Ask & Answer: India's Largest Education Community

National Academy of Indian Railways. The National Academy of Indian Railways or Bharatiya Rail Rashtriya Akademy has hitherto served as the management training institute for officers and senior personnel serving with the Indian Railways. The institute was set up in 1930 as the Railway Staff College and is located at Pratap Vilas Palace, a sprawling mansion in Vadodara. Despite the presence of such an old and well-established institution, a number of shortcomings have been regularly noted. The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) caters merely to the officers and senior cadre of the railways staff. The need for a wholesome academy with specialised approaches to the various departments and functions is a pressing need. For a couple of years now, the Indian PM Narendra Modi has been promising India its first Railway University a center of higher education focusing solely on the training and learning needs of the Indian Railways and its staff. Instead of setting up a separate institution at a different location, the government now plans to upgrade the NAIR into a university.