On June 2 , 2023 288 people were killed in a railway crash near Bahanaga Bazaar Railway Station in Odisha, making this India’s worst train accident since 1995. The discussion on railway safety this has provoked has largely ignored the working conditions of railway workers, perhaps the largest public-sector workforce in the country. The following two articles consider the working conditions of railway train drivers, known in the Indian Railways as ‘loco pilots’ (LPs), particularly freight or goods LPs who constitute roughly 70% of the total LPs in the country. The information for these articles was collected through interviews with members of the Loco Running Staff Association (LRSA), a trade union of approximately 44,000 railway running staff.
Read the first article here, on LPs’ working hours, here.
The second article looks at LPs’ working conditions, the intensification of work and the poor condition of railway infrastructure and how this results in higher stress levels for LPs.
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The intensification of LPs’ work is not only a matter of the extension of working hours. The addition of duties in an increasingly poorly maintained railway system makes their work increasingly stressful and dangerous.
We can observe this at every step of an LP’s shift, which includes two components: a “running time”, when the train is being driven, and a period for preparatory and complementary work before and after this.
Preparatory work consists of handing over and taking charge of the train, reading the route’s caution orders (for instance, where on the route the train should be driven at a slower speed, where faults have been reported on the tracks etc.) and undergoing a breathalyser test. Then the LP must prepare, check and activate the engines; check the breaks through a break-fail test; check the lights and oiling; and check that the logbook of defects has been attended to.
And it is here that the problems start.
Today, goods trains are longer (with sometimes 68 wagons, at a length of up to 3.5 km), have an increased freight load (from 1,600 tonnes 20 years earlier, to 6,000 tonnes today) and must be run faster (from an earlier speed of 40 km/hr-85 km/hr to 90-100 km/hr or 120-160 km/hr in the case of super-fast trains) from what they were earlier. Clearly, train marshalling, the goods load and maintenance of rolling stock must be paid close attention to, to ensure the safety of the train. Yet, LRSA members claim it is precisely these processes which have been undermined by sub-contracting in recent years.
LPs claim that since train marshalling has been sub-contracted, train formation rules are being flouted, which increases the chances of derailment. For instance, goods trains must have some empty wagons placed between loaded wagons, which can relieve some of the shock of a break on the loaded wagons. However, these empty wagons are not being coupled to trains, leading to the possibility of loaded wagons lifting if the LP has to break at speed, possibly derailing or even capsizing the train. Moreover, LPs claim contractors frequently load goods trains with coal, iron ore etc. beyond the maximum markings on railway wagons, which can lead to axle breakage and the breaking of trains.
Moreover, LPs claim that the sub-contracting of the work of the Carriage and Wagon departments in loco sheds has led to compromises in the maintenance of rolling stock. While earlier a train was checked at a Carriage and Wagon depot every 400 km, trains now often run long routes, such as from Mumbai to Kolkata, without a single check. Sometimes trains run more than one trip without being checked.
In this context of falling safety standards, much of the work of checking of trains before departure has been put onto the shoulders of LPs and guards – a technical task they are not trained to do. For instance, LPs are required to check the train’s axle and the goods load that they are carrying. But neither LPs nor guards have any formal training in this department, and argue they are unable to properly check whether the goods have been loaded safely. And when an LP does notice a defect and draws the attention of the chargeman to it, LPs claim that, especially on night shifts, sometimes there simply aren’t maintenance workers to rectify the issues due to staff vacancies. Similarly, when LPs report errors on the track, they are not attended to – in some instances, these are errors which have caused derailments.
All India Loco Running Staff Association’s meeting of around 500 running staff near Jantar Mantar protesting against the monetisation of the Railways and to seek remedies to the grievances faced by running staff. Photo: Zaen Alkazi
The slackening of safety standards and procedures due to subcontracting results in increased stress to the LP’s heart. Sometimes a signal accidentally bobs when being cleaned, and the train going at 100 km/hour must be suddenly stopped which seriously affects the LP’s heart rate. Similarly, while railway procedure requires that two stops at distances of 600 m and beyond that a red-flag man at 45 m should signal to LPs to stop when electric wire maintenance is taking place, private contractors only station one red-flag man. LPs claim that this is insufficient warning to stop a train going at 100 km/hour, and that this has already led to cases of maintenance workers getting hurt.
As one exasperated LP put it to me after describing the state of safety in the Railways: “Sab bhagwan-bharose chal raha hai (Everything has been left at god’s mercy).”
An extreme working environment
The second part of the LP’s shift, the running time, consists of starting the train, exchanging the green signal with the guard and station master, and piloting the engine. During running, the LP needs to control the speed of the train in line with regulations and the caution orders for the section, constantly check the overhead electrical wire to see that no part of it is hanging and check the air pressure and break power. The LP also needs to watch for animals and human beings trespassing on the track. Apart from this, LRSA officials claim goods LPs are increasingly being forced to take on extra duties – for instance, working multiple trains in one spell of duty and being made to stop at stations and shunt other trains before picking up their journey again.
During running, the conditions of the loco cab have made loco piloting a stressful and dangerous job. For there are fundamental problems with the design of the loco cabs where LPs must spend most of their working lives. There is no air temperature regulation within the cab, where temperatures rise to over 60°C in summer and drop to near zero in winter, with wind entering through crevices in doors and windows. There are no toilets in most locomotives, an aspect of railway ‘design’ that has remained unchanged since the beginning of the Indian railways in the 1850s. There is no proper sound proofing of the cab, where noise levels reach as high as 98.4 decibels, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labour claims that regular exposure to over 85 decibels for eight hours a day increases the chances of hearing loss. At times of reduced visibility, for instance during the North Indian winter smog and mist, LPs must keep blowing the train horn, which increases the noise in the cab even further.
