Railway Accounts Department Examinations

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Vadlapudi Wagon Repair Shop - Outsourced

 


First outsourced Wagon Repair Workshop  - Vadlapudi 


  • At Vadlapudi, near Visakhapatnam In ECoR 


  • Construction by RVNL

 

  • 203 Acres  

 

  • 360 Crores - Cost of Construction 


  • Capacity 200 Wagons per month (2400 Wagons per year) 

 

  • Operation and management  (POH activity) of Wagon Repair shop entrusted / outsourced to Railway PSU - M/s Braithwaite & Co. ltd.  

 

  • First time, complete operationalisation and maintenance (POH activity) of Wagon Repair shop outsourced with the approval of the Railway Board.


  • It seems POH activity of Rolling stock in New workshops going to outsourced citing staff shortage. 

–---end—-- 


Thursday, August 4, 2022

Gati Shakti Unit & Gati Shakti Directorate

 GSU - Gati Shakti Units in Divisions


  • Authority: Railway Board Letter No.2021/W-1/Gen1./Gati Shakti dated: 27.07.2022.  Click for the Letter Railway Board Letter


  • GSU stands for Gati Shakti Unit

 

  • Policy Decision has been taken to establish GSUs in all 68 Divisions of Indian Railways

 

Organization structure of GSU at Division


  • Headed by CPM - Chief Project Manager.  CPM is under the administrative control of DRM - Divisional Railway Manager


  • CPM post - open to all cadres (except IRPFS - Indian Railways Protection Force Services)


  • If more than two ADRMs are available in the Division - the post of one ADRM will be re-designated as CPM.  If having two or one ADRM in the Division, make suitable adjustments in the cadre. 


  • Establishment expenditure of GSU's - charged to respective Projects. 


  • Officers of Civil Engineering, S&T, Electrical, Traffic & Finance will be posted at GSU


  • Associate Finance for GSU - Sr.DFM of the Division


  • DFM/ADFM along with SSO(A) & other staff - posted exclusively for GSU  - Will work under the functional control of Sr.DFM but under the administrative control of CPM/GSU

Surveys - GSU

  • RET/PET surveys - henceforth are called Feasibility Study


  • Undertaking Feasibility Study & Preparation of DPR - Detailed Project Report for the Projects   - by GSU's only.  Necessary changes in the Engineering Code are being processed separately. 


  • Expenditure to be charged to erstwhile Demand No.02 


  • Finance Concurrence  - Sr.DFM


  • Rates - are communicated by the Railway Board from time to time. 


  • Processed on IRPSM - Indian Railways Project Sanctions & Management 


  • Feasibility study report - examined by the NPG of the Division (NPG stands for Network Planning Group)


  • Dy.COM/Planning/Hqrs - co-opted in NPG


  • Approval of Feasibility Study- DRM


  • Approval for Preparation of DPR - GM


  • DPRs will be prepared by the GSU of the Division only


  • Approved DPRs (by GM) along with the Finance concurrence of GSU at Division (Finance concurrence at Hqrs will not be required) - will be submitted to the newly created Gati Shakti Directorate in the Railway Board. 


Technical, Administrative & Financial powers of GSUs of the Divisions


  • Analogous to the Officers of the Construction Organisation for the projects. 


  • DRM & CPM have powers of CAO/C & SAG officer in Construction for the execution of works of GSU. 


  • Proposals requiring the sanction of the Railway Board should be sent directly to the Gati Shakti Directorate with approval of GM and concurrence of associated finance at Division (Not Hqrs)


  • Existing Divisional units dealing with ESPs, SWRs, SIPs, and LOPs shall also assist the GSU. If further assistance is required, it may be arranged through outsourcing. 


  • Supervision and Execution of Works - Can use PSSA (Project Supervisors Services Agencies) and PMS as per the need of the Project


  • Also, hire retired Railway supervisors below the age of 65 years with the approval of DRMs - within the overall provisions in the estimates of the projects


  • Air travel outside the Zonal Railways - permitted for Offices & Supervisors - in connection with works  - With DRMs approval.  Concurrence is not required. 


  • Accommodation – In case of shortage, leased accommodation may be provided and house retention is also allowed at the previous place of posting up to one year or scholastic year whichever is earlier. 

  • GM nominates one HAG or SAG officer at Hqrs - as Zonal co-ordinator for GSUs in Divisions in that Zonal Railway

Gati Shakti Directorate


Objects: 


  1. To bring synergy and to improve efficiency of the system

  2. To create additional rail infrastructure

  3. Enhance railway market share in country’s cargo loading

  4. Reduce logistic cost


  • Headed by AM / PED (Gati Shakti)

 

  • Report to Member Infrastructure, Railway Board

 

  • All proposals emanating from Gati Shakti Directorate - Concurred by its own Associate Finance headed by ED/GS (Finance) - Executive Director/Gati Shakti


