Indian Railway Rolling Stock Code Chapter 1

Indian Railway Rolling Stock Code (October 2022)

• This code supersedes all previous Railway Board rules and orders on rolling stock production and maintenance. Deviations require Ministry of Railways sanction.
• The code was initially published in 1940 as the State Railway Code for the Mechanical Department, undergoing several revisions since then, most recently in 2022 incorporating feedback from IRIMEE and railway officers. It reflects updated techniques, incentive schemes (Group Incentive Scheme), biometric attendance, environmental management practices, and IT integration.

Chapter 1: Organization of Rolling Stock Production & Maintenance Department

• Outlines the organizational structure, including roles and responsibilities at various levels from the Railway Board and RDSO down to workshop supervisors.
• Key roles detailed include Chief Workshop Manager (CWM), Chemist and Metallurgist, Workshop Personnel Officer, Environment and Safety Manager (EnSM), Workshop Civil Engineer, Workshop Electrical Engineer, Dy.Chief Mechanical Engineer (Dy.CME)/Workshop Manager (WM), Workshop Accounts Officer, Dy.Chief Material Manager (Dy.CMM), Production Engineer, CME/Dy.CME(IT), Workshop Security Officer (WSO), and Workshop supervisors.
• Addresses topics such as workshop security, health units/hospitals, shop categorization, boiler maintenance, weigh bridge maintenance, staff strength and classification, customer orientation, disaster management, unitary command and control, and relevant acts and manuals.
• Annex 1.1 covers Mid-life rehabilitation (MLR).

Chapter 2: Production Units

• Details organization and costing systems within Indian Railways production units.
• Covers process costing, batch costing, cost classification (materials, overheads), work orders, component and assembly costing, cost reporting procedures (quarterly reviews, reports to GM and Railway Board), transfer pricing, and guidelines for rolling stock manufacture by repair workshops.

Chapter 3: Employees' Duties and Responsibilities

• Focuses on working hours, attendance systems (including the "Gate Attendance System," its modernization using smart cards and biometrics, and biometric gate attendance), time office procedures, handling of late attendance, work during meal hours and on Sundays, and supervisory staff attendance.

Indian Railway Planning: Objectives and Processes

• Aims to enhance service quality, passenger comfort, safety, punctuality, asset utilization, and cost reduction.

Planning Levels in Indian Railways

• Corporate Planning: Railway Board's five-year plan; forecasts infrastructure, asset, machinery & plant, and human resource needs; advises zonal railways on proposals.
• Zonal Planning: Meets zonal requirements.
• Unit Level Planning: Focuses on asset replacement and quality improvement.

Five-Year Plan and Annual Rolling Stock Program (RSP)

• Forecasts passenger and freight traffic growth, anticipates bottlenecks, determines rolling stock needs, plans for overaged asset replacement, and adopts state-of-the-art technology.
• RSP is a five-year plan follow-up, covering new acquisition and major modifications. Funded through capital expenditure (Demand 16, PH-21).

New Acquisition under RSP

• Includes locomotives, coaches, wagons, track machines, tower cars, breakdown cranes, and camping coaches. Planned and sanctioned at the Railway Board level.

Major Modifications under RSP

• Covers conversions (e.g., coaches to ART/ARME or camping coaches; air brake conversions); upgrades (Utkrisht coaches, Project Swarn); planned by zonal railways or the Railway Board, sanctioned at the board level.

High-Value Unit Exchange Spares

• Power packs, traction motors, compressors, and governors are procured under the Itemized Rolling Stock program, planned at the divisional/headquarters level and sanctioned by the Railway Board. Example: ALCO locomotive spare norms.

Rolling Stock Provisioning

• New rolling stock provisions are made three years in advance for locomotives and two years for wagons/carriages.
• Provisions can be for additional requirements or replacement/renewal.
• Replacement needs are projected based on likely condemnations.
• RSP is prepared 15–18 months in advance, using estimates; considers rolling stock due for renewal within 18 months of preparation (e.g., RSP 2020 covers renewals in 2022).

Codal Life of Rolling Stock

• Defined as the period a rolling stock operates economically and safely. (Railway Board's Letter No.: 99/M (N) /60/6 dated 11.5.99)
• Electric Locomotives: 35 years
• Diesel Hydraulic/Electric Locos:
  • Original Power Pack: 30 years
  • Renewed Power Pack: 40 years
  • Power Pack: 20 years
• Battery Locomotives: 25 years
• Electric Multiple Unit Stock (Motor Coaches & Trailer Coaches): 25 years
• Coaching Vehicles: 30 years
• Bogie Inspection Carriages: 40 years