Episode 19: Innovation in Mobility?

India manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a total route length of 68,103 km (42,317 mi) as of 31 March 2022. While the average train speeds of the Mail / Express trains have peaked at 50.6 KM / Hr, the Vande Bharat introduced recently is capable of running at 180 KM / Hr. Yet they only average around 76 KM / Hr because of the lack of tracks / infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Maglev runs at 460 KM / Hr and the CR400 ‘Fuxing” at 350 KM / Hr in China, the ICE3 at 330 KM/hr in Germany, the TGV at 320 KM/hr in France and the JR East E5 at 320 KM / HR in Japan.

 

The Vande Bharath is undoubtedly a major upgrade or improvement t the current Mail Express Trains that operate in the country but only a marginal Improvisation barely addressing any of the five dimensions of transactional value including Quality, Cost, Delivery (Time), Service and Flexibility. While we celebrate its success, we must not forget that it falls neither in the Mind 2 Market nor Time 2 Market categories of Innovation.

 

Indian Railways is one of the biggest employers in the country with over 1.4 Million employees. 70% of its estimated expenditure revenue is towards wages and pensions. It is struggling with eliminating obsolete jobs while being found wanting in both the efficacy and efficiency of its operations. It works on outdated technology, is poor in Security and Operating Standards and yet transports the people of goods of the largest populous country in the world; which is a miracle in itself.

 

It is a microcosm view of the legacy of the British Raj that the country over 75 years of Independence is yet to overcome. It is not the brightest and the best of minds in the country who seek a job with the railways. Nor has the Railways found a way to build private partnerships due to the inherent corruption of contracts in the system.

 

Against this background, our featured guest Sudhanshu Mani is a refreshing profile to pick. He spearheaded the making of the Vande Bharat and succeeded against great odds in delivering it within the scales of economy and time. A Poet at heart and an Engineer by Education, he brought the rare quality of Leadership to his job and work that is refreshing and reassuring at the same time.