Railway Ministry Denies Removal of 30,000 Posts; Focus on Safety

The Ministry stated that the exercise primarily involves the redistribution of posts that have become redundant over time and their transfer to critical operational and safety-related categories.

It further clarified that the objective of the exercise is to ensure better utilisation of manpower and strengthen safety mechanisms within the railway system.

According to the Ministry, for the financial year 2025-26, several thousand posts have in fact been created in safety-related categories.

It also made it clear that there is no net reduction in the sanctioned strength of employees in Indian Railways, as being suggested in certain reports.

Earlier on April 22, the All India Track Maintainers Conference was held in Delhi, where Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnav said the government's focus is now on making both rail operations and track workers' safety on par with standards in developed countries.

Speaking to a gathering of trackmen and railway officials, he stated that railway safety and the way track maintenance is done in India are set for a complete overhaul over the next 5-8 years, with new technology replacing century-old practices.

"We don't want to settle there. We want to do even better work. We want to bring Indian Railways to the scale of developed countries," he said, crediting the entire railway workforce and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the progress made so far.

He also noted that for only the second time in India's history, the entire Parliament had worked in support of railway workers during the recent Budget Session.

Vaishnav noted that railway accidents have reduced by 90% in the last decade, but stressed that safety cannot be taken for granted. The bigger challenge, he said, is protecting track maintenance staff who work on live lines. The earlier VHF-based Rakshak system, he explained, often failed in areas with hills, curves or long distances where the signal could not reach. To address this, the Railways has developed a mobile phone-based safety app, currently under pilot in Southern and Western Railways.

"Mobile connectivity through 4G and 5G now covers about 95% of the country. Wherever there is a gap, we will install towers," Vaishnav said. Once the pilot is successful, the app will be provided to 100% of trackmen and keymen for personal safety. "If you are safe, the railway is safe. Your safety is our big responsibility," he added.

- ANI