Ministry Of Railways Research Articles

Research on the origin and evolution of technical management regulations for railway

PurposeTo facilitate technical managers and field workers to master and understand the provisions of Technical Management Regulations for Railway more accurately, so as to better serve the comprehensive revision of the Regulations, this paper carries out the research on the traceability and evolution of the provisions of the Regulations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper studies and analyzes the evolution of the 11th edition of the Regulations by analyzing the relevance of clauses and summarizes the historical background of the development of calendar editions of the Regulations. The basic research on the traceability and evolution of the Regulations is carried out from four aspects: the continuity of the development of the Regulations, the authority of contents, the relevance of clauses and the richness of historical materials.FindingsFrom the first edition of the Regulations issued by the former Ministry of Railways in 1950 to the 11th edition, there have been ten comprehensive revisions. There is a strong correlation and continuity between the calendar editions of the Regulations in terms of chapter structure and clauses. Studying the context of the terms of the Regulations is an important way to understand and master the current clauses of the Regulations.Originality/valueThrough the research on the traceability and evolution of the clauses of the Regulations, one is to explore the context of the development of railway technical equipment in China, the other is to clarify the historical background when the provisions were formulated and the third is to trace the development and evolution of the provisions. The revision of the Regulations is based on an accurate grasp of the context of the provisions, which can effectively judge the possible security risks caused by the revision of the provisions and avoid the possible risks in field implementation from the source.

Effect of Sintering Temperature on the Microstructure and Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Copper Matrix Composite for Brake Pads

Copper-based powder metallurgy materials are frequently utilized in fabricating brake pads for high-speed trains. The preparation process involves mixing, ball milling, pressing, and sintering. Among these steps, hot-pressed sintering stands out as a rapid and efficient method that significantly influences the properties and performance of the products. In this study, four samples (S700/S750/S800/S850) were prepared using hot-pressed sintering at various temperatures, as follows: 700 °C, 750 °C, 800 °C, and 850 °C. The mechanical and physical properties of the four samples were tested, and the microstructure and compositions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The findings highlighted the close relationship between sintering temperature and the mechanical and physical properties of the samples, as it impacts the porosity and interfacial bonding of the particles. Notably, Sample S800 demonstrated superior mechanical and thermal conductivity. Furthermore, the coefficient of friction (COF), friction heat, and wear rate of the four samples were also tested under different braking speeds ranging from 150 km/h to 350 km/h. The results indicated that the COFs of the four samples remained relatively stable below 300 km/h but decreased notably above 300 km/h due to heat fading. Sample S800 displayed consistent and high COF under varied braking speeds and exhibited the lowest wear rate. The observed wear mechanisms included abrasive wear and oxidation wear. Additionally, the friction test results underscored the close correspondence of the COF curve of S800 with the standard of the Ministry of Railways of the People’s Republic of China.

The branch of Samara State Transport University in Rtishchevo is 55 years old

In accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Railways dated June 11, 1969 and the order of the head of the Volga Railway dated June 16, 1969, the Rtishchevsky Railway Transport College with full-time education was organized at the Rtishchevo station.

FROM THE CONCEPT OF THE DRAFT POLICE CHARTER OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE TO ITS STRUCTURE AND CONTENT: VIEWS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION OF SENATOR A.A. MAKAROV (1906-1917) PART 7. PREVENTION AND SUPPRESSION BY THE POLICE OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE OF FIGHTS, VIOLENCE, ACCIDENTS, FIRES. MEASURES TO ASSIST VICTIMS, REGISTRATION OF THE POPULATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF TIMELY DETECTION OF

The responsibilities of the police to suppress fights between civilians are briefly outlined, the specifics of fights among officers and the peculiarities of the implementation of police measures are noted, and means of preventing accidents in public places and on communications routes are provided. It is noted that the activities of the general police on the tracks belonging to the Ministry of Railways were carried out in the absence of supervisory authorities of the said department or when railway police officials were replaced. Measures are revealed to provide police assistance to victims of criminal acts, accidents, people who become ill in public places, and to transport them to medical institutions. When forming a position in the draft charter, the organizers hoped that city public administrations would create special ambulance crews, which already existed in some medical institutions in large urban settlements. It is indicated that the adoption by police officials of various efforts to resolve situations related to accidents was combined with conducting an inquiry and issuing a copy of the report to the victims, at their request. The article shows the struggle of the police against neglect: the transfer of abandoned babies, orphans, lost children to trustworthy citizens, to educational homes, charitable institutions of city and zemstvo institutions; transport to public hospitals. As an area of police activity, measures to prevent fires are shown, the role of the police in managing their extinguishing, ensuring the protection of personal property, and the work of the police during floods, shipwrecks, and railway accidents. Monitoring the registration of residents in residential premises, daily control over sanitary order in houses, entrances, streets, and squares are independently presented.

