Indian Railways must reach new level to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat, Viksit Railways by 2047: Ashwini Vaishnaw

He was addressing the gathering after conferring 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar to 100 Railway officials and 26 Shields to best performing Zones in different categories at an event.

New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that Indian Railways has embarked on an ambitious reform roadmap for 2026 titled “52 weeks, 52 reforms.”

Under this project, under one major reform will be implemented every week across key functional areas such as customer service, maintenance, production, quality management, health systems, and operations, he said.

He was addressing the gathering after conferring 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar to 100 Railway officials and 26 Shields to best performing Zones in different categories here at an event.

The ceremony was graced by the Minister of State for Railways & Jal Shakti V Somanna, the Chairman & CEO of Railway Board, Satish Kumar, along with Members of the Railway Board and General Managers of various Railway Zones and Production Units.

Vaishnaw said Indian Railways must move to an entirely new level to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat, Viksit Railways by 2047.

Congratulating railway employees for their dedication, he said their collective efforts have enabled Railways to overcome long-standing challenges, expand capacity, improve efficiency, and deliver major infrastructure and operational milestones.

Vaishnaw added that extensive track construction has led to a significant increase in railway capacity.

He said a series of structured workshops are being conducted to redefine standards, identify bottlenecks, and set clear, time-bound action plans, with active participation from officers across departments.

He outlined six core resolutions that will guide Indian Railways in the coming phase:

First, a decisive push for systemic reforms, with time-bound changes across customer service, maintenance, production, quality, and health systems, driven by accountability and execution.

Second, deep and widespread adoption of technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence, including new-generation rolling stock, advanced track systems, modern signalling, and smarter maintenance practices to improve reliability and productivity.

Third, a fundamental upgrade of maintenance standards, acknowledging that moving away from outdated practices may cause short-term discomfort but is essential for long-term safety and performance.

Fourth, a sharp and uncompromising focus on safety, with the aim of dramatically reducing consequential accidents through better training, technology deployment, disciplined operations, and daily monitoring at all levels of leadership.

Fifth, transforming training and talent development, making continuous skill upgradation mandatory, linking training to career progression, and using modern tools such as simulators and digital platforms to build a highly competent workforce.

Sixth, the complete eradication of the colonial mindset, urging officials to embrace openness to new ideas, empower younger officers and field staff, promote Indian solutions, and take pride in Made-in-India achievements that are now being accepted globally.

Addressing the gathering, V Somanna highlighted progress in railway electrification and environmental sustainability, he said Indian Railways is moving towards greener operations.

Sharing his experience from field visits, he praised the dedication and commitment of railway staff at all levels, calling them the backbone of the organisation.

In his address, Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar spoke about continuous improvements through modern signalling systems, electronic interlocking, elimination of unmanned level crossings, enhanced track monitoring, and related safety measures.

On freight operations, he said Indian Railways is setting new benchmarks through door-to-door and multimodal logistics, contributing meaningfully to the nation’s economic progress.

Indian Railways confers Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar to its employees every year. These awards are given recognising dedication, hard work, and exceptional contributions of railway personnel towards making the Indian Railways a more efficient, safe, and passenger-friendly organization.

Shield awards in various categories are presented in various units, zones and divisions for recognizing their outstanding achievements and contributions to the overall performance of the Indian Railways.