The Railway Ministry disclosed that out of approximately 10 lakh sanctioned posts classified under safety roles in the Indian Railways, more than 1.5 lakh positions remain unfilled. This information was obtained under the Right to Information Act in March. Despite this vacancy, officials emphasise that ensuring the safety of trains remains the foremost priority.
Over the past decade, significant investments have been made in railway safety, accompanied by numerous structural and systemic enhancements that have positively impacted operational safety.
Safety category positions encompass a range of roles crucial to train operations, including train drivers, inspectors, crew controllers, loco instructors, train controllers, track maintainers, station masters, pointsmen, electric signal maintainers, and signalling supervisors
“The total number of sanctioned, on roll (working) and vacant posts in safety category of Indian Railways, as available in this office, as on 01.03.2024 (provisional) are: 10,00,941, 8,48,207 and 1,52,734 respectively,” the ministry said in response to the RTI application.
In response to an RTI query regarding vacant positions of loco pilots for various types of trains (mail, express, passenger, goods, shunting), the Railway Ministry stated that out of a total sanctioned post of 70,093, there are currently 14,429 vacancies.
Investment in safety-related projects increased
A senior railway official stated that investment in safety-related projects during the 2014-2024 period amounted to 1,78,000 crore, marking a significant increase compared to the 70,273 crore invested during the 2004-2014 period, which was 2.5 times higher.
“The focus is on further enhancing safety measures. Improvements related to tracks, signalling, locomotives and trains are part of this endeavour,” he said.
The official also said training loco pilots, loco inspectors, and station masters are also of top priority. “Simulators are being introduced for better training,” he added.
Rising stress on officials for ensuring safety
Railway trade unions have highlighted increasing stress among officials and workers in safety-sensitive roles due to personnel shortages.
“This is the reason why accidents are happening. Employees in the safety category are overstretched. They have to work beyond their mental and physical strength,” Ashok Sharma, the assistant general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, said.
“The biggest problem is that the Railway Ministry has stopped the creation of all safety category posts about two years ago and now such posts cannot be created without the concurrence of the Finance Ministry,” he claimed.
(With inputs from PTI)