NEW DELHI. In a bid to modernize operations and reduce environmental hazards, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced key structural reforms, notably shifting the transport of fertilizers from traditional covered wagons to specialized, non-polluting containers. Representing 85% of fertilizer logistics, this container-based move prevents rake detention by allowing individual storage at delivery points. A similar eco-friendly transition will be implemented for the country’s 340 million tonnes of annual fly ash, shifting its transit from open wagons to sealed containers to stop hazardous dust pollution during transit and loading. Supporting this freight push, the ministry introduced a unified licensing system for container train operators, simplifying operations under a single nationwide framework.
Parallelly, the ministry is introducing extensive operational and infrastructural updates to fast-track project execution and enhance quality control. Under a newly overhauled policy, private players are now permitted to propose custom wagon designs tailored to specific industry needs, shifting design responsibility from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation to the industry itself. To minimize land disputes and bureaucratic delays, the ministry is launching the digital Rail Bhoomi portal to streamline and expedite the land acquisition process online. Finally, to ensure high-quality construction across India’s expanding railway infrastructure, a comprehensive skill certification framework will be rolled out over the next 24 months to validate and train ground-level workers like welders, fitters, and testers.
