NEW DELHI: A black and white photograph of a crowded train, with people hanging out of the doors and many sitting on the roof of the coach is iconic. Even before reading the caption, you know it's a moment from the Partition days. It was this refugee special train photographed at Ambala station overflowing with people, which caught everyone's eye at an exhibition of rare photographs of Indian Railways on Thursday.

via Railways shows 160-year track record – The Times of India

Railways shows 160-year track record is a post from: India Transport Portal

We all know that the government of India has allowed quadricycles to ply on the Indian roads. The vehicles are only allowed as a transport vehicle carrying both passengers and good within city limits and on rural roads. This has opened a path for the Bajaj's RE60, and is expected to hit the Indian market soon. However, International Road Federation (IFR) disagreed on the same, and said that it will further increase the fatalities in road accidents in India.

via Quadricycles to increase fatalities in Road Accidents in India-IFR | Business Standard

Quadricycles to increase fatalities in Road Accidents in India-IFR is a post from: India Transport Portal

Nissan India that launched the 'Nissan Safety Driving Forum' in February to spread awareness of road safety and benefits of safety technologies in cars, has recently organized a campaign in Chennai Asking people to belt up. Around 100 million vehicles today ply Indian roads, however an alarming number of road accidents makes India a place with the worst accident rate globally, with an average of 17 live per hour lost to road accidents in 2011. According to a WHO report, road safety in India is worst worldwide, where many people don't use seat belts while driving their car. And the same WHO report further says that seat-belts reduce the risk of a Fatal injury by up to 50% for front seat occupants, and up to 75% for rear seat occupants.

via Nissan Safety Driving Forum Asks India to Use Seat Belt | Business Standard

Nissan Safety Driving Forum Asks India to Use Seat Belt is a post from: India Transport Portal

MUMBAI (REUTERS) – India has agreed to pay 450 billion rupees (S$10.1 billion) for the March quarter to state-owned fuel retailers as compensation for selling products at cheaper government-set rates, officials at these companies said on Thursday.

via India to pay state-run fuel retailers S$10.1 b in Q4 oil subsidy

India to pay state-run fuel retailers S$10.1 b in Q4 oil subsidy is a post from: India Transport Portal

CHENNAI:German truck manufacturer Daimler, along with Japan-headquartered Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, has proposed to ship FUSO range of trucks to 15 overseas markets from June, top officials said today.

via FUSO trucks to be shipped to Asia and Africa markets from June – The Economic Times

FUSO trucks to be shipped to Asia and Africa markets from June is a post from: India Transport Portal

via It's parity not costs in fuel pricing in India | Business Standard

It’s parity not costs in fuel pricing in India is a post from: India Transport Portal

NAGPUR: At a time when a public interest litigation (PIL) is pending in the high court, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has again sought permission to fell 32 full-grown neem trees between Mental Hospital Square and Sports Complex.

via Rejected once, NHAI again seeks nod to fell 32 neem trees on NH69 – Times Of India

Rejected once, NHAI again seeks nod to fell 32 neem trees on NH69 is a post from: India Transport Portal

Road projects not to be developed in PPP mode: NHAINational Highways Authority of India NHAI now believes that conditions for public-private partnership PPP projects are not right. t gave several reasons like the current growth scenario cannot support big highway projects typically developed in the PPP mode.

via Road projects not to be developed in PPP mode: NHAI – CNBC-TV18

Road projects not to be developed in PPP mode: NHAI is a post from: India Transport Portal

Every year, the railways witness massive ticket bookings for the summer months. To deal with this extra traffic, there will be 118 special summer trains introduced by the Railways during the months of April, May, June and July. There will be two special trains to and from Mumbai to Muzaffarpur and Howrah via Allahabad, since there are always extra passengers to and from these destinations. The special train from Howrah to Mumbai will leave from Howrah every Tuesday and from Mumbai every Thursday from mid-April to the end of June. The special train from Muzaffarpur to Howrah is scheduled every Wednesday and Friday from Mumbai and Muzaffarpur respectively beginning April until the end of June.

