In a move to address mounting concerns from train crew members, Central Railway (CR) has decided to review and discontinue the practice of booking goats and sheep in the dog boxes of mail/express trains.
A recent internal memo, dated September 10, 2025, has revealed that the crew management system and train managers had raised several issues about the current practice of allowing livestock to be transported in dog boxes in air-conditioned SLR (Second Class Luggage/Parcel) coaches. Among the concerns highlighted were visibility problems for train managers as the dog box covers half the window, health hazards due to the unpleasant odour, and the cramped space within the dog boxes.
“The visibility problem is real, and oversized and irregularly sized dog boxes obstruct the view of signals displayed by station staff, making it difficult to perform safety checks. Additionally, the side windows in the air-conditioned SLR coaches are already small, leading to problems. This also creates challenges in ensuring safety protocols are followed,” a train manager said on condition of anonymity.
“The continuous inhalation of unpleasant odours emanating from the animals’ urine and faeces also creates an unhealthy working environment for us, particularly due to the lack of cross ventilation in the coaches. These factors have led to various health concerns, including potential respiratory complications for crew members working in the confined space,” he added.
The issue was raised during a meeting on January 23, 2024, which was attended by the general manager and other senior officials. Subsequently, the chief commercial manager of CR recommended that the Railway Board discontinue the booking of goats in dog boxes for mail/express trains, citing the negligible revenue generated from such bookings and the operational difficulties faced by the crew.
With this new directive, the railway authorities are now expected to issue formal instructions for the removal of dog boxes from the air-conditioned SLR coaches in mail/express trains, ensuring a smoother and safer travel experience for the train staff.
The discontinuation is expected to have minimal financial impact, as bookings for livestock in dog boxes have not been a significant source of revenue, but the move is seen as a necessary step to improve working conditions for the train crew.
What train managers say…
>> ‘The smell becomes unbearable during long journeys, and with no proper ventilation since it is all AC, it feels like we’re trapped in a closed box with no escape. This has been affecting our health, more so recently, after the coaches became AC’
>> ‘It’s not just about discomfort — when our view of station signals is blocked, it directly affects train safety. Removing livestock from dog boxes is a step toward safer operations’
>> ‘Even though the revenue from such bookings is tiny, the operational risk we face is huge. We hope that the Railway Board finally listens to our concerns’
>> ‘Dog boxes take up valuable space and make our workspace in the guard compartment even more cramped. This decision, if taken, will make it easier to do our job without constant physical strain’