LPs’ seats are uncomfortable and too far from the work panel, which forces them to constantly lean over or keep standing through the trip. An article in Frontline claimed that the cushioned seats and air conditioning in imported wagons are deliberately removed before being put to use on the Indian railways since “those at the top” claim that in a comfortable chamber the LP will fall asleep. In a 2010 study conducted by a team of railway doctors quoted in the HPC, of 100 LPs, 96% identified “postural discomfort and non-spacious work place” and 95% “noisy workplace” as leading reasons for build-up of stress. These stresses and strains play out on the LPs body and mind, affecting his/her concentration.
“Signal kahin bhi daal dete hai – pahaad pe, jhopdi pe”
Working under these conditions, LPs claim that observing and complying with signals is becoming increasingly difficult for them given the increase in the number of signals, the flouting of signal placement norms and the dilapidation of the signalling system.
The number of signals on railway routes has dramatically increased. For instance, LPs report that on Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Kalyan route, signals, which used to be at distances of two km from each other, are now at a stone’s throw from each other. So, in the journey from CST-Kalyan-CST, there are no less than 400 signals which the LP must observe and comply with. To take another example, on the Chennai Central-Vijayawada section of the Southern Railway, over 430 km there are 386 signals, i.e., almost one per kilometre. On this route LPs on trains with speeds of 120-130 km/hour encounter a signal every 27 seconds. While greater signalling is no doubt a positive development, for the overworked and under-slept LP, monitoring hundreds of signals causes continuous mental stress, and can only be effective if their working hours are reduced.
The stresses on the LP are increased by the fact that signal placement regulations are increasingly being flouted. Railway rules require that signals be placed uniformly at eye level on the left-hand side of the track it controls, or if there isn’t space, then above it. One can imagine that this regularity is essential for an LP to properly observe and comply with signals at speed for running times extending to 11 hours and more, particularly when their required area of observance and concentration keeps increasing with single line sections being converted to double and quadruple lines and the erection of overhead electrical equipment.
However, LPs claim that sub-contractors involved in signal construction have flouted rules regarding signal placement, sometimes putting signals on the right side of the track or at an elevation. An LP described the arbitrariness of signal placement in the Mumbai area this way: “Signal kahin bhi daal dete hai – pahaad pe, jhopdi pe (The signal is placed just anywhere – on a mountain, on a hut).” When signal placement is irregular and more than one track is running parallel, it is difficult for LPs to know which signal is for their track, and which for the adjacent line. Moreover, in many places, there are no arrow marks pointing to the signal, which further confuses the LP in a situation which requires quick reactions. These factors greatly increase the possibility of LPs not being able to comply with signals on time, a situation which is known as “Signal Passed At Danger” (SPAD). Indeed, on August 31 on the above mentioned CST-Kalyan line, two local trains nearly collided, with Railway officials claiming that “the incorrect positioning of a signal post” might have led to the incident.
This is to say nothing about the fact that in 2017 there was an eight-year backlog on replacing signal gears, creating a situation where many small signal failures take place regularly on the network. Indeed, as V. Sridhar has shown, a third of accidents due to equipment failure in 2021-22 were the result of “failure of signal apparatus”, and there are currently 14,850 vacancies in the Signalling Department of the Indian Railways.
Yet despite these problems which do not allow them to attain proper speed, LPs claim they are fined and penalised by the railway administration if they arrive late at their destination. This pushes them to compromise on caution. One driver said, “We lose our minds – if I have a yellow signal how can I go faster? But if I don’t, I’ll be penalised…”
The toll it takes: “Retirement ke pehle hi khatam ho jaate hain”
On top of all of this, goods LPs must also go through the traumatic experience of recovering and moving corpses from the tracks. When trains are running at high speeds animals and human beings trespassing on the tracks are sometimes unavoidably run over. When this happens, goods LPs must, along with guards, stop the train and clear the tracks of the corpse, which is often cut into pieces – a highly traumatic event. Yet, LPs claim the Indian Railways does not provide them with the necessary safety equipment to do this – not even gloves.
The 2010 study by Railway Doctors quoted in the HPC cited earlier found that the various stressors in an LP’s work produce “disrupted sexual functions”, muscle aches and pains, sleep disturbances, headaches, stomach problems, “irritability and anger”, and “frustration and anxiety”. Many LPs also speak of blood pressure issues and diabetes being endemic among LPs. Due to the shortage of breaks, their family and social time is non-existent, which could help them deal with stress. One dejected LP replied when I asked about the life expectancy of LPs: “Retirement ke pehle hi khatam ho jaate hain (Death comes before retirement).”
Despite all these problems, rail accidents are blamed on the LP. But it stands to reason that the opposite is true. Given these conditions, it is a testament to the abilities of LPs and their concern for safety that more accidents do not happen. It would be more accurate to say that railway workers are in fact keeping the railways safe despite their hours and conditions of work.
But these working hours and conditions take their toll. As this article reached completion, CSMT ALP Sujit Jayant reportedly died by suicide at Kalyan on August 14. While the immediate issue was reported harassment by railway officials who were forcibly excluding him from work till September, LRSA officials pointed out that the conditions of an LPs life and work were also a contributory factor. As a crowd of LPs gathered to protest against the harassment which led to Jayant’s death, they protested at the use of the word “suicide” to describe it. They insisted: “Murder hua hai (This was a murder).”
Zaen Alkazi is a labour historian and journalist.
