The current restructuring reforms in Indian Railways are not only against the principles of governance laid down by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel but will ensure financial collapse of an already ailing organization In an effort to end ‘departmentalization’ and bring a turn around in Indian Railways, the Cabinet announced merging of 3 civil services (Traffic, Accounts…
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways): Facts, Organisational Structure and Comparisons with Indian Railways
Deutsche Bahn, the National Rail Company of Germany, is the largest rail operator in Europe and came into existence in 1994 after the merging of Deutsche Bundes bahn (German Federal Railway) of West Germany and Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany. The present shape of DB and German Rail industry is the result of the re-organisation…
EuroCity Hungaria: International train travel in Europe
One of the most fascinating things about railways in Europe is how trains move from one country to another, from one national Rail network to another in such a seamless fashion. This requires standardization and co-ordination at so many levels- from rolling stock to tracks, from locomotives to crew, from signalling to maintenance practices (not…
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB)- Experiences and Lessons
Austria is a beautiful country characterized by mountain villages, lakes, forests and vineyards. The best way to experience its natural beauty is through trains that run throughout the length and breadth of this Central European nation. The Austrian Federal Railways or ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen) is the National Railway Network entirely owned by the Government of the…
Measures to reduce wildlife mortality on Railway tracks
We are the masters of our planet, but we’re not very good masters for our activities to further our own interests with no regard to the consequences have caused severe damage. India is one of the 17 mega biodiverse regions of the world. The forest cover in India is 21.3% of the total geographic area…