Proposed sea changes in working of Track Machines on IR

Shared Documents Joined: May 19, 2006 No. of Replies: 1

As per discussion held in Course No.664 at IRICEN with attending senior officers on 18th May 2006, the following views are made to improve the working of Track Machines

i) The Track Machine operators have to be treated on par with the Loco Pilots (Mail/Express drivers) in terms of Pay, Running Allowance, Overtime, and Resting facilities.

ii) The Rest coaches shall be furnished with a specific design having facilites such as well-furnished Kitchen, a small workshop, bedrooms for operators/ technicians and khalasis, etc. on par with atleast AC first class coaches.

iii) Dedicated track machine siding facilites with covered shed shall be devloped at every PWI headquarters and at every 30 KMs stations with facilities for drinking water, uninterrupted 3-phase power supply (AT from OHE)

iv) Modern communication facilites viz. mobiles for each operator, direct contact with Engg. Control and Dy.CE/TM.

v) Staff may be given priviliges for keeping their families at site. This can be done by constructing a well furnished rest houses, on par with officers rest houses with TV/fridge,etc. , at every CPWIs Headquarters in the same premises of PWIs office which can be easily maintained. One suite can be for the operators. The second one for technicians.

vi) Cooking facilites in each camping coach shall be outsourced centrally in the Division for all the machines like being done in the running rooms.

Further suggestions from various officers are solicited so as to keep the Track Machines organisation as effective so as to continue to maintain the machines by the Civil Engineers. This may please be seen by the PHODs / HODs of the respective Railways.

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 979

these are very good suggestion & will go in long way to improve quality of life of Machine operators ,future of track maintenace is with machines

all these suggestion except item 1 are within purview of engg deptt & can be implimented with contingencies fund available in CTR estimates even if it is not sanctioned in work programme .

each division need to plan it systmatically either in wp /lb or in revenue.

Shared Documents Joined: Jul 02, 2006 No. of Replies: 47

Respected all,

Suggestion given by Visiting Lecturer for strengthning the Track Machine organisation are welcome but will any one will say that these are practicable or implementable ? very difficult ........... or time will tell ?
is there any point in creating such big empire ?

if we have to really improve the the track machine working we should improve availability and reliability of the Track Machine first.
What I heard and understood from weekly DRM meetings discussion that our Tack Machines are most of the time in-operational and block sanctioned or arranged is un-utilised for which frequents DO letters are written to Headquarter from Division which is a area of concern and there should be serious thought on the subject.

What I fail to understood is the problem in going for Long term AMC with proper penal clause for Track Machines at the time of Procurement so that reliability and availability of the Machine can be improved.or instead of procuring we go for long term Lease of the Track Machine in which responsibility of operating and making available machine shift to supplier. ( whatever the cost )
Leasing is a very recent phenomeon on the indian scene but it is very old in developed world .

Recently I seen the Tender advertised by Track Directotrate of the Rly. Board ( http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railway/tenders/track/track_idx.htm ) for 10 BCM and Rail Grinding Machines. For BCM after tender advertisement 7 Corrigendum have been issued . For Rail Grinding Machines 12 Corrigendum have been issued after tender advertisement . are we really serious ?
Are we not clear what we require ?

Long live the Indian Railway

KKGOYAL

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 15

The suggestions of Shri R V singh are welcome.
Several steps have already been taken and still being taken in the lines suggested by Shri Singh. Since the inception of mechnised maintenance in big way, lot of efforts were put on towards imrovement of track organisation in general and track machine staff in perticular. Still it is apprehended that the situation has not changed significantly.
To my mind there is a need of philosophical shift in the ownership of the machines.
One of the solution could be that machines which are sparangly used must be divsionalised. Every divsion should have a permanent fleet of machine cossisting of CSM,BCM,BRM and DGS. The staff attached to these machine should be headquatered at the divsion and they should perform their duties within the divsion. For all practical purposes such as house, TA etc they should be treated at par with divsional staff.Track macine shall provide the logistic supports viz attention to break down, schedule maintenance etc.The service matter shall be dealt by the divsion.
TRack machine organisation shall continue to own and operate machines like TRT,PQRS etc. Here also the existing track mchine staff can be deployed when the machine is working in a perticular divsion. This will require multi skilling of staff.
Thanks
S S bisht

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 979

Railway board has issued instruction that from 1.1.2007 ,all group A & Broutes will be machine maintained only .

It is theefore Necessary to strengthen the track machine organisation & set systems of blocks,machine repairs ,operators training & resting etc along these Routes
.PWi maint should be trained & made conversant for design mode temping

Future more track will come progressively in machine maintainence .Therefore all obstrctions coming in its way are to be removed by modifying practicess if they become hindrance

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 979

Are we ready from tomorrow to maintain track in gr A& B ROUTES by Machines only?

