The Indian Railways has finally agreed to build urinals in engines after more than 10,000 locomotive pilots requested the national carrier to provide the facility at the earliest. Only 97 out of 14,000 locomotives of Indian Railways currently have the facility.

The Railways in an internal survey conducted last month found that locomotive pilots unanimously demanded the facility as have to leave the locomotives and answer nature’s call out in the open during an emergency. The situation is even worse for women drivers who found loco duty to be extremely taxing as they had to vacate their posts and go to passenger coaches during an emergency.

The Railways sought feedback from its running staff on urinals in August after pilots had complained that they have to relive themselves in unhygienic conditions due to absence of a lavatory in the locomotive. The Railway Board earlier said that it would take a decision on model of urinal after receiving the feedback from survey.

Female Members of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) said women preferred a job desk assignment to piloting one due to absence of any toilets in the locos. Indian Railways employee over 1,000 women loco pilots.

The Indian Railway Loco Running Men Organization rued that a urinal would not suffice and instead want the Railway Board to construct full fledged working toilets in locos.

In 2016, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had ordered the Railway Board to install toilets and air conditioners in all locomotives, to which the board agreed.

Ever since only 97 locos have been fitted with urinals out of 14,000 diesel-electric locomotives.