Training of Group A officers in Indian railways

Indian Railways is a very big organisation divided into 10 different departments for operational feasibility. On the same pattern there are 10 different services in Indian Railways divided into three main segments viz; 

  • Technical 
  • Non Technical 
  • Medical

The recruitment in railways happens through 2 main channels

Through Civil Services Exam

In this category 4 services are included viz; Indian railway traffic Service ( IRTS), Indian Railway Account Service (IRAS), Indian railway personnel Service (IRPS), Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS).

Through Engineering Service Exam

This include 5 services viz; Indian railway Service Of Engineering (IRSE), Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Indian Railway Service Of Electrical Engineering (IRSEE), Indian Railway Service Of Signal Engineering (IRSSE), Indian Railway Service of Stores (IRSS).

The Training

For Civil Service Recruits the initial training starts from LBSNAA. After the civil services foundation course the probationary officers report to NAIR I.e. National Academy of Indian railways for the Railways Foundation Course. The duration of training is 78 weeks which is divided into different parts. The duration of Foundation Course is around 70 days. In foundation course topics pertaining to all the departments like engineering, commercial, operating etc are taught. After the foundation course the probationers report to their respective academies for detailed training.

           For engineering service officers the training starts from the railways foundation course at NAIR. The content of the foundation course is same as that of civil service recruits.

Service Specific Training

The service specific training is divided into two parts:

  • Classroom Training: In this training different services officers are given conceptual training on different aspects of the departmental working e.g.
  1. IRTS officers are trained at IRITM Lucknow. They given inputs on transportation management and commercial aspects in railways like non freight revenue etc. 
  2. IRAS officers are trained at IRIFM Secunderabad. They are given inputs on accounts and budgeting etc. The various measures of financial propriety are also a major focus area.
  3. IRPS officers are trained at NAIR Vadodara. They given training on Manpower planning, HR management etc.
  4. IRSE officers are trained at IRICEN Pune. They are given training in areas like track maintenance, track laying etc.
  5. IRSME officers are trained at IRIMEE Jamalpur and they are given inputs in areas like coach management, loco maintenance, cleanliness in railway premises etc.
  6. IRSEE officers are trained at IRIEEN Nasik and they are given inputs in areas like electrification, train operations, crew management etc.
  7. IRSSE officers are trained at IRISET Secunderabad and trained in areas like signal maintenance, ETCS I.e European Train Control System, etc.
  8. IRSS officers are trained at NAIR Vadodara in procurement activities, contract work etc.
  9. IRPFS officers are trained at Jagjivan Ram RPF academy Lucknow in areas like Railway asset safety, passenger safety in railway premises etc.
  • Field Training: Apart from classroom training officers are also assigned to field training in various zones, divisions and production units of Indian Railways. The major activities here include foot plating to get a first hand experience of train running, understanding by doing the actual work in the field. Probationers are advised to meet the high ranking officials to get the first hand experience of top level functioning in Railways.

Other area of training: These include mainly the following:

  • IIT attachment to officers of engineering services to get a better understanding of technological aspects.
  • IIM attachment of Civil service officers to get a better understanding of various managerial concepts.
  • In the recent past the management training is being given to officers of all the services.
  • Ethics training at Panchgani to understand the moral values and deal more effectively with the issues of ethical dilemma.
  • CTI training where officers of all the services are send to other CTI to understand the functioning of other department.
  • Foreign Training under which offers are send to either France or Russia to understand the train operations of these countries.

Induction Training: This is the final aspect of training which is given just before the officers are sent to field. The learning in the entire duration is reviewed by using model room and viva etc. The major areas to be covered are accounts and personnel.

Other aspects of training: Apart from the above there are other inputs given to officers like Labour Management at VV Giri national Institute of labour management, Accounts training at NADT Nagpur. Taking into consideration the need of different services the officers are given many service specific inputs like the officers of engineering services are given technical training at IITs, officers of civil services are given training at IIMs for Management understanding.

However with the introduction of IRMS( Indian Railway Management Service) this all will change and details are still awaited regarding the areas of training these officers will be given.

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