'People won’t settle for 1950s or 60s services': Ashwini Vaishnaw warns rail companies of blacklists

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has issued a sharp ultimatum to suppliers: improve quality or get blacklisted. At a CII conference, Vaishnaw ordered "ruthless" audits of manufacturing processes and announced a major leap in green mobility with the unveiling of a 2400-kW hydrogen-powered train—entirely developed in India.

“I know many component manufacturers may not like it,” Vaishnaw said, addressing a gathering of track and equipment suppliers. “But it’s very, very important for the safety of our passengers.”

In a strongly worded directive, he called for complete overhauls in quality control—from material selection to heat treatment and final assembly. “Incrementalism will not work now. Please be prepared—those who do not improve will lose out. I’m giving a very open call to all of you to significantly improve the processes.”

Vaishnaw said he had instructed the Railway Board to appoint officials who are “ruthless” in enforcing quality. “They should actually debar, delist, and sometimes even blacklist people who are manufacturing substandard equipment and supplying to Railways. Be ruthless,” he urged, pointing to the Railway Board Chairman seated in the audience.

“No mercy on people who are supplying low-quality materials,” he added. “Whether it is signaling, earthing, track equipment, or locomotive components—we have to improve specifications 10x.”

He also emphasized the role of RDSO (Research Designs & Standards Organisation), which has been working on specification upgrades for three years. But now, he said, “That work must ramp up very, very rapidly.”

“This is an aspirational society,” Vaishnaw said. “People won’t settle for 1950s or 60s-era services. The world of 2025 deserves—and demands—world-class rail travel.”

On the innovation front, he showcased India’s first 2400-kW hydrogen train, calling it a bold step. “We took a difficult call not to import this technology,” he said. “We will lead in new technologies.”