Can you share some highlights of your 34+ years of service in Railways and RVNL? What key projects or experiences have shaped your career?
I joined Indian Railways in the Engineering Service after completing my B-Tech and M-Tech studies at IIT Kanpur. After joining the Railways, I worked in various capacities in operation and maintenance, construction, bridge design, and implementing turnkey projects. Additionally, I have been awarded Service Medals and Certificates of Merit on four separate occasions by the Railway. Over my career, I have written more than 25 technical papers, which have been presented at various esteemed forums. Notably, I received the KC Sood Memorial Award for the best technical paper on the Cable-Stayed Bridge at Bardhman.
I joined RVNL in 2010 with the responsibility of constructing various Mega Projects including Metro Railway in Kolkata in one of the thickly populated areas of the city that included responsibilities ranging from land acquisition, design and construction in co-ordination with Metro Railway, civil authorities and other functionaries. One of the Metro Projects I was in charge of, the Noapara- Dakshineswar Metro connecting the famous Mahakali Temple, was commissioned in 2021 and dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister. Similarly, the Joka-Majerhat section of the Metro Line passing through the Behela area of Kolkata city was commissioned and inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
Also as CPM and Group General Manager in Kolkata, I had implemented the iconic Cable-stayed Bridge in Railway Yard at Barddhaman (West Bengal) over the busy Rajdhani route without affecting train operations. This bridge has a live health monitoring system, a first of its kind in Indian Railway bridges.
What are some key factors that contribute to the successful fast-track implementation of turnkey projects? Can you provide an example where these factors were crucial?
It requires bringing together multi-disciplinary execution partners, who are experts in their respective fields, under transparent agreements that addresses everyone’s concerns and meets everyone’s end goal of completion of the respective areas of execution with assured and timely payments and with an effective mechanism of dispute resolutions, if any. Collaboration among different stake holders has always been considered as a vital factor for project success.
Quality is another important aspect of successful project execution. Ensuring quality during the whole lifecycle of the project is important. It is true that in most cases the quality is assessed post completion of a project by the client or project owner against some standard. In the case of Railway projects, Railways themselves are the client and some other branch of the Railways is the executing agency. If deficiencies in quality are detected by the operations management, rectifying these takes more time and incur more expenses compared to rectification during the execution phase.
How has the Amrit Bharat Scheme contributed to the modernisation and development of railway stations in India, and what are some of the key achievements and challenges faced in its implementation?
The scheme currently intends to upgrade and modernise a total of about 1,275 stations across the Indian Railway system. It would encompass a much better experience in station accessibility, waiting areas, toilet facilities, cleanliness, setting up kiosks for local products and more catering to the unique requirements of each station. It also aims at upgrading station structures and integrating stations with the surrounding city areas on both sides, promoting multimodal connectivity, providing facilities for individuals with disabilities (Divyangjans), implementing sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, etc.
As regards challenges, it is to be admitted that there are multiple challenges of executing mega modernisation plans under the Amrit Bharat Scheme. There are operational challenges of carrying out the construction and modification works without affecting train operations. There are also huge social challenges of displacing existing businesses and communities, which can lead to delicate social and human issues to handle. Further, modernising railway stations should not lead to increased marginalisation of disadvantaged groups, such as those with low incomes who earned their livelihood earlier in the existing station areas. The challenge is to integrate them into the new eco-system, either independently or as part of bigger business units that may come up.
The modernisation works also gets affected due to brown field related challenges such as shifting of utilities, infringements, that needs to be addressed without creating new problems.
Another key challenge is arranging adequate funds for these works. Therefore, it has also been planned that some of the stations would be developed through PPP mode, thereby solving the fund problem for Indian Railways.
How do you think government policies and regulations are influencing the development and execution of railway projects? Are there any changes you would recommend?
Since the Government has the monopoly on railway assets and infrastructure, policies are the primary drivers of railway projects in India. The decision on the quantum of investment in Railway infrastructure has huge ripple effects across the industry.
