Railway Board hikes kilometerage allowance for loco pilots by 25%

The Railway Board on Friday announced a 25 per cent increase in the kilometerage allowance for loco running staff with retrospective effect from January 1, 2024.

The announcement comes after over two years of persistent representations and protests by various railway employee unions and federations.

An official order issued on Friday said that following a 50 per cent increase in dearness allowance (DA) effective from January 1, 2024, the Board decided to increase the kilometerage allowance for various categories of loco running staff from the same date.

The decision will benefit over two lakh employees engaged in train operations who had staged protests in support of the hike. Unlike other railway employees who receive a Travelling Allowance (TA), loco running staff are granted a kilometerage allowance (KA).

While TA for other staff was enhanced on January 1, 2024, the KA had remained unchanged until now, an official in the railways said.