They Keep Tracks Fit for Trains To Ply: Meet Railway Gangmen

By Arun Kumar Das

New Delhi, June 6: The sky is downcast and the morning Sun is yet to come out but then who cares.

A person in his uniform carrying a hammer is waiting at the side of a rail line for the 52-wagon freight train to pass so that he could go to the other side of the track.

This side he was joined by his work mate and both started hammering the track in unison as the clock at the Sadar Bazar is showing 7 O’ clock in the morning.

Meet gangmen Ankesh and Neeraj, both in their 30s, also called Track Maintainers in Indian Railways. They have a job at hand to maintain the rails in perfect condition so that a train can negotiate the tracks safely.

They walked along the tracks inspecting the rails closely and at the same time keeping a watch for the movement of trains from both sides.

The job requires them to remain on maximum vigil all the time as there is always a danger of being run over by incoming trains if they are not alert.

It’s 10 O’ clock now and it’s raining now as they are nearing New Delhi station all the while checking the tracks and doing their bit as part of the duty. Here they were joined by the Keyman Lokesh.

Keyman is also part of the gangmen who carry a toolkit bag and does a little bit of extra work of adjusting the tracks.

If a crack or fracture in rails is detected, it is the Keyman who has to rectify it. Rail fractures are reasons for train derailment so a gangman has to detect the cracks before it becomes a major safety issue.

Though there are machines now to ensure track fitness, we still need Gangmen to ensure smooth train operation, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The Keyman carries a 10 kg toolkit bag which contains a hammer, wrench, green and red flags, daily diary, spanner, water bottle and detonator among others. Detonators are being used to alert train drivers during dense fog.

The Paschim Express was entering New Delhi station closely followed by Tejas Bhubaneswar Rajdhani and Gomti Express. It was peak traffic as the majority of north bound trains are getting passages on these tracks.

It’s 12 O’ clock and the rain has stopped now. The three gangmen reached New Delhi station and here they met gangmate Mukesh, who is a Jamadar or incharge of 20 gangmen in the section. He is responsible for muster roll and organises the duty chart.

There were two more colleagues who were coming from Anand Vihar station – Sidhakant and Mukesh at the outskirts of the station. Both teams exchanged notes and also had water from their bottles.

The Sun was shining bright and its lunchtime as all headed towards the gangman shed near the station.

Since the Viswakarma Puja is round the corner, the shed is being cleaned up for the September 17 event.

We celebrate Vishwakarma Puja every year here, said gangman Mukesh, who is a Graduate.

Like Mukesh there are many Graduates and Post Graduates who have opted for the Level-1 jobs.

Kailash, a Post Graduation in Hindi and History besides B.ED, is also a Keyman.

“There is no problem in doing the track maintenance job. Every job has its own dignity. But the problem is that the promotional avenue should be opened for us so that we can be given a chance to appear in the further examination for promotion,” said Kailash.

They enjoyed the lunch as they were joined by many more gangmen from the nearby sections.

The lunch time is spread over two to three hours depending upon the situation. “Unless there is a requirement in some sections in which we have to rush without having food, we enjoy our lunch,” said Roshan Lal, a Keyman.

“Today is a good day as we are having lunch together. But there are days when we don’t get a chance to avail lunch break,” said Jitendra, another Track Maintainer.

The rain had stopped completely and by the time Ankesh and Neeraj picked up their hammers, it was 3 PM. They were again at the track side to do their physical jobs.

They have to cover three kms back to Sadar Bazar station inspecting rails by 6 PM.

“When we come for duty we always meet morning joggers and we also meet evening walkers while returning home,” said Neeraj and added “But for us it is regular jogging alongside tracks.”

While they were heading towards Sadar Bazar, they got a message from a Keyman to rush to the site near the station.

“However, it was found to be a minor fault which was duly repaired. These are routine matters and we are always ready to rush to the site in an emergency,” said Ankesh.

Gangmen do their jobs in three shifts as the track maintenance is crucial for train operation.

Come rain or harsh summer or for that matter severe cold, a gangman has to be on the track side to ensure the rail line is okay for train operation.

In summer time the rails expand and the lines shrink in winter cold and in both cases it is gangmen who rectify the cracks.

Indian Railways has moved on from steam-driven trains to diesel locomotives and electric hauling and now a hydrogen locomotive is being developed.

The Railways is using the latest technology in many areas for train operations now but the age-old method of human intervention is maintaining tracks is still prevalent. As a result the gangman job still remains the basic safety requirement today.

There are machines which can detect the fractures in the rails but the Railways depend more on gangmen to do the job even now.

There are 17 categories of jobs in Indian Railways. The Chairman Railway Board (CRB) is Level – 17, the top most job and Track Maintainer or Gangman, a Level-1 category, the lowest category job in Indian Railways.

There are about 4 lakh Gangmen in the Railways, highest number of employees compared to all other categories.

A Gangman gets Rs 35,000 to Rs 48,000 per month as salary depending upon years of service. They also get Rs 17, 951 as bonus every year besides a house and health benefits as railway employees.

A Gangman also gets Sleeper and AC travel passes as mandated for railwaymen.

Railways now provide a Risk Allowance of Rs 3575 to Gangmen as the job involves risk of getting run over by trains.

Now there is a persistent demand for getting Infection Allowance as discharge from train toilets on tracks is a major cause of concern for the gangmen.

Eager to get government jobs, there are many who are qualified as doctorates, post graduates, PG Diplomas, Graduates including BTechs have opted to become Gangmen or Track Maintainers in the Level-1 category in Indian Railways.

While the minimum qualification is 10th pass or ITI for the Gangman job, there are Graduates, Post Graduates, BTechs, B.Eds who apply and get recruited for the job.