Indian Railways Safety: RTI reply exposes 1.52 lakh safety category posts vacant

The Railway Ministry, responding to an RTI query in March, disclosed that out of 10 lakh sanctioned safety category posts in the Indian Railways, more than 1.5 lakh positions remain unfilled. Despite these vacancies, officials affirm that ensuring train safety remains their top priority. \r

Over the past decade, substantial investments exceeding ₹1,78,000 crore have been directed towards safety-related projects, significantly higher than the previous decade’s ₹70,273 crore. This investment has facilitated improvements in tracks, signalling, locomotives, and training facilities such as simulators for loco pilots and inspectors. \r

However, railway trade unions highlight rising stress among safety personnel due to staff shortages, attributing it to increased accident risks amid cessation of new safety post creations without Finance Ministry approval.