How To Become A Loco Pilot In India: Have you ever dreamt of operating a train and handling the mechanical work of a train? Do you always wonder how the engine of a train works? Do you feel like you want to be the next loco pilot in India in the future? But to achieve your goal, you need knowledge about it. So here in this article, we have mentioned details about how to achieve your dream of becoming a loco pilot in India.
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Who is a Loco Pilot?
A Loco Pilot is someone who is assigned the duties of handling the locomotives(engines) of a train and is responsible for the mechanical operation and maintenance of the train during transit. To enter into the occupation of the loco pilot, there are certain criteria set by the Railway authority which a candidate must satisfy before entering into this field. No candidate is actively recruited as a Loco Pilot in the Indian Railways, and this is a senior position. The Indian Railways conduct admission exams to recruit Assistant Loco Pilots, who may be transferred to the Loco Pilots Position or other management posts after completing the program.
Types of Loco pilots
Loco pilots can be further classified into varied categories based on superiority:
Assistant Loco Pilots
Assistant Loco pilots belong to the category, who have recently joined as freshers and have experienced between 0-5 years. They generally work under senior-most authority to reach further levels. Their duty is to work on freight train technicality.
Senior Assistant Loco Pilots
Senior Assistant Loco pilots have around 6-7 years of experience and are promoted to the position of Senior authority. They are generally in charge of handling the entire locomotives of the train while ensuring proper maintenance and functioning.
Loco Pilot
After crossing all levels of distance, with almost gaining more than 7 years of experience, a person is being regarded as the loco pilot. They are given the duty of handling loco trains, long-distance travelling trains.
Loco Supervisor/ Head Controller
With gaining experience of almost 10-15 a loco pilot is levelled to the position of managing the controlling and administering the Indian Railway department. An LP can advance to the managerial and administrative sector of the Indian Railways after 15 to 20 years of service.
They can take on management duties such as managing a train’s technical repairs as a Loco Superintendent, employing a train as a Crew Director, supervising electric maintenance on a train and the station as a Power Supply, as well as other related duties.
Duties of Loco Pilots
The duties of Loco pilots are;
- To ensure the proper maintenance and functioning of engines and handling the repairs in case of any damage. To keep in accordance with railway authority for better performance.
- Under the guidance of the Train Management, a Loco Pilot works on a specific train, which includes a train route, limited train speed, evaluation of a signalling error, enough braking power, and safety. The train manager, who is also the leader of the moving train, is on the train at the back end.
- One of the major duties of loco pilots is to perform the driving and operational part as basically, their primary job is to handle the train activities such as maintaining train speed, mechanics, and other performance activities
Eligibility Criteria to Become a Loco Pilot in India
- A Candidate must have passed class 10th with compulsory subjects as mathematics and Physics.
- To qualify for this position, a candidate must have to acquire an ITI certification from any government authorized institute in the engineering field.
- You must have done your diploma/certification in any of the core fields mechanical, electronics, or electrical.
- You will only be eligible for the loco pilot job if you will clear RRB ALP, or any metro or government-organized technical exam.
Selection Procedure for Loco Pilots
The Selection for getting into the locomotive railway department is based on the performance of a candidate in exams held by Indian Railway.
To qualify for selection, one has to give an exam held in two categories which are done through online mode. CBT1 and CBT2, then next is Computer Based Aptitude Test and the next procedure is verifying documents.
CBT1 lasts 60 minutes and includes 75 problems, whilst CBT2 has 150 questions separated into two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A has a 90-minute time limit and 100 problems, while Part B has a 60-minute time limit and 75 questions. At both levels of the CBT, there is a 33% considerable reduction.
Salary of a Loco Pilot
The salary of a loco pilot varies from 20,000 at a starting stage and it increases with an increase in position. The salary after reaching the management position will be levelled up to 1 lakh.
If you are eligible to become a loco pilot, qualifying for the exam will help you in attaining your goal and continued effort will take you to greater heights.