The East Coast Railway arm of Indian Railways will be running special summer trains from New Delhi to Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Sealdah, Shirdi and Puri, Asansol and Puri, Quilon to Visakhapatnam, Renigunta to Visakhapatnam, Nanded and Visakhapatnam, Hatia to Yashwantpur and Chennai to Santragachhi. Approximately 150,314 places will be added to accommodate all passengers on the waiting list. All trains will be run on a weekly basis from April to June.

The Southern Railway section of Indian Railways has decided to run trains during the peak summer season through Mangalore and on the busy Yesvantpur and Hublu routes. The trains will go from Chennai to Madgaon on Sundays and Mondays covering numerous stations including Kozhikode, Kannur, Salen, Coimbatore, Ambur, Kuttipuram, Mangalore, Udupi and many more. The trains leaving Chennai for Hubli will service Arakkokam, Jolarpetty, Banaswadi, Yestvantpur, Harihar and many other stations. A special train from Yesvantpur to Ernakulam will be introduced from April to June and will cover the stations of Banaswadi, Bangarpet, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrisur, Aluva and others.

Northern Railways will be running special summer trains exclusively for the summer months from Lucknow and Varanasi to the capital city of Delhi. The train from Lucknow will service Bareilly, Moradabad, Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad and others. The special train from Varanasi will make stops at Lucknow, Moradabad, Ghaziabad and Bareilly. Both the trains will run in April only.

The special summer trains introduced by Indian Railways across the various regions of the country will help to provide the much needed relief to passengers. While the efforts of the Indian Railways to manage the extra passengers are commendable, better facilities also need to be introduced for travel during the hottest months of the year. More air-conditioned coaches need to be added on the summer trains that run for long distances.

The logistics involved in introducing special summer trains is simply one part of the story of travel during the summer months. Security procedures in the railway stations and on trains need to be upgraded to manage the hoards travellers in a satisfactory manner. Any compromise or lapse in travel safety or security that were to entail an accident risks becoming even more serious than during the rest of the year, given the increased number of passengers.

Special Trains for the Summer Season is a post from: India Transport Portal

CHENNAI: The Parliamentary standing committee on railways today recommended railways to introduce air conditioned general compartments and more double decker trains.

via Parliamentary committee suggests AC general compartments, more double deckers – Times Of India

Parliamentary committee suggests AC general compartments, more double deckers is a post from: India Transport Portal

MUMBAI: The railways are finally moving with the times. Hoping to improve the punctuality of services, the authorities are abandoning the practice of manually preparing timetables and have commissioned a software to prepare a timetable based on traffic volumes on different sections.

via Railways get software to set timetable – Times Of India

Railways get software to set timetable is a post from: India Transport Portal

Munger: "When I see happiness on the faces of 10.3 crore people of the state, I feel happy and pray that God gives me strength and wisdom that I continue serving them," said chief minister Ntiish Kumar on Wednesday when he started his SevaYatra in the twin districts of Lakhisarai and Munger. He flagged off the aerial photography and ground verification of land survey from Surajgarha in Lakhisarai before leaving for Munger.

via 'Centre meting out stepmotherly treatment to Bihar' – The Times of India

‘Centre meting out stepmotherly treatment to Bihar’ is a post from: India Transport Portal

Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said he nurtures no personal ambition and his only objective is to relentlessly work to provide better facilities to people of the state irrespective of their caste or creed affiliation.

via I have no personal ambition: Nitish Kumar – The Times of India

I have no personal ambition: Nitish Kumar is a post from: India Transport Portal

New Delhi: Along with talks on resolving border disputes, India and China, the two most populous and fastest growing Asian economies, are talking business and laying a roadmap to reach a 'dynamic balance' in bilateral trade.

via Chinese infrastructure projects in India stalled by red tape | NDTV.com

Chinese infrastructure projects in India stalled by red tape is a post from: India Transport Portal

