About 900 loco pilot posts in Eastern Railway lying vacant

KOLKATA: Around 900 locomotive pilot posts in Eastern Railway remain vacant. The officials await positions to be filled by the Railway Recruitment Board soon.

There are a total of 9,000 sanction posts in Eastern Railway for the locomotive pilot also known as loco pilots.

Out of the total posts, at present, there are 8,000 loco pilots operating.

Meanwhile, around 900 posts remain vacant. Out of these, around 600 are diesel engineers and around 300 electric engineer posts. These are posts across the four divisions—Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol and Malda—which come under Eastern Railway.

Loco pilots are employees of the Indian railway who are authorized to drive locomotives or trains. They are responsible for the safety and security of the passengers and goods.

According to a senior official at Eastern Railway, this vacancy has been created primarily due to the retirement of a large section of loco pilots. The retirement age for the employees is 60 years.

"This gap has caused pressure on the existing loco pilot," the official said. However there was no clarification on what kind of pressure has been built on the working lot. The loco pilots usually work on a six to eight hour shift. According to the official, they are given adequate time to rest and then get back to work.