  • New Directorate was created by clubbing the following Plan Heads


  • 1100 - New Lines

  • 1400 - Gauge Conversion

  • 1500 - Doubling

  • 1600 - Traffic Facilities

  • 3300 - Signal & Telecommunication

  • 3500 - Electrification

  • 8100 - MTP - Metropolitan Transport Projects



Financial Powers


Cost of the Project

IPA - In Principal Approval

Appraised by

Approved by

Up to Rs.100 Crores

Member Finance

Member Finance

Chairman & CEO, Railway Board

Rs. 100 Crores to Rs.500 Crores

Member Finance

Board

Minister of Railways (after examined and recommended by Board)

Rs. 500 Crores to Rs.1000 Crores

Member Finance

NITI Aayog, Expanded Board for Railways chaired by Chairman & CEO, Railway Board

Minister of Railways

Rs. 1000 Crores & above

Member Finance

NITI Aayog, EBR - Expanded Board for Railways chaired by Chairman & CEO, Railway Board

CCEA - Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs


  • Projects costing Rs. 50 Crores and above  - Preparation of DPR - Detailed Project Report is mandatory before they are processed for sanction of the competent authority. 



Key Takeaways for MCQ


  1. GSU stands for Gati Shakti Unit

  2. GSU in Division -  headed by CPM - Chief Project Manager

  3. CPM is under the administrative control of DRM

  4. CPM post is open for all cadres (except IRPFS)

  5. RET/PET surveys - henceforth are called Feasibility Study

  6. NPG stands for Network Planning Group

  7. Approval of Feasibility Study- DRM

  8. Approval for Preparation of DPR - GM

  9. DRM & CPM have powers of CAO/C & SAG officer in Construction for the execution of works of GSU

  10. Air travel outside the Zonal Railways - permitted for Offices & Supervisors - in connection with works  - With DRMs approval.  Concurrence is not required.

  11. Newly created Gati Shakti Directorate - Headed by AM / PED (Gati Shakti)

  12. IPA stands for In Principal Approval

  13. EBR stands for Extended Board for Railways

  14. CCEA stands for Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

  15. Projects costing Rs. 50 Crores and above  - Preparation of DPR - Detailed Project Report is mandatory


  1. Gati Shakti Directorate was created by clubbing the following Plan Heads


  • 1100 - New Lines

  • 1400 - Gauge Conversion

  • 1500 - Doubling

  • 1600 - Traffic Facilities

  • 3300 - Signal & Telecommunication

  • 3500 - Electrification

  • 8100 - MTP - Metropolitan Transport Projects


— end —-


Tuesday, August 2, 2022

RFID

 

RFID 

By Shri Pawan, ICF



    • RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification.

     

    • Used for tracking the Wagons


    • The target of fitting RFID to all the Wagons in Indian Railways by December 2022.

     

    • CRIS - Nodal Agency

     

    • Covered so far - 23000 Wagons out of 3.5 Lakh Wagons


    • Currently, Indian Railway is maintained such data manually, which leaves scope for errors.  Using RFID devices will be easier for the railways to know the exact position of all the wagons, locomotives, and coaches.


    • While the RFID tag will be fitted in the rolling stock, trackside readers will be installed at stations and key points along the tracks to read the tag from a distance of about two meters and transmit the wagon identity over a network to a central computer.


    • In this way, each moving wagon can be identified and its movement tracked.


    • With the introduction of RFID, the issue of shortage of wagons, locomotives, and coaches is expected to be addressed in a more transparent and expeditious manner. 


    • Tags should be able to retain data for a period of 20 years or more.


    MCQ or Key Takeaways


    1. RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification


    1. Target to fit RFID to all the Wagons in IR - December 2022


    1. Total Number of Wagons in IR - 3.5 Lakhs (approx)

    *****

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

HMR - Hyderabad Metro Rail




HMR - Hyderabad Metro Rail

 

 

  •  Pride of Hyderabad city

 

  • World’s largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project in the Metro Rail sector.


  • An MRTS – Mass Rapid Transport Project


  • An integrated urban transport development project with intermodal connectivity and convenient skywalks  - for seamless commuting across busy Hyderabad city.


  • Gauge: Standard Gauge 1435 mm (whereas Broad gauge -1676 mm is used in Indian Railways) 


  • Standard Gauge is also called a uniform gauge, UIC gauge, International gauge, etc.  60 % of the World Railway tracks are operated in Standard gauge only.


  • Maximum capacity per 3 car train  - 965  (Each car – 40 seats)


  • Brand Mantra of HMR – “My City, My Metro, My Pride”

 

Why Metro in Hyderabad city

 

  •   The population stands at 1 Crore +.  Projected to touch 1.36 Crores by 2020

 

  • Currently, 50 lakhs personalized vehicles ply on Roads with the addition of 5 lakh vehicles every year. 

 

  • 80 Lakh motorized trips – every day.  Out of which 32 Lakh trips are made by Public transport system i.e., Local Trains & Buses.  The rest of the 48 Lakh trips are made by personal vehicles leading to bottlenecks, high pollution levels & steep increase in fuel consumption


 

  

 

 

DBFOT –Design, Build, Finance, Opeation & Transfer

 

  • 35 years (5 years construction + 30 years Operation)

 

  • Can be extended to another 25 years

 

  • After 35 years, the entire structure incl: Track, Corridors, Station Buildings etc, Rolling stock, Malls, etc should be transferred to State Government i.e., Telangana. 


