Railway Board

Railway introduces special trains ahead of Maha Kumbh 2025, details inside

Western Railway has launched special trains for the Maha Kumbh 2025. 98 special trains have been introduced with a focus on passenger convenience, hygiene and the proper functioning

Railway Board flags violation of continuous night duty norm for loco-pilots

The Railway Board has asked the Centre for Railway Information Systems to provide alert to crew controllers in case of violation of its instructions regarding continuous night duty for running staff such as loco pilots. As per the board's guidelines, Continuous night duty for running staff should be limited to four nights with the fourth night towards the headquarters. However, it has been observed that railways are violating these instructions by continuing to book running staff after 4 consecutive nights due to absence of alert in CMS (Crew Management System), the Board said in its letter dated December 26, 2024 addressed to the managing director of the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). In CMS reports for the month of October, November and December (till date), total 1360, 1224 and 696 cases of loco pilots with five and more than five continuous night duty were recorded respectively, the board's letter added. Advising CRIS to provide alerts on crew booking console of

Vaishnaw calls for focus on safety, maintenance, innovation in railways

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised the need for three times more efforts on safety, maintenance, quality, and training to modernise infrastructure and provide a world-class experience to commuters. While conferring the 69th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar to 101 railway officials and 22 shields to best performing zones in different categories on Saturday at the Bharat Mandapam here, Vaishnaw announced a significant focus on maintenance, innovation, industry collaborations, enhanced inspection systems, and improved training for officers and technicians, incorporating feedback from grassroots levels. Chairman & CEO of Railway Board, Satish Kumar, Members of the Railway Board, and General Managers of various Railway Zones and Production Units attended he event. According to a press statement from the Railway Board, Vaishnaw highlighted the transformative progress achieved by the Railways over the past decade. He emphasised the rapid construction pace, completing projects ...

Parliament Session: Railways Amendment Bill passed in LS amid disruptions

Minister assures opp that bill won't cause privatisation, calls it "fake narrative"

What in the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 is upsetting the Opposition?

During the discussion in the parliament, Congress MP Manoj Kumar raised concerns about the proposed Bill, stating that its passage could undermine the autonomy of Indian Railways

RRB ALP Answer Key 2024 released; know how to download provisional key

Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) have announced the RRB ALP answer keys 2024. Candidates can download the provisional key alongside question papers and responses from the RRB's official website

RPF SI 2024: Admit cards for Dec 9 exam to be out today, check details

RRBs will soon announce the admit cards for the Sub-Inspector (Executive) in the Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special Force recruitment examination to be held on Dec 9

Railway board launches safety drive, asks for report post Nalpur derailment

The Railway Board has launched a safety drive and sought a report within a week after a preliminary investigation into the recent Secunderabad-Shalimar express train derailment attributed the mishap to a technician inadvertently hitting a loose switch of the signalling system. According to railway sources, the switch, also called a 'latch gear', was loose and it got activated as the technician's lower body hit it inadvertently while the train's engine, set for the mainline, was crossing the interlocking point. The point moved to the middle line direction, leading coaches to go on the middle line and resulting in the derailment. Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said the board has taken a very serious note of the incident and initiated a safety drive across the railways. "Safety drives are an integral part of railway mechanisms. We are extremely focused on ensuring the safety and security of passengers. A drive has been launched to further ...

Maintain reservation roster for policy implementation: Rly Board to zones

The Railway Board has advised all 17 railway zones and its public sector undertakings to properly maintain reservation roasters of SCs, STs and OBCs so that its effective implementation can be ensured. In a written communication dated October 18 to the general managers of all the zones and the heads of the public sector undertakings as well as autonomous bodies, the board's Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar said that during the sitting of the Parliamentary Committee on Backward Classes held on September 9, the issue of proper implementation of reservation rules and maintenance of reservation rosters in the railways, particularly in its PSUs, were raised by various members. "These issues have also been raised earlier by the National Commission for Backward Classes during meetings or hearings held," he wrote. Kumar added that on May 3, the board emphasized all railway zones to ensure the proper implementation of extant reservation policies and the maintenance of reservation rosters both i

RRB recruitment: Junior Engineer 2024 exam dates out at official website

The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has declared the exam date for the RRB Junior Engineer post at its official website. The exam will be held from Dec 6 to Dec 13 via online mode

Railways plans to run 992 special trains, earmarks Rs 933 cr for infra

The Railway Ministry has been working on making elaborate arrangements for the Kumbh Mela and has plans to run 992 special trains for the mega religious congregation to be held in Prayagraj in January, a senior railway official said. According to officials, besides running special trains, the ministry has earmarked Rs 933 crore to create and upgrade various infrastructure and amenities for passengers. Also doubling of railway tracks at a cost of Rs 3,700 crore in the Prayagraj Division and adjoining areas is being done at a fast pace for smooth movement of trains. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his two deputies Ravneet Singh Bittu and V Somanna held meetings on Saturday to review the arrangements for handling the huge rush of devotees during the event set to begin on January 12. "They also hold regular video conferences with senior railway officials, including general managers, of the zones concerned such as the Northern Railway, North Central Railway and North Eastern Railw

