The Indian Railway Traffic Service, abbreviated as IRTS is a Prestigious Group 'A' Central Civil Service Cadre of the Government of India. IRTS in its present form was reconstituted in 1967. The IRTS Cadre functions under the Administrative Control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The civil servants under this service are responsible for Operation and Business Development of Indian Railways in the country. On one hand, IRTS officers co-ordinate among various technical departments of the Indian Railways, while on the other hand, they form the public interface of the Indian Railways. Colloquially called Traffic Officers, they are the primary facilitators of Railway services right from Planning of freight movement, Passenger transport, Passenger amenities to Station Management and Infrastructure Planning. Traffic Department is responsible for optimum utilization of Railway assets and their seamless integration to provide a swift and safe transportation service and consequent realization of revenues in-line with the social obligations of the Indian Railways. Traffic Department comprises two branches: Operations - deals with rail passenger and freight train logistics Commercial - deals with revenue earnings of railways Officers may be shifted from one branch to another based on organisational requirements throughout their career. History With the growing network and increasing traffic, the British Govt. recognized the need for a separate Traffic Department for handling train operations. The Traffic Service was created in the year in 1889 that was further strengthened in 1906. Earlier, an exclusive service reserved for English officers, admission into the cadre was thrown open to all post-Independence. Initially known as "Officers of the Superior Revenue Establishment of the Traffic, Transportation and Commercial Department of Indian Railways", the service, on 4 March 1967 was rechristened "Indian Railway Traffic Service". The logo The redesigned logo prominently features the following components Ashok stambh in gold. Pair of hands strongly holding up the Chakra signifying moving the nation towards prosperity and development. A logo to represent the legacy of IRTS while highlighting its role in nation building in the times to come. Recruitment There are two modes of recruitment to IRTS Group 'A' : 50% through direct recruitment through the annual Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC. 50% through promotion from Group B officers of Operating and Commercial departments of the Zonal Railways. Current cadre strength of IRTS officers is around 900, serving in 68 divisions across 17 Zonal Railways in India and the Railway Board Training