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“Mechanization of track maintenance, relaying and construction on Indian Railways would prove to be cost effective, besides improving rail services to the nation”. This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Railways Shri Naranbhai Rathwa while inaugurating a two day National Technical Seminar on Mechanization of Track Maintenance, Relaying and Construction on Indian Railways under the aegis of the Institution of Permanent Way Engineers (India) here today. The Minister said that 40 per cent of the total investment on Indian Railways related to tracks and its maintenance alone. It was, therefore, necessary to go for alround modernization of track laying, maintenance, relaying and railway construction works, the Minister added.
The Minster of State for Railways Shri R. Velu in his address said that mechanization of track laying and maintenance would be labour saving, cost effective and improve maintenance of track.
The Member Engineering, Railway Board, Shri S.P.S. Jain, in his capacity as President of the Institution of Permanent Way Engineers (India), said that 100 per cent mechanization of all the track maintenance and renewal activities by the year 2012 has been planned. Under this plan, new track machines worth about 2000 crores were to be procured by that time, he added. He was delivering a keynote address.
The Chairman, Railway Board, Shri R.K. Singh in his address said that Indian Railways were being called upon to move progressively more and more traffic at faster speeds. This prompted to have a track which was adequate and safer for carrying the expected traffic at the desired speed. Besides, it was important that standards of techniques of construction and maintenance of tracks were not only optimized but also mechanized. In this connection, the Chairman referred to the Integrated Railway Modernization Plan (2005-2010) and the Corporate Safety Plan (2003-2013) and called for 100 per cent modernization of track maintenance and track laying as it was necessary with the planned 150 kilometre per hour speed passenger trains on Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Patna-Howrah routes and 100 kilometre per hour speed freight trains on high density Golden Quadrilateral tracks connecting the four metros within the next five years. He also complimented the Institution of Permanent Way Engineers (India) for having completed 38 years since its inception in 1967.
The Seminar is intended to update knowledge in mechanized construction, track maintenance and track relaying technology on Indian Railways.
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