Between Two Empires: Railway Construction in the Far East in the Late Imperial Period

Based on a wide range of archival sources, this article analyses the history of the creation and functioning of the Nikolskaya branch of the Ussuri Railway in the conditions of the Russian-Chinese transborder of the eastern approach to the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). Designed to connect the CER with the Russian railway network, this branch was significant in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from the point of view of ensuring the connection of the Trans-Siberian Railway with Vladivostok before the construction of a bypass along the Amur. The concept of “transborder” makes it possible to fit this plot into the broader problem of the formation of contact sociocultural zones along the long land border between Russia and China. The unification of the roads of the two empires into a single railway network led to an increase in migration flows, the founding of new settlements, and the development of civil and military infrastructure, elements of which can be still seen today. At the same time, for a long time, researchers paid no attention to the construction of the connecting branches of the CER and the Trans-Siberian Railway, excluding the adjacent territories from the general narrative of transborder issues, which makes the study particularly relevant. At the same time, archival materials make it possible to characterise not only the difficulties that the Russian government encountered during the construction of the connecting branch but also the initial stage of the formation of a network of settlements along it, their development, as well as the specifics of existence in transborder conditions. The listed issues were raised not only in the Committee of the Siberian Railway, the Ministry of Railways, and the Ministry of Finance, which directly supervised the construction and determined the volume of financing, but also in the CER Society. From the financial point of view, turning to the method of joint road construction using private and state funds, previously tested on other railways in the country, would become one of the arguments for leasing the Ussuri Railway to the CER Society.

Twenty-Five Years of Engineering and Scientific Activity of Nikolai A. Belelyubsky (report by A. N. Gorchakov in the Imperial Russian Technical Society in 1892)

Archival publicationsA reproduced report in the Imperial Russian Technical Society was first published in the Railway Business [Zheleznodorozhnoe delo] journal in 1892. It is dedicated to the activities of Nikolai. A. Belelyubsky, a well-known bridge engineer who made a significant contribution to the development of transport engineering in Russia, and whose biography can excellently help to trace the evolution of Russian railway bridge construction in the 19th century.The author of the report was Andrei N. Gorchakov (1836–1914), who held the positions of head of the military road department of the field administration of military logistics of the acting army, engineer of the Ministry of Railways, was a member of the board of state railways, managed private railways, and was director of the ministerial railway department.The author’s punctuation and vocabulary are preserved as much as possible in the text.

Документы Российского государственного архива экономики о торговом обслуживании железнодорожников в 1950-е гг.

Based on the analysis of a set of archival documents reflecting the activities of departmental trade management bodies in railway transport, the article examines the key areas of organization of trade services for Soviet railway workers in the 1950s. Despite the existence of separate works on the history of domestic trade and railway infrastructure, carried out at the all-Union, republican and regional levels, taking into account modern achievements of historical science and the development of the source base, the issues of the activities of departments and departments of working supply in terms of managing the work of railway trade enterprises still remain unexplored. The choice of the chronological framework of the conducted research is due to several circumstances. Firstly, by the mid-1950s, the stage of post-war reconstruction of domestic railway transport and its infrastructure was coming to an end. Secondly, in the second half of the 1950s, the active modernization of the industry began, caused by the urgent needs of the country's economic development. The main source for the study of the stated topic are archival documents reflecting the specifics of management activities for the organization of trade in railway transport. The authors of the article identified documentary materials in the 1884 fund (Ministry of Railways of the USSR) of the Russian State Archive of Economics, presented by administrative acts of the Main Directorate of Workers' Supply. They reveal the specifics of the transport trade, the nature of the measures taken to improve the quality of customer service. Geographically, the administration of departmental trade was carried out on the entire railway network of the USSR. Based on the analysis of the contents of these documents, a range of problems that had to be solved by management structures in order to ensure the effective functioning of trading enterprises is presented. Archival documents quite objectively highlight the situation in the transport trade. The accounting documents of the planning and economic divisions of the industry contain valuable statistical data on the number of trading enterprises, the contingent of their employees and the volume of trade turnover. Their introduction into scientific circulation will contribute to a reliable reflection of the role of sectoral social policy designed to create decent working and living conditions for employees as the most important factor stimulating the conscientious performance of professional duties.