Urgent need of staff to manage assets, train ops: Railway Board Chairman

There is an urgent requirement for additional manpower to maintain the railways' ever-increasing assets and safe train operations, Board Chairman Satish Kumar has said, urging the Finance Ministry to give the board the power to create non-gazetted posts in safety and essential categories. In a letter to Manoj Govil, the Secretary (Expenditure) in the Finance Ministry, Kumar said the Railways has over the last few years witnessed a significant increase in capital expenditure -- from Rs 1.48 lakh crores in 2019-20 to 2.62 lakh crores in 2023-24. "This capital expenditure is resulting in significant increase in assets for which adequate manpower is required for Reliable and Safe Train Operation," Kumar said. "These assets will further increase in coming years considering Railways target of Mission 3,000 MT (by 2030) from current level of 1,610 MT," he said. Kumar argued that for achieving this objective, more trains will have to be run which requires increased manpower for both train

Accidents, safety issues: A balancing job ahead for Railway Board's chair

As Railway Board chairman, Kumar, the first Dalit to get the office, will have to deal with rising cases of accidents and concerns of people both within and outside the Railways

Northern Railways initiates process to relieve wrestlers Phogat, Punia

The Northern Railway has initiated the process of accepting the resignation of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, with both players expected to be relieved "as early as possible," railway sources said on Sunday. Both Punia and Phogat recently joined the Congress and the latter has been given a ticket to contest election from Julana assembly constituency in Haryana. "The provision of serving three-month notice period after resigning by a railway employee will not come in the way of relieving these two players as we have decided to relax the norm in their cases," a senior railway official told PTI. Railways sources said both the players "will be relieved possibly today or as early as possible." The Northern Railway (NR) had earlier issued show cause notices to them after they met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to join his party. The NR had said the show cause notice was part of the service norm as they were government employees. Following the notice, both resigned from the ..

Railways achieves 653 mn tonne freight loading by Aug: Railway Board

The freight loading statistics for August 2024 highlighted the remarkable performance of Indian Railways as a total of 126.97 MT of freight was loaded in August alone, contributing to a cumulative total of 653.22 MT for the financial year 2024-25 up to August, the Railway Board said in a press statement. "As the backbone of the nation's freight transportation, Indian Railways has been facilitating the movement of a vast array of goods across the country with an unwavering commitment to sustainability and efficiency," it said. "To meet the ambitious target of 3,000 million tonnes (MT) of freight loading by 2030, Indian Railways is expanding its network, upgrading its fleet and enhancing its operational efficiency as part of the National Rail Plan," the Railways Ministry said. According to the ministry, this marks a significant increase from the 634.68 MT loaded during the same period in the previous financial year and the year 2023-24 saw a total of 1,591 MT of freight loaded, ...

Max graft complaints in 2023 against rail, local bodies, banks: CVC report

Of the total corruption complaints received by the Central Vigilance Commission last year, the highest number of plaints was against railway employees, followed by those in Delhi's local bodies and public sector banks, a report by the anti-graft watchdog showed. As many as 74,203 graft complaints were received against all categories of officers/employees in 2023, of which 66,373 were disposed of and 7,830 were pending, it said. The highest 10,447 complaints were made against railway employees, followed by 7,665 against staffers of "local bodies except GNCTD" (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) in the national capital, said the CVC report made public recently. The local bodies include Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Transco Limited, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Indraprastha Power Generation Co Ltd, Municipal ...

IRMS officer Satish Kumar becomes 1st Dalit chairman of Railway Board

Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) officer Satish Kumar has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, officials said Tuesday. This makes him the first chairman and CEO from the Scheduled Castes in the board's history, senior officials of the Railway Board said. Jaya Varma Sinha, who is the current chairperson and CEO of the board, is superannuating on August 31 and Kumar's appointment will be effective from September 1. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Shri Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board," a govt order said. It further added that his appointment is in the apex pay scale (pay level 17 as per the 7th central pay commission).

Railways union welcomes Unified Pension Scheme, seeks 8th Pay Commission

Various railway employee unions had been at the forefront of protests against the NPS and the demand for the restoration of OPS

To curb accidents, railways to install AI-enabled CCTV cameras on locos

To address the rising incidents of rail accidents across the country, the Railway Board will install CCTV cameras equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology on every locomotive and at key yards, according to officials. In a press briefing at Prayagraj Railway Junction, Railway Board Chairperson and CEO Jaya Verma Sinha said these cameras will help detect any unusual situations, "We are installing CCTV cameras with AI technology on every locomotive and at all significant yards," she said. Regarding railway track safety, Sinha said security agencies will continuously monitor the tracks during the Kumbh Mela to ensure no antisocial elements damage the tracks. Reviewing preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela, Sinha expressed confidence that infrastructure and capacity expansion projects will be completed before the event. She noted that during the last Kumbh Mela in 2019, around 530 special trains were operated. For the main bathing event in Kumbh 2025, approximately 900

Mamata slams govt over series of train accidents post Jharkhand derailment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the central government over the series of train accidents and wondered whether there will be no end to Centre's callouseness. In a social media post, Banerjee wondered whether this is governance as the train accidents have become a regular affair. "Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah- Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand today early morning, multiple deaths and huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences, " She posted on X. "I seriously ask: is this governance? This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of Government of India?" she added. Two persons were killed and 20 others injured as at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday, officials said. The accident occurred at 3.45 AM near