Until now, employees working in different categories of track maintenance were collectively classified as artisans. The Railway Board has now decided to reorganise them into four grades based on their existing pay levels. The move is aimed at eliminating multiple employee classifications and creating a unified workforce for track-related technical operations.
The new structure will make it easier for the Railways to deploy employees across different technical assignments according to their skills and work efficiency. It is also expected to bring greater organisation to railway track repair and maintenance operations.
Railway Board Executive Director Shatrughan Behera issued instructions to all zonal railways on November 5, directing them to complete the process by November 20. Under the new arrangement, these employees will be identified as Multi-Skilled Track Technicians (MSTTs), with a new cadre established under the designation of Technician (Track).
As part of the restructuring, P-Way (Permanent Way) artisan employees will be placed in four grades according to their pay levels. Employees in Pay Level 2 will be designated Technician (Track) Grade 3, while those in Pay Level 4 will become Grade 2 technicians. Employees in Pay Level 5 will be designated Grade 1 technicians, and those in Pay Level 6 will be known as Senior Technician (Track).
All existing P-Way artisan posts corresponding to these pay levels will be merged into the new cadre. Zonal railways will have to identify all artisan cadres working in the P-Way sections of their engineering departments and transfer the corresponding posts and employees to the new cadre ID.
The Railway Board has clarified that artisans with similar designations working in other areas of the Civil Engineering Department will not be included in the merger. Welders, blacksmiths, carpenters, painters and masons deployed in sections such as Bridges and Works will remain outside the new cadre.
The restructuring will apply exclusively to artisan employees working in P-Way sections. With the November 20 deadline set for completing the transition, the Railways is moving towards a unified four-grade structure for its track maintenance workforce.
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