• Dept. short of 500 employees, requires 3 years to train up

Facing a shortage of over 500 employees, the Department of Railways has requested approval from relevant authorities to retain retiring employees for a few more years, it is learnt.

This is, as it takes approximately three years to train new recruits to the required level of competency. 

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Railways Department Media Spokesperson Deputy General Manager (Transport) N.J. Indipolage said that they are currently facing a shortage of over 500 employees, including nearly 150 locomotive drivers, around 120 train guards, approximately 100 station masters, and 100–150 mechanics. 

“We are maintaining operations with a critical shortage of employees. There have been no recruitments made to the Department since 2017,” he said.

He also said that even if employees are recruited for the vacant positions, it would take nearly three years for the Department to train them. “If new employees are recruited next year (2025), we need three years to train them. It means, even if recruitments are made next year, the issue will resolve only in 2028. As a solution, we have requested permission from the relevant authorities to retain retiring employees for a few more years. But, there is no decision on it yet,” he went on to say.

Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, Prof. Kapila C.K. Perera and Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Dr. Prasanna Gunasena were not available for comment.

It was recently reported that the Railways Department was unable to operate sufficient additional trains during the festive season due to shortages of employees, particularly locomotive drivers and guards. As a result, only two additional trains would be in operation for Christmas this year, compared to over 20 extra trains deployed in previous years.