What determines when the crew for a loco is changed? What are the hours worked by train crew?

July 17, 2019, 1:13 PM

Crew changes usually occur at points where accommodations exist for the crew to wait between working sets, and where the schedules of many or most trains along that route are likely to require a crew change based on the hours the crew has been working (see below for regulations on running hours). A changeover point is often determined by one or more of the following:

It is a station near a loco shed with sufficient railway quarters
Change of division
Accommodation (‘running room’) is available for transient crew
Duration that drivers will have been working continuously by the time they reach the changeover point
On WR, most of the trains change crew at Valsad, one at Surat and the rest at Vadodara. Valsad at 199 kms, is almost half the way on MCT to Vadodara run. Division changes at Surat so Valsad and Vadodara drivers share half the traffic where crew is changed at Valsad. Valsad drivers share half the trains on MCT – Valsad runs, too. The same holds true for Vadodara drivers who share half the trains on Ahmedabad Vadodara runs.

On the other hand, Rajdhani, Jammu-Tawi and Deluxe/Paschim Express are hauled exclusively by MCT drivers to Vadodara. Flying Rani is hauled only by MCT drivers.

Similarly, on the New Delhi – Mughalsarai / Lucknow sections, Tundla is a technical halt for changing drivers and guards for almost all trains; Allahabad is another technical halt for a lot of trains (the legs worked by crew being New Delhi – Tundla, Tundla – Kanpur – Allahabad – Mughalsarai, or New Delhi – Tundla, Tundla – Kanpur, Kanpur – Lucknow). But a few trains such as the Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses, however, do not have a technical halt at Tundla or Allahabad.

On the Mumbai – Itarsi – New Delhi route, there are technical halts for most trains at Igatpuri, Bhusawal, Itarsi, Bhopal, and Jhansi. Mumbai crew work the trains up to Igatpuri (apart from being a convenient point there is a traction change here between DC and AC traction); Igatpuri – Bhusawal and Bhusawal – Itarsi / Bhopal are worked by Bhusawal crew, Itarsi – Bhopal / Jhansi legs are worked by Bhopal crew, and Jhansi – H. Nizamuddin / New Delhi is worked by Jhansi crew. Jhansi crew also work routes towards Kanpur while Jabalpur crew take over for routes towards Jabalpur.

A general rule of thumb would be that most of the older trains that were established during steam days change their crew at big loco shed stations because in the days of steam, the crew and the loco were changed together. Today, locos need not be changed when the crew changes, a notable exception being the WCAMx from WR due to their limited availability.

Another thing to consider is that loco drivers (and motormen) are not supposed to be scheduled to work more than 6 hours in one set (10 hours including delays). Most sets are 4 to 4.5 hrs in durationn. Examples of regularly scheduled sets that go beyond the 6-hour rule are not rare: Nagpur-Bilaspur is usually 7.5 hours, Nagpur-Bhusawal (all trains) and Nagpur-Bhopal (Rajdhani / Sampark Kranti trains) are 6.5 hours. It is very rare these days to find regularly scheduled sets that take 8 hours without accounting for delays, though. The restriction of sets to about 6 hours each allows crew to work ‘doubles’ during peak season without creating too much fatigue. Most of the long distance trains on WR (starting or ending MCT) run at night and it is too hazardous to work all the nights in a row for months and months for long hours.

Sometimes, if delays mean that a train’s crew might have to work more than 10 hours before reaching the next scheduled crew change station, a crew change can be arranged at some convenient intermediate station. The absolute upper limit on continuous work by crew members is supposed to be 12 hours when delays are thrown into the mix, but it does happen on occasion that the crew of a train is stuck handling a train for 13 hours or more, especially with goods trains, when delays build up because of crossings, track work, and so on. See below for more on crew working hours, rest hours, etc.

Some sets, even though they are separate, are worked on the same day, giving the driver one day off, a luxury for a person who otherwise works every day. For example, MCT driver hauls Down Delhi Janata Express in the morning from MCT to Valsad (finishing one set) and hauls another Delhi Janata in the afternoon to MCT (finishing second set). Similarly with the Valsad Express hauled by Valsad drivers.

The effect of cumulative work hours on crew changeover points can be seen in the Bilaspur-Durg-Nagpur-Badnera-Bhusawal section. Most mail or express trains leaving Nagpur do not change crew at Badnera, but most goods trains do. The 8029/8030 Kurla Howrah Exp and Mumbai Howrah mail change staff at Durg from Nagpur as do the goods trains. All the other trains change staff at Bilaspur.

Running rooms are provided at crew changeover point to accommodate the crew that come off duty. These are full-fledged accommodations maintained by IR. Drivers think of them as their ‘home away from home’ in many cases. IR provides basic amenities, bed linen, etc., for the train crew. Food is provided at subsidized rates, but there is also a cook on duty who can prepare food according to the crew’s wishes (with provisions the crew supplies).

Source – IFRCA.org

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