Central Railway has clinched 1st and 2nd prize in the “Suggestion Scheme of Best Innovation on Indian Railways” for the FY 2023-24.

The 1st prize for Best Innovation was won by Central Railway for providing an “Innovative Solution to Prevent Point Machine Failures in submerged conditions” an important initiative to run suburban services in Mumbai during the Monsoon Season. The prestigious award recognizes the exceptional efforts put in by the Central Railway team for their ground breaking work in finding a solution to prevent Point Machine failures in submerged conditions especially during the monsoon.

The modification of point machine covers has been developed internally by Central Railway's dedicated team, demonstrating a commitment to innovative, cost effective and practical solution. This solution was implemented at various identified flood-prone locations across the Central Railway network specifically in Mumbai Suburban area, ensuring widespread protection and enhanced reliability. The reduction in point machine failures on account of flooding during monsoon significantly improved operational efficiency. This enhancement ensured that train operations remained smooth and uninterrupted, eliminating the need for manual clamping of points and paper authority, which are traditionally required during such failures causing excessive delays and disturbed the punctuality of the locals. The modifications in the point machine cover ensures more reliable and robust railway infrastructure and operations.

Central Railway also won the 2nd prize for Best Innovation jointly for developing a Real Time water level notifier system for water tanks cum axle box temperature monitoring in running coaches to ensure passenger convenience through water availability and safety through regular health monitoring of coaches.

The 1st prize carries a cash component of Rs.3 lakhs and 2nd prize carries award of 2 lakhs.

The "Suggestion Scheme for Best Innovation" by Indian Railways, aims to identify and reward creative employees who propose practical improvements across various aspects of railway operations, boosting morale and encouraging cost-effective innovations to enhance productivity and quality across the network.

The Objective of this Scheme is to encourage employees at all levels to come up with innovative ideas that can improve the efficiency and quality of railway services.

The scheme operates on three levels: divisional/workshop, zonal/production unit, and Railway Board level.

Innovations that are implementable and demonstrate their usefulness are considered for awards.

This scheme helps to motivate employees, foster a culture of innovation, and identify potential solutions to existing challenges within the railway system and has received an overwhelming response from Railway Employees. The scheme intends to foster the spirit of innovation and creativity among all employees to productively deploy and implement the novel solutions.