On Saturday, the All India Loco Running Staff Association’s South Zone president, R Kumaresan, reported that loco drivers submitted a memorandum to Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The memorandum attributed recent train accidents to poor working conditions and aimed to draw attention to serious safety issues in the Railways.
The memorandum highlighted that train drivers, particularly those operating goods trains, endure excessive working hours, often exceeding 14 to 16 hours daily, with inadequate rest periods. It noted that drivers are entitled to only 30 hours of rest compared to the 40 to 64 hours other staff receive, and emphasized that inadequate rest leads to safety risks such as overshooting red signals. The memo also criticized the Railways’ rule of four consecutive night shifts, which research suggests diminishes mental alertness and increases the likelihood of operational errors.
The union, alongside other associations, has sought legal intervention to address these issues, with favorable rulings from the Regional Labour Commissioner and the Karnataka High Court. Despite this, the Railways has yet to implement the recommended changes. The memorandum called for 30 consecutive hours of rest after a 16-hour duty, adherence to the 1973 agreement limiting duties to 10 hours, and the installation of toilets in locomotives. It urged Rahul Gandhi to intervene and help rectify the causes of human failure to ensure safer train operations.
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