RUNNING STAFF

Most people hear the term running staff but never really stop to think about what it means. Who exactly are they, and why are they called “running” staff when they are not running on tracks? Then who are they really. who are running staff in Indian railways? Running Staff are railway employees who are directly involved in the movement of trains. They are the people on duty while the train is running, responsible for safe, continuous, and punctual train operations. In Indian Railways, the term Running Staff mainly includes: > Loco Pilots (Drivers of trains) > Train Managers / Guards (in charge of train supervision and safety) They are different from station staff or office staff because their workplace moves with the train. Why Are They Called “Running Staff”? They are called Running Staff because: 🔹 Their duty is calculated based on train movement (kilometers & hours) 🔹 They work only when the train is running 🔹 Their job starts at sign-on and ends at sign-off, often far f...

  Night duty is often spoken about as if it is just another shift. “Take proper rest .” “Sleep later.” “Body will adapt.” But for a loco pilot, night duty is not just loss of sleep. It is a slow, silent rewriting of the body, mind, and life itself. When the world sleeps, a loco pilot stays awake—not for comfort, not for choice, but for responsibility. Trains must move. Signals must be obeyed. Lives depend on alertness. And yet, the very system that demands perfection quietly pushes the human body beyond what it was designed to endure. The Body Was Never Meant for This Clock The human body follows a natural rhythm. Sleep at night. Wake with light. Digest during the day. Repair during rest. Night duty breaks this rhythm again and again. One night you report at 11 PM. Another day at 3 AM. Sometimes you sleep at 8 AM. Sometimes at noon. Sometimes not at all. There is no “routine.” There is only adjustment after adjustment, until the body stops asking and starts suffering. Sleep b...

In the world of railways, millions sleep peacefully every night because someone else is wide awake—alert, focused, and carrying the weight of absolute responsibility. For running staff—loco pilots and train managers—work does not end with duty hours. It follows them home, sits beside them at the dining table, and often lies awake with them at night. This is not just a job. It is a 24×7 mental burden where one mistake, one second of human error, can invite a memo, suspension, inquiry—or worse, lifelong guilt. A Profession Where Perfection Is Not Optional In most professions, mistakes are corrected. In railways, mistakes are recorded, reported, and remembered . Running staff operate under a system where: A signal missed by inches A speed exceeded by seconds A brake applied slightly late can turn into an official memo—sometimes even when no accident occurs. The irony? The system demands machine-level perfection from human beings —humans who are fatigued, sleep-depriv...