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The <keyword id="19897865" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana-government" source="keywords">Telangana government</keyword> on Monday stepped up <keyword id="21349143" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="relief-measures" source="keywords">relief measures</keyword> following <keyword id="19922385" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heavy-rains" source="keywords">heavy rains</keyword> in the state which led to the death of at least nine people and inundation of low-lying areas. The affected people were shifted to relief camps at some places in the state. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will conduct a meeting with officials on the <keyword id="23005417" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rain-relief-measures" source="keywords">rain relief measures</keyword>. <br /><br />People in several places in the state were grappling with the situation though there had been some let up in the rains on Monday morning. <br /><br />The <keyword id="21479339" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flood-victims" source="keywords">flood victims</keyword> at Khammam, as Munneru rivulet was in spate, said their belongings were washed away and that drinking water was not available to them. Some local residents provided them with food on Sunday, they said. <br /><br />They alleged that they had got no relief from the officials. <br /><br />Traffic on the <keyword id="19900176" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyderabad" source="keywords">Hyderabad</keyword> - Vijayawada National Highway was diverted due to rainwater overflowing on the road. <br /><br />State Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya visited <keyword id="22686850" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rain-affected-areas" source="keywords">rain-affected areas</keyword> in the Mahabubabad district and enquired about the <keyword id="21349143" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="relief-measures" source="keywords">relief measures</keyword> taken up and about help provided to those who were shifted to relief camps. <br /><br />The Secunderabad-headquartered <keyword id="19986382" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="South-Central-Railway" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="South Central Railway" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="South Central Railway">South Central Railway</keyword> cancelled train services, while diverting some others. <br /><br />The Met Centre of IMD here said extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad district on Monday. In view of <keyword id="19922385" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heavy-rains" source="keywords">heavy rains</keyword>, the Cyberabad Police here requested all IT and ITES companies to encourage 'work from home' on September 2. <br /><br />Allowing the employees to work from home would minimise the risks associated with commuting during this weather, said D Joel Davis, Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyberabad Traffic) in an advisory. <br /><br />Additionally, this measure would also help reduce traffic congestion and ensure that emergency services are not hindered, he said. <br /><br />Due to the forecast of heavy rains in <keyword id="19900176" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyderabad" source="keywords">Hyderabad</keyword> district, a holiday has been declared for all primary and secondary schools, under all managements (Government, Aided, and Private) on September 2, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the children, officials said. <br /><br />Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the phone and enquired about the flood situation in the rain-hit areas and the damages caused due to flood fury in the state.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/realme-13-plus-5g-vs-iqoo-z9s-pro-battle-of-the-under-25000-smartphones/slidelist/112924868.cms">Realme 13 Plus 5G vs iQOO Z9s Pro – Battle of the under ₹25,000 smartphones</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/baazar-style-retail-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112920678.cms">Baazar Style Retail IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/upcoming-cars-launching-in-india-in-september-2024/slidelist/112917920.cms"><strong>Upcoming cars launching in India in September 2024</strong></a><br />

Telangana govt steps up relief measures following heavy rains

Rs 11.17 crore! That’s how much <keyword id="61108" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="North-Central-Railway">North Central Railway</keyword> (NCR) and <keyword id="82627" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="South-Central-Railway">South Central Railway</keyword> (SCR) have levied from its passengers for booking in superfast trains. However, a recent investigation by <keyword id="6356851" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CAG">CAG</keyword> shows, these ‘superfast’ trains have been delayed almost 95% times. <br /><br /> <keyword id="51689" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Railway-Board">Railway Board</keyword> has defined superfast trains as the ones that run at an average speed of 55kmph. Given the fact that most express trains with exception to a handful runs on that speed, passengers are charged extra for most long distance train travels. <br /><br /> The study done between 2013-14 to 2015-16 in NCR and SCR shows that these trains reached the destination late between 13.48% and 95.17% of the days on which they ran. In total, 21 superfast trains were delayed on 3,000 days out of 16,804 days because they failed to attain the 'superfast' speed, according to a TOI news report.<br /><br /> Currently there is no policy by which the railways will refund money to passengers automatically for delays. It’s only when a person files a ticket deposit against reservation (<keyword id="59440" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="TDR">TDR</keyword>) against a train delayed for more than three hours is a refund possible.<br /><br /> Also 'superfast' surcharges vary for different class of coaches. For example, it is Rs 15 for general coaches, Rs 30 for sleeper, Rs 45 for AC (chair car, AC-3 economy, AC-3, AC-2 classes) and Rs 75 for AC First/Executive class which were effective from April 1, 2013, as per the TOI news report.<br /> <br /> <keyword id="6356295" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Agra">Agra</keyword> divisional commercial manager <keyword id="4798023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanchit-tyagi">Sanchit Tyagi</keyword> told TOI, "There are scores of factors which lead to trains not achieving their superfast speed, thus causing delays. Some the prominent factors are the maintenance of tracks, signal glitches, emergency brakes and accidents which contribute in the late operations of railways."<br /> <br /> <br /><br />

