaikars get to ride on an air-conditioned local train? If railway officials from an assortment of agencies that dna spoke to is anything to go by, it could take as early as four months and as late as one year. The fact, all these officials pointed out, was that the AC local was uncharted territory for Indian Railways and secondly deploying it in one of the world's most demanding networks – Mumbai, with its crowds and humidity – was a tough call.

The third reason that is putting pressure on these agencies is that the failure of the AC local in Mumbai can actually dent the Make in India initiative that the Railways so dearly wants to embrace. The railway board has made it clear that the nine AC rake orders with the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai would be constructed only once the trial, testing, commissioning and running feedback from this AC local is obtained.

"A failure could actually mean we are back to a situation where our local trains are either from multinationals like Siemens and Bombardier or we continue to build things ourselves and waste precious time," said a top official.

While messages sent to Central Railway's top authorities did not elicit any response, officials from Research Design Standards Organisation, ICF-Chennai and Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd refused to put out a date on the commissioning of the train.

"It is a new product and it might take time. We cannot rush the testing of the rake. A delay is better than a half-tested product," was the common refrain of these officials.

Mumbai has had a history of its train trials taking ages. The first Bombardier rake arrived in Mumbai on October 2013 but got commissioned in March 2015, almost 18 months later. The indigenous Medha local which is supposed to run on Western Railway arrived in Mumbai in October 2015 and is yet to be commissioned, almost seven months later.

What needs to be tested?

1. 15-tonne roof-mounted packaging units – railway lingo for AC – in each coach. It will be much more effective than the 10 tonne RMPUs installed in the newly-built double-decker rakes. Most of the trains including Rajdhani, have RMPUs of 7 tonnes

2. First-ever fully automatic sliding door mechanism on a local train

3. Vestibules that connect six coaches of the rake

4. Train control and management system (TCMS) and twin power systems (for running and for ACs, built by BHEL and Netherlands-based Strukton Rail

5. The working of all these equipment at a test speed of 70kmph and maximum speed of 110 kmph.

Mumbai: Your AC local ride could take 4 months to a year | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

After seeing those ICF manufactured Bomardier rakes, I am very concerned about the future of those A/C rakes

@Nilgiri @anant_s @PARIKRAMA

 

[Nilgiri]

1. • 

Mumbai: Your AC local ride could take 4 months to a year

BINOO NAIR | Wed, 18 May 2016-06:50am , Mumbai , dna

Just when will Mumbaikars get to ride on an air-conditioned local train? If railway officials from an assortment of agencies that dna spoke to is anything to go by, it could take as early as four months and as late as one year. The fact, all these officials pointed out, was that the AC local was uncharted territory for Indian Railways and secondly deploying it in one of the world's most demanding networks – Mumbai, with its crowds and humidity – was a tough call.

The third reason that is putting pressure on these agencies is that the failure of the AC local in Mumbai can actually dent the Make in India initiative that the Railways so dearly wants to embrace. The railway board has made it clear that the nine AC rake orders with the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai would be constructed only once the trial, testing, commissioning and running feedback from this AC local is obtained.

"A failure could actually mean we are back to a situation where our local trains are either from multinationals like Siemens and Bombardier or we continue to build things ourselves and waste precious time," said a top official.

While messages sent to Central Railway's top authorities did not elicit any response, officials from Research Design Standards Organisation, ICF-Chennai and Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd refused to put out a date on the commissioning of the train.

"It is a new product and it might take time. We cannot rush the testing of the rake. A delay is better than a half-tested product," was the common refrain of these officials.

Mumbai has had a history of its train trials taking ages. The first Bombardier rake arrived in Mumbai on October 2013 but got commissioned in March 2015, almost 18 months later. The indigenous Medha local which is supposed to run on Western Railway arrived in Mumbai in October 2015 and is yet to be commissioned, almost seven months later.

What needs to be tested?

1. 15-tonne roof-mounted packaging units – railway lingo for AC – in each coach. It will be much more effective than the 10 tonne RMPUs installed in the newly-built double-decker rakes. Most of the trains including Rajdhani, have RMPUs of 7 tonnes

2. First-ever fully automatic sliding door mechanism on a local train

3. Vestibules that connect six coaches of the rake

4. Train control and management system (TCMS) and twin power systems (for running and for ACs, built by BHEL and Netherlands-based Strukton Rail

5. The working of all these equipment at a test speed of 70kmph and maximum speed of 110 kmph.

Mumbai: Your AC local ride could take 4 months to a year | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

After seeing those ICF manufactured Bomardier rakes, I am very concerned about the future of those A/C rakes

@Nilgiri @anant_s @PARIKRAMA

I will wait for @anant_s comment on all of this.