To the Issue of the Development and Operation of Secondary Schools of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire in the late XIX – early XX centuries

To the Issue of the Development and Operation of Secondary Schools of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire in the late XIX – early XX centuries

Church Construction in Transbaikalia and the Chinese Eastern Railway: Kaydalovskaya Railway Branch at the Turn of the 19<sup>th</sup> – 20<sup>th</sup> Centuries

The paper considers the process of church construction on the Kaidalovskaya branch of the Trans-Baikal Railway (one of the branches connecting the Chinese Eastern Railway with the Russian railway network). The history of how the branch was constructed and operated has been left beyond the scope of scholars’ interests, which explains the focus of the paper. The research relies on archive records data and aims at assessing the role of the state in the spread of Orthodoxy in Transbaikalia and the Far East through the main stages of the branch railway construction at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. It also sheds light on how the Department of Railways of the Ministry of Railways and the Department of the Committee of the Trans-Baikal Railway solved the practical issues. The study spotlights a special agreement between the Trans-Baikal and Chinese Eastern Railways, which was concluded in order to boost efficiency of the CER railway section from the Chinese border to Manchuria station. It helps to evidence the specificity of church construction in the region under consideration: the trend towards constructing churches on the territory of large settlements near the railway and introducing mobile church cars. In such a way, the abbots of churches at the stations could travel hundreds of kilometers and meet the religious needs of workers and employees who lived along the railway line. The paper concludes that church construction has become a manifestation of Russian national policy aimed at strengthening its stance in the east of the country. The churches on the Kaydalovskaya branch, funded by philanthropists, local residents, and special purpose funds, still exist and should be seen as cultural heritage sites.

Strategic Flexibility of IRCTC in Commercialization of Indian Railways

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, was established to commercialize Indian Railways. Since its establishment, catering services became its key source of business. In July 2010, the Ministry of Railways announced a new mandate. The mandate was a serious jolt for IRCTC. Besides losing a major revenue source, IRCTC was also directed to revamp itself completely. The case majorly focuses on the strategy adopted by it to revamp and recover the loss occurring from the revised policy of the ministry. The case also describes the strategic initiatives taken by IRCTC while discharging the new mandate of the year 2010.

Socio-spatially Segregated Experience of Urban Dalits and their Anti-caste Imagination: A Study of the Balmiki Community in Delhi, India

Over the last three decades, India has experienced rapid economic development and social and cultural transformation. Questions arise as to how minorities secure their livelihood and what strategies are being devised for the same. And, what vision of the future do they have in mind? In this article, I will focus on the Dalit community in North India. Fieldwork conducted on one such disadvantaged group, the urban Balmikis (known as the sweeper caste) in Delhi, is drawn upon to examine as a case study. Balmikis have a high rate of migration to urban areas, which is due to their historical background of being employed in the sanitation sector of municipalities and the Ministry of Railways since the colonial times. The name of the community, Balmiki, is derived from worshipping “Bhagwan Valmik,” a legendary saint and composer of Ramayana. It began to take root as a name with positive connotations among the sweeper caste in North India around the 1920s and 1930s. Because of this historical development, it is often accused of discrediting Dalits who dissent from Hindu values and for hindering Dalit solidarity. However, if one listens to the claims of the Balmikis, they do not necessarily consider themselves "Hindus”. For example, during my research, a frequent response to questions about religion was the statement, "We are forced to be Hindus”. In contrast, the words that immediately follow, "We are Balmikis," are restated. By focusing on the beliefs and ambiguity of self-identity of the Balmikis, this article attempts to examine their anti-caste imagination. It then poses the question as to how that imagination is intertwined with everyday experiences and collective grassroots movements.

Railways of India. Time to update and upgrade

By the second decade of the XXI century, the railway transport of India came up with an important result — the Program announced on April 1, 1992, called Unigauge for the transfer of the railway network to a single gauge of 1676 mm was basically completed. In 2022, the operational length of wide-gauge roads on the Indian railway network was 65,094 km, or 95.7 % of its entire length. This opened up the possibility of creating a modern unified railway transport system and organizing its optimal interaction with other modes of transport.The management of the railway transport of India, represented by the Ministry of Railways, has focused efforts on the modernization of all components of the large railway economy — strengthening track structures, upgrading bridge facilities, introducing modern means of ensuring train traffic and transportation safety, updating rolling stock. The basis for improving the work of railway transport is the electrification of railways, the completion of which is planned in the next decade.All decisions taken to modernize railways are aimed at reducing operating costs, improving efficiency, environmental cleanliness, comfort and speed of passenger travel, reducing the delivery time of goods, as well as improving the safety of transportation by rail.

