77th Republic Day celebrated at North Central Railway Headquarter

77th Republic Day celebrated at North Central Railway Headquarter

27 Railway Personnel felicitated for outstanding work

Exhibition Commemorating 150 Years of Vande Matram also displayed

On 26th January 2026, the Nation 77th Republic Day was celebrated with grandeur, gaiety, fervor and enthusiasm on North Central Railway Headquarter Office, Prayagraj. The program started with flag being unfurled by General Manager Naresh Pal Singh. On this occasion, General Manager inspected the parade of Railway Protection Force, Bharat Scout and Guides and St. John Ambulance Brigade.

General Manager also awarded 27 Railway personnel including 05 contractual EnHM staff for their outstanding performance. Awardees included Harishankar Kumar, Chief Wagon Operations Inspector/Planning, Operating Department, Headquarters;Vandana Singh, Senior Section Engineer/Telecom, Signal & Telecommunication Department, Headquarters;Sushant Pratap Singh, Senior Section Engineer/TRD, Electrical Department, Headquarters;Govind Ram Meena, Senior Section Engineer/Carriage & Wagon, Mechanical (C&W), Prayagraj Division;Sanjay Kumar Thakur, Chief Controller, Operating, Prayagraj Division;Shantanu Choudhary, Junior Section Engineer/Electrical, Prayagraj Division;Umesh Chandra James, Sub-Inspector, Railway Protection Force, Prayagraj Division;Vimalesh Kumar Pal, Track Maintainer-IV, Engineering Department, Prayagraj Division;Archana Kumari, Assistant Loco Pilot, Electrical Operations, Prayagraj Division;Ravikant Tripathi, Deputy Chief Ticket Inspector, Commercial Department, Prayagraj Division;Pramod Kumar Patel, Traffic Inspector, Safety, Prayagraj Division;Ramanand Tiwari, Senior Section Engineer/C&I, Electrical (Traction Distribution), Jhansi Division;Ayush Yadav, Junior Engineer, Carriage & Wagon, Mechanical (C&W), Jhansi Division;Mukesh Kumar, Office Superintendent, Electrical General, Jhansi Division;Sudhir Kant, Senior Section Engineer/Signal, Signal & Telecommunication Department, Jhansi Division;Mahendra Singh, Senior Technician, Mechanical/Mathura, Agra Division;Kanhaiya Lal Meena, Assistant Loco Pilot, Electrical Operations, Agra Division;Rakesh Mohan, Senior Section Engineer/P.Way, Engineering Department, Agra Division;Virendra Singh, Constable, Railway Protection Force, Agra Division;Sunil Kumar, Senior Section Engineer/Budget, Mechanical, Jhansi Workshop;Ajay Kumar, Technician-I, Mechanical, Sithaouli Workshop;Prashant Prakash, Senior Section Engineer, Mechanical, CMLR;Rahul Rai, Senior Section Engineer/Signal/PU, Signal & Telecommunication, NCRPU;Khumendra Narayan, Chief Health & Malaria Inspector, Mechanical (EnHM), Prayagraj;Shivesh Vikram Malviya, Station Superintendent (MKP), Operating Department, Prayagraj;Jitendra Saw, Senior Section Engineer/EnHM, Mechanical, Jhansi;Ashutosh Kumar Rai, Health Inspector (MTJ), Mechanical (EnHM), Agra. In addition, contractual employees working in various divisions?Kishan (Prayagraj),Pradeep Sharma (Prayagraj),Ashok (Jhansi),Raju Dagor (Gwalior),Rajesh (Agra), and Ajay Kumar (Mathura), among others?were also selected for awards.

General Manager Naresh Pal Singh along with all PHODs & Members of NCRWWO released the tricolor balloons with banner of 139. This was followed by colorful cultural programs. As part of these celebrations, a patriotic group song performed by the North Central Railway Cultural Team (directed by Richa Pandey,Faizan Ahmed, and Ramashankar Yadav, with instrumentalists Vipul Pandey,Anoop Banerjee, and Akash Kumar) deeply inspired the audience with feelings of patriotism. Subsequently, group dances were presented by Tenderfeet children under the direction of Purnima and Aparajita; by Scout and Guide children under the direction of Manju Joshi; and by the North Central Railway Cultural Team under the direction of Mitali Verma, all of which were highly captivating. During the function, the General Manager gave heartfelt greetings to all the employees of North Central Railway and their families on the auspicious occasion of the 77th Republic Day of our great nation.