The recent appointments scam in the Railways brings back into focus the inadequate and ineffective management of the nation's most important infrastructure sector. That the arrest of Mahesh Kumar, the suspended member (staff), has dealt a body blow to the prestige and dignity of Indian Railways goes without saying. The common reaction of the ordinary citizen is one of disgust, and a feeling of unease. If promotions and appointments to senior positions can be bought, is the running of the Railways in the right hands?

via How deep is the malaise in the Indian Railways? | Business Standard

How deep is the malaise in the Indian Railways? is a post from: India Transport Portal

MUMBAI: The high levels of dissatisfaction among commuters about passenger amenities can be explained by a finding of the MRVC survey itself: nearly 52% of those interviewed were unhappy with the complaint-handling mechanism of the railways.

via 'Railways must act regularly on complaints' – Times Of India

‘Railways must act regularly on complaints’ is a post from: India Transport Portal

Two and a half weeks after the sensational Railgate scandal shook UPA, functioning at the Railways Ministry continues to remain paralyzed – with major policy and administrative decisions such as filling up vacancies of critical posts including those of zonal General Managers (GMs) and Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) remaining pending.

via Railgate aftershocks: Railways Ministry remains paralaysed – Hindustan Times

Railgate aftershocks: Railways Ministry remains paralaysed is a post from: India Transport Portal

Experts emphasise role of telematics in road safetyDileep Athavale, TNN May 19, 2013, 02.35AM ISTTags: Society of Telecommunications Engineers| Maharashtra Institute of Technology| intelligent transport systems| insurance| entertainmentPUNE: Telecom experts have said there is an increasingly significant role for telematics in the road safety area as more and more cars are getting connected and becoming more intelligent.

via Experts emphasise role of telematics in road safety – Times Of India

Experts emphasise role of telematics in road safety is a post from: India Transport Portal

According to the report presented by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry in the recent Parliamentary session, as many as eighteen motorway projects have been stalled due to a shortage of funds. Thirty-two road projects were given the green light in the fiscal year 2011-12, out of which eighteen have run into trouble with little hope of completion, unless immediate solutions are found and implemented. Almost all of the stalled projects have failed to obtain financial finalisation, as reported by Sarvey Sathyanarayana, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways.

By and large, the biggest problem affecting these projects in India has been generating enough funding. The shortage of funds and the unavailability of loans from financial institutions have made it difficult to generate sufficient means for the projects, which often run into several thousand crores of rupees.

Aside from financial issues, motorway projects have been largely unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary land for building roads. Strict environmental regulations, including the partial ban on soil digging stipulated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, have further added to delays.

Land acquisition poses an immense challenge to motorways projects in India and can often be a highly contentious issue. In certain locations, it can take years for local administrators to finalise agreements with land owners and obtain the requisite clearances. To facilitate the situation, the government passed the Control of National Highways Act in 2002 in a view to prevent illegal occupancy of land allotted for highways and details the procedure to remove unauthorised occupancy.

Road building has gone through tremendous technological improvements, making use of sophisticated equipment and materials required to build roads to the highest standards. While re-using such equipment does generate savings, it also adds to delays as moving the machinery from one place to another can take some time.

Building highways is one of the most expensive and administratively complicated projects in infrastructure development. Apart from financial problems, highway projects often attract corrupt practices; funds are quickly depleted while little progress is made. Bureaucratic inefficiency and red tape associated with highway projects in India does not help matters either.

The picture is no doubt a negative one, with more than half of the road projects awarded in the last fiscal year still awaiting finalisation. While the government has warmly invited foreign investment in the infrastructure sector, there are not a lot of takers. Under such circumstances, there is a pressing need to analyse the current system and perhaps reorganise its procedures in order to improve efficiency and accountability.

18 Highway Projects of 2011-12 Still Waiting for Finalisation is a post from: India Transport Portal

BHOPAL: Non-metro cities have witnessed faster growth rate in comparison to metros in terms of sale of new generation cars and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), General Motors India Vice President P Balendran today said.

via Non-metros witness faster vehicle sales than metro cities: General Motors – Economic Times

Non-metros witness faster vehicle sales than metro cities: General Motors is a post from: India Transport Portal