Career Talk

I want to be a loco pilot in the Indian Railways

Indian Railways loco pilot at work

I have done my HSC in Science and I want to be a loco pilot in the Indian Railways. What are the requirements to become a loco pilot in the Indian Railways? When does the notification come and what is the procedure to join them?
Dionne Joseph Andrade

The basic qualification to become an Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) in the Indian Railways is a three year diploma course in Electrical/Electronics/Mechanical/Automobile Engineering from a recognized Board or Institution like ITI. Eligibility for these courses is tenth grade. Selection is through a written test followed by an interview.

The examination is conducted by the respective Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) (indianrailways.gov.in). There are 21 RRB zones in the Indian Railways. Recently, the Indian Railways released the RRB Assistant Loco Pilot Recruitment Notification 2017 to fill approximately 23,801 vacancies.

Loco Pilots assist in driving or piloting the train. The job requires continuous attention and a high degree of responsiveness. Initially, candidates are appointed as Assistant Local Pilots with goods trains. After getting some experience, they are appointed to passenger trains, later to express trains, superfast trains and the Rajdhani express trains.

Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book Careers: A Pathfinder and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.

Dr Vibha Gupta

Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book Careers: A Pathfinder and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.