Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday introduced the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to grant statutory powers to the Railway Board and enhance the functioning and independence of the body.
“All the provisions in the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 are proposed to be incorporated in the Railways Act, 1989 through this Bill,” Mr. Vaishnaw said.
He said the railway network was established as a branch of the Public Works Department before Independence. “When the network expanded, Indian Railways Act, 1890 was enacted to enable proper functioning of different railway entities,” he said.
The railways was separated from the Public Works Department and the Railway Board Act was enacted in 1905, he said. “A contemporary railway law, the Railways Act, was enacted in 1989 by repealing the Indian Railways Act, 1890. However, the Railway Board continued to function through an executive decision without any statutory sanction.”
“The current Bill proposes to simplify the legal framework by incorporating the proposals of the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905 in the Railways Act, 1989. This will reduce the need to refer to two laws,” Mr. Vaishnaw said in the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill.
