Railways boosts safety with key reforms for train controllers

New Delhi: In a significant move to ensure safety of train operations, the Railway ministry on Wednesday announced some key reforms for enhancing the functioning and working conditions of train controllers.

"Train controllers must serve a minimum of three years in the control office to build domain knowledge and operate at optimal levels. Only experienced and meritorious traffic inspectors and station masters with good service records will be selected as train controllers," a senior railway official said, simplifying the terms of the reforms.

He added, "Controllers must undergo mandatory refresher courses every five years, with simulator-based and scenario-driven learning modules incorporated into the curriculum. A performance monitoring mechanism will be institutionalised to review controllers' performance based on punctuality indices, emergency handling, communication skills and command over working rules." Ministry officials stated that a proper succession and rotation plan will be maintained for all posts in control offices to prevent over-reliance on individual controllers. The ministry has also decided to introduce measures like yoga sessions, counselling and periodic health check-ups to address the high-stress nature of the job.

On August 27, 2024, the Railway ministry constituted a six-member committee -- three Additional Members of Staff, Revenue and Traffic; one Principal Executive Director of Infra, and two Executive Directors of Transformation and Traffic Transportation -- to examine and recommend ways to improve the working conditions of train controllers.

The said committee came into being after the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) flagged several concerning issues such as pay scale, vacancies, recruitment process and basic amenities.

PTI, on August 25, 2024, had published a detailed report on the study by RDSO, which functions under the Railway ministry, according to which the train controllers face multiple challenges at work including "unattractive" pay scale, huge stress due to vacancy leading to health concerns and a lack of basic amenities.

The June 25, 2025 circular, addressed to all the zones, said that the key initiatives have been taken after the committee's recommendations and to make "Railway Traffic Control Organisation at par with the global best".

"It has been decided to rename the Traffic Control as Operations & Traffic Control to serve as an Integrated Command Centre of all departments and branches involved in train operations," the circular said.

It added that the traffic controllers' cadre as a trained talent pool shall be filled by the prescribed streams such as direct recruitment, limited departmental competitive examination, departmental selection, et cetera, and "a standard working environment and facilities shall be provided to all staff working in control office."