1,761 loco pilots failed breathalyser tests in 5 years, Ashwini Vaishnaw to RS
Ashwini Vaishnaw said the authorities had conducted a total of 8,28,03,387 breathalyser tests over the last five years
NEW DELHI: Over 1,700 loco pilots, mostly pilots of goods trains, have failed the breathalyser tests for alcohol over the last five years, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
“Loco Pilots who have failed the test are not allowed to run the train and suitable disciplinary actions are taken as per laid down policies,” the minister said, responding to an unstarred question by Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Sushil Kumar Modi on the status of breathalyser tests conducted on loco pilots.
Every third driver who failed the sobriety test was a passenger loco pilot.
Vaishnaw said the authorities had conducted a total of 8,28,03,387 breathalyser tests over the last five years. 1,761 loco pilots - 674 passenger loco pilots and 1,087 goods loco pilots - have failed the test.
In 2014, the railways mandated that all loco pilots and their assistants take a breathalyser test, which provides an estimate of their Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) before they sign in for their shift.
According to the rules, if the BAC level is between 1-20 milligrams per 100 ml of blood, the violation would be mentioned in the driver’s service record. If it is 21 milligrams or above, the driver will be removed from service.
Vaishnaw also gave a breakup of the breathalyser test conducted by different railways.
According to data presented by Vaishnaw, the largest number of breathalyser tests (1,00,12,456) were conducted by the Northern Railway; 521 loco pilots failed the test, a sharp contrast to the South Central Railway where only 73 loco pilots failed the test despite conducting the second highest number of test (85,25,988).
