The Railway Board (RB) has planned to authorise Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of new depots, sheds, workshops and rolling stock. Reportedly, all 17 zones of Indian Railways (IR) have been directed to conduct a limited tendering process, which will be pursued through competitive bidding for the authorisation of these PSUs.
Further, RB has formulated a total of 29 conditions, which include the handling of shed/depot/workshop for operations by the PSUs in their existing condition, infrastructure augmentation to be carried out by the PSUs for the maintenance of rolling stock, and annual safety audits to be conducted by IR at these locations, among others. Besides, the railway zones will have the authority to terminate the contracts of the PSUs in case of unsatisfactory performance. Currently, the RB consists of over 700 workshops and 300 sheds/depots.