While inaugurating the new trains that will boost connectivity to the Statue of Unity, PM Modi said it will will also help in “changing the lives of the tribal community of Kevadiya.

“This connectivity will be beneficial for tourists coming to see the Statue of Unity but it will also help in changing the lives of the tribal community of Kevadiya. It will bring new opportunities for job and self-employment,” PM Narendra Modi said.

You can now reach #StatueOfUnityByRail!

The programme to mark this special feat begins soon. Here are more glimpses from the Kevadia Railway Station. pic.twitter.com/0u7oyTFTF2

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2021

PM Narendra Modi also paid tributes to AIADMK founder and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran on his birth anniversary and said one of the trains that flagged off for Kevadia on Sunday originates at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station.

“One of the trains flagged off for Kevadia today originates at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station. It is a pleasant coincidence that today is the birth anniversary of MGR. His life was dedicated to the service of the poor,” PM Modi said.

The Ahmedabad-Kevadia Jan Shatabdi Express, one of the eight trains, has been equipped with the ‘Vista-dome tourist coach’ which offers large viewing areas with rooftop glasses and seats for passengers.

PM Modi also inaugurated the DabhoiChandod converted broad gauge railway line, ChandodKevadia new broad gauge rail line, newly electrified PratapnagarKevadia section and the new station buildings of Dabhoi, Chandod and Kevadia.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath joined the event via video link.

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The initiative is part of central government’s aim of doubling the income of farmers by 2022.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced this initiative in her budget speech earlier this year envisaging setting up of a ‘Kisan Rail’ through the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode for a cold supply chain to transport perishable goods.

“As announced in the current year’s Budget to start ‘Kisan Rail’ for providing a seamless supply chain of perishable produce, the Ministry of Railways is introducing the first Kisan Rail from Devlali to Danapur on August 7 at 11 am on a weekly basis…,” the ministry said in a statement.
The train will reach Danapur at 6.45 pm on the next day, covering 1,519 km in 31.45 hours, it said.
Central Railway, Bhusawal Division is primarily an agro-based division and Nasik and the surrounding region produces huge quantities of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, other perishables, onions and other agro products.
These perishables are mainly transported to areas around Patna, Allahabad, Katni, Satna and others.
The Kisan Rail has been provided scheduled halts at Nasik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Itarsi, Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Manikpur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar and Buxar.

The Kisan Rail will comprise refrigerated coaches in Express and Freight trains.
The budget also proposed the launch of Krishi Udan by Civil Aviation Ministry on international and national routes to transport perishable goods to less accessible areas such as north-east and tribal districts.

The proposal to use refrigerated parcel vans to ferry perishables was first announced by then railway minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2009-10 Budget. However, it failed to take off.

Since then, the railways has commissioned temperature-controlled perishable cargo centres at Ghazipur Ghat (UP), New Azadpur (Adarsh Nagar, Delhi) and Raja ka Talab (UP) as a pilot project under the Kisan Vision Project by Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) through a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative. Another project is under construction at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra’s Nasik.

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Indian Railways on July 1, formally kickstarted its plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains on its network by inviting request for qualifications (RFQ) for participation on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains, the national transporter said.

The project would entail a private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore, the national transporter said.

This is the first initiative for private investment for running passenger trains on the Indian Railways network. It began last year with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) introducing the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express.

The Railways has ferried 60 lakh migrant workers home since May 1 through Shramik Special trains but managed to recover only 15 per cent of operational cost.

Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said the average fare per person on Shramik Special trains was Rs 600 and the national transporter had run 4,450 Shramik trains so far. The Railways generated a revenue of around Rs 360 crore.

Also, over 60 per cent of train tickets were cancelled in March due to coronavirus the Railways Board chairman had informed a parliamentary panel.

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It might seem incongruous to hear that trains in India are punctual. But,Indian Railways claimed it has achieved 100 per cent punctuality rate — for the “first time in its history” — on July 1. That means none of its passenger trains faced delays and their departures and arrivals were on time. It is, however, important to note that only a fraction of the total trains are currently running, which means less congestion on tracks. Its previous best, according to the Railways, was 99.54 per cent on June 23, when a train got delayed.

Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal on Thursday tweeted: “Trains in the Fast Lane: Enhancing services to unprecedented levels, Indian Railways made history on 1st July, 2020 by achieving 100% punctuality rate.”

Trains in the Fast Lane: Enhancing services to unprecedented levels, Indian Railways made history on 1st July, 2020 by achieving 100% punctuality rate. pic.twitter.com/zqNXFNx4Z6

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 2, 2020

All special trains — 12 pairs running on the Rajdhani routes since May 12 and 100 pairs operating since June 1 — are continuing even as the Railways has cancelled all regular trains till August 12.

Last month, the railways had sent a memo to its zones to ensure 100 per cent punctuality in the running of 230 special trains, which is less than two per cent of the 13,000 trains that normally run on the railway network.

Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav had asked all general managers and divisional railway managers to ensure that the 15 pairs of Rajdhani special trains and 100 pairs of passenger trains maintain their schedule without any delays. He had also said that since the number of trains being run on the network is currently small, the punctuality has to be 100 per cent

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