Recently a great time tabling excercise is done to speed up many trains .Many new trains are also introduced .Has any body from civil engg track machine deptt ensured that adequate corridor blocks are incorporated in new time table or existing corridors are cut short by introducing new trains

whether divisions having only night corridor have created posts for Night supervisors & ancilliary staff or expecting that during the day supervisor will do trolly inspection & will continue in night with machine

Normally temping of 40-50 km in one pwi section can be done in one month .Can trolly duty in this periods will be relaxed if additonal staff for night wkg are not created

Is it not the time to legislate that during corridors provided in time table, maintenance blocks can not be refused if asked & train running need to be planned acordingly

If not now,then when all these actions will be taken

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 90

As suggested by Sri Saxena, most of the items mentioned by Sri RV Singh are within the purview of the division and they need to be taken care in right spirit. Scenario in the context of my division is :

1. Rest House at important stations has not been successful for obvious reasons. Though creating rest house facility is not a problem, its manning & maintenance is a problem. TM staff comes to a rest house only when machine is stabled there i.e once in a year or so. If the staff come to rest house, who will be there to take care of them?

2. Many a times, time is wasted to bring the machine from the station where siding exists to the station where it has to work. Light runs waste lot of time and energy of TM staff. Ideally, all stations should have TM sidings. Therefore, no yard remodelling plan or crossing station plan is getting approved without a track machine siding. In fact, number of works were got sanctioned in LSWP and LAW for providing track machine sidings at least at alternate stations. Again, it did not take off well because of the priority given for traffic facility works while giving P&C material.

3. To help the TM staff for cooking etc along with other works like washing the machines, fuelling the machines etc by out sourcing, a proposal (revenue estimate) has been sent to my HQ last week. Scope of this proposal is kept in my shared documents.

4. Now Loco pilots are given Cell Phones. (Other Railways also must have given). So getting cell phones to our TM pilots is only a matter of time (of course! we need to persue)

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 90

There is lot of pressure to construct comfortable rest houses for TM staff; As brought out in my earlier posting, I feel these Rest Houses may not serve the intended purpose;

What is the position in other Railways? Please give the position



- Venkateswara Rao K Sr DEN/Co/GNT ... 12-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: Jul 02, 2006 No. of Replies: 47

CTR estimates shud not be used to create assets out of contingency provision.
If an asset is required, it has to be made.

Dont the divisions have their arrangements for OHE mtc?
Why then shud Track machines be given 3rd rated status.

Long Live the Indian Railways.



- K.K. Goyal ... 13-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: Sep 08, 2007 No. of Replies: 485

View of some member of IRAS forum is just reverse of thoughts expressed by earlier participants ,maybe seen on link -
http://irastimes.yuku.com/topic/836/t/Wet-lease-of-Track-machines.html



- Anil Kumar Shahi SSE(P.Way) TC Bilaspur ... 22-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 14

Perused the views of the members of IRAS forum . Most of the persons took problems of track machine staff in negative way and discussed in circastic maner. I hope none of the members of the IRAS forum has really seen the track machine woking or spent at least half a day with track machines. Hence their views need not be considered. If members of IRAS forum thinks that proposed facilities to track machine staff is a waste ( staff who will be away from their families for weeks together and that too supposed to stay at way side stations and wait for the traffic block which is very uncertain) they should apply thier esteemed inteliigence and powers in non vetting of any facilities pertains to Running Rooms (where the occupants are having better working environment , fixed timings, more running allowance) there by they can justify huge savings. On the other hand with conversion of all main line track with PSC sleepers, Machne maintenance is only the way to handle such increased traffic and increased axle loads. Now a days all PWIs/Gangmtes and P.Way staff are struggling for maintaining the better stadards of track miantenance which is directly bearing on the safety which can be realised for the persons who are respnsible for track maintenance but not for the Paper Tigers who will spent thier time mostly with in four walls, even could not get a paper typed beyond office hours.



- K. SURYANARAYANA Sr.DEN/Central/BZA ... 22-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 159

I believe that Track Machine Operators are doing more strenuous job than to whom you are comparing them with. But in addition to the actual work performed during machine working hours the hardship which they have to face in between the duty hours is where we can improve. Otherwise fact remains that just like operating staff at way side stations our machine staff also indulge in 'FRENCH LEAVE'.

We are doing a mechanised maintainance here in our current job and are maintaining few sets of tamper regulators. Although the job conditions here is not at all comparable to what we have back in India however, the backup system in place is worth comparison.