  • Central Metro Act extended to Hyderabad city. 

 

Salient features

 

  1. Three Corridors -68 KM 

 

  1. Corridor 1 – Red Line   - From Miyapur to LB Nagar -29 KM

 

  1. Corridor 2 – Green Line – From MGBS – Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand to JBS – Jubilee Bus Stand – 11 KM

 

  1. Corridor 3 – Blue Line – Nagole to Raidurg – 28 KM

 

  1. Concessionaire (the holder of a concession or grant, especially for the use of land or commercial premises or for trading rights.) is LTMRHL – Larsen & Toubro Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited.  It is an SPV – Special Purpose Vehicle

 

  1. Eco-friendly, fully automated, and best-in-class transportation, reduction of carbon footprints

 

  1. RBT – Regenerative Braking Technology 

 

  1. CBTC – Communication Based Train Control technology – virtually one train can speak to another train  

 

  1.  Comfortable Air Conditioned coaches

 

  1. HMRL – Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited, a Govt of Telangana enterprise 

 

  1.  Every KM (approx) – One Station 

 

  1. Automatic ticket vending machines - reducing waiting time in queues and counters.

  2. Automatic fare collection system - hassle-free entry and exit from the stations.

 

 

 

Partners 

 

  • Operations & Maintenance – Keolis  (Paris-based organization- World leaders in public transport business)

 

  • Rolling Stock (Coaches)  - Hyundai Rotem of South Korea


  • Communications – Thales, Portugal


  • Signal & Train Control – Thales, Canada


  • Ballast less Track – Tata Corus (France), Voest Alpine (Austria) & Vossloh (Germany)


  • Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) – Samsung (South Korea)


  • Elevators & Escalators – OTIS (USA)


 

Green Metro

 

  • Reduce Carbon footprint by -10 thousand tons of CO2,  200 tonnes of volatile organic compounds & 12 tonnes of particulate matter are eliminated

 

  • Efficient power consumption

 

  • Rainwater harvesting – One lakh liters of water per day is recycled

 

  • One ton of waste paper per year is recycled. This saves 23 trees per year. 

 

Financials:

 

  • Total Estimated Cost – Rs. 14.132 Crores

  • Actual Completed Cost - Rs. 18,411 Crores ( 17,207 Crores by L & T and 1,204 Crores by Government as part of VGF.

 

  • Central Govt support through VGF – Viability Gap Fund – Rs. 1458 Crores. But given so far 1204 Crores


  • Amount spent by State Govt. i.e., Telangana  - Rs. 3000 Crores

 

  • 2020-21 FY loss - Rs.1,767 Crores  (Cumulative loss Rs. 3,279 Crores)

 

  • Debt element as on date - By L&T  - 13,252 Crores  ( Interest rate 9.1 %) 

 

  • Yearly Interest charges are borne by L & T - Approx 1200 Crores. 


  • Revenue Model  - TOD – Transit Oriented Development

 

  1. Passenger fares – 50 %

 

  1. Retail Malls (as TOD) -40 %  (57 acres given by State Govt on lease basis)

 

  1. Advertisements & stalls at Stations – 5%

 

 

Status of Metro trains – World over

  • Approx 200 Metro Trains in Cities worldwide


  • Out of that, only 4 are in profits (Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore & Hongkong) 


Prominent features of Rolling Stock

  • 3 Cars Train set (can be extendable to 6 Cars Train set)


  • Maximum Design Speed – 90 kmph


  • Maximum Operating Speed – 80 kmph


  • Average Speed – 33 kmph


  • Dwell/Halt time at Station – 20 Seconds 


  • Energy regeneration during electro-dynamic braking 


Timeline 

  • Conceived in 2007 (HMR formed)

 

  • Agreement with L&T – 2010


  • First Corridor started – in 2017 (28th November)


  • Last Corridor started – 2020 (7th February)


  • Key takeaways for MCQ ( General Knowledge)

    1. PPP stands for Public Private Partnership 

    2. World’s Largest PPP project in Metro Rail sector  - Hyderabad Metro

    3. MRTS stands for Mass Rapid Transport System

    4. Standard gauge - 1435 MM - Also called Uniform Gauge or International Gauge

    As on 31.03.2017  - Indian Railway's position

    Gauge

    Width

    Route KM

    Percentage

    Broad

    1676 mm

    61680

    92 %

    Metre

    1000 mm

    3479

    5 %

    Narrow

    762 mm &

     610 mm

    2209

    3 %


    Total

    67368

    100 %


    1. DBFOT stands for Design, Build, Finance, Operation & Transfer

    2. CBTC stands for Communication Based Train Control technology – virtually one train can speak to another train  

    3. VGF stands for Viability Gap Fund 

    4. RBT – Regenerative Braking Technology

    5. AFC  stands for Automatic Fare Collection



  • end -