 

[proud_indian]

Mission Raftar: Indian Railways replacing all diesel-run trains with high-speed electric trains

A new initiative under Mission Raftar will do away with diesel engines and replace them with electricity-run engines. The railways have already started replacing passenger trains on short routes with electric-hauled MEMU trains.

Mail Today | Posted by Yashaswani Sehrawat
New Delhi, August 11, 2016 | UPDATED 13:29 IST​

BRIEFCASE​

• 
  
  • 1
    Indian Railways to do away with diesel engines.​
  • 2
    Engines to be replaced with the ones running on electricity.​
  • 3
    Passenger trains started being replaced by electric-hauled MEMU trains.​
  • ​

Diesel-guzzling engines of Indian Railways will soon give way to the fast-moving trains running on electricity.​

In a first step towards phasing out diesel engines, the railways has begun replacing passenger trains on short routes with electric-hauled MEMU trains. This aims at increasing the speed of trains by up to 25 kmph and reducing air pollution by minimizing the use of diesel. Railway officials said the use of electric engines will also save on fuel cost as it is cheaper that diesel.

MISSION RAFTAR
The initiative is a part of 'Mission Raftar' announced by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the Rail Budget this year. The mission envisages a target of doubling of average speed of freight trains and increasing the average speed of all non-suburban passenger trains by 25 kmph in next 5 years. At present the average speeds for non-suburban passenger trains is 46.3 kmph and for freight trains the average speeds is 24.2 kmph.

To implement the plan, a cross-functional mission directorate has been created in the Railway Board. "Action Plan for improving mobility and increasing average speed of trains incude replacement of conventional loco hauled commuter trains by Main Line Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains," said a railway ministry official.

REPLACEMENT ALREADY BEGUN
To begin with, railways have already begun replacing diesel engines on Kanpur-Allahabad section and Asansol-Dhanbad section.

A senior Railway Board officer said cash crunch is mainly responsible for slow pace of producing electric engines. Railways are also expediting the work on electrification of railway network so as to remove diesel engines from service.

On an average 1350 km of rail line is electrified every year. However, the Union Power Ministry has proposed to fund railway's electrification and recover the cost from the ministry at later stage. With electrification of the entire rail network, the railways may gradually stop the production of diesel locomotives and also reduce the use of diesel as a fuel.

With this, railways may be able to cut down its expenses on fuel by up to `18,000 crore annually.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/...s-high-speed-trains-electricity/1/737653.html​

@anant_s @Nilgiri @Ankit Kumar 002

your thoughts

If this was the case then why we are having new GE factory?

 

[Nilgiri]

If this was the case then why we are having new GE factory?

We still need something to haul the unelectrified routes....plus they are not so diesel guzzling as the ones before

 

[proud_indian]

We still need something to haul the unelectrified routes....plus they are not so diesel guzzling as the ones before

but a whole new facility to make those doesn't make sense if they really want to go away with diesel

They are investing for next 40 years or so

or they are talking about passenger trains only

 

[Nilgiri]

but a whole new facility to make those doesn't make sense if they really want to go away with diesel

They are investing for next 40 years or so

or they are talking about passenger trains only

Yes I think the article is directed to passenger traffic mostly:

"Action Plan for improving mobility and increasing average speed of trains incude replacement of conventional loco hauled commuter trains by Main Line Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains," said a railway ministry official.


India can then sell any surplus Diesel locos it has and also export new GE ones possibly over a longer timeframe if massive electrification takes place and if road provides a better alternative for certain sectors.

It is part of hedging, it is good to strive for as much electric infra/traction as possible.....but there will be routes that are doggedly diesel so we still need locos for that in the future (freight wise)

 

[proud_indian]

Yes I think the article is directed to passenger traffic mostly:

"Action Plan for improving mobility and increasing average speed of trains incude replacement of conventional loco hauled commuter trains by Main Line Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains," said a railway ministry official.


India can then sell any surplus Diesel locos it has and also export new GE ones possibly over a longer timeframe if massive electrification takes place and if road provides a better alternative for certain sectors.

It is part of hedging, it is good to strive for as much electric infra/traction as possible.....but there will be routes that are doggedly diesel so we still need locos for that in the future.

