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Modi government announces big Indian Railways reform! Railway Board restructured; railway cadres merged

Under the new approved structure, the Railway Board will now consist of 4 members and a chairperson.

Modi government announces big Indian Railways reform! In a big move for Indian Railways, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet today approved the restructuring of the Railway Board. Under the new approved structure, the Railway Board will now consist of 4 members and a chairperson, a reduction from the present number of 8. The Union Cabinet also approved the merging of railway cadres, which will now be called Railway Management System, sources told Financial Express Online.

According to a PTI report, the Railway Board will now have Members for Business Development, Operation, Human Resources, Infrastructure and Finance. The posts for Member Traffic, Rolling Stock, Traction and Engineering will be done away with, the report said.

Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways, under Modi 2.0 government, is aiming to usher in transformational reforms across the national transporter’s network. One very key aspect of enhancing the infrastructure and passenger experience on Indian Railways involves roping in the private sector. As an experiment, India’s first private train, operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), started operations in October this year. The aim is to eventually invite private operators to run trains on as many as 150 routes on the Indian Railways network.

To facilitate faster movement of passenger trains, Indian Railways is upgrading two major branches of the Golden Quadrilateral; Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata to 160 kmph speed potential. According to the national transporter, the infrastructure upgradation will take 2-3 years and once the projects are complete, passengers will be able to commute between Delhi and Mumbai in 10 hours and Delhi and Kolkata in 12 hours. This upgrade is also aimed at making the network more lucrative for private players to run trains on.

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Source: Financial Express