Toilet facility on train engine a distant dream for majority of loco pilots

Loco pilots face challenges with lack of basic facilities on trains, including toilets, leading to health issues.

Despite the advancements made over the years, including the introduction of Vande Bharat trains and replacing age-old systems, the Railways have not yet arranged some of the basic facilities required for loco pilots on trains.

Among the issues raised by a section of loco pilots, who have been spearheading a stir under the Southern Railway, is the plea for toilets on board train engines considering the humid and rainy season in the country.

Speaking to The Hindu, loco pilots, including women loco pilots, said they would not drink water for at least a few hours before signing on duty and would only take water after the duty stretched for six to seven hours as the train engine lacked a toilet facility.

Though there were reports that some used adult napkins on duty, the majority of women loco pilots were now forced to accustom to the waterless diet regime demanded by the job, although it leads to urinal track infection at times, said a woman loco pilot.

Roly M. Muttappilly, central vice-president, All India Loco Running Staff Association, said the male staff urinate near the engine during night. During night hours, staff had to either go to the toilet facility in the station building or the toilets on the coaches behind the engine. However, most trains would have a one to five-minute halt at stations other than the main junctions. Hence, it was an arduous task for the majority of the staff to make use of the facility. “If the train is delayed a few minutes for the reason that the loco pilots went to the restroom, the staff will have to give an explanation,” he said. 

Further, only a fraction of the engines had been air-conditioned, while the temperature in the engine room would be 2 to 5°C above the normal due to the operational transformers behind the cabin room, making the cabin sweltering during the summer he said.

However, officials said toilet facilities was introduced on trains on an experimental basis in a few divisions in the country. However, it had been stopped due to operational reasons, including cleaning, as staff other than loco pilots were not allowed to enter the cabin. Plus, the SLR coach just behind the engine had a toilet facility dedicated to railway staff, including guards, they said.