(a) whether the Railways have any scheme to upgrade Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO);
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the steps taken by the Railways in this regard;
(d) whether the Railways also have any scheme to establish Railway Research Centres in the country; and
(e) if so, the details thereof, State/Zone-wise?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)
(a) to (c) : There is no proposal, at present, to upgrade RDSO. However, creation of new infrastructure/facilities at RDSO and modernization of existing ones is a continuous process.
(d) & (e): There is no plan, at present, to establish Railway Research Centres in the country. However, the High Level Safety Review Committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. Anil Kakodkar, has recommended establishment of a string of five or so Railway Research Centres to be located on the campuses of Indian technological academic institutions of national importance. The Report of this Committee is presently under examination in the Ministry of Railways.