WAYS OF ENSURING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED MACHINE-BUILDING ENTERPRISES OF UKRAINE IN THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION CONTEXT

The issues of the modern direction of sustainable development of the competitive machine-building industry in Europe and the possibility of transforming the experience of developed European countries into a strategy for the development of small and medium-sized machine-building enterprises in Ukraine are considered. It was noted that it is SMEs that are the basis for the development of the EU economy, and the rationale for this fact was given. It was emphasized that the engineering industry is the largest sector of the EU economy in terms of the number of enterprises, employment of workers, production and value added. It is assumed that it is the development of SMEs in the machine-building industry of Ukraine that will become a significant contribution to the accelerated restoration of the social and economic well-being of Ukrainian society during the period of the country's recovery. A comparative analysis of the numerical number of machine-building enterprises of various sizes is given both in the developed countries of Europe and in Ukraine. The need for the development and implementation of digital services in the machine-building industry of Ukraine, in accordance with the concept of Industry 4.0, was emphasized at all stages of the product life cycle to ensure the flexibility and competitiveness of SMEs. The barriers to the implementation of the 4.0 concept for the sustainable development of small and medium-sized businesses in the world are analyzed, and individual barriers are identified that today pose a threat to the development of the Ministry of Railways of Ukraine as a whole. It is noted that one of the biggest problems in the world development of the Ministry of Railways as a whole is the problem of training (retraining) a new generation of qualified personnel. It is concluded that in order to develop competitive SMEs in Ukraine in the context of its integration into the EU, it is necessary to pay attention to the training of highly qualified technical personnel who, on the one hand, can play the role of system integrators and implementers of Industry 4.0 tasks, and, on the other hand, be able to solve the associated problems of mechanical engineering technology from idea to product manufacturing using digital services based on a single digital core. The scientific value of the work lies in the substantiation of ways to ensure the competitiveness of SMEs based on the foundations of the symbiosis of education, science and manufacture on the basis of a single digital core.

Socialist Competition: Organization, Dynamics of Premium Payments (the Second Half of the 1940s)

Introduction. One of the methods of restoring the economy destroyed by the war and eliminating the economic consequences of the war was socialist competition. The purpose of the work: to characterize the policy of socialist competitions in Soviet urban society, to analyze the volume of bonus payments in various industries, to identify their dynamics that occurred in the second half of the 1940s. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the research is the modernization historical paradigm. When writing the article, the author was guided by the principles of historicism and objectivity. Work with historical sources was carried out through general scientific and historical methods. Results and Discussion. The organizational mechanisms of socialist competitions are considered, bonus payments for victory at enterprises of various industries are analyzed. It was revealed that the largest payments and the number of bonuses for winning the All-Union socialist competition were recorded at the enterprises of the Ministry of Railways, enterprises and construction sites of the coal industry, electrical industry. The size of individual bonuses of workers varied depending on the industry, the status of the competition, the position of the employee. In 1948, the prizes for winning the socialist competition were reduced by 50 %. Conclusion. Socialist competition, as a practical method of intensifying production and increasing labor productivity, in the post-war years demonstrated its effectiveness and efficiency in solving economic problems facing the state.

Railways of India. An important stage of modernization is completed – unification of track width

India, the Republic of India is a country of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, the largest state in the world by population — 1.42 billion people (end of 2022), occupying an area of over 3 million square kilometers. India, which has accelerated the pace of its socio-economic development in recent decades, is playing an increasingly important role in the international arena every year, including as one of the BRICS organizers. The state railways of India are managed by the Ministry of Railways of India represented by Indian Railways (99 % of the country’s railway network) and are, despite the dominance of motor transport, remain one of the main modes of transport. During the year, the railways of India transport more than 8 billion passengers (2nd place in the world after Japan), the staff of the railways of India will amount to 1.2 million people (the 7th employer in the world). Railway transport in India is developing intensively, in recent years, work has been intensified on the organization of high–speed traffi c on a number of lines of existing railways, the fi rst high-speed railway line Mumbai — Ahmedabad is being built with a normal gauge of 1435 mm with a length of 508 km, designed for a maximum train speed of 350 km/h. The authors of the article have repeatedly visited India, visited various railway enterprises, railway educational institutions — universities and institutes, met with industry leaders at the Ministry of Railways of India, traveled along the country’s railways along a number of routes with a total length of about six thousand km.

