Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi to chart out an ambitious reform roadmap for Indian Railways in the new year. The meeting was attended by Union Ministers of State V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar, and senior railway officials.
The discussions focused on introducing 52 major reforms over the next 52 weeks, with an emphasis on improving efficiency, governance, and passenger services across the railway network. Officials said the reform push is aligned with the government’s New Year agenda of faster execution and measurable outcomes.
Focus on safety, technology and operations
One of the key areas reviewed was railway safety, where officials noted a sharp decline in consequential train accidents over the past decade. Data shared during the meeting showed that such accidents have dropped by nearly 90%, from 135 cases in 2014–15 to 11 in 2025–26 so far. The ministry has now set a target of bringing the figure down to single digits.
The meeting also underlined the need to scale up the use of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies in safety monitoring, track maintenance, signalling, and operations. Officials discussed faster adoption of tech-driven solutions to improve reliability and reduce human error across critical systems.
Passenger services, staff training under reform lens
Passenger-facing services were another key focus area. The ministry plans major reforms in food quality, catering standards, and onboard services to enhance the travel experience. Infrastructure development, asset maintenance, and capacity augmentation projects were also reviewed.
In addition, the meeting explored new approaches to talent management and skill development for railway employees, with an emphasis on modern training methods and workforce optimisation. Union Ministers, the Railway Board chairman, and senior officials shared feedback from the field to align policy decisions with ground realities.
The Railway Ministry reiterated its commitment to sustained reforms, improved safety outcomes, technology-driven operations, and passenger-centric growth in the coming year.