Another interesting fact, every investment in Railway has an impact on approximately 250 industries. Therefore, the Government of India has very ambitious railway infrastructure plans for the future, which augurs well for most sectors in the country. Further, Indian Railways which is transporting about 1,600 MT has a plan to house 3,000 MT by 2030 and 10,000 MT by 2047. The present modal share of 26 per cent is to be increased to 45 per cent by 2047 to reduce the logistic cost in the present day economy of 16 per cent to 8 per cent.
We would suggest changes in the present policies on PPP guidelines which have not been revised since 2012. The existing guidelines are skewed too much in favour of the Government and leaves a very small window of entrepreneurship opportunities to the private players who bring their equity and who take the risk of taking project finance loans from the market.
RVNL initiated six SPVs who have constructed 936 km of Railway lines without investment from the Ministry of Railways, and on which Indian Railways have earned a traffic of more than Rs 1,13,000 crore. A more liberalised PPP model with some freedom to the SPV stakeholders for other avenues of revenue from the commissioned projects, may take the PPP model to a new height.
What challenges do you face with the use of steel in high-demand railway projects, or otherwise in view of the Logistic Policy? How do you see these impacting future railway and infrastructure projects?
With India’s logistics market valued at over $250 billion, the policy is a significant step toward achieving a streamlined logistics ecosystem. Its primary objectives include reducing logistics costs from the current 14–18 per cent of GDP to 8 per cent by 2030, bringing India in line with global benchmarks.
As India transitions from ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to ‘Amrut Kaal,’ the nation has set ambitious infrastructure development targets to be achieved by 2047. Steel technology is expected to play a central role during this period due to its inherent advantages, enabling faster, safer, and higher-quality construction. Key infrastructure goals under the Vision 2047 initiative include a two to threefold increase in inter-city transport speed, eliminating waiting lists in railways, and ensuring that 60 per cent of rail passengers use high-speed or semi-high-speed trains. Public transport will adopt green technology, while urban mobility systems like metro rail and mass transit are set to expand to cover 5,000 km across 75 cities.
In road infrastructure, plans are in place to construct 3,20,000 km of expressways and access-controlled highways. The logistics sector will see the establishment of more than 70 multi-modal logistics parks, while port capacity is projected to increase to 10,000 MTPA. Aviation infrastructure will expand with the development of 20 new airports designed on the aerotropolis model. Emerging technologies are also being prioritised, with plans for 20 integrated testing facilities for drone manufacturing and examination
The advantages of steel in construction make it an essential component of these infrastructure goals. India, as the second-largest steel producer in the world, reported crude steel production of 143.6 MMT in FY 2023-24, a 12.9 per cent increase from the previous year. Domestic finished steel consumption during the same period grew by 13 per cent to 136 MMT. The National Steel Policy 2017 envisions achieving a production capacity of 300 MMT by 2030, with domestic per capita steel consumption expected to rise to 160 kg.
What is your vision for the future of railway infrastructure in India? How do you see the role of technology and innovation shaping this future?
Currently, Indian Railways is the second-largest in Asia and the fourth-largest rail network globally, after the US, Russia, and China. In FY24 alone, Indian Railways laid more than 5,100 km of new track, averaging a speed of 14 km of track per day, which is a significant achievement.
Under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), an investment of over Rs 13.67 lakh crore is planned by 2025, accounting for 12 per cent of the total planned investment. Additionally, with favourable policy frameworks, increasing participation from domestic and foreign private players is expected in both passenger and freight transportation in the medium to long term. The Indian government’s focus on infrastructure will significantly drive railway development, with plans to invest Rs 50 lakh crore by 2047.
Indian Railways also aims to contribute around 1.5 per cent to the country’s GDP. To achieve this, the infrastructure is being strengthened to handle 45 per cent of the economy’s freight through railways. By the end of FY24, Indian Railways generated a total revenue of Rs 2.40 lakh crore.
Indian Railways is advancing towards 100 per cent electrification of broad-gauge tracks, achieving 6,577 km in 2023 and covering 93.83 per cent of the total network. Indian Railways has also made its environmental commitment for ‘net zero carbon emission’ by 2030. Various energy conservation measures undertaken by Indian Railways including insulated-gate bipolar transistor propulsion and LED lighting, demonstrate its dedication to sustainability.