A Case Study on Environmental Impact Assessment of Mumbai–Ahmadabad High-Speed Rail Corridor

This case study highlights some notable features of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan of Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, India. The study reflects benefits, alternatives and probable impacts of the project. Also, suggestions and recommendations to apply as mitigation measures are discussed here. The study is based on a joint study conducted by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Precautions For Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail Infrastructure Project Cooperation: Construction At Night And In Storm

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail infrastructure project delays cause the financial burden in the form of interest during construction to swell KCIC had to improve project performance by carrying out construction at night and must improve strategies for dealing with Indonesian extreme weather. Before construction at night, strict inspection shall also be focused on lighting lamps. Construction personnel shall prepare flashlights, searchlights, all parts and components shall be carefully inspected in strict accordance with relevant regulations to ensure the normal operation of the equipment. During the flood season, the construction personnel of large-scale railway maintenance machinery shall strictly implement the measures for safe driving in the flood season issued by the Ministry of railways. the construction staff shall report the disaster and dangerous situation to the attendant of the nearest station through the train dispatching station in time. When large-scale railway maintenance machinery encounters strong wind, rainstorm, Blizzard and other difficulties or unknown conditions during construction and operation, it shall immediately stop construction and slow down, and timely report the situation to the station.
 Keyword: KCIC, Construction, Railway, Maintenance.

Impact of Climate Disasters on Railway Infrastructure: Case Study of Northeast India

Climate disasters have become increasingly frequent in India, severely affecting the railway infrastructure every year. Physical damages to railway tracks, bridges, and signaling systems, caused by floods, cyclones, and landslides, are well documented. However, the impact of these disasters on the railway infrastructure was beyond direct physical damages. This paper aimed to explore the impact of climate disasters on railway infrastructure in Northeast India using case study approach. Three cases were studied to analyse the impact of climate disasters on railway infrastructure, including geological disasters and extreme weather. Infrastructure development and operation of railway transport system in Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur proved to be challenging, especially when coping with natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes. This paper found that disruption of railway services was associated with geo-physical structure of the region, which triggered the disaster vulnerability. The results showed that climate disasters had a significant impact on railway infrastructure in Northeast India in many aspects. Formulation and implementation of strategic policies might reduce the disaster risks. Therefore, policymakers and Ministry of Railways, Government of India should consider this possible probability approach over environmental determinism.

A Critique of the Initiative for Public–Private Partnership in Passenger Train Operations

In this paper, we critique the initiative for public private partnership in passenger train operations, started by the Ministry of Railways in July 2020. First, we examine each of the clusters in terms of parameters having implications on market and design coherence. The parameters include category of service (based on running time), train kms per week, train hours per week and average speed. Second, we present the salient features of bid parameters and conditions as per the documents released by the Ministry of Railways. Third, we assess the public private partnership initiative and bid conditions on parameters such as drivers for the initiative, market coherence, design coherence, bidding process and timeline, bid criteria, concession period, issues of competition, financial capacity, entry costs, train set features, fare and ticketing, terminals, schedule and stoppages, haulage and other charges and operations & maintenance. We also draw lessons from our understanding of the public private partnership experience of container train operators, where applicable. Finally, we suggest a way forward for the stakeholders in this public private partnership initiative.

ДИНАМИКА ЧИСЛЕННОСТИ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНИЦ РОССИЙСКОЙ ИМПЕРИИ В ГОДЫ ПЕРВОЙ МИРОВОЙ ВОЙНЫ

The article shows the dynamics of the number of women working on the Russian Empire’s railways during the First World War. The article provides comparative statistics on the number, percentage and positions occupied by women on the railways before the war (1913) and on the front-line and home front railways during the war (1914–1917), based on the analysis of records of civil and military authorities. The author has established that the initial phase of changes in the personnel policy of the Ministry of Railways and local railway administrations in favour of recruiting more women to railway service dates back to the second half of 1915. The changes in personnel policy were primarily due to the mobilisation of reserve soldiers, many of whom had previously worked on the railways. Initially seen by the Ministry of Railways as a temporary and forced measure, the trend of replacing the men who had gone to the front by women gained momentum in 1916, as a result of which the scope of women’s work in the railway industry was constantly expanding. The article draws a conclusion about the all-Russian trend of gradual expansion of the sphere of women’s labour on the railways, demonstrates the growth of the absolute number of female railway workers, which was conditioned by the needs of military and civil authorities during the First World War.