Railways charging extra for superfast trains that are 95% times delayed

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Monika Michalska was the first person to officially drive a <keyword id="11893239" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="train" source="Orion">train</keyword> on <keyword id="11897569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="london" source="Orion">London</keyword>'s $25 billion <keyword id="13417123" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elizabeth-line" source="Orion">Elizabeth line</keyword>.</li><li>She loves the <keyword id="11893504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="job" source="Orion">job</keyword> and her coworkers, there's only one snag which is the early morning shifts.</li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/london-railway-elizabeth-line-train-years-build-uk-crossrail-station-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Elizabeth line</a>, London's brand-new <keyword id="11900137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="railway" source="Orion">railway</keyword> that took 23 years to build and opened in late May. I was the first person to drive one of the trains for the $25 billion project.</p><p>Before becoming an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-line-railway-commute-train-cost-arrive-work-early-london-2022-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">Elizabeth line</a> <keyword id="11956277" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="driver" source="Orion">driver</keyword>, I didn't have any experience in operating trains. I used to work in hospitality until my husband saw an advertisement for female train drivers at Crossrail and I decided to apply.</p><p>I was quite concerned before jumping into the rail sector. I thought the culture wasn't for me. I thought it would be intimidating and unwelcoming, especially for a woman. But it was the exact opposite from day one.</p><div type="image" title="Monika Michalska in front of the Paddington station sign for the Elizabeth line." height="1368" width="1824" msid="92916692" hostid="261" sizebytes="57860"></div><p>After nine months of training, I walked down the station platform at Abbey Wood, south east London, ready to drive the first Elizabeth line train to Paddington, a main hub in central London, at 6 a.m. Many train enthusiasts had gathered at Abbey Wood station to watch the train roll on the tracks for the first time.</p><p>Given that it was such a big moment for the railway company Crossrail, the enthusiasts, and myself as a driver, I did a countdown for the train departing the station.</p><div type="image" title="Inside the drivers' cab of an Elizabeth line train." height="2658" width="3544" msid="92916693" hostid="261" sizebytes="468708"></div><p>I still can't believe that it was actually me who had the opportunity to be the first person to drive a train for the line, which was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.</p><p>Even though it was a huge construction project and requires a lot of responsibility, I'm not scared about the job. I feel proud. I think, "Wow, I'm in charge of this shiny, beautiful train and I'll take the passengers wherever they need to go."</p><p>Having said that, I dread the early morning shifts. Whenever I see my name on the roster for 2 a.m., I'm not a happy bunny. Some shifts are long and you have to focus — even if you want to go to bed or you're hungry — you need to keep going. It's challenging to organize my life around the shifts, especially with children but it's the only negative thing about the job. Everything else makes up for it.</p><div type="image" title="Elizabeth line train." height="2634" width="3512" msid="92916695" hostid="261" sizebytes="503390"></div><p>Despite what you might think, the job isn't boring. What I really enjoy about driving the Elizabeth line is the variety that I have. There are two different tunnels along the route and some parts have different speeds and stopping times, which makes driving more interesting. Other sections, for example in west London, allow you to travel at high speed, which is fun.</p><p>A total of 70 trains cross through 41 stations on the 60-mile route from one side of London to the next. Much of the route — mainly outside central London — is overground. I'd like to think that us Elizabeth line drivers are much luckier than underground tube drivers who are in tunnels 90% of the time. </p><div type="image" title="Monika on a platform in front of an Elizabeth line train." height="4223" width="5632" msid="92916697" hostid="261" sizebytes="417620"></div><p>As an Elizabeth line driver, I work any day of the year. The only day we can guarantee that we'll get off is Christmas. The shifts can be as short as five hours and as long as 12 hours but on average it's around eight hours' long.</p><p>In terms of pay, trainees earn over $40,700, while first years take home around $61,300 and fully qualified train drivers can earn more than $81,800.</p><p>Apart from the early shifts, nothing else phases me. My work is like a family to me. I even have a favorite train unit that I like to drive — Unit 12 — which is the first-ever train I drove during my training.</p><p>I feel like I hit the jackpot when I got hired for this job.</p>

