The Research Design and Standards Organisation {अनुसंधान अभिकल्प एवं मानक संगठन} (RDSO) is an ISO 9001 research and development organisation under the Ministry of Railways of India, which functions as a technical adviser and consultant to the Railway Board, the Zonal Railways, the Railway Production Units, RITES and IRCON International in respect of design and standardisation of railway equipment and problems related to railway construction, operation and maintenance.
To enforce standardisation and co-ordination between various railway systems in British India, the Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA) was set up in 1903. It was followed by the establishment of the Central Standards Office (CSO) in 1930, for preparation of designs, standards and specifications. However, till independence in 1947, most of the designs and manufacture of railway equipments was entrusted to foreign consultants. After independence, a new organisation called Railway Testing and Research Centre (RTRC) was set up in 1952 at Lucknow, for undertaking intensive investigation of railway problems, providing basic criteria and new concepts for design purposes, for testing prototypes and generally assisting in finding solutions for specific problems. In 1957, the Central Standards Office (CSO) and the Railway Testing and Research Centre (RTRC) were integrated into a single unit named Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under the Ministry of Railways with its headquarters at Manak nagar, Lucknow.The status of RDSO was changed from an "Attached Office" to a "Zonal Railway" on April 1, 2003, to give it greater flexibility and a boost to the research and development activities.
The RDSO is headed by a Director General who ranks with a General Manager of a Zonal Railway. The Director General is assisted by an Additional Director General and 23 Sr. Executive Directors and Executive Directors, who are in charge of the 27 directorates: Bridges and Structures, the Centre for Advanced Maintenance Techlogy (CAMTECH), Carriage, Geotechnical Engineering, Testing, Track Design, Medical, EMU & Power Supply, Engine Development, Finance & Accounts, Telecommunication, Quality Assurance, Personnel, Works, Psycho-Technical, Research, Signal, Wagon Design, Electric Locomotive, Stores, Track Machines & Monitoring, Traction Installation, Energy Management, Traffic, Metallurgical & Chemical, Motive Power and Library & Publications. All the directorates except Defence Research are located in Lucknow.
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