Railway board says 15% train driver positions is vacant

The Railway Board stated in response to an application under the Right to Information Act (RTI) that out of the total 1,27,644 sanctioned posts for both drivers and assistant drivers in all railway zones across the country, 18,766 (approximately 14.7 percent) were vacant as of March 1, 2024. The data further indicated that the number of vacant posts for drivers exceeded those for assistant drivers. According to the breakdown provided, the sanctioned posts for loco pilots (drivers) amounted to 70,093, with 14,429 (approximately 20.5 percent) vacant, while for assistant loco pilots, out of the total sanctioned posts of 57,551, only 4,337 (approximately 7.5 percent) were vacant. Chandra Shekhar Gaur, based in Madhya Pradesh and the applicant, mentioned that he had requested zone-wise vacancy status, but the board informed him that such data was not centrally maintained. Various railway unions and drivers' associations expressed concerns that the vacant posts were leading to an increase in duty hours for the existing crew, who had to compensate for the vacancies. Shiv Gopal Mishra, the general secretary of the All India Railwaymen's Federation, stated that this situation was escalating work pressure and stress on drivers, which was not conducive to safe train operations. The drivers' union also suggested that the actual number of vacant posts might be higher than indicated by the data, as approximately two to three percent of drivers were engaged in office roles without officially changing their job designation in records. Sanjay Pandhi, the working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organisation (IRLRO), asserted that train drivers were experiencing significant stress and urged the Railways to take immediate action to fill the vacant posts.