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Red-Signal Overshoot Prompts Railways to Tighten Loco Pilot Deployment Rules
M
Moneycontrol•29-09-2026, 19:34
Red-Signal Overshoot Prompts Railways to Tighten Loco Pilot Deployment Rules
- •A red-signal overshoot by a passenger train in Asansol Division on July 29 led the Railway Board to tighten rules for loco pilot deployment.
- •The probe revealed the train's crew lacked proper route learning, prompting new instructions to all railway zones on August 24.
- •The Railway Board mandates adequate route learning for train crews before deployment and will use the Crew Management System (CMS) to identify violations.
- •New directives outline alternatives for crew shortages, emphasizing that Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto Express trains must not be operated by goods-train loco pilots.
- •The Sitarampur incident highlights the critical importance of route familiarity for train safety, alongside technological upgrades like Kavach 4.0.
Key Questions Answered
A passenger train experienced a red-signal overshoot at Sitarampur station in the Asansol Division of Eastern Railway on July 29, prompting the Railway Board to tighten rules regarding loco pilot deployment.
The Railway Board ordered that Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto Express trains must never be operated by goods-train loco pilots under any circumstances. If necessary, regular loco pilots should be withdrawn from their scheduled links to operate these specific trains.
Indian Railways approved Rs 223 crore for deploying Kavach Version 4.0 across 614.75 route km of the Varanasi Division of North Eastern Railway to enhance safety and prevent signal passing at danger.
