Bye bye iron trunks, Railways to give drivers, guards trolley briefcases

Indian Railways is trying not only to improve passenger amenities, but is also bettering facilities provided to its staffs. In one such move, the national transporter is replacing heavy iron line boxes (trunks) given to the train loco-pilots and guards with lighter trolley line briefcases.

A line box usually contains a medical kit, two red and one green flag, manual books on train operations, torch/hand signal lamp, detonators in a tin case, whistle, and chain with a suitable lock for securing the box besides many other items. Railways has a contract in place with porters to transport a line box to guard's or driver's train cabin.

However, the new wheeled-briefcases will be lighter and easily portable. Railways has redesigned the essential guard-kit to make it much lighter and smaller. Also, a pre-loaded tablet has been replaced for all rule books and Working Time Tables (WTTs).


The first-aid kit, which was earlier the part of the personal equipment of the Mail/Express/Passenger Guards, will now become an item of brake-van equipment. Railways has already replaced basic first-aid kit by providing as many as 88 life-saving equipments, medicines and injections on all trains and stations.

The public transporter has said that the new kit will not only enable them to dispense with the existing contract for box porter but also from the publishing of a large number of rule books. This will result in a huge financial saving for them.

In July, a guard from the Ambala Division went on duty with the line briefcase in train no 14553/12058. Recently, the drivers of the train 12459 New Delhi-Amritsar Intercity Express was given a new trolley line bag by the Delhi division.