Improving Railways is difficult!

Indian Railways have improved; but there is still a lot to be done. It is not that easy. Lets wait for the results.

Railways have often been touted as India's lifeline. Yet, this sector saw gross neglect and operational lethargy in the few decades before 2014. The neglect and abuse were so shocking that there were reports of the loss of entire carriages in one case and a missing railway engine in another. Railway lands have been at the receiving end of abuse by politicians. The scams in contracts for bridges and tunnels were unthinkable. Some of the interesting innovations, including new designs of coaches, carriages, collision avoidance systems, etc., were not deployed effectively.

The good part…

When it first came to power, the ruling BJP-led NDA government focused a lot of its energy on railways. This included the launching of new indigenous Vande Bharat and other trains, upgrading railway stations, building separate dedicated freight corridors, and improving electrification, data connectivity, anti-collision systems, better apps, and other solar and water-related infrastructure. Today, Indian Railways are 95% electrified and will achieve 100% broad gauge electrification by the end of 2024.

But user experiences have been mixed.

As Indians eagerly tested the new infrastructure, many realised that although improvements had been made, there was still a LOT of work to be done.

Most of the pain areas relate to service issues and the quality of suppliers engaged by the Railways. The responsiveness to complaints has improved but there is still delay and operational tardiness in certain routes and places.

Improving the railways will take time.

Let me show you the enormity of the task at hand:

• The Indian Railways employs 1.2 million people across the country,

• Some of the jobs and roles are unimaginable. Managing such a diverse workforce is not an easy task.

• The Railways operate in diverse climatic conditions and geographies, where track maintenance, power line maintenance, etc., is extremely difficult.

• It operates its own armed police force.

• The Railway workforce is unionized with almost 100 year-old unions. The unions themselves work like a government department.

• The Railway workforce is also politicized. Most of the past ministers used the Railways to give jobs and benefits to their voters. As a result, we have political camps, regional camps and other political groupings within the Railways.

Thus, the railway is not like any company; it is like a different, untamed beast. It is not easy to effect cultural change in the Railways’ manpower.

In sum

Modi government has not yet touched the government service aspect in any department (including Railways). Modi’s solution has been to avoid government employees and directly reach the citizens. Those were the low-hanging fruits.

The upcoming changes will be in service effectiveness and quality. Not just in the Railways, but all over, government services will be upgraded. Hopefully, Modi will change the government officers mindset from being a ruler to a public servant.

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