I drove the first train on London's new $25 billion railway. I dread the early shifts but still never get bored of the job.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian forces attacked five train stations in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> on Monday, resulting in casualties, Ukraine's state railway company said.</li><li>"Russian troops continue to systematically destroy railway infrastructure," said Oleksandr Kamyshin, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways.</li></ul><p>Russian forces attacked five railway stations in Ukraine on Monday, resulting in casualties just hours after the highest-level American visit to the Ukrainian capital since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-attacks-ukraine-launching-new-war-in-europe-2022-2">Russia launched its war</a> against the eastern European country, the state railway company said. </p><p>Oleksandr Kamyshin, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways, said in a statement <a href="https://t.me/zalizni_zminy/529">posted on the Telegram app</a> that the train stations "came under fire" in central and western Ukraine within the span of one hour on Monday morning. </p><p>"Russian troops continue to systematically destroy railway infrastructure," Kamyshin said. </p><p>The CEO said that there were casualties, but he did not specify how many people were injured or killed.</p><p>"There are casualties, we are finding out the details. I will keep you informed," he said, adding that at least 16 passenger trains "will be halted."</p><p>Lviv, Ukraine, regional governor Maksym Kozytsky <a href="https://www.facebook.com/maks.kozytskyy">said in a Facebook post</a> that an "explosion" occurred at around 8:30 a.m. at the train station in the southwest region of Krasne "as a result of a missile strike."</p><p>"Structural units of the State Emergency Service are working at the scene, the fire is still being extinguished," Kozytsky said in the post. "There is no information about the victims as of this hour."</p><p>Additionally, Kozytsky said that Ukraine's armed forces "destroyed" one missile in the Lviv region. </p><p>"The missiles flew to the west of Ukraine from the south-eastern direction, which the [R]ussian occupiers fired from a strategic aircraft, probably Tu-95," Kozytsky said. </p><p>The reported railway attacks come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-debated-axing-blinken-trip-zelenskyy-revealed-plan-kyiv-report-2022-4">met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a> in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday. </p><p>Blinken and Austin flew from the US to Poland and from there traveled to Kyiv by train. </p><p>During Russian President Vladimir Putin's nearly nine-week war with Ukraine, Russian troops have surrounded and shelled several cities across the country, hitting multiple civilian targets, including a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelenskyy-condemns-russia-direct-strike-at-mariupol-maternity-hospital-2022-3">maternity hospital</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russian-shelling-destroys-mariupol-art-school-sheltering-400-2022-3">an art school</a>. </p><p>Earlier this month, some 50 evacuating civilians were killed and another nearly 100 were injured in a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-russias-merciless-attack-at-kramatorsk-station-donbas-ukraine-2022-4">Russian rocket attack at the Kramatorsk train station</a> in eastern Ukraine, local officials have said. </p>

Russian forces attacked 5 railway stations in Ukraine after Blinken, Lloyd visit: official

<br /> Now that the winter is right upon us and the proverbial Delhi fog is fast approaching the point of zero visibility, how about a leisurely ride to the <keyword id="24879" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sun">sun</keyword>, <keyword id="42711" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Seas">seas</keyword> and sands that will warm your heart? Especially when you are chugging on to some breathtakingly beautiful coastal stretches overlooking the sea? Last month, we have taken our readers on a picturesque <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> through India’s heartland. On this third and last leg of our trip today, we will take you on a <keyword id="1981639" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Coastal-ride">coastal ride</keyword> as the train meanders its way through sloping hills, beautiful valleys and misty blue coastlines. And finally, there’s the <keyword id="824801" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="unforgettable">unforgettable</keyword> <keyword id="1981642" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sea-bridge-ride">sea bridge ride</keyword> to <keyword id="6354932" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rameswaram">Rameswaram</keyword>. Just take a train of your choice to live and relive the journey. “Be like a train; go in the rain, go in the sun, go in the storm, go in the dark <keyword id="142777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="tunnels">tunnels</keyword>! Be like a train; concentrate on your road and go with no hesitation,” says Turkish writer <keyword id="1981629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mehmet-Murat">Mehmet Murat</keyword> ildan and we cannot agree more. Happy journey, folks, and happy holidays!<br />
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<strong>Image:</strong> Wikipedia

