History of RDSO :
In 1903,the Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA) was set up to provide for standardization and coordination amongst various Railway systems. This was followed by the Central Standards Office (CSO) established in 1930 at Shimla for preparation of designs, standards and specifications. However, till Independence, most of the design and manufacture of railway equipment was entrusted to foreign consultants. With Independence and the resultant phenomenal rise in country’s industrial and economic activities, the demand for rail transportation increased causing a total shift in emphasis. The urge towards national self-sufficiency together with the expansion of activities of the Indian Railways in the field of design and manufacture brought in its wake the demand for more indigenous applied research in...
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railway technology. Consequently, the Research Section of the Central Standards Office was reorganized as Railway Testing Research Centre (RTRC) and established on 1st September 1952 as a separate Directorate of Railway Board with headquarters at Lucknow and two sub- centres at Lonavla and Chittaranjan. In 1957, the Central Standards Office and RTRC were integrated into a single unit as Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) at Lucknow.