Railways rejects loco pilots' demand for meal and toilet breaks on duty

Railway Board rejects loco pilots' plea for meal and toilet breaks, calls it operationally unfeasible; staff body slams move, raises safety and privacy concerns

The Indian Railways has reportedly turned down the longstanding demand from loco pilots for scheduled breaks during duty hours to eat or attend to nature’s call. The Railway Board, accepting the recommendations of a high-level panel, stated that implementing such breaks is not feasible from an operational standpoint, The Hindu reported.

 

This decision comes at a time when the country has witnessed a spike in major train accidents, many of which have been linked to human error. Despite this, the Railway Board maintains that altering duty schedules for breaks could disrupt train operations.

 

Crew monitoring systems defended

 

The Railway Board has also defended its move to install Crew Voice and Video Recording Systems (CVVRS) in locomotive cabins. Addressing privacy concerns, the board clarified that the system is not intended to monitor the crew unnecessarily but to assist in post-incident analyses and improve safety measures, the news report said.

 

It places no additional burden on crew members and is purely aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring safe train operations, the Board reportedly stated in a directive to all zonal railway general managers.

 

Staffing changes

 

Based on the findings of a multi-disciplinary committee that included five Executive Directors of the Railway Board and experts from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the threshold for defining high-speed trains has been increased from 110 kmph to 130 kmph. The panel also recommended deploying an assistant loco pilot on MEMU trains that cover distances of 200 km or more, The Hindu reported.

 

'Recommendations are impractical'

 

The All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) criticised the Railway Board’s decision, calling the committee’s recommendations impractical and lacking in proper evaluation. In a letter to the Railway Board’s CEO and Chairman, AILRSA Secretary-General KC James said the committee failed to assess how the increase in train speed adds to Loco Pilots’ stress levels. He termed the denial of breaks, particularly in locomotives without toilet facilities, as unacceptable.

 

Highlighting the intense work conditions, AILRSA central organising secretary V Balachandran pointed out that many superfast trains run for 6–7 hours non-stop.

 

The report quoted him as saying that the situation is particularly dire for women loco pilots, as trains on high-density routes rarely stop except in emergencies.