Chugging Out To Sea: Five Coast-hugging Train Rides Along Indian Shores

New Delhi, Apr 27 () E-commerce giant Amazon India on Monday said it has strengthened its partnership with the Indian Railways and has ramped up its operations to 55 lanes in a bid to enable faster deliveries to customers amid the nationwide lockdown.<p> Last year, Amazon India had partnered with Indian Railways for inter-city transportation of e-commerce packages on 13 lanes, and had also set up pickup kiosks for customers in Kolkata and Mumbai.</p><p> Amazon India will transport consignments via rail across the country and is leveraging the 'COVID-19 Parcel Special Trains' introduced by the Indian Railways to ramp up its operations to 55 lanes during the lockdown period, it said in a statement.</p><p> Indian Railways with the support of the Railway Board and the zones across Western, Central, Northern, Eastern, South Central, Southern, South Eastern, North East Frontier, North Western and South Western have created a proactive solution to provide support for transportation during lockdown.  </p><p> "This enhanced network will enable sellers in Amazon India's network to ship their products across the country and keep their businesses running, thereby, allowing people to access a more diverse selection of essential products," the statement said.</p><p> Amazon India Director (Amazon Transportation Services) Abhinav Singh said with the support of COVID-19 Parcel Special trains introduced by the Indian Railways, the company is confident it can further fulfil customer orders with enhanced speed and capacity.</p><p> "We are grateful for this timely decision by the Indian Railways to offer freight movement solutions during these challenging times," he added.</p><p> Under the lockdown - scheduled to end on May 3, e-commerce companies have been allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products. </p> The players and industry associations have been urging the government to expand the list of essentials to include 'work from home' and 'study from home' products.  SR  SHWSHW

Amazon India strengthens partnership with Railways for faster deliveries amid lockdown

<br />The <keyword id="6355455" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-railways">Indian Railways</keyword> has received a lot of flak not only from passengers but also from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that lashed out at it for failing to meet the <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/now-cag-criticises-indian-railways-over-dirty-linen-blankets-and-pillows/story-g9UMcL4c4qll5PwYrpbwbJ.html">basic hygiene standards</a> and highlighted critical safety <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-after-andheri-rob-collapse-audit-reports-of-overbridges-come-into-limelight-2633028">flaws</a> in the <keyword id="17408" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="infrastructure">infrastructure</keyword>.<br /><br />And while there are numerous examples of how the railways is trying to spruce things up a bit and get their act together, fact is, apart from the relatively lighter changes like placing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-railways-is-going-to-live-stream-its-kitchens-to-the-world-to-ensure-transparency/articleshow/64600841.cms">cameras in kitchens</a> and acquiring <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/blankets-provided-on-trains-by-indian-railways-will-soon-be-fresher-and-cleaner/articleshow/64764828.cms">blankets</a> that can be washed twice a month, the railways is engaged in some heavy duty changes that are geared towards safety, convenience and basic timeliness of the <keyword id="6360847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="trains">trains</keyword>.<br /><br />According to a report by the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/how-aging-creaking-crumbling-railways-is-getting-a-new-life/articleshow/64852991.cms">Economic Times</a>, here are ten key changes the Indian Railways is currently indulging in.<br /><br /><ol><li><strong>Eliminating unmanned railway crossings:</strong> A little over two months after the unfortunate <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/kushinagar-accident-14-children-killed-as-train-hits-school-bus-at-railway-crossing-1729955.html">Kushinagar train accident</a> when a train rammed into a school van killing 14 children at an unmanned railway crossing (UMLC), the railways is aggressively working on eliminating all unmanned railway crossings. To achieve this it has given itself a deadline of 31 March 2020. In fact, the railways has already <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/railways-eliminates-all-unmanned-level-crossings-from-4-zones-5239251/">eliminated</a> all UMLCs in four zones on <keyword id="409555" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="broad-gauge">broad gauge</keyword> routes in July — West Central Railway, Central Railway, Eastern Railway and South East Central Railway — and is well on its way to eliminating unmanned level crossings in 11 zones by September 2018.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="pexels-photo-892541." tempid="406286" msid="64859688" hostid="261"></div>

