The Congress on Wednesday highlighted comments about working conditions made by train drivers to leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

“The lives of loco pilots, who are responsible for the safety of millions of passengers, are full of difficulties. They neither get adequate rest nor basic facilities. Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi met the loco pilots and promised to raise their problems in Parliament,” the party posted on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

In a 2:45 minute video that was part of the post, the people who the party says are train drivers highlighted abysmal working conditions that they said often resulted in deaths as well as accidents.

Screenshot/Congress 'X' Handle

“Even in the restroom, more than four people are sleeping, and we can't tell who enters and leaves at what time," said one person.

Another person said: "More than 50% of locos lack air conditioning. The temperature inside locos is 4 to 6 degrees more than what it is outside. When the temperature in Delhi is 44°C, it reaches 52°C inside the cab of a green coloured goods train, WAG 9. In winter, it drops to 2°C due to cold winds entering the loco. In such extreme conditions, you cannot imagine what it is like to be working for 9 to 10 hours. So many fall ill. Many have had heart attacks."

Another person pointed out: "A driver had a heart attack on the Bundelkhand Express and died on the spot. The train continued its journey, crashing into buildings and killing people. We've also witnessed such situations."

And another person said: "We want clean water and washrooms as a part of basic amenities, but they are missing. We also lack proper eating schedules and resting time. In 2024-2025, there will be nearly 17,000 retirements. There are so many vacancies to be filled. Our association approached Rahul Gandhi. He visited us, examined our problems in detail, and understood how we are running our trains with the lack of safety guidelines. As of now he has assured us that the solution to these problems will be found soon.”

Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with loco pilots had led to a war of words last week, with the train drivers' unions countering Railways' claim that the Congress leader met loco pilots who were not from the Delhi Division and were brought from outside.

PTI

On Friday, after Gandhi visited the loco pilots' crew lobby at the New Delhi Railway Station, the Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway (NR) under which the Delhi Division falls, said that it looked like Gandhi met loco pilots who were not from crew lobby of the New Delhi Railway Station.

"It looks like they were brought from outside," Deepak Kumar, CPRO, NR, was quoted as saying by PTI.

Various loco pilots' associations whose members were present in the lobby during Gandhi's visit countered the CPRO's statement and said that it was immaterial to focus on loco pilots' divisions and zones of work as long as they have similar grievances.