16,252 vacancies of loco drivers in Railways

There are over 16,000 vacancies of loco drivers in railways, Rajya Sabha was told today.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Railway Manoj Sinha said there are vacancies of 16,252 loco drivers as on April 1, 2014,
He said requirement of train drivers for passenger and freight trains is worked out periodically by each division of railways and filling up vacancies is a continuous process.
There is no direct recruitment for the post of loco pilot and recruitments are done for assistant loco pilot who are subsequently promoted to loco pilot, he said.
Sinha said in order to improve working condition of train drivers, cab heaters and fans are provided in the locomotive cabin. Air conditioning is also provided in the cabin of new locomotives for tackling extreme weather conditions.