<br /></li><li><strong>Giving old, worn-out tracks an upgrade:</strong> A <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/586-train-accidents-in-last-5-years-53-due-to-derailments/articleshow/60141578.cms">Times of India</a> report in October 2017 claimed that almost 53% of the 586 train accidents in the last five years were due to derailments. And ageing and/or defective railways tracks is one of the primary causes of derailments. Therefore, the railways has boosted its efforts to replace its ageing tracks and repair defective ones. In fact, the railways claim that there is a 50% increase in rail track renewal from 2,926 kilometres in 2013-14 to 4,405 kilometres in 2017-18.<br /> </li><li><strong>Construction of foot-over-bridges:</strong> In September 2017, a stampede at <keyword id="6358070" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="mumbai">Mumbai</keyword>’s Elphinstone Railway Station foot-over-bridge claimed 22 lives. The cause of the stampede is not clear but it is quite apparent that the bridge was too narrow and clearly not sufficient to handle the daily footfall of the station. In fact, a <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/sep/29/mumbai-elphinstone-station-stampede-railways-ignored-warning-that-its-foot-over-bridges-are-narrow-1664659.html">CAG report in 2006</a> had flagged that the railways had reduced the width of the bridges and stated that foot-over-bridges should be at least 6 m width at all suburban railway platforms. However, now the railways claims that they have managed to up its game and has constructed 74 bridges per year between 2014-18 which is a 221% jump from 23 per year during 2009-14.<br /> </li><li><strong>Device to guide train drivers through fog:</strong> Come winters, rail travel becomes a massive nightmare. Lack of visibility thanks to extreme fog inevitably leads to delays and accidents. But in December 2017, the national transporter installed <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/dec/12/indian-railways-to-use-gps-enabled-devices-to-fight-fog-this-season-1725490.html">4,920 GPS-enabled FOG PASS devices</a> to help loco pilots navigate through the fog. The gadget displays a map of tracks, signals, stations and level crossings and alerts drivers of approaching signals 500 meters ahead, which in turn helps the driver increase or decrease the speed of the train. Believe it or not, before these devices, the common practice to alert drivers was to tie <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Railways-tie-crackers-to-beat-fog/articleshow/45526196.cms">crackers</a> to the tracks.<br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<br /><em>Photo by : <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/n9dBt4g2Ss4?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Vignesh Moorthy</a> on </em><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/india?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText"><em>Unsplash<br /></em></a><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/india?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText"></a></li><li><strong>Improved signalling system:</strong> In order to eradicate outdated manual signalling, the government pumped in a whopping ₹12990 million to modernise the system. This new automated signalling system aims to enhance safety and speed up train movement in a congested network. Apart from this, the railways intends to provide electronic interlocking systems, introduce European Train Control System technology and mobile train radio communication systems as a part of its five-year upgradation agenda.<br /> </li><li><strong>Waterproof engines:</strong> Heavy rainfall has historically added to the woes of Indian commuters. Waterlogging not only on roads but also on railway tracks lead to delays and brings cities like Mumbai to a standstill. However, the Indian Railways plans to remedy the issue by introducing waterproof locomotive engines to basically tow stranded trains that. Four inches of water can bring a standard train engine to a standstill, however, these <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/take-a-look-at-indian-railways-waterproof-engine-than-can-haul-rakes-stranded-in-rains/saviour-engine/slideshow/64573538.cms">new engines</a> are equipped to operate in 12 inches of water.<br /> </li><li><strong>Measure to make purchasing tickets easier:</strong> To nudge people towards a cashless system, the national transporter has installed 9,100 point of sale (POS) machines at about 4,000 locations including rail ticket counters.<br /> </li><li><strong>Station facelift:</strong> The railways plans to spruce up major railway stations big time. The revamped stations will ape modern airports and will therefore include modern facilities like escalators, lifts, subways, ramps, AC VIP lounge, AC waiting room and rest rooms and shopping malls. Apart from this, the stations will will be beautified with local artworks.</li><li><strong>Cleanliness:</strong> In order to implement the Swachh Railways mission, the railways has introduced mechanised cleaning system at 488 stations and has started using an automatic rail-mounted machine to keep its tracks at platforms clean. And to keep a check on freelance housekeeping contractors, passengers will be asked to rate the cleanliness based on which the contractor will be paid.</li><li><strong>Increasing rail connectivity:</strong> The Prime Minister’s ‘Act East Policy’ has given a much-required boost to the infrastructural development in northeast India. The first priority was to convert the entire North East rail network to a broad gauge system which it aims to do by 2020.</li></ol>