The operators are equipped with their own cars and they travel to work site from their home every day. The machine workshop is equipped with a tool van and we mobilise them for petty on site repairs instead of driving back the machines to the workshop. The machines do not work on saturdays and sundays (imposed by the clients/operating railways) hence the machines are sent back to workshops (in case) on friday evenings to do trip schedules, 100/250/500 hr schedule etc and returns to work on mondays. The machines also do not work on a public holiday. Of course the staff are on call for any emergency works (which is a rare occurrence). Take note that we do not indulge in any manual track maintenance activity except for tamping switch and crossing areas by hand held tampers in conjunction with heavy on track tampers due to constraint of space and occassional ballast regulation for small stretches.

Due to hydraulic/vibrating/electronic mechanisms some how the maintenance regime for a tamper is much more elaborate than a Diesel Loco (we also own and maintain Diesel Locos for our works hence can compare).

As said earlier there can not be a comparison between the two. But in the long run we need to rationalise our machine working and maintenance system and make it more reasonable. Fortnight (or any other determined period) on off roster can be a good solution. Rest houses at nominated locations with siding facilities in the long run should be persued as living in a coach forever will not be liked by the staff. The cost will not be too high to attract such a negative notion. One rest location every 40 to 50 route km should be enough. Also a dedicated rest house (which is an impression which every one is getting from the discussion) is not the case. Ultimately we do need a supervisory staff resthouses at way side locations and those requirement can be clubbed together. A suitable existing vacant staff quarter can be modified for the purpose.

As far as I remember the CTR estimates did had a component pro rata cost for rest facility development (per estimate 25 to 50 k or so) which was quite adequate for the purpose and we did build the facilities in my Railways. If you see RB's estimate format for a CTR you will appreciate that the cost for changeover of maintenance system was also included in the overall cost ( see provisions for small track machines, trolleys, destressing equipments, even computers and road vehicles etc.) but somewhere down the line due to ignorance or shortsightedness the provisions remained unutilised, or like in my railways were opposed by them (you know by whom & despite having a mandate of RB with a design objective attached to the provisions) and thus could not be realised. Somewhere we are also blameworthy for not rationalising the resultant reduction in manpower and trying to paddle with two boats. Its ultimately hurting us only.



- AnilPatelPlanning & Track Maint. Coordinator ... 23-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 107

The suggestions for extending facilities for track machines are most
welcome. Let me clarify one thing that nature of duties of track machines
staff are not akin to running staff.The TMO cell in the engineering
department is in a state of evolution.The acceptability of track machine
organisation has though increased, the staff is receiving step motherly
treament. Railway Board.s instructions are already there to convert
suplus sidinginto machine siding. The fundamental reqirement is
maximisation of costly machine utilisation.The creation of additional
facilities at site are already proving shear wastage of revenue as staff
hardly like to avail for want other fringe benifit. Further there is no roster
for the staff due to interpretation in the catagories. That apart what the
staff want in this competitive world is
i) He should be home every day to be with his family.

ii) He also wants to give a good education to his children.
iii) He also want that there should be definite block patterns.
iv) He should be able to avail leave when he asks due to family
works.
v) He also wants to feel a part of Engineering organisation
vi) He also wishes he should enjoy the status similar to his counter
part in the organisation.
The solution to provide relief to the staff is as under:
i) A sufficient provision of LR/RG should be provided.
ii) He should be given priority for his transporation either by goods
train or passenger train to be with his family.
iii) He should be given fixed time frame for his working.
iv) Heshould be provided a vehicle if possible to reach in time
on machine.
v) RRB should indicate nature of duties of an machine operator.
This will induce fresh incumbents with clear insight into the job.



- MOHAMMAD BAKHSH DyCE(TMC) CCG ... 29-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 90

Most of the issues which are traditionally a problems for TM staff have been addressed now.

1. They have been given cell phones.

2. Other logistics have been out sourced successfully;

3. For a glimplse, click http://www.iricen.gov.in/documents/shared/RAO556/TM.ppt

4. For detailed tender document, click http://www.iricen.gov.in/documents/shared/RAO556/TM%20staff%20-%20Sea%20Changes.xls

5. But the idea of providing rest houses, still I am not convinced as brought out in my earlier postings; Some feed back on this?



- Venkateswara Rao K Sr DEN/Co/GNT ... 31-05-08

Shared Documents Joined: No. of Replies: 90

Is OT being paid to TM operators on any Rly/Divn?

If so, beyond how many hours of working? Are JE/SE/SSE grades are also getting OT?

This is a PNM item of our Rly & needs to be resolved.



- Venkateswara Rao K Dy CE/TM/HQ/SC ... 10-10-09