Railway Modernisation – Standards are necessary to ensure quality, safety & economies of scale

India is a vast country, not only in terms of its diverse cultural landscape but also the length, the breadth and the various topographies one encounters while travelling. Indian Railways, though a legacy of its colonial past, has evolved to become the lifeline of the country, catering to its needs for large scale movement of traffic, both freight and passenger, thereby contributing to economic growth and promoting national integration. In fact, railways constitute the backbone of the surface transport system in India. Today, Indian Railways are the fourth largest railway network in the world, operated by the Ministry of Railways, the Government of India, and one of the largest public sector undertakings.

Rail has several strengths such as being safe, more environmentally friendly and less polluting than other modes of transport — a significant advantage at a time of increasing congestion on roads and growing public concern about environmental issues.

However, the railways need to become more efficient, integrated, modern and responsive to customer demand. Building a modern, competitive railway network is indeed a top priority for India, both for smooth operation and for the development of a sustainable transport system. In line with this commitment to sustainability, the government has committed to electrify its entire rail network by 2023 and become a “net-zero carbon emitter railway” by 2030.

The high speed, modern rail services will be riding on new technology such as signalling, communication and other IT tools. It is therefore imperative at this stage that we understand the importance and role of standards, and the need to harmonise standards with the International and/or regional standardisation bodies.

What Global/Regional Standards should be chosen, harmonisation, and why it is necessary

Taking a leaf from the European Standardisation bodies CEN-CENELEC, in Europe, harmonisation means 1 standardised solution instead of 34 and whenever possible, Europe’s preference is to go for 1 global solution developed by ISO/IEC.

The objective behind adoption of harmonised or global standards is to avoid duplication of work, both at the International as well as at the European level. This also essentially means that having ISO/IEC standards-based solutions encourages competitiveness amongst manufacturers, opens global markets for trade and exchange of services, and brings economies of scales.

Harmonisation of standards is beneficial not only for the country, but it is advantageous for all the stakeholders around the world as it ensures the quality and safety of products & services, thereby increasing the reliability, safety and satisfaction of customers’ expectations and requirements. Harmonised standards also result in reduced costs, by eliminating waste and improving efficiency, thereby saving government/private spending.

Harmonised standards help in opening global markets, ensuring compliance with national and international legislations/regulations, as well as providing knowledge about new technologies and innovation.

Due to its global competitiveness, European standards are adopted in 15 countries beyond CEN and CENELEC membership, as well as at the regional level in the Gulf. China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, South Africa and Botswana have also adopted many European rail standards as well.

In India, the railway standards and specifications for all the important verticals like communications, signalling, electric power system, rolling stock, etc. are aligned/referred/implemented 70% – 100% with European or Global standards.

As we progress towards the modernisation of the Indian Railways, integration with global standards / European standards is the most desirable way forward for Indian Railways to be at a par with its International counterparts.

A copy of Mr Sharma’s presentation delivered at the 8th International Railway Summit is available here

About SESEI:
The Seconded European Standardisation Expert for India (SESEI) project is supported and operated by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), as well as by the European Commission (EC) and by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Its general objective is to raise awareness on the European Standardisation System, values and assets in India.

SESEI’s mission is to enhance the visibility of European standardisation activities, increase the cooperation between Indian and European standardisation bodies and support European companies facing standardisation related issues hampering market access to India. The project also supports India in standardisation related aspects of its integration in the WTO trading system, by identifying all potential opportunities for enhanced international cooperation and global harmonization of standards. Ultimately, the SESEI project aims at reducing the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) both between EU and India and globally, thus supporting European and Indian industries by facilitating international trade.

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Category: Blog Competition Safety Standardisation

Tags: CEN CENELEC Competition Dinesh Chand Sharma EC EFTA ETSI European Commission Indian Railways ISO safety SESEI Standardisation Standards

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