Indian Railways is planning a major overhaul: Here's what's in store

Shiv Sena candidate list for Maharashtra State elections 2019

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><em style="line-height: 1.5em;">In this excerpt from "<a href="In%20this%20excerpt%20from%20" The20Russia-China20Axis:20The20New20Cold20War20And20Americas20Crisis20Of20Leadership20authors20Douglas20E.20Schoen20and20Melik20Kaylan20explain20how20rogue20regimes20align20and20use20proxies20to20undermine20the20US.2020Read20more:20http:="" www.amazon.com="" gp="" product="" ref="as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594037566&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=IYFIYQQGPESSMD46#ixzz3SEbZ4agD&quot;" target="_blank">Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea And The End Of A Stable Pacific</a>," author Robert D. Kaplan, chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor and former member of the Pentagon's <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Policy Board, explains how the region's unique geography fosters aggression.</em><em style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></em></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The South China Sea functions as the throat of the Western Pacific and Indian oceans - the mass of connective economic tissue where global sea routes coalesce. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Here is the heart of Eurasia's navigable rimland, punctuated by the Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, and Makassar straits. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">More than half of the world's annual merchant fleet tonnage passes through these choke points, and a third of all maritime traffic worldwide. </span></p><p>The oil transported through the Malacca Strait from the Indian Ocean, en route to East Asia through the South China Sea, is triple the amount that passes through the Suez Canal and fifteen times the amount that transits the Panama Canal.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Roughly two thirds of South Korea's energy supplies, nearly 60 percent of Japan's and Taiwan's energy supplies, and 80 percent of China's crude oil imports come through the South China Sea.Whereas in the Persian Gulf only energy is transported, in the South China Sea you have energy, finished goods, and unfinished goods. </span></p><div><p>In addition to centrality of location, the South China Sea has proven oil reserves of seven billion barrels, and an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.</p><p>If Chinese calculations are correct that the South China Sea will ultimately yield 130 billion barrels of oil (and there is some serious doubt about these estimates), then the South China Sea contains more oil than any area of the globe except Saudi Arabia. Some Chinese observers have called the South China Sea "the second Persian Gulf."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">If there really is so much oil in the South China Sea, then China will have partially alleviated its "Ma- lacca dilemma" - its reliance on the narrow and vulnerable Strait of Malacca for so much of its energy needs coming from the Middle East.</span></p><p>And the China National Offshore Oil Corporation has invested $20 billion in the belief that such amounts of oil really do exist in the South China Sea. China is desperate for new energy. Chinese oil reserves account for only 1.1 percent of the world total, while it consumes over 10 percent of world oil production and over 20 percent of all the energy consumed on the planet. </p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It is not only location and energy reserves that promise to give the South China Sea critical geostrategic importance, it is the territorial disputes surrounding these waters, home to more than two hundred small islands, rocks, and coral reefs, only about three dozen of which are permanently above water.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p></div><div title="Page 32"><p>Yet these specks of land, buffeted by typhoons, are valuable mainly because of the oil and natural gas that might lie nearby in the intricate, folded layers of rock beneath the sea. Brunei claims a southern reef of the Spratly Islands.</p><p>Malaysia claims three islands in the Spratlys. The Philippines claims eight islands in the Spratlys and significant portions of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Taiwan, and China each claims much of the South China Sea, as well as all of the Spratly and Paracel island groups.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In the middle of 2010 there was quite a stir when China was said to have called the South China Sea a "core interest." It turns out that Chinese officials never quite said that: no matter. Chinese maps have been consistent. </span></p><div title="Page 32"><p>Beijing claims to own what it calls its "historic line": that is, the heart of the entire South China Sea in a grand loop-the "cow's tongue" as the loop is called-surrounding these island groups from China's Hainan Island south 1,200 miles to near Singapore and Malaysia.</p><p>The result is that all of these littoral states are more or less arrayed against China, and dependent upon the United States for diplomatic and military backing.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>For example, Vietnam and Malaysia are seeking to divide all of the seabed and subsoil resources of the southern part of the South China Sea between mainland Southeast Asia and the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo: this has elicited a furious diplomatic response from China.These conflicting claims are likely to become more acute as energy consumption in developing Asian countries is expected to double by 2030, with China accounting for half of that growth. </p><div title="Page 33"><p>"Paradoxically, if the postmodern age is dominated by globalization," writes the British naval expert Geoffrey Till, then "everything that supports" globalization, such as trade routes and energy deposits, becomes fraught with competition.