Train guards’ union urges railways to remove assistant guard posts abolished over 10 years ago

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) The All India Guards Council has urged the Railway Board to correct its service records by removing all posts of assistant guards, which were abolished in 2012.

The council has written to the board, stating that it had directed all zones in 2012 to surrender all assistant guard posts as part of broader manpower rationalisation and cost-saving initiative.

However, the official records continue to reflect this post, and the board is unaware of its actual cadre strength, the letter said.

SP Singh, general president of AIGC said that the railway ministry launched a scheme in November 1991 under which it leased out seating-cum-luggage rakes (SLR coaches) for parcel transportation.

Officials said that in those days, in passenger trains, the second coach from the locomotive used to be the assistant guard’s coach, also called the SLR coach or van, while the last coach was designated for the guard.

“After loading parcels, adequate space in the SLR coach was available for the assistant guard. But after launching the scheme in 1991, the ministry realised it was generating significant revenue,” Singh said.

He added, “After its success, and with a view to maximise the utilisation of the parcel space of SLR coaches of passenger trains and thereby increase earnings, railways in 2006 removed the assistant guard’s post and that space was also leased out for the parcel services.” As a result of which the post of assistant guard in Indian Railways was made redundant.

The council said that in 2012, the railway board issued a letter directing the Zonal Railways to surrender assistant guard posts as part of a broader manpower rationalisation and cost-saving initiative.

“Regrettably, the official records are still projecting this post and the Apex Executive is ignorant of its cadre strength also. We earnestly request you to kindly arrange to correct the records by expunging the redundant post,” the council, in its letter, said.

Singh said he filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in May 2025 with the Railway Board seeking details of the total sanctioned strength of assistant guards in passenger trains.

“The ministry replied that it does not centrally maintain post-wise information and asked me to obtain details from the respective railway zones. If the Railway Board doesn’t have post-wise strength, then how does it allot funds in the budget for their wages?” Singh questioned. PTI JP JP MNK MNK