Innovative and Transformation Cell – Indian Railways
Transformation Cell Constituted by Railway Board on 09.03.2017. New name is Innovative & Transformation Cell. The Cell works under the Railway Board, often in consultation with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), and other strategic bodies. Coordination is ensured with Railway PSUs, RDSO, and zones for seamless adoption and replication of innovations.
During the period from 2017 Oct to 2018 Oct - Nearly 158 Circulars are issued. That means, On an average 12 circulars are being issued every month or 3 circulars every week ,which is remarkable.
PED - Principal Executive Director is in charge of the Transformation Cell. Under him 8 Executive Directors work, drawn from different disciplines like Traffic, Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Personnel, Accounts ,etc.
It hires young professionals — MBAs, BTechs, CAs — from the private sector to assist.
It overrides all the other existing directorates.
Mandated with the implementation of 55 new ideas
Story behind formation: Railways had crowd sourced ideas of reformation ,from its 13 lakh employees and has received 1.5 lakh suggestions on issues regarding cleanliness, improving passenger amenities, safety of the railway employees, increasing earnings from freight and processing of making journey in Indian railways a pleasant experience for its 23 million passengers .
125 sq m prefabricated office on a third-floor terrace - earmarked for Transformation Cell - which is not far from the cabins of the members and chairman of the Railway Board — the highest decision making body of the Indian Railways (IR). The new hall is designed to give a look and feel of a corporate office — a common area surrounded by 9 sq m cabins, each meant for one Executive Director.
To infuse new ideas and adopt latest technologies that can bring a change in the working of railways, the Indian Railways is in the process of creating a new Transformation Directorate which works to implement the suggestions made during Rail Vikas Shivir which was attended by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in November 2016.
During the last two years, four directorates have been created to look into specific areas. These include ,non fare revenue, mobility, environment and heritage.
Improving financial health of the railways and providing world class amenities to passengers are the top most agendas of the Government. The ministry has been having regular meetings with Niti Aayog to carry out reforms in Indian Railways.
Objectives: To promote innovation, modernization, and efficiency in the functioning of Indian Railways. The aim is to bring in fresh ideas, disruptive technologies, and transformation strategies across various functional areas.
Collaboration: With startups, PSUs, and technology providers to solve railway challenges & promote cost-effective solutions and ease of doing business within Railways.
Major Focus areas:
Passenger Amenities and Services
Digitization and Automation
Railway Infrastructure Modernization
Safety Enhancement
Energy Efficiency and Green Initiatives
AI, Big Data, and IoT Integration
Innovative HR and Training Approaches
Working Mechanism: Acts as a nodal point for ideation, review, and execution of innovative proposals. Ideas are sourced through competitions, hackathons, and open calls from employees and the public. Cross-functional teams evaluate feasibility and suggest pilot implementation. Regular monitoring and scaling up of successful innovations across zones/divisions.
Achievements so far
MSOP - Model Schedule Of Powers
GCC for Services
Re Engagement of Retired personnel & engagement of consultants
Railway Innovation Portal: Platform to crowdsource ideas from employees and public.
Startup Collaboration under 'Startups for Railways' policy to fund and support technology-based solutions.
AI-driven predictive maintenance tools and smart yard management systems.
Passenger-centric apps and digital complaint redressal systems.
