New Delhi, April 8 A railway loco pilots' union has claimed that 8.85 per cent of engine drivers in Indian Railways worked for over 12 hours straight during the financial year 2025-26, while 46.96 per cent of them were deployed for more than nine hours at a time.
According to railway norms, a loco pilot cannot be deployed for a shift longer than nine hours at a stretch, or more than 11 hours in total from sign-in to sign-out.
Since 2021, the safety department of the railway board has instructed all zonal railways that 80 per cent of trips should be completed within the nine-hour limit.
The railway ministry has maintained that it is making efforts to improve working conditions of loco pilots, and in the past couple of years, 15,873 assistant loco pilots (ALPs) have been recruited, while the recruitment process for over 20,000 ALPs is underway.
The All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) said despite the railway board's claims of reducing vacancies and strictly monitoring working hours of loco pilots, data shows otherwise.
"We have analysed the total number of duties performed by loco pilots in the financial year 2025-26 and concluded that almost nine per cent performed duties for more than 12 hours a day, and 47 per cent worked more than nine hours a day," AILRSA Secretary General KC James said.
While the Indian Railways is celebrating surpassing last year's record in freight loading, as well as running a large number of passenger trains, data shows that the real credit goes to the running crew and other staff in the safety department, whose dedication and hard work made it possible, he added.
James said the railway board should take initiatives to drastically reduce duty deployments exceeding 12 hours in 2026-27 to ensure operational safety.
AILRSA recently held a day-long protest, followed by a Rights Proclamation Convention, to press for several demands including enhancement of the income tax exemption ceiling on running allowances and limits on outstation duty.
James said the railway board boasts of its achievements but fails to recognise the dedication of lakhs of running crew, who have had to take to the streets for their legitimate demands.
He also called into question the railway board's decision last year which stated that making rules to provide loco pilots breaks for meals or attending to nature's call is not operationally feasible.
The association's zone-wise data shows the East Coast Railway zone, the highest earner in freight transportation among all 17 zones, deployed 23.80 per cent loco pilots for more than 12 hours straight and 60.05 per cent for over-nine-hour shifts.
The South Eastern Railway zone stood second in over-utilisation, with 19.92 per cent loco pilots deployed for more than 12 hours, and 55.53 per cent for over nine hours.
On the other hand, zones such as Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway followed a more judicious approach in deploying their running crew.
While 0.82 per cent loco pilots worked over 12 hours at a stretch and 30.01 per cent worked more than nine hours in Northern Railway, in North Eastern Railway, 0.96 per cent worked over 12 hours and 32.89 per cent worked more than nine hours.
On March 25, 2026, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament in a written reply that since 2024, 15,873 ALPs have been recruited, and the recruitment process for about 20,000 more is ongoing.
"Duty hours of loco pilots are governed by the Hours of Employment Rules (HOER), according to which loco running staff are required to work 104 hours in a fortnight. The running hours of loco pilots are meticulously monitored and are maintained, except in exigencies," Vaishnaw said.