Union Railway Minister unveils 'Indian Railways Construction Manual 2023'
Jan 09, 2024
New Delhi [India], January 9 : Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday introduced 'The Indian Railways Construction Manual, 2023,' marking a significant step towards streamlining construction activities within the railway sector.
On this occasion, addressing a gathering of Railway officials across India, Minister Vaishnaw emphasized the manual's pivotal role in diverse construction-related endeavours.
"The construction manual will help in many activities, including land acquisition, forest clearance, bridge design, contract management, tunnel construction, and road flyover/ underbridges. This manual would help us to achieve and become the world's fastest-growing rail network," he said.
Expressing enthusiasm, the Minister stated that it is a real pleasure that the construction manual is now in a new form and in tune with our time.
"Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken charge, railways have been its focus, including the construction of new tracks and stations and in this mission, this manual will play a key role as the previous version of the manual was old (around 1960) and now new reforms have been incorporated, including EPC contracts, bridge construction, execution of signalling, electrical and non-interlocking works etc. which have now been standardized through the new manual," he added.
Highlighting the collaborative effort, Vaishnaw commended Roop Narayan Sunkar, a former Member (Infrastructure), of the Railway Board and the entire team for their contributions in preparing the manual.
The manual's release aligns with the National Rail Plan, as Indian Railways aims to bolster its capacity by 2030 to meet demands up to 2050.
With a focus on critical projects, new lines, gauge conversion, multi-tracking, automatic signalling and traffic facility works, the construction manual stands as a guide to empower officials in achieving these ambitious targets.
Developed in simple language for easy comprehension by field officials, 'The Indian Railways Construction Manual, 2023' represents a forward leap in the quest for an efficient and robust railway infrastructure.
