Page 2 - Railway Board

2 yrs after deploying Kavach, Railway Board frames rules on its functioning

More than two years after deploying the Automatic Train Protection System Kavach on 1465 route km in the South Central Zone, the Railway Board has now included it in the Railway Act of 1989 through a recent Gazette notification and framed rules on its functioning. Kavach was adopted as the National ATP system in July 2020 and it was first deployed on 1465 route km in South Central Railway in 2023 and its further installation is ongoing. Safety experts said the deployment helped develop understanding about its functioning and optimisation which further assisted in making rules for its implementation. The government published a gazette notification on January 2 according to which, the Railway Act of 1989 was amended to include Kavach along with its definition. The Board separately framed new rules regarding its functioning and the role of the safety department in Kavach operational territory. On January 20, 2025, the Railway Board sent a written communication with these documents to

SC urges Railways to take corrective action on Mumbai CST's catering stalls

The Supreme Court recently said the Railways required immediate corrective steps for the "lapses" in the management of catering stalls at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai. Observing administrative lapses on the part of IRCTC, a bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar said a Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report filed over the matter indicated "serious negligence" on the part of its divisional officials. The top court said the CVC report should be examined by the Railway administration and placed before competent authorities for action and corrective measures within a month and three months, respectively. "The report of the CVC is required to be implemented on the part of the Railways," it said on January 21. Though the CVC indicated no "mens rea" to initiate criminal action while only indicating negligence on part of the officials, the court underlined the utilisation of "immediate corrective measures" by the Railways to remedy lapses and improve IRCTC's ..

RRB NTPC exam for 11,558 posts: When and where to check the full timetable

The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) will shortly announce the exam dates for the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) examination for 11,558 positions on the official website

RRB recruitment 2025: Apply for over 32,000 vacancies, check the details

Railway Recruitment Board started the applications for over 32,000 posts in Level 1 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix on Thursday, Jan 23, 2025. Candidates can apply on the RRB's official website

Railways likely to receive Rs 3 trillion Budget boost on February 1

The government is likely to continue with a zero or minimal borrowing plan for the national transporter

RRB Group D 2025 Recruitment: Board increases age criteria, vacancies

RRB Group D 2025 Recruitment notification out: According to the latest notice, the railway recruitment board has increased the age limit from 33 to 36 years. Here are all the updates you should know

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 ..