Sunil Lohan
B
engaluru Division of South Western Railway celebrated 76th Republic Day at Railway Grounds,Mahatma Gandhi Railway Colony, Bengaluru today on 26.01.2025.
Amitesh Kumar Sinha,Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager was the Chief Guest.Amitesh Kumar Sinha unfurled the national flag and inspected the parade.
On the occasion,Amitesh Kumar Sinha read the message of General Manager, South Western Railway which portrayed the major activities, milestones and achievements of the Zone in the current financial year.
Amitesh Kumar Sinha said that Safety is the top priority in our Railway operations, and South Western Railway follows the principle of ‘Safety First, Safety Always’.
This year, 66 employees received “Safety Awards” for excellence in safety, and 5 were honored with “Rakshak Awards” for exceptional contributions to passenger security and life-saving actions at Zonal level.
From April to December 2024, South Western Railway made notable infrastructure strides, commissioning 13.87 km of doubling and 7.3 km of new lines.
A bypass line of 6.14 km in the Bengaluru area has been approved by the Railway Board at a cost of ₹248 crore.
To improve punctuality and speed, sectional speeds across 200 TKm in SWR have been raised from 100 to 110 Kmph, with the KSR Bengaluru-Jolarpettai section (140 TKm) has been sanctioned for 130 Kmph operations, marking a first for SWR, he said.
By the end of December 2024,South Western Railway recorded Gross Revenue of ₹6001.00 crores. Passenger revenue reached ₹2354.21 crore, reflecting a 1.58% increase compared to the previous year, Freight Revenue of ₹3264.76 crore,Parcel revenue increased by 7.41% to ₹126.49 crore,while the total number of passengers carried rose by 1.38% to 124.38 million compared to the previous year.
Under “Nanhe Farishtey,” 479 children were rescued, and through “Jeevan Raksha” efforts, four passengers were saved during this period.
Additionally, RPF detected 166 cases of touting, prosecuted 170 offenders,and seized 568 live tickets worth ₹14 lakhs. 3000 nos. of CCTV cameras covering 218 stations across SWR are being installed shortly to enhance security and monitoring capabilities.
Redevelopment of 53 railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, is underway at a cost of ₹1,104 crore, to enhance passenger amenities.
In addition to this, 26 major works have been sanctioned to improve passenger amenities across SWR at a total cost of ₹425 crore,and includes a significant project of constructing two additional platforms at KSR Bengaluru Station, valued at ₹222 crore.
On the occasion,Students of PM Shri Kendirya Vidyala, Shama Vidya Shala and Stepping Stone Railway Nursery School presented various cultural programmes.
Parikshit Mohanpuria and Ashutosh Mathur,Additional Divisional Railway Managers;Smt.Uma Sharma,Senior Divisional Personnel Officer,Dr.Shreyans Chinchawade, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner/RPF; other officers and staff were present.
On the occasion of Republic Day, South Western Railway Women’s Welfare Organization (SWRWWO) of Bengaluru Division sponsored a 54 inch TV to Railway Hospital at Bengaluru and distributed Nutritional Drinks products to the patients of the Hospital.