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Who is a Station Master?
“If art is to have a special train, the critic must keep some seats reserved on it"- Oscar Wilde
A Station Master is also known as SM in its abbreviated form. He or she is an executive employed by Indian Railway Recruitment Board responsible for running trains at a station. The role of Station Master comes with the responsibility of being in charge of running trains at the station assigned to him or her.
A career as Station Master requires to holds the responsibility to operate signals and ensure everything is as per the railway rules and regulations. The primary responsibility of the Station Master is ensuring that all the passenger amenities are fit and fine at his or her station so that travellers do not face any problems.
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Station Master in a Nutshell
A Station Master is a professional who holds the responsibility of the management of station employees. He or she ensures the safety of railway personnel and passengers boarding or deboarding trains and efficiently running the station. In rural areas, a station master manages a number of stations or all stations on a local branch line.
Quick Facts for Station Master
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Industry
Tourism
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Average Salary in India
₹52459
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Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
A career as Station Master is suitable for everyone whether a person is male, female, or belongs to any other gender. There is no gender-based hindrance in the career. A Station Master's career is dominated by the male population.
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Any special needs
Yes
A career as Station Master is not suitable for candidates with special needs. The career demands frequent movement. Candidates with physical disabilities are not efficient to perform well in this career. A Station Master is required to possess a distant vision of 6/9, 6/9 without glasses and near vision must be Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses. He or she must pass color vision, binocular vision, night vision, and myopic vision tests.
Table of Contents for Station Master
What is the role of Station Master?
A career as Station Master is a professional who is responsible for the discharge of duties. He or she is responsible for overseeing signals, point gates of level crossings, and the whole machinery of systems. A Station Master's work responsibilities involve the inspection of cabins, signals, lamps, level crossing gates, weighing machines, goods, and station yard, and vehicles standing therein. On large stations where inspection is not practicable every day, he or she is responsible for frequently inspecting once a week. There is no person other than the Railway Station Master who can give a line of clearance to proceed.
Maintenance
The role of Station Master is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the station and its maintenance. He or she supervises the station and installed machines and other equipment there and conducts a quality check.
Ensuring safety
The Station Master job description includes ensuring that the passenger amenity is fit and fine at his or her station. He or she is responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers at his or her station while boarding or deboarding trains.
Operating Signals
A Station Master work involves operating signals at the right time as per the schedule of trains and ensuring all the functions are as per the rules and regulations of Indian Railways.
Help Passengers
The work of station master is to provide help to passengers in all possible ways. In case of any emergencies or accidents, a Station Master is required to play the role of manager at his station and take care of rescue operations.
What is the workplace/work environment of Station Master like?
The Railway Station Master is the most desirable position in the Indian Railways. Numerous aspirants appear in the examination conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board for the appointment of a Station Master. A Station Master is a managerial position. He or she is responsible for ensuring the operations of the railway station as per compliance with the railways' rules and regulations. He or she is required to inspect the railway station, supervise the employees working in that station and ensure the maintenance of passengers' itineraries and their safety during boarding or deboarding trains.
Does Station Master require travelling?
Likely
A Station Master does not require to travel on a regular basis in urban cities. He or she is in charge of a particular railway station and in rural areas. A career as station master is in charge of a number of stations in a local branch line. While supervising a number of stations, he or she is likely to travel from one station to another on a daily basis.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
A Railway Station Master works on a full-time basis. Work from home, on-call, hourly-basis, or part-time work is not provided in the career as Station Master. A Railway Station Master does not work a certain shift. He or she is required to work on rotational shifts. A Railway Station Master is required to work on weekends, holidays, and shifts. Night allowance and overtime allowance are provided to them depending on their work shifts and hours.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
A Station Master is employed on a permanent basis by the Railway Recruitment Board. He or she gets progresses in the career with experience in the industry.
Work Place
Railway Station
A Railway Station Master performs his or her work responsibilities in the Railway Station and its platform.
Presence in Geographical Area
Rural, Semi-urban, Urban
A Railway Station Master is employed by the Railway Recruitment Board. He or she is assigned to the Railway Station of the location or nearby location where he or she resides.
Time Pressure
Likely
A Railway Station Master is required to perform under frequent time pressure. He or she is responsible for operating signals at railway stations and ensuring the scheduled arrival and departure of trains from his or her assigned railway station.
Overtime Details
A Station Master in Railway may often be required to work extended hours and overtime. He or she is provided with overtime allowance for working extended hours than the usual working official hours.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 48 Hours
The official railway station master working hours are 48 hours. On several occasions, a Station Master duty time may extend for a few hours. He or she is