"Those double stacked container trains that were recently started seem difficult with overhead electrification. Same with Roll on Roll off trains."

quoting above from some other forum and it makes sense

 

[Nilgiri]

"Those double stacked container trains that were recently started seem difficult with overhead electrification. Same with Roll on Roll off trains."

quoting above from some other forum and it makes sense

Yes this would be another issue. Good catch.

 

[Ankit Kumar 002]

Mission Raftar: Indian Railways replacing all diesel-run trains with high-speed electric trains

A new initiative under Mission Raftar will do away with diesel engines and replace them with electricity-run engines. The railways have already started replacing passenger trains on short routes with electric-hauled MEMU trains.

Mail Today | Posted by It's swani Sehrawat
New Delhi, August 11, 2016 | UPDATED 13:29 IST​

BRIEFCASE​

• 
  
  • 1
    Indian Railways to do away with diesel engines.​
  • 2
    Engines to be replaced with the ones running on electricity.​
  • 3
    Passenger trains started being replaced by electric-hauled MEMU trains.​
  • ​

Diesel-guzzling engines of Indian Railways will soon give way to the fast-moving trains running on electricity.
In a first step towards phasing out diesel engines, the railways has begun replacing passenger trains on short routes with electric-hauled MEMU trains. This aims at increasing the speed of trains by up to 25 kmph and reducing air pollution by minimizing the use of diesel. Railway officials said the use of electric engines will also save on fuel cost as it is cheaper that diesel.

MISSION RAFTAR
The initiative is a part of 'Mission Raftar' announced by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the Rail Budget this year. The mission envisages a target of doubling of average speed of freight trains and increasing the average speed of all non-suburban passenger trains by 25 kmph in next 5 years. At present the average speeds for non-suburban passenger trains is 46.3 kmph and for freight trains the average speeds is 24.2 kmph.

To implement the plan, a cross-functional mission directorate has been created in the Railway Board. "Action Plan for improving mobility and increasing average speed of trains incude replacement of conventional loco hauled commuter trains by Main Line Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains," said a railway ministry official.

REPLACEMENT ALREADY BEGUN
To begin with, railways have already begun replacing diesel engines on Kanpur-Allahabad section and Asansol-Dhanbad section.

A senior Railway Board officer said cash crunch is mainly responsible for slow pace of producing electric engines. Railways are also expediting the work on electrification of railway network so as to remove diesel engines from service.

On an average 1350 km of rail line is electrified every year. However, the Union Power Ministry has proposed to fund railway's electrification and recover the cost from the ministry at later stage. With electrification of the entire rail network, the railways may gradually stop the production of diesel locomotives and also reduce the use of diesel as a fuel.

With this, railways may be able to cut down its expenses on fuel by up to `18,000 crore annually.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/...s-high-speed-trains-electricity/1/737653.html​

@anant_s @Nilgiri @Ankit Kumar 002

your thoughts

If this was the case then why we are having new GE factory?

Errors here.
First its about replacing the local trains or short distance trains which now usually consist of 6-24 ICF rakes hauled by a diesel/electric loco by a Electric or a Diesel Multiple unit depending upon the region. Not all will be replaced by MEMU/DEMU .

Further 100% Electrification is practically not possible, places like Konkan Railway, mountain railways, etc , they won't be electrified.

Its a misconception among people that Electric is more fast than diesel , its nothing like that. Diesel is ( now in production EMDs) superior to electric locomotives in may ways.

Indian railway is aiming for ~70-75% Electrification of routes.And thus diesel locomotives are still required.


If I quote the requirement estimates of Diesel Locomotives for Indian Railways in next 10 years ,its not less than 6500.

@anant_s , I really laugh at the sentence " diesels cause pollution " ,does this mean electrics are god gifted ? From the present contracts of Railways , they buy most of their power from thermal power stations .

Further the production of MEMU/DEMU, the less said the better.

 

[anant_s]

I really laugh at the sentence " diesels cause pollution " ,does this mean electrics are god gifted ? From the present contracts of Railways , they buy most of their power from thermal power stations .

Further the production of MEMU/DEMU, the less said the better.

I think we are mistaken here. IR doesn't have plans or money to electrify all its lines although in future a huge percentage of traffic movement will be by electric traction.
Besides in terms of energy consumption, a diesel loco will always be more energy efficient than an electric (if we consider energy flow from source to load) and therefore the premise that diesel pollute more is not always correct.

 

[anant_s]

"Those double stacked container trains that were recently started seem difficult with overhead electrification. Same with Roll on Roll off trains."

Incorrect!