</p><p>And when it comes to trade routes, 90 percent of all commercial goods that travel from one continent to another do so by sea.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This heightened maritime awareness that is a product of globalization comes at a time when a host of relatively new and independent states in Southeast Asia, which only recently have had the wherewithal to flex their muscles at sea, are making territorial claims against each other that in the days of the British Empire were never an issue, because of the supremacy of the Crown globally and its emphasis on free trade and freedom of navigation. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This muscle flexing takes the form of "routinized" close encounters between warships of different nations at sea, creating an embryonic risk of armed conflict. </span></p><div title="Page 33"><p>One high-ranking official of a South China Sea littoral state was particularly blunt during an off-the-record conversation I had in 2011, saying, "The Chinese never give justifications for their claims. They have a real Middle Kingdom mentality, and are dead set against taking these disputes to court. China," this official went on, "denies us our right on our own continental shelf. But we will not be treated like Tibet or Xinjiang."</p><p>This official said that China is as tough with a country like the Philippines as it is with Vietnam, because while the latter is historically and geographically in a state of intense competition with China, the former is just a weak state that can be intimidated. "There are just too many claimants to the waters in the South China Sea.</p><p>The complexity of the issues mitigates against an overall solution, so China simply waits until it becomes stronger. Economically, all these countries will come to be dominated by China," the official continued, unless of course the Chinese economy itself unravels. Once China's underground submarine base is completed on Hainan Island, "China will be more able to do what it wants." Meanwhile, more American naval vessels are visiting the area, "so the disputes are being internationalized." Because there is no practical political or judicial solution, "we support the status quo." </p><div title="Page 34"><p>"If that fails, what is Plan B for dealing with China?" I asked.</p><p>"Plan B is the U.S. Navy-Pacific Command. But we will publicly remain neutral in any U.S.-China dispute." To make certain that I got the message, this official said: "An American military presence is needed to countervail China, but we won't vocalize that." The withdrawal of even one U.S. aircraft carrier strike group from the Western Pacific is a "game changer."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In the interim, the South China Sea has become an armed camp, even as the scramble for reefs is mostly over. China has confiscated twelve geographical features, Taiwan one, the Vietnamese twenty- one, the Malaysians five, and the Philippines nine. In other words, facts have already been created on the ground.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Perhaps there can still be sharing arrangements for the oil and natural gas fields. But here it is unclear what, for instance, countries with contentious claims coupled with especially tense diplomatic relations like Vietnam and China will agree upon.</span></p><p>Take the Spratlys, with significant oil and natural gas deposits, which are claimed in full by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and in part by Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei. China has built concrete helipads and military structures on seven reefs and shoals.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">On Mischief Reef, which China occupied under the nose of the Philippine navy in the 1990s, China has constructed a three-story building and five octagonal concrete structures, all for military use.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">On Johnson Reef, China put up a structure armed with high-powered machine guns. Taiwan occupies Itu Aba Island, on which it has constructed dozens of buildings for military use, protected by hundreds of troops and twenty coastal guns.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Vietnam occupies twenty-one islands on which it has built runways, piers, barracks, storage tanks, and gun emplacements. Malaysia and the Philippines, as stated, have five and nine sites respectively, occupied by naval detachments. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Anyone who speculates that with globalization, territorial boundaries and fights for territory have lost their meaning should behold the South China Sea.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><em>In this excerpt from "<a href="In%20this%20excerpt%20from%20" The20Russia-China20Axis:20The20New20Cold20War20And20Americas20Crisis20Of20Leadership20authors20Douglas20E.20Schoen20and20Melik20Kaylan20explain20how20rogue20regimes20align20and20use20proxies20to20undermine20the20US.2020Read20more:20http:="" www.amazon.com="" gp="" product="" ref="as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594037566&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=IYFIYQQGPESSMD46#ixzz3SEbZ4agD&quot;" target="_blank">Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea And The End Of A Stable Pacific</a>," author Robert D. Kaplan, chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor and former member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board, explains how the region's unique geography fosters aggression.</em></span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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