Railway ministry wants train crew to avoid running-room gossips for safe operations

Railway Ministry urges counselling for train crew to prevent red-signal jump, emphasizing rest, safety, and proper communication.

The Railway Ministry wants train crew to be counselled for taking adequate rest and avoiding unnecessary debates in running rooms, among other measures, to prevent cases of red-signal jump.

The Ministry, in a letter dated May 30 and addressed to the general managers of all the zones, expressed serious concern over the persistent cases of red-signal jump by the train crew, urging the respective department heads to counsel them on various issues regarding safety and learning.

"Take adequate rest at headquarters and running rooms; avoid unnecessary debates in running rooms. Ensure proper road learning as per instructions for the booked route. Keep mobile phones in the bag in switched off condition during run" are some of the reference instructions that the ministry wants the train crew to be counselled about.

In its letter, the Ministry has said during the previous year (2024-25), 33 SPAD (Signal Passing At Danger or red signal jump) incidents were reported on the Safety Information Management System (SIMS).

"Despite ongoing preventive efforts, six SPAD cases have been reported this year, indicating the need for rigorous counselling of crew and necessary monitoring and corrective actions by officers and supervisors," it has said.

Sources from various rail divisions said the number of SPAD cases is much higher than what is being reported in the system. "If six cases have so far been reported in the SIMS, the actual number could be much higher as many officers do not report all SPAD cases," a source said.

The letter has summarised about 23 instructions for the counselling of the running staff and 20 for officers and supervisors for reference.