Drink driving now a major issue on railways too; 15% drivers fail alcohol tests after trips

Indian Railways has seen a near-fourfold rise in the number of train drivers who failed an alcohol test over the past five years, official figures show.

Most of these loco-pilots showed up for work drunk. But, in what experts say is a worrying trend, about 15% of them – at an annualized average – failed the alcohol test at the end of their journey, which means they probably risked the lives of hundreds of passengers.

And the problem seems to be getting worse. In 2015 and 2016, the annual spike in such cases was more than 50%, according to information obtained by Hindustan Times under the Right to Information from 50 of India’s 70 railway divisions. These included passenger (long distance and suburban) and goods train drivers.

Twenty railway divisions did not respond to HT’S request for information on the number of loco-pilots who failed the breathalyser test. A Northern railway spokesperson told HT “the numbers are on a rise since the railway has become more stringent.” There is no evidence to link such a trend with railway accidents, though most people agree rising alcoholism among loco-pilots is a cause for concern.

“Every day we run nearly 15,000 operations. In comparison, the rate of failure of breathalyser test is negligible,” said a senior official from the Railway Board.