The famous white uniform of the railway station master and the black coat of the ticket checker, immortalized by many Bollywood films, is soon set to become a thing of the past.
The railways has roped in ace fashion designer of international repute, Ritu Beri, to design a new set of uniforms for its employees.
Railways board spokesperson Anil Saxena said, “Designer Ritu Beri will design uniforms for our many of our employees including the station master, loco pilot, train ticket examiner and guards. The agenda is to get new uniforms for all employees who interact directly with the passengers.”
The plan for the new uniforms is to incorporate both traditional and modern elements. Therefore the new uniforms will have both sarees and T-shirts. She is also set to introduce a new set of uniforms for all railway employees across all posts. However, Beri’s design expertise is not going to be a setback for the railways as the designer has offered her services for free. She will be presenting her designs in July.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has offered to supply material for the uniforms. Union Minister for micro and small enterprises Shri Kalraj Mishra confirmed this for Mirror. The KVC already supplies blankets and bedsheets to the railways.
Earlier railways had roped in NIFT for designing interior of coaches and selecting colour scheme for new trains like Tejas, Hamsafar and Uday service.
Apart from this, the railways is also trying to bring in novel ideas to increase their non-ticket revenue. Having endorsements and sponsors for the new uniforms is a step forward towards this direction.
“The non-fare box revenue (NFR) directorate is looking at advertisements at stations, commercial use of vacant land and space rights over station buildings, including station redevelopment, advertisements on coaches and locos, sponsorship of uniforms for railway personnel, hoardings on land alongside tracks, commercial farming along tracks, monetisation of soft assets, including revenue from advertisements on websites and parking of vehicles on railway land, among other things,” Saxena added.
Here’s a detailed overview of Indian Railways’ initiative to roll out brand-new designer uniforms for front-line staff—an effort championed by renowned designer Ritu Beri:
🎨 Project Snapshot: Railways Designer Uniforms
- In May 2025, the Railway Ministry enlisted fashion designer Ritu Beri (pro bono) to redesign the uniforms for passenger-facing employees, including station masters, loco pilots, TTEs, guards, onboard staff, catering personnel, and supervisors
- Beri presented four unique design themes, each reflecting an aspect of India’s heritage:
- Ethos of India – Inspired by tribal/folk art (Madhubani, Warli) with a maroon/navy palette
- The Golden Period – Based on rustic coins and ancient currency, with olive, maroon, rust & cream accents
- The Legacy of the Nawabs – Symmetrical motifs in shades of blue with maroon highlights
- The Vibrant Soul of India – Pop art-inspired fusion of greens, oranges, navy, and whites
👕 Implementation Plan
- A public feedback campaign was slated via social media and union consultations before final design selection
- Estimated rollout: 5 lakh employees in Phase 1 (from ~13 lakh total), at a cost of around ₹50 crore
- Identified roles for new uniforms included TTEs, stationmasters, guards, drivers, catering staff, and both junior and senior operational personnel
🚩 Design Features & Inspirations
- The uniforms emphasize Indo‑Western cuts, comfort, and modern tailoring using Khadi and performance fabrics
- They include black-and-yellow T‑shirts with railway logos, and fluorescent jackets (yellow and green) for roles like TTEs, guards, and drivers, aimed at visibility and professional identity
- Some designs across references even mentioned gender-specific combinations like sarees for female staff and T‑shirts for front-line roles, creating a unified yet adaptive wardrobe
🗓️ Timeline of Rollout
- Initial rollout scheduled from October (Festive Season), with uniforms debuting on select Rajdhani and Shatabdi services first
- Plans included phased distribution—front-line and station staff first, extending over time to other staff groups among the 13 lakh workforce
🎯 Purpose & Impact
- Aimed at boosting institutional pride, raising staff morale, and modernizing public perception of Indian Railways
- Designed to be visually distinctive—helping both passengers and officials easily identify staff.
- Emphasis on visibility gear support safety and professional recognition in crowd-heavy and operational areas.
🧭 Current Status
- While the project was initiated in 2025–17, with rollout planned from late 2025 onwards, it remains unclear whether the uniforms have been fully adopted across all units by mid‑2025.
- Available reports reference initial phases and plans but lack current large-scale deployment confirmation.
✅ Summary
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Designer | Ritu Beri (pro bono) |
| Design Themes | Ethos of India, Golden Period, Nawabs Legacy, Vibrant Soul |
| Coverage (Phase 1) | ~5 lakh staff (front-line roles) |
| Timeline | Launched Oct (festive season), phased rollout |
| Key Features | Indo‑Western cuts, fluorescent jackets, visibility gear |
| Aim | Pride, visibility, modern identity |
| Deployment Status | Initial phases reported; full rollout not confirmed |
🗣️ Community Perspective
While not directly about uniforms, railway fans on Reddit tend to emphasize practical improvements over aesthetics—preferring enhanced maintenance or punctuality over visual changes to either coaches or staff attire
🎨 Final Thoughts
The Railways’ initiative to launch a designer uniform marks a bold step toward modernizing the institutional image and enhancing staff identity. While conceptualized as a proud and culturally resonant representation of India’s diversity, the full implementation across zones and departments isn’t clearly documented beyond initial phases.
Would you like updates on whether these uniforms are now visible at stations or live services, or perhaps insights into related initiatives like sponsorship of uniforms or branding tie-ins?