Life of a Locopilot (In India)

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Life of Loco Pilot (In India)

By Darani Vasudevan

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Preface to the book, Loco pilots are those who drive the engines of the massive trains. We consider them merely as drivers, but analysing their life and working conditions we could understand that they are doing their duty willingly in a pressure filled environment. This book is about the circumstances faced by loco pilots in their duty time and we dedicate this book to all the loco pilots in India -

V. Darani M.Sc., M. Phil., SET

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Dedicated to all the Loco pilots in India

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Who in this world would say no to travel? People love to travel and explore at least in some part of their life. Travelling is indeed an awesome feeling.

We end up in creating beautiful memories by travelling with friends and families.

Sometimes travelling alone is filled with varieties of feelings

depending

on

the

purpose

of

it.

Destinations may be in short walk able distance or it may be long that it takes hours to reach.

We may choose our own vehicles for travelling or may rely on public transportation. Speaking of public transportation, it is railways that are accomplishing this task in a beautiful manner.

Railway ensures millions of people to accomplish their tasks preferably on time per day. The credit definitely goes to the persons who fire up the engines to set these lengthy majestic vehicles on tracks. They are the LOCO PILOTS.

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But what is so special about them?

Aren’t they merely drivers like that of two and four wheeler riders?

Let’s see what makes them so special in the upcoming passages...  The word “Loco” in loco pilot is derived either from Spanish word LOCO meaning crazy or mad or it may be from Latin word LOCUM meaning pilot who is not on permanent contract and likely has no benefits.

Some say that police are the only people who have to forget holidays once they join the force. They do, obviously, we can’t regret. They are the real heroes and ensure protection of the people. But they are not the only ones facing such unbearable circumstances; the AILRS (All India Loco Running staff) too face exactly the same working pressure.

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They are on duty whole 365 days with 24×7 working hours. They don’t have festivals, celebrations, Christmas or Sundays. Every day is unique some resting hours in between.

We find it hard to wake up early in the morning just to get ready for travelling in the train. But considering loco pilots, they have to wake up as early as 3 Am and have to focus the next 3 to 5 hours because the destiny of thousands of lives is in their hands. A lapse in concentration even for microseconds can result in a massive disaster. They have to concentrate and focus only for us to travel peacefully, getting a glimpse of twilight or dawn or dusk and to breathe fresh air that refresh our mind. Many people sleep peacefully in their coach putting their whole faith on loco pilot. 

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We must admit that no job is without risk. But the risk of being a loco pilot is quite more compared to that of other jobs. There is no fixed time for duty.

They may be set to work anywhere from 3 am to 5pm.

The family members of the Loco pilot have to adjust with their timings. If a loco pilot has to meet someone or attend a family function he/ she must apply for leave, otherwise most of the time he/she is unaware of his/her availability.

Despite all these unavoidable circumstances, they are doing their duty to fulfil the tasks of many.

According to a research published in IOSR Journal of Business and Management, “The job of a railway driver demands hardwork and great presence of mind along with courage to handle diverse conditions. For this one should have discipline, patience, responsibility, punctuality, commitment, courage and above

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all self confidence. The job requires lots of hardwork, stamina, alertness of mind and adaptability to follow difficult time situations too” All these words are applicable.  License and good driving skills allow us to ride vehicles like car, bus bike, truck etc. But to ride this

magnificent

vehicle,

one

must

qualify

examination conducted by RRB. The examination includes three levels to clear to accomplish the dream of becoming a loco pilot. The three levels are written test, interview and medical test. The person has to face questions testing their arithmetic ability,

general

awareness,

general

English,

reasoning and aptitude and technological knowledge in the written test.

After clearing written test, they will be called for an interview to verify their certificates. But to

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qualify as Loco pilot he/she should have a good health condition. The person must be fit and healthy despite clearing the first two levels. The selected candidates are then subjected to medical tests which include, vision test, hearing test, chest X-ray, ECG, diabetes test, blood pressure check up and Ishihara test for blindness.

The persons qualifying these levels are employed as Assistant loco pilot. They are assigned the following duties:  They have to check the locomotive carefully before starting from yard.  They have to check the repair book of locomotive for any remarks.  They have to maintain prescribed speed at all time after departure.  The foremost priority is to ensure the safety of the passengers.

