Indian Railways reaffirmed its commitment to excellence, reform, and future-ready transformation as the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, conferred the 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar at a prestigious ceremony held at the India International Convention & Expo Centre (Yashobhoomi), Dwarka, New Delhi. The occasion recognised 100 outstanding railway officials with individual awards and honoured 26 Railway Zones with Shields for exemplary performance across multiple categories.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of State for Railways & Jal Shakti, Shri V. Somanna, Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board Shri Satish Kumar, Members of the Railway Board, General Managers of Zonal Railways, and senior officials, underscoring the institutional importance of recognising performance and leadership within one of the world’s largest rail networks.

Recognising Performance in the Journey Towards Viksit Bharat

Addressing the gathering, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw congratulated the award recipients and the wider railway workforce for their dedication and resilience. He noted that the collective efforts of railway employees have enabled Indian Railways to overcome long-standing capacity constraints, improve efficiency, and deliver major infrastructure and operational milestones in recent years.

The Union Minister emphasised that Indian Railways must now move to an entirely new level to realise the national vision of “Viksit Bharat, Viksit Railways by 2047”. Highlighting achievements such as extensive track construction and capacity augmentation, he pointed out that Indian Railways successfully managed peak passenger demand by operating special trains during major rush seasons including Diwali–Chhath, Christmas, and the summer period, setting new benchmarks in passenger facilitation.

“52 Weeks, 52 Reforms”: A New Reform Roadmap

A key highlight of the address was the announcement of an ambitious reform agenda for 2026 titled “52 weeks, 52 reforms”. Under this initiative, Indian Railways plans to implement one major reform every week across critical functional areas such as customer service, maintenance, production, quality management, health systems, and operations.

Shri Vaishnaw explained that structured workshops are being conducted across departments to redefine standards, identify bottlenecks, and prepare time-bound action plans. Officers at various levels are being actively involved to ensure ownership, accountability, and effective execution of reforms on the ground.

Six Resolutions to Shape the Next Phase of Railways

The Union Minister outlined six core resolutions that will guide Indian Railways in the coming years. These include a decisive push for systemic, time-bound reforms; deep adoption of technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence; and a fundamental upgrade of maintenance standards, even if it involves short-term challenges for long-term safety and performance.

A strong and uncompromising focus on safety remains central, with the objective of drastically reducing consequential train accidents through better training, disciplined operations, advanced technology, and daily leadership monitoring. Equally important is the transformation of training and talent development, making continuous skill upgradation mandatory and closely linked to career progression.

Perhaps most significantly, Shri Vaishnaw called for the complete eradication of the colonial mindset within the organisation. He urged officials to remain open to new ideas, empower younger officers and field staff, adopt Indian solutions, and take pride in Made-in-India technologies that are gaining global acceptance.

Celebrating Electrification, Sustainability and Connectivity

On the occasion, a commemorative coin marking 100 years of railway electrification was launched, celebrating a historic milestone in India’s rail journey. Speaking at the event, Shri V. Somanna described Indian Railways as one of the world’s largest service organisations and credited the Rail Parivar for ensuring safe and comfortable journeys for millions every day.

He highlighted the expansion of rail connectivity to regions such as Jammu & Kashmir and the North East, citing major engineering achievements that have strengthened national integration. Referring to Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat trains, he noted that upcoming services like the Vande Bharat Sleeper will further enhance long-distance connectivity. He also emphasised Indian Railways’ progress towards greener and more sustainable operations.

Safety, Freight and the Human Backbone of Railways

Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board, Shri Satish Kumar, underlined that Indian Railways has emerged as a modern, passenger-centric organisation with safety as its highest priority. He spoke about continuous improvements through modern signalling, electronic interlocking, elimination of unmanned level crossings, and enhanced track monitoring.

On freight operations, he highlighted the growing role of Indian Railways in door-to-door and multimodal logistics, contributing significantly to the nation’s economic growth. Acknowledging the completion of a century of electrification, he described railway employees as the real heroes whose discipline and dedication form the backbone of the organisation.

Reforms Reinforced at Rail Bhavan

Later, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw held a high-level meeting at Rail Bhavan with Ministers of State, the Railway Board Chairman and CEO, and senior officials. The meeting reaffirmed the commitment to 52 reforms in 52 weeks, with focused attention on safety, technology adoption, AI-driven systems, talent management, food and catering upgrades, and passenger-centric service delivery. Officials shared on-ground experiences while reviewing infrastructure development, maintenance practices, and capacity enhancement initiatives.

Reflecting on the significance of these developments, Dr. Vinod Shah, Director General of the Chamber of Railway Industries, stated, “Recognising excellence through the Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar reinforces a culture of accountability and performance. The reform-driven vision articulated by the Railway leadership, particularly the focus on safety, technology, and human capital, positions Indian Railways to emerge as a global benchmark as India moves towards 2047.”

Indian Railways today stands at a defining moment, balancing recognition of its people with an ambitious reform agenda aimed at long-term transformation.

We invite readers to share their feedback and perspectives on the reform roadmap and the future direction of Indian Railways. Industry professionals and stakeholders are encouraged to join the Chamber of Railway Industries to participate in knowledge exchange, policy discussions, and collaborative engagement with domain experts shaping the next phase of India’s railway journey.