New Delhi: Safety category employees of Indian Railways, including loco pilots, guards, station masters and signal maintainers, are making reels for social media while on duty, raising operational safety concerns and exposing critical information in the public domain, officials said.
Reel making by station masters showing panels, guards working in brake vans, chief loco inspectors during counselling, pointsmen during signal exchange and loco pilots while operating locomotives violates the Railway Ministry’s instructions to all zonal heads to prevent such practices, they said.
In 2021, the Ministry received a complaint through the CPGRAM portal stating that several videos showing the working of locomotives were available on social media platforms, including YouTube.
“Zonal Railways are, therefore, advised to direct the supervisory staff to counsel the crew against uploading videos showing the working of locomotives on YouTube or other social media platforms, as this may compromise the safety of the loco as well as the passengers,” the Ministry had directed.
Senior officials said that the majority of employees active on social media were young recruits who were either in the process of completing their training or had already joined duty across various departments, such as Signal and Telecommunication, Engineering, Traffic and Commercial.
Nevertheless, some experienced employees, including chief loco inspectors, are also "competing with younger colleagues" in making reels and, in the process, violating railway rules and compromising passenger safety, they said.
Reels uploaded by these employees on their social media accounts suggest that they have put almost every aspect of train operations and their training in the public domain.
Young assistant loco pilots have shot videos during train operations, which is a safety hazard. Train guards, station masters and signal maintainers, too, have uploaded reels showing activities such as speaking on walkie-talkies, walking on railway tracks, posing in front of locomotives and giving instructions to train staff during operations, among others.
Some of them have even explained various parts of locomotives and their functioning, including different keys, handles, braking systems and speedometers, which is against the norms, the officials said.
“When you shoot reels while on duty, your focus shifts from work to the camera and your appearance. This compromises your attention and increases the chances of errors, posing a potential threat to train operations,” a senior loco pilot stated.
Officials pointed out that making reels while on duty itself amounts to diverting official working hours towards personal activities, in disregard of the responsibilities assigned to railway staff.
This is particularly serious in safety-critical jobs, where even a momentary lapse in attention could have grave consequences for train operations and passenger safety.
Of late, zonal railways have also issued advisories expressing concern over such activities.
In November last year, the South Central Railway Zone had flagged these violations, stating that, as per the established safety norms of Indian Railways, loco pilots and assistant loco pilots are strictly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may distract them from safe train operations.
“The locomotive cab is a critical operational area where undivided attention is mandatory. Personal videography or the use of mobile phones inside the loco cab not only distracts the running staff but also compromises cab security and operational discipline and could potentially violate internal security protocols,” it said.
“It is, therefore, once again advised to counsel the crew against uploading any videos related to railway operations on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, as this compromises the safety of train services as well as passengers,” it added.
Some officials also highlighted the commercial aspect, stating that a section of employees had turned reel-making into a side business to earn additional income.
They argued that Rule 15 of the Railway Services Conduct Rules, 1966, applicable to railway servants regarding private trade or employment, prohibits them from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any trade or business, or accepting any other employment without the prior approval of the competent authority.