Cancellation of rail tickets gets tougher from Nov. 12

NEW DELHI,November 9, 2015: Rail travelers having confirmed tickets will not get any refunds if they don't cancel four hours before the departure of the train. The railways has also doubled the cancellation charges in the new rules which will come into force from November 12.

According to the new rules, there will be no refund on confirmed tickets after the departure of the train and one can get refund up to four hours before departure. Earlier from six hours before the scheduled departure of the train and up to two hours after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation fee was 50% of the fare.

The new rules specify that between 12 hours and 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation fee will be 50% of the fare. Also, between 48 hours and 12 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation fee will be 25% of the fare. Earlier between 48 hours and 6 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, the cancellation fee was 25% of the fare.

The change in refund rules is aimed at helping genuine passengers get confirmed tickets and check the tout menace in ticketing.

The railways has also doubled the cancellation charges. The cancellation fee for AC3 confirmed ticket 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train would be Rs 180 as against Rs 90 earlier, while for AC-II it would be Rs 200 in place of Rs 100.

The cancellation fee of second sleeper class confirmed tickets would be Rs 120 instead of earlier Rs 60 while the charges for second class confirmed ticket will be increased to Rs 60 from the present Rs 30.

For waitlisted tickets and reservation against cancellation (RAC), one has to avail the refund up to half an hour before the scheduled departure of the train and there will be no refund thereafter.

"The aim is to plug the scope of misuse," said an official, adding the changes are made to discourage touts and ticketing agents indulging in black-marketing of tickets. Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 Indian Railways trials solar-powered trains

New Delhi, June 6, 2015: Indian Railways is soon going to materialise its ambitious plan of harnessing solar energy to run trains. The prototype of the solar power- enabled coach is undergoing trials, and soon the entire train will be fitted with solar panels, officials said.

They said that while solar power will significantly bring down diesel consumption, it will also prove to be cost-effective. At present, nearly 17 units of electricity are being generated from the solar power enabled coach. Clean and cheap: Solar power will significantly bring down diesel consumption, and will also be cost-effective

As the pilot project, one non-AC coach has been fitted with solar panels on the rooftop. The trial has been successful so far with the coach generating nearly 17 units of electricity every day. Depending on its success, decision will be taken to convert the entire train into a solar power-enabled one,” said Divisional Railway Manager, Arun Arora. Officials said that by harnessing solar power, the railways will be able to save Rs 1.24 lakh per coach year.

“Solar energy will be used to meet the electricity needs in moving trains, and reduce diesel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions,” Arora said. According to studies, a train using solar power can reduce diesel consumption by up to 90,000 litres per year and also bring down the carbon dioxide emission by over 200 tonnes.

  CBI unearths multi-crore scam in Railway

New Delhi, April 21, 2015: In a four-day operation across the country involving 500 of its officers and Railway Vigilance, the CBI has unearthed a “highly sophisticated’’ scam in which the software system that automatically weighs goods on wagons passing over weigh-bridges was manipulated, causing “huge financial losses” to the government. The scam is alleged to have been perpetrated through collusion of Railway officials, private vendors and freight operators.

CBI sources said while the agency was yet to fix blame for the racket on specific individuals and ascertain the quantum of financial loss, “the amount could run into several hundred crores.” The agency will soon register multiple FIRs in connection with the racket which may have been on for the past two or three years, they said.

According to CBI sources, it received inputs that the weighing system at several places had been manipulated in such a way that over-loading of a wagon was concealed and the weight shown to be within the permissible limit. Freight charges collected by the Indian Railways are levied based

on the weight of goods that are loaded in the wagons. Static and in-motion weigh bridges are used for weighing the goods. Nearly 200 Electronic In-Motion Weigh Bridges (EIMWBs) developed by Railways in consultation with Research Development and Standards Organisation (RDSO) have been installed across the country to weigh freight in transit. Goods trains passing at a speed of 15 km per hour are automatically weighed by the system. Source: indianexpress.com

Indian railways News 2015

New Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

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