The Indian Railway Traffic Service IRTS is a Group ‘A’ Central Civil Service body of the Government of India (GoI). The IRTS, in its present form, was reconstituted in 1967. The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) team functions under the Administrative Control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in CSE or a competitive exam in India conducted by Union Public Service Commission India. The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) exam is held for the recruitment of Department of Indian Railways (DoIR). The Indian Railway Traffic Service is an organized Group ‘A’ service of the Government of India (GoI).
The central service is responsible for managing/handling the Transportation Operations and Commercial wings – of the Indian Railways.
The Traffic Department consists of two branches:
- Operations
- Commercial
It has a cadre strength of 900.
Note- The article consists of information on the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) functions, salaries and career options, etc.
Indian Railway Traffic Service – Roles & Responsibilities
- Organizing the production and arranging the sales order of transportation output.
- Synchronizing the customer interface of Indian railways.
- In the operations department, ensuring smooth and fast transportation flow of freights & passengers.
- In the commercial wing/department, an officer has to manage the sales, pricing, service and the marketing aspects of passenger and freight business.
- An Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer can also be sent on deputation to other ministries and departments under the Central Staffing Scheme.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nationality:
- a citizen of India, or
- a subject of Nepal, or
- a subject of Bhutan, or
- a Tibetan refugee who came for permanently settling in India, or (e) person of an Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, etc. for permanently settling in India.
- Educational Qualification:
Candidates applying for the exam/post should meet the following mandatory requirements/skills:
- The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in any stream from any of the recognized University.
- Candidates who have already appeared or to appear for the qualifying exam and are waiting for results are also eligible, and they can also appear for the Preliminary Exam. Such candidates have to provide the proof of passing the said exam along with the application for the Mains Exam.
- Candidates/Students with professional and technical qualifications recognized by the Government of India or its equivalent are also eligible to apply.
- Candidates who have graduated from MBBS or any other Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship in the medical field can also appear for the Mains Exam. However, they must submit the documents along with their Mains Exam application.
- Age Limit: Candidate must be of the age of 21 years and must not have reached the age of 32 years.
- A number of attempts:
The maximum number of attempts restriction is adequate from the examination held in 1984. In case other eligibility conditions apply:
- General candidates (GC): 6 attempts.
- Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC & ST): No restriction.
- Other Backward Classes: 9 attempts.
- Physically handicapped (PH)- 9 attempts for general and OBC, while unlimited for SC/ST.
Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) – Training
The trainees have to undergo training in any of the national training academies namely, LBSNAA at Mussoorie, National Academy of Direct Taxes, Dr Marri Channa Reddy Human Resource Development Institute of Andhra Pradesh and RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration.
After the initial phase, they have imparted the Railway Foundation Course at National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara. The officers are also given specialized training at the Indian Railway Institute of Transportation Management (IRITM).
Here, they take various field trips to understand how the railway activity centres, workshops and organizations, Centralized Training Institutes of Indian Railways and visits to railway project sites, ports works. They also have a Parliamentary attachment and stints at other civil service academies and one IIM.
Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) – Postings after Training
IRTS officers serve as Operations Officer and Commercial Officer of the Indian Railways transportation department.
After the final induction, IRTS Cadres holds the following posts under different divisions and wings of Indian Railways.
- Assistant Operations/Commercial Manager
- May receive postings in other PSU’s
- Railway Ministry Units
- Central Staffing Schemes where IRTS officers may be sent on deputation to other ministries.
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Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) – Career Prospects
- As an officer at Secretary Level, the Traffic Department associated with the Railway Board will be managed by the IRTS officers.
- Serve in the position of Directors in the Traffic, Commercial Operations, Planning Wings and Passenger Management Units.
- At the Zonal levels, IRTS officers serve in prominent positions such as Chief Operations Manager, Chief Commercial Manager. The responsibility of the Chief Commercial Manager is to handle marketing and commercial activities, whereas the responsibility of Chief Operations Manager is solely managing freight operations.
- IRTS officers also get opportunities to hold the position of Chief Traffic Planning Manager and Chief Claims Officer.
- The Senior Divisional Operations Manager and Senior Divisional Traffic Manager are roles held by IRTS officers at Divisional Levels.
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Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) – Grades & Salaries
There are seven different grade levels associated with this Group “A” Civil Service.
Below Table gives details on Grade and pay scale associated with IRTS:
Grade | Designation in Field (Commercial) | Appointment in Field (Operations) | Designation in Railways | Pay Scale |
| Junior Time Scale | Assistant Commercial Manager | Assistant Operations Manager | – | Rs. 15,600-39100 + Grade Pay Rs.5400 |
| Senior Time Scale | Divisional Commercial Manager | Divisional Operations Manager | – | Rs. 15,600-39,100 + Grade Pay Rs.6600 |
| Junior Administrative Grade | Senior Divisional Commercial Manager | Senior Divisional Operations Manager | – | Rs. 15,600-39,100 + Grade Pay Rs.7600 |
| Selection Grade | Senior Divisional Commercial Manager/ Deputy Chief Commercial Manager | Senior Divisional Operations Manager/ Deputy Chief Operations Manager | – | Rs. 37,400-67,000 + Grade Pay Rs.8700 |
| Senior Administrative Grade | Chief Commercial Manager/ Chief Claims Officer | Chief Operations Manager/ Chief Freight Transportation Manager/ Chief Passenger Transportation Manager/ Chief Traffic Planning Manager | Executive Director | Rs. 37,400-67,000 + Grade Pay Rs.10,000 |
| Higher Administrative Grade | Chief Commercial Manager | Chief Operations Manager | Additional Member/ Additional Advisor | 67000-3%-7900 |
| Higher Administrative Grade + | – | – | Member (Traffic) | 80000 |
Summary/Overview
The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), is a Group ‘A’ Central Civil Service body of the Government of India (GoI). Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), in its present form, was reconstituted in 1967. The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) team functions under the Administrative Control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
The Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) is a CSE or a competitive exam in India conducted by Union Public Service Commission India. The IRTS exam is held for the recruitment of Department of Indian Railways (DoIR). The Indian Railway Traffic Service is an organized Group ‘A’ service of the Government of India (GoI).
Areas covered in this article
- Overview of IRTS
- Training
- Payscale
- Career options
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Postings
Note- For more details, visit- https://www.upsc.gov.in/