Indian Railway Service of Engineers
Encyclopedia
The Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) is a cadre of the Government of India
. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Civil Engineering
Organisation of the Indian Railways
exam. The top position holders of civil engineering joins IRSE and is finally inducted in Railways after one and a half years of training to maintain the civil engineering assets of Indian Railways.
The selection exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) of India
. The UPSC is responsible for recruiting middle and top-level bureaucrats for the Government of India.
Recruitment to service is done on the basis of an all India "Engineering Services" examination conducted by UPSC every year in June. Number of new recruits varies over year. Presently, intake is about 25 to 30 probationers per year. Normally top position holders in Engineering service Exams opt for IRSE.
An aspirant should be a civil Engineering graduate from any recognized university of India.
After Recruitment, the probationer is given 18 months' intensive training in various Railways establishments under the guidance of Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineers, Pune. The training includes 3 months capsule course at IIMS.
A young probationer is posted as assistant divisional engineer after 18 months of training and can rise up to Chairman Railway Board, a post equivalent to principal secretary of Govt of India. In normal course, all the IRSE officers rise up to minimum level of Additional General Manager or Principal chief engineer or Chief Administrative officer (construction) rank in railways which is in higher administrative grade.
Railway service is very demanding and it needs sincerity, dedication and hard work. Railway Engineer is on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In addition, each Zonal Railway has a construction unit headed by a Chief Administrative Officer. He is responsible for major construction works such as new lines, doubling, gauge conversions etc. He is assisted by various chief engineers (construction).
At this Level, the Engineering department is headed by SrDEN (Senior Divisional Engineer). A new probationer joins as Assistant Divisional Engineer and commands about 1000 staff spread over 200 km of jurisdiction.
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
Organisation of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Recruitment
The recruitment to the cadre is done through the Indian Engineering ServicesIndian Engineering Services
Indian Engineering Services are the Technical Services that meet the technical and managerial functions of the Government of India. Government spending comprises more than 15 percent of India's GDP...
exam. The top position holders of civil engineering joins IRSE and is finally inducted in Railways after one and a half years of training to maintain the civil engineering assets of Indian Railways.
The selection exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...
(UPSC) of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The UPSC is responsible for recruiting middle and top-level bureaucrats for the Government of India.
Role and function
The Civil Engineering department of Indian Railways is managed by engineers of IRSE. These engineers are responsible for maintenance of all fixed assets of Indian Railways, i.e. Track, Bridges, Buildings, Roads, Water supply etc. These fixed assets are 45% of total assets of Indian Railway. In addition to maintenance of existing assets, IRSE engineers are responsible for construction of new assets such as New lines, Gauge conversion, doubling and other expansion and developmental works in Railways.Recruitment to service is done on the basis of an all India "Engineering Services" examination conducted by UPSC every year in June. Number of new recruits varies over year. Presently, intake is about 25 to 30 probationers per year. Normally top position holders in Engineering service Exams opt for IRSE.
An aspirant should be a civil Engineering graduate from any recognized university of India.
After Recruitment, the probationer is given 18 months' intensive training in various Railways establishments under the guidance of Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineers, Pune. The training includes 3 months capsule course at IIMS.
A young probationer is posted as assistant divisional engineer after 18 months of training and can rise up to Chairman Railway Board, a post equivalent to principal secretary of Govt of India. In normal course, all the IRSE officers rise up to minimum level of Additional General Manager or Principal chief engineer or Chief Administrative officer (construction) rank in railways which is in higher administrative grade.
Railway service is very demanding and it needs sincerity, dedication and hard work. Railway Engineer is on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Organisation
There are about 1500 engineers in IRSE. The management of department has three levels.Apex level
This level decides major policy of department. The civil engineering department which is known as Engineering department in Indian Railways Organization is headed at apex level (i.e. Railway Board) by ME (Member-Engineering) ex-officio secretary to Government of India. He is assisted by two Additional Secretary rank (equivalent to GM) officers viz. Additional Member (civil engineering) and Additional Member (works).Zone level
The Indian Railways has 16 Zonal Railways with an average track length of about 4000 km and average staff strength of about 80,000 headed by GMs. The Zonal Organizational structure of Engineering department is headed by Principal Chief Engineer (PCE) who is assisted by various chief engineers for track, bridge, planning, track machines, general matters etc.In addition, each Zonal Railway has a construction unit headed by a Chief Administrative Officer. He is responsible for major construction works such as new lines, doubling, gauge conversions etc. He is assisted by various chief engineers (construction).
Division level
Each Zone is divided into 4-7 Divisions each with an average track length of about 1000 km and staff strength of about 15000 headed overall by DRM (Divisional Railway Manager). These are basic units for execution of works.At this Level, the Engineering department is headed by SrDEN (Senior Divisional Engineer). A new probationer joins as Assistant Divisional Engineer and commands about 1000 staff spread over 200 km of jurisdiction.
Training
The initial and refresher training of is done at Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering, Pune.See also
- Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian RailwaysCentralised Training Institutes of the Indian RailwaysThe Indian Railways is the largest civilian employer in the world at approximately 1.6 million employees. 1200 officers form the line and staff management organisation...
- Indian Railway Organisational StructureIndian Railway organisational structureThe Indian Railways is organised broadly by functional groups of Indian Railway Service. This is traditionally how the co-operation is organised. The Indian Railways perhaps has been less adventurous in changing the structure; it has largely kept up what it got as a legacy since the British...
- Indian Engineering Service