The Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) was formed in the year 1967. IRTS is one of the Group 'A' Central Civil Services of India.

The cadre controlling authority for IRTS is the Ministry of Railways.

Cadre size: 750 posts (direct recruitment – 50%, promotion –50%).

The selected candidates' training ground is at Indian Railway Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), Lucknow.

Functions of the Officers:

There are two main streams of Traffic Department:
Operations and Commercial.

The role of officers in the operating department is to ensure smooth and fast transportation of freight and passengers.

The role of officers in the commercial department is connected with sale, pricing of passenger and freight traffic. The organization plays an important role in an officers’ direct duty.

The detailed functions of the officers are as follows:

Operations Department:

*. Planning and transport service

*. Long and short term planning to run trains on day-to-day basis.

*. Passenger trains’ detailed time table issued once in six months.

*. Arrangements of rolling stock, locomotives and wagons are made to meet the expected demand.

*. Running of trains and continuous watch

*. Running of trains would involve ordering of trains, booking of crew, watching that the conditions are safe for it to run and arranging various requirements on the run.

*. Responsible for the productivity of the system, which is measured in terms of operating indices like tonne kilometers and passenger kilometers.

Commercial Department:

*. Responsible for the sale of transportation provided by a railway,

*. Creating and developing traffic

*. Securing and maintaining friendly relations with the traveling and trading public and for cultivating good public relations generally.

*. Fixing of rates, fares and other charges and the correct collection, accounting and remittance of traffic receipts.

*. The role and functions of the officers vary at different levels discussed below.

Organization of the Commercial Department

Railway board level:
*. General Organization Structure:
Member Traffic-Railway Board, Addl. Member, Executive directors and directors/joint directors, deputy directors.

*. Main Functions:

Looking after portfolios of freight rates, coaching rates, reservation catering, marketing, claims and refunds and research.

Zonal level:

*. General Organization Structure: General Managers, Additional general manager, Three heads of departments: Chief commercial manager (CCM), Chiefclaims officer (CCO), and Chief marketing & sales manager (CMSM).

*. Main Functions: Additional general manager looks after the commercial department in matters delegated to him by the GM. CCM is an overall in-charge and CCO & CMSM working under him.

CCM is usually in the same grade as the AGM. The CCM deals with all general matters in commercial including rates, catering and refunds. He is assisted by commercial manager(general) / Dy. CCM (Rules).

*. The General branch looks after matters such as wharfage and demurrage, handling contracts, passenger amenities at stations, ticket checking, passenger complaints, commercial publicly, commercial establishment, identifying and supply of tickets,accounts and audit objections, commercial stores etc.

*. The rates branch deals with implementation of rating policies enunciated by the Board, issue of various rate circulars, time-tables to all stations of the railways, siding agreements, quoting of special rates for passengers as well as freight traffic, opening/closing of stations, refund of overcharges etc.

*. The catering branch look after all aspects relating to departmental and contract in the zone.

*. The claims organization under CCO has two wings viz. – claims settlement wing and claims prevention wing. CCO is assisted by a Dy. CCO and a Dy. SCM (CP) respectively in these two branches. The Dy. CCO has senior commercial officer (claims) and number of assistant officers whose number varies accordingto the workload on each railway.

*. The legal cell renders legal advice in settlement of claims as well as for processing claim cases taken by the claimanants to Railway claims tribunals, SCM (CP) is similarly assisted by ACM (PP) and number of claims prevention inspectors.

*. The chief public relations officer is another officer who assists the commercial department. He is in SAG/JAG, and looks after thematters such as organizing proper publicity about railways, issuing press notes, giving advertisements to news papers, conducting press parties to various important junctions, organizing press conferences etc. on special occasions.

*. He is assisted by a senior public relations officer. They are further assisted by two APROs. There is also a post of APRO in all important state capitals fallingin a zone, there he works under the Sr. DCM and CPRO both. Normally CPRO reports directly toAGM & GM of a zone.

Divisional Level

*. General Organization Structure: Divisional railway manager (DRM), Additional divisional railway managers (ADMRs), Sr. Divisional commercial manager, DCM, Assistant commercial manager, Area Officers.

*. Main Functions: Implement all policies and directions issued bythe head office and to ensure smooth day-to-day commercial working at the stations on a division.

*. The Sr. DCM/DCM is responsible for all executive aspects of commercial working as well as personnel matters such as transfers, promotions and discipline of commercial staff of a division.

*. Area Officers handle day-to-day commercial matters such as waiver of wharfage demurrage, releasing reservation quotas, public relations etc., in addition to some operating functions on certain divisions.

Station level

*. General Organization Structure: Station Manager (SM)/ Station Superintendent (SS), Commercial Staff: booking clerks, parcel clerks, goods clerks, ticket collectors, inquiry & reservation clerks, catering managers, etc. Inlarge stations, the commercial staff may be under Supervisory staff: chief reservation inspector,catering inspector, chief parcel clerk, chief booking clerk, chief goods clerk etc.

*. On Station Facilities (managed by staff): Booking windows for passengers, a separate parcel office with separate facilities for booking, delivery and stocking of parcels, a separate goods office with covered shed, platforms for loading/uploading,special sidings for dealing with oil traffic and other bulk traffic such as coal, timber, minerals etc. crane facilities, motor ramps,plots for storage of loose material like charcoals etc. in addition to canteen and other facilities.