Railway Minister reveals 'Indian Railways Construction Manual 2023'

Union Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronic and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, introduced 'The Indian Railways Construction Manual, 2023,' indicating a significant move towards streamlining construction activities within the railway sector. While addressing a gathering of Railway officials across India on that occasion, Minister Vaishnaw underscored the manual's pivotal role in various construction-related endeavours. He stated, The construction manual will assist in numerous activities, such as land acquisition, forest clearance, bridge design, contract management, tunnel construction, and road flyover/underbridges. This manual will enable us to accomplish and position ourselves as the world's fastest-growing rail network. Expressing his enthusiasm, the Minister conveyed that it is genuinely pleasing that the construction manual has now been updated and aligned with the current times. He added, Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, railways have been a focal point, encompassing the construction of new tracks and stations. In this mission, the manual will play a crucial role, considering the previous version of the manual was outdated (around 1960). Now, new reforms, including EPC contracts, bridge construction, execution of signaling, electrical and non-interlocking works, etc., have been standardized through the new manual. Emphasizing the collaborative effort, Vaishnaw praised Roop Narayan Sunkar, a former Member (Infrastructure) of the Railway Board, and the entire team for their contributions to preparing the manual.