Railway Ministry – High on Promises, Low on Delivery

Need an action immediately and replace the re-engaged inefficient CRB, who is neither able to advise the government properly and not able to implement its aim

Behind the iron curtains of the Rail Bhawan and away from scrutiny by the PMO and NITI Ayog, the Indian Railway Establishment, which at its convenience dons the alternate roles of a Railway Board and a Ministry, seems to flounder without a recovery in sight.

There has been a spate of announcements and promises made to attract media attention and to put up a facade of activity, but a closer scrutiny reveals that these promises were more to hoodwink the top political leadership.

Let’s consider some of the high profile announcements and how they fare now.

Integration of Railway Cadres –

Constantly warring railway cadres were ordered to be integrated into a single Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) on the orders of the Prime Minister himself about ten months ago. But, the otherwise decisive PM has not been able to push the obstinate Railway bureaucracy to go beyond a Cabinet approval for the merger.

That there are incompatibilities in the merger of Civil Services and Engineering Services entrants was well known. Yet, a Cabinet note was moved unthinkingly. Disputes and representations have, therefore, stalled the process. But, the Railway Board doesn’t seem to pay heed let alone address the issues directly.

It is hiding behind a Group of Ministers constituted for the purpose, but hasn’t held even a single interactive meeting at its own level with officers in the last ten months, who have expressed legitimate concerns.

Corporatisation of Production Units (PUs) –

This exercise began nearly two years ago as a solution to Railway’s bloated workforce, giving operational freedom to the PUs and to enable them to work in a competitive world by inducting modern technology. This proposal has not even been presented to the Cabinet for a final decision.

Meanwhile, the route to bring in new technology has been diverted to possible induction of modern trains by private train operators.

Needless to say, such corporatisation would have significantly reduced the wage bill of Railways.

Vande Bharat Express –

The Vande Bharat Express has been an unqualified success, albeit a rare one, of the PM’s “Make in India” call. Even after a much publicized inauguration by the PM and his repeated calls, the Railway Board has failed to produce more trains of the genre.

A thriving Indian high speed rail industry has been stopped in its tracks.

The current plans to manufacture the train to new specifications, which were completely unnecessary, do not promise new trains before the year 2024.

In fact ICF has formally written to the Railway Board that 44 Vande Bharat Trains cannot be manufactured before 2027.

Only the posterity will tell whether this delay was meant to scuttle in-house expertise and benefit outsiders.

Rail University –

The NDA government, in its first rule itself envisioned four National Rail Universities in India.

But, in spite of repeated reminders by the PM, consultancies and review meetings there is no worthwhile institution in sight.

The make-shift institution operational in the campus of National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), formally known as “Railway Staff College” at Vadodara is running without any vision or plans on what will happen to the students graduating from it – will it add further to the army of unemployable engineers of the country or will there be gainful jobs for them.

There is no faculty, laboratories or curriculum approved by the UGC or the AICTE. There isn’t even a decent library. The University is an eyewash to say the least.

Private Train Operation –

It is proposed to bring-in private train operators with a view to improving service levels, attracting investments and inducting new technology.

The whole exercise is based on a farce that private investment is needed in the first place.

Indian Railways has enough rolling stock and locomotives to run the train-services at pre-covid levels and a lot more.

There is actually a glut of passenger coaches. Why is private investment required in an area, where we already have a surplus?

Then the call for new technology is a bigger farce – the current stock is already capable of running at speeds significantly higher than that permitted by our tracks, bridges and signals.

160 kmph operations are possible even today with Vande Bharat and LHB coaches coupled with select locomotives.

On-board services like better food and comfort are not matters of new technology, but of better execution of what Indian Railways already has.

The clamour for modern technology is misplaced at best and mischievous at worst.

These promises have been made to show a sign of activity over a year or more. Most of it was aimed at self-preservation and possible extensions by senior bureaucracy.

The trick has been to keep making new promises while carefully putting the old ones on the back burner.

The decline in general health of the Railways is palpable as can be discovered by anyone, who speaks to officers of all ranks in the field – there is a general lack of direction, poor financial management, mindless expenditure on “capacity expansion” works and perpetuating unwanted production.

Given the general hopelessness even sincere officers have taken recourse to taking credit for running shramik and other specials at less than 10% of Railway’s operational capacity, manufacture of masks and PPEs and Covid coaches, a far cry from the general efficiency of rail operations. 

Indian Railways is the common man’s transport. Yet, the Railway Board, hiding behind the Covid crisis, has steadfastly refused to run regular trains.

Many trains originate and end in the same state and there should be no resistance to begin these trains immediately since such transport directly impacts local business and professions. 

It is time the PMO and the NITI Ayog began to pose some tough questions to the Railway Board on resumption of train services, prioritisation of contracts and projects, reduction of the wage bill and creating a lean-mean travel company. Otherwise the decline may be permanent and impossible to recover from.

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