On this occasion, an exhibition was also organized to commemorate 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram. This exhibition included standees which were based on an album depicting Vande Mataram through illustrations published in 1923. It is noteworthy that these illustrations have also been displayed on Kartavya Path. In addition, the exhibition showcased the history of the Vande Mataram song, its translations in English and Hindi, and information about gramophone records. The selfie booth at the exhibition also proved to be a major attraction for officials, employees, and visitors. The General Manager and all senior officers also took pictures at this selfie booth.

While addressing the gathering General Manager said, ?On the occasion of 77th Republic Day of our beloved nation, I wish to convey my heartiest greetings to the entire North Central Railway family. This day commemorates the birth of our Republic and adoption of our constitution, twenty years after the declaration of "Poorna Swaraj". The great men and women who fought to get us our independence and our own republic cannot be forgotten. On this day, along with recalling the sacrifice and selfless service of those great personages with gratitude, we evaluate our immediate past and look ahead at our future.

In our mission to serve the nation, North Central Railway has been contributing commendably as an important constituent of the Indian Railways. In recognition to our consistent endeavors, we have been awarded with prestigious Signalling and Telecom efficiency shields during recently held Ati Vishisht Rail Sewa Puraskar function. I congratulate the Team NCR for their undettered & undiminished efforts.

Our efforts are first reflected in our financial performance. With the 12.65% increase in freight earnings by December, 2025 our gross earnings have risen by a 6.80% in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.

Customer satisfaction remains the cornerstone of our mission. To better serve our passengers on heavily saturated routes, we have introduced 18 new trains and added 38 new stoppages. To meet passenger demand during peak crowd occasions, we operated 1,110 trips of special trains, and consistently augmented coach capacity based on real-time needs. Furthermore, we transitioned five passenger trains to MEMU services and standardized 15 trains to 22-coach compositions, creating 1,376 additional berths.

Guided by our commitment to excellence, we have significantly expanded our station facilities this year. We introduced Rail Coach Restaurants at six additional stations and allotted 72 new catering units to enhance the onboard and station-side dining experience. To support higher passenger volumes, we extended platform lengths at eight stations for longer train length and raised the height of 26 platforms across 21 stations within the zone. Furthermore, infrastructure upgrades included the installation of new platform sheds at 10 stations and provision of 3 Escalators & 5 lifts at different stations during year 2025-26.

In our pursuit of universal accessibility, we have equipped 35 additional stations with specialized facilities for the differently-abled (Divyangjan) as per the current guidelines. With this milestone, a total of 147 stations across the North Central Railway (NCR) are now fully Divyang-friendly. Coach guidance system & train indication boards have been provided at 6 stations for information dissemination among passengers. With the objective of better cleanliness, enhanced economy and reuse of recycle of water, automatic coach washing plant has also been installed at Subedarganj station. IOT based water level indicators to update status of water level in tanks have been provided in 76 coaches of NCR.

Safety is of utmost importance to rail operations and our day-to-day working. To promote the safe work culture over the zone, we have felicitated 132 staff for showing alertness during working and carried out 37 safety drives this year. To enhance safety at stations along with facilitating passengers, 23 new foot over bridges have been constructed during ongoing financial year. These include nine 12 meter wide FOBs as well. NCR has completed 100% provision of fire and smoke detection system in NCR based AC coaches and all power cars. We have completed the construction of 42 Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges & closed 34 manned level crossings, interlocked 15 level crossing gates with provision of sliding booms and power operated lifting barriers. We have launched rigorous publicity campaigns for sensitizing public and inculcating public alertness through various media, including innovative means like our Mobile Video Van.

Our consistent efforts are ensuring safety in train operations through regular maintenance inputs in track and use of state of art technology. Through Sleeper Renewal of 293 KMs, Through rail renewal of 274 Kms, has been done by December 2025. Deep Screening of tracks by BCM has been completed over 281 Kms, which is 7% more than corresponding period of last year. Rehabilitation/Rebuilding/Strengthening of 108 Bridges across the routes over has been completed so far. In order to enhance reliability, BPAC has been provided at 7 block sections, MSDAC with dual detection on 1013 track sections & fire alarm system at 198 stations. To enhance safety in train operations, KAVACH system, has been installed in 183 three-phase locomotives- 96 WAP-7 and 87 WAG-9.

Current trunk route operations are facing capacity challenges. We have initiated a series of strategic measures to mitigate these constraints and restore optimal throughput. During the ongoing year 2025-26, almost 79km of multi tracking works with electrification has been commissioned. In addition, Sabalgarh-Birpur gauge conversion and Aligarh Daud Khan 3rd line has also been offered for CRS inspection. Under the major Signalling infrastructure work, 172.29 Kms of automatic signaling and Electronic Interlocking at 10 stations has been commissioned this year.

