A LOCOMASTER

Photo Credit: Tasnif Badhon
The person who drives a train on Bangladesh Railway  is known as a locomaster. Locomasters are the key  people in running a train which is the largest  passenger carrier system in Bangladesh. Every day,  BR(Bangladesh Railway) operates more than  hundreds of intercity passenger trains and a few  freight trains and every train needs at least two  locomasters, LM(Locomaster), and ALM(Assistant  Locomaster).

Being a locomaster is a challenging career . A person who passed HSC from the science faculty with a satisfactory academic result can apply for being a Locomaster and after a long selection process, they can join for training. Where they have been trained in the signals of railways, the process of control engines, etc.


Long Hood Locomotive
A Locomaster has a different view of railways. LM and ALM have been needed to operate a locomotive which is the main part of a train. They have to work day and night to run the train. It's quite hard to stay attentive in their duty with a small rest time but they are making it possible every day. An LM works in a risky atmosphere around duty time. As they are responsible for thousands of passengers' safety, they have no option of deceitfulness. They can also lose their life because of this. Unprotected level crossings are one of their biggest enemies. This type of crossing is causing most of the accidents. Though it's difficult to see the front on the long hood loco but LM and ALM have to stay alert about the signals, if they have seen a red signal they won’t get much time to stop the train. Normally lighting signals have been seen nearer to a station area, from where they have to receive PLC. PLC is the short form of paper line clear. Doesn’t matter if the train is going to stop at the station or not, LM has to receive this from station staff. In this paper, there is written about the speed limitation that they have to maintain till the next station and also a
PIN code for security purposes. 

Receiving PLC while passing through a station
photo Credit: Samiul Alim Labib
Apart from this, working in a locomotive cab is harder than we think. LM has to spend more than 7-8 hours, sometimes 15-16 hours to make a train run. Engine heat creates a tropical atmosphere in the cab. No washroom facility in the cab is a large issue for the LM. After finishing a trip they get a little time for rest and spend with their family, and then another trip is called. Their family has to sacrifice a lot. Doing a lot of sacrifices they don't get enough facilities like they have lackings of running room(Room for taking a rest at the destination) and paying an allowance. Authority should look at the problems for the betterment of the railway system.

Written by- Md.Mahfuzul Hoque Hamidi_23101432

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