Mysuru railway division to ramp up facilities for loco pilots and rail crew

Mysuru division of South Western Railway to upgrade running room facilities for loco pilots and rail crew with ₹36 crore.

As part of its continuing efforts to improve the working conditions of the frontline staff, the Mysuru division of the South Western Railway will spend ₹36 crore to upgrade the running room facilities for loco pilots and rail crew.

While measures are in place for the overhauling of the running room in Mysuru, five additional running rooms – where the loco pilots, guards, travelling ticket examiners, etc., are lodged and rest after duty hours – will come up at Harihar, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Sakleshpur, and Talaguppa.

Ravishankar, senior divisional electrical engineer (Traction), told reporters here on Sunday that apart from the construction of new running rooms, the bed capacity in the existing running rooms will also be augmented, and the new infrastructure will be in place by the end of 2027 and become operational.

There are also plans to construct gyms in some of the running rooms so that the crew could exercise and focus on their physical health as well, Mr. Ravishankar said. Other facilities planned in the Mysuru division include the provision of leg massagers and washing machines in all the running rooms.

In case of Mysuru, the existing running rooms will be demolished as the entire station is being overhauled and redeveloped at a cost of nearly ₹360 crore. The new running rooms will be state-of-the-art and in sync with the design and decor of the upgraded station, according to Girish Dharmaraj Kalagonda, senior divisional commercial manager, Mysuru Division.

He said that at present, there are nine running rooms in the Mysuru Division, including Mysuru station with 44 beds, Hassan, 35, Arsikere, 56, Chikjajur, 46, Sakleshpur, 16, Subramanya, 26, Shivamogga, 20, and Talaguppa, 12, with a cumulative capacity of 276 beds.

To cater to the future requirements and projected growth of rail traffic, the bed capacities will be increased by 20 in each of the running rooms at Harihar, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Chikkamagaluru, and Talaguppa, Mr. Girish added.