The contribution of our workshops and sheds in ensuring smoother functioning is laudable. During the 2025 more than 1.24 lakh springs have been produced by our Rail Spring Karkhana, Sithauli, which is an enhancement of almost 56% over last year. The Electric Loco Shed, Kanpur has been awarded the National Energy Conservation Award 2025 under the Innovation category. Our Jhansi Workshop of NCR in its commitment towards National duties, has proactively assisted in resource mobilization of defense forces during Operation Sindoor.

NCR is contributing in Indian Railways' "Mission 2030" of becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by the target year. Two buildings named Ganga building & Power house of GM office Complex have been certified as Shunya+ Label and Saraswati building of GM office complex, NCR has been certified as Shunya Label by Bureau of Energy Efficiency. After introducing 09 LHB rake in this year, total 45 nos. of LHB rakes have been converted to operate on HOG. Saving of Rs. 52.17 Cr worth of diesel is done due to HOG operation. We also cleared scrap worth Rs 221 crores by December 2025 which is 15% higher than the target stipulated by Railway Board.

Security of our passengers is a matter of key concern for all of us and we are taking stringent steps to ensure it. NCRs security personnel have caught 22 touts during the year under operation UPLABDH. Under operation DIGNITY, 811 Kids, 73 women and 52 men have been rescued & reunited with families or handed over to NGOs. Unauthorised vending has been strictly countered by arresting 11146 unauthorized vendors along with the realization of a fine of more than Rs. 85.95 Lakh from them.

Our vigilance wing has issued 10 system improvements for improved work culture over the zone & also revenue worth Rs 475.85 Lakhs has been realised by proactive vigilance action from July to December 2025. Our finance wing not only clears financial proposals at swift pace but also ensures economy. During the year 2025-26, total 1057 proposals to the tune of 9674 crores were examined & cleared and a saving of Rs. 242 crores was made out of those. Our information technology wing is making efforts for improving IT infrastructure and strengthening digital systems. It has approved 22 works of computerisation and networking this year. Our stores department has procured goods and services worth Rs 465 Crores this year which is 18%higher than last year.

Implementation of Rajbhasha policy has always been close to our hearts and efforts of our rajbhasha department have earned laurels. NCR headquarter office won first prize of Nagar Rajbhasha Karyanvayan Shield. Our 2 staff won prizes in All Indian Railway Rajbhasha competitions organized by Railway Board. Our sportspersons have always been keeping our flag high in various sporting arenas. I want to specially congratulate our hockey players Shri Rohit, captain of national team and Ankit Pal an important constituent of team for winning bronze medal in Junior World Cup. Our wrestlers Jonty Kumar & Lovepreet and athlete Bhupendra Singh won medals in National championships. NCR?s weightlifter Komal Kohar was adjudged the best player of the tournament in Inter Railway championship for her Gold winning performance.

I wish to extend my heartiest congratulations to Dr. Sanjay for receiving the National Chikitsa Sewa Award under the National Health Services. This prestigious accolade recognizes his outstanding contributions to medical services. Our medical department has made significant strides this year, conducting health screenings for 30,000 employees and organizing 11 specialized health camps over the last six months. Beyond staff care, the department ensured passenger safety by providing medical support to 7,662 travelers and maintaining rigorous quality checks on catering stalls. To further empower our workforce, we have completed 138 compassionate appointments and streamlined career progression through a new Advance MACP calendar, benefitting 1,164 staff members. Furthermore, our Single Window Cell demonstrated exceptional efficiency by resolving complaints at a remarkable 98.33% resolution rate. For the first time in history of NCR, Computer Based Tests were conducted by the Personnel Department for filling up vacant posts under the promotional quota vacancies in various departments.

I congratulate our recognized union, federations and associations for playing a very proactive role in maintaining peaceful and cordial industrial relations over the railway.

I also congratulate NCRWWO for their commendable efforts in helping Railway families in need through various schemes and for helping the Railway wards and other poor children by providing them financial support. Our Scouts & Guides, St. John Ambulance Brigade & Civil Defence organisation are also making valuable contributions to the society. Its a matter of pride that our 12 scout/guide /rover won President Award.

Our consistent endeavor is to create a strong North Central Railway system that would not only improve our financial health, but also make the experience of our customers pleasant and memorable. Today, let all of us take a pledge on this auspicious occasion, to take NCR to greater heights & provide continually improved services to our valued customers. I am confident that with your commitment & sincerity, and with valuable support from our stakeholders, NCR will continue to collect laurels in times to come.

I once again convey my best wishes to you all and your family members.