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From Assistant Loco pilot, they will be promoted as the Loco pilot of goods (freight) train. After a decade, they will be promoted as loco pilots of passenger trains. There is a hierarchy in passenger trains like: 1) Those covering small distance and stopping at small station 2) Express trains 3) Superfast trains or other high speed trains.  Loco pilots are set to do the following duties or tasks:  They must have a sharp look out, while running they must observe all the permanent and temporary restrictions.  When a loco pilot is running a high speed train, he/she have to work for 400-500 km at a stretch without any halt.  The Loco pilots must always be ready to notice any track defect without any jerk or lunch.

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 The loco pilots must be mentally prepared for precautionary remedies as per the general and subsidiary rules and accidents in case of any unusual with self or other trains.  Loco running staff must have the knowledge of their

train

knowledge

operation related

and

to

must

pathway

also

have

engineering,

carriage and wagon technical problems, traffic department, maintenance

safety

department,

department

and

locomotive commercial

department.  The locopilots on duty are providing outstanding performances by increase in sectional average speed,

punctuality,

safety

security

and

productivity.  In addition they are also saving electrical or fuel energy with their great driving skills.

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Loco pilots are mere human beings like us. Owing to this heavy pressure filled work, they are facing adverse health conditions during their service.  What about their salary?

Salaries of the railway employees are calculated as per the pay scale. As per 6th pay commission, they are paid approximately 24000 rupees per month as starting salary; experienced seniors are paid 55000 to 60000 rupees per month. Indeed they are paid worthy. But they are pushed into a working environment

where

their

body

clock

remains

disturbed all the time.

“Plunging and flashing pistons and the roll of giant wheel, flame in the belly and smoke blowing, blackness veiled in vapour, the hiss and roar was heavy stuff.”

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First of all, they have to face adverse heat. Inside their cabin there is no cab ventilation, hence there will be a lack of air circulation owing to which they are provided with insufficient air. On an average, a loco pilot uses his/her train’s horn after every 6 minutes, which affects his/her nerves making him/her prone to losing temper. Not only this, loud noise affects their mental ability also resulting in loss of intellectual function, concentration and alertness. Frequent exposure to smoke result in asthma and other breathing problems.

Above all, the most adverse health issue is that they face trauma from seeing hundreds of people die over the years before their eyes. This is the most terrific nightmare faced by loco pilot during his entire service period. When a loco pilot applies for emergency brake on a trait, it takes the train at least 500 metres before it stops, this is when the

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train is moving at a speed of 80 + kmph roughly.

Hence when someone tries to commit suicide under a train track, there is no way that a locopilot can avoid it. Being a human, such conditions could definitely lead to trauma.

Another awful condition is that there is no toilet in the locos of Indian railways. If there is a nature’s call he/she has to stop the train in the middle. But that is not possible in most cases. This could put them under a pressure filled situation. Overall there are no days or nights during the service time of a loco pilot.  Let’s take a look at the working conditions of the Loco pilots.

The cab of loco pilot is filled with heavy noise, dust, excess heat, high voltage electricity (in case of

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electric locomotive) or diesel smell (in case of electric locomotive). The industrial pollution control board has prescribed that the maximum allowed limit of noise is 75 decibels. But the noise level in a diesel locomotive is more than 100 decibels with is more than 25 db than the allowed level. All these can lead to the attack of fatigue resulting in loss of control. In case if the locomotive cab is air conditioned, the loco pilots can concentrate on their duties properly without getting disturbed by the adverse working environment ensuring the safety of the train.

Due

to

adverse

weather

conditions,

the

temperature in the locomotive cab increases upto 56ÂşC.

Researchers

working

say

temperature

is

that

the

25ÂşC.

comfortable

The

rise

in

temperature will bound the driver’s efficiency. The pollution together with high voltage electricity has

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an adverse impact on the physical and mental health of drivers.

Bad wipers during the rainy and foggy seasons lead to poor visibility of the track. There are no voice recorders and mikes inside the cab. Hence they neither can record the shortcomings nor can call out for signals. The chair of the loco pilot is without back rest provision which is so uncomfortable to use for a long duration. Sometimes fans and lights inside the cab do not function properly pushing loco pilots into uncomfortable conditions.

Improper lighting inside the cab can damage the eyes of the loco pilot. Lighting is also essential to health, safety and efficiency of the loco pilots.

There is no air conditioning inside the cab. In the case of diesel locomotive, the loco pilot has to perform his duty standing since he can’t see the track while sitting.

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The following issues are faced by

locopilots

everyday:  Improper lunch and dinner timings.  Sleep is disturbed to a great extent and there are irregularities in sleep.  They are working under heavy pollution and high voltage electricity.  The facilities are insufficient even in the running room.  Water and meal are filled with pollutants.  Hence they consume unhygienic water and meal every day.  They are prone to stress related diseases like hypertension, diabetes, frequent headaches etc.,  They have to carry out all their personal works during the availing leave or between the short spells in between duties which creates mental agony, loss in concentration etc.,

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 The loco pilots could not find sufficient time to spend with their family members.  The loco pilots could not reach home even if there is a call from home for medical emergency. He/she could not be with their loved ones even if they wish to. They can’t be provided with housing since they reside 5-6 km away from the station. They are unable to get more than 10-12 hours of rest even at home station when they are provided 16 hours rest.

All other railway employees get 12 national holidays, weekly rest, but the loco pilots do not get any national holiday.  The following skills are needed to become a successful loco pilot:  Good mechanical Knowledge.

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 Proper eye to hand coordination  They must be able to concentrate for long periods of time.  They must have a good physical stamina.  Good memory  Flexibility  Knowledge on health and safety regularities and emergency procedures  Good judgement and decision making skills.  Reliability  A responsible attitude.  No human can work for 365 days i.e. 24 × 7 continuously without holidays. The loco pilots are granted paternity leave only for 15 days which can be taken 2 times during the whole service period.

The leave cannot be sanctioned for more than 5 years continuously.

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During a year, they can take 10 days holidays with full pay; 20 days holidays with half pay; more than 20 days holidays with no pay.

When a loco pilot rejoins his/her duty after 6 months of medical leave, the railways authority takes a full complete medical test. If he/she is found medically unfit, his/her duty or post will be changed.

The great benefit is the reimbursement of medical expenses. When an employee or his/her family members are referred to a hospital by Railway medical

authority,

reimbursed

on

expenses

producing

the

incurred bills/

are

receipts

countersigned by the supt. of hospital.

The following information is obtained from the Indian Railway Establishment manual, volume I.

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For emergency treatment without proper reference

by ADMO,  In case of government hospitals, full powers of reimbursement.  In case of recognised hospitals/ dispensaries run by philanthropic organizations upto Rs. 2,00,000.  These powers will be exercised by GM/AGM duly scrutinized by FA and CAO.  Claims of higher amount will be referred to railway board.  DRM’s can reimburse claims upto rupees 10,000 per case with a ceiling limit of Rs. 2,00,000 per year in case of government/recognized hospitals only.  Despite all these unbearable, awful and pressure filled situations, loco pilots in India are still doing their duties sincerely and happily. They are helping

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many people in accomplishing their plans on time.

They are a great part of our trip which we must admit. We submit our entire life to the hands of loco pilot during our travel. Loco pilots have to balance their work life and time with family members. They still happily covey their duties to their families as well as to the society. Hats off to those who are choosing their career as loco pilot even after knowing the difficulties they have to face once they are assigned on duty. Still many youngsters are dreaming to drive a train. We wish them too.  The role of a loco pilot is equivalent to that of pilot in airways. On an average, a normal train carries about more than 500 passengers and various goods and cargos t a time.

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It is proud to know that the Indian railway is the World’s largest network under a single management; it consists of more than 100,000 loco pilots, assistant loco pilots/ guards.

We might sit in a coach far apart from the compartment of loco pilot. He/she didn’t get a glimpse or sight of each and everyone travelling with him/her.

We plan for trips with friends and family and make awesome travel memories with them by playing or buying things from train vendors or eating food together etc., But all these memories will be pleasant only when we reach our destinations safely which can be accomplished only with the help of loco pilots. They are the real heroes like army and police since they are saving millions of lives with their concentration dangerous

and

presence

situations.

They

of are

mind one

under of

the

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respectable people of the society. On behalf of everyone using the railway transport we thank all the loco pilots in India for making our journey safe and awesome and we dedicate this book to them. 

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The call boy arrives....

With the number of engine and of Train....

Come dark night or storm goes I must, On rails four fingers wide with A thousand lives in tow....

Not a moments rest for me....

The call boy arrives, For a few more kilometres I throw rest to the winds...

I doze an accident happens...

The price for dying a mere 10000 If I live, it is to go to jail, The call boy arrives....

This poem is written from the Anichauung of Mr. R.L. Rathod, steam locopilot of Sabarmati division. 