CAG report reveals why trains run late in India -Governance Now

CAG report reveals why trains run late in India

The auditor has slammed the railways for its failure in completing platforms’ extension work to decongest major stations, which often affects trains’ punctuality

Vishwas Dass | December 6, 2018 | Delhi

#rail platform #train late #delay train #Indian Railways #CAG

Photo: Vishwas Dass

Ever wonder why your train gets delayed every time? Well, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found an answer. As per a CAG report only 101 out of 163 platforms of 15 major stations of the Indian Railways can accommodate trains with 24 or more coaches. The creepy infrastructure and delays in completion of works has a cascading impact on the running and punctuality of the trains, as the trains often get detained at nearby stations and outer signals. Hence, they are delayed so often.

The CAG audited 15 stations of 10 railway zones, namely Patna, Deen Dayal Upadhyay (earlier known as Mughalsarai), New Delhi, Delhi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura, Howrah, Jaipur, Bhopal, Itarsi, Ahmedabad, Vijayawada, Chennai Central and Nagpur.

The auditor reviewed the works undertaken by the railways relating to platforms’ extension, construction of new platforms, washing lines and traffic works like route relay interlocking and yard remodeling. The CAG observed that the works taken up by the railways to decongest the stations were not completed in time.

The New Delhi station, where 186 trains originate and terminate, has maximum number of platforms (13 out of 16 platforms) which can accommodate trains with 24 coaches. At Old Delhi station, only five out of 16 platforms can have long-composition trains.

Itarsi and Jaipur are the only stations where all of the platforms can handle trains with 24 carriages.

The audit report found that due to absence of adequate capacity of platforms, trains with higher number of coaches had to be handled in less capacity platforms which troubled passengers in boarding and de-boarding the trains.

The CAG has slammed the railways for its failure in developing adequate infrastructure to accommodate trains with 24 coaches, which reduces congestions at stations and facilitates timely arrival/departure of trains.

The report also highlighted that only 35 out of 79 pit lines (needed for trains’ maintenance) can handle trains with 24 or more coaches.

After reviewing 11 stations, the auditor found that the number of trains per day surged by 13 percent from March 2012 to March 2017, but only two pit lines were built during that period, resulting in increase in waiting time for maintenance of trains at washing pit lines. It ultimately resulted in detention of trains at platforms after termination.

Absence of adequate washing pit lines is also one of the reasons for late start of trains originating from the station.

Comments

Other News

Major gold smuggling & melting syndicate busted in Mumbai

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has cracked down on a major gold-smuggling syndicate in Mumbai under `Operation Bullion Blaze`. The operation uncovered an organised racket involved in smuggling gold into India, melting it in covert furnaces, and illicitly selling the refined bullion into the

Those behind Delhi blast will be brought to justice: PM

In his first remarks on the Delhi blast of Monday evening, prime minister Narendra Modi has said that those behind it will be brought to justice. “Our agencies will investigate the conspiracy. The conspirators will not be spared,” he said on Tuesday while delivering his speech in

Proposed: Mandatory ‘Country of Origin’ filter on E-Commerce platforms

The Department of Consumer Affairs of the central government has issued the Draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second) Amendment Rules, 2025, proposing to make it mandatory for e-commerce platforms to provide searchable and sortable filters based on the `Country of Origin` for packaged commoditi

Experts call for stronger communication of air pollution science

Experts have emphasized the urgent need to improve how scientific evidence on air pollution is communicated to policymakers and the public to spur meaningful health and policy action. They were participating in a webinar titled “Communicating Air Pollution Science for Public Health Act

Maharashtra to partner with Starlink for satellite-based internet

In a step toward inclusive digital transformation, the Maharashtra government has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited. With this, Maharashtra becomes the first Indian state to formally collaborate with Starlink to deploy satellite-based internet services f

Young Birders’ Month: A nationwide celebration inspiring budding nature explorers

This November, children and young people across India are embarking on a joyful exploration of birds and nature as part of Young Birders’ Month (YBM) - a first-of-its-kind, month-long campaign created to spark curiosity and ecological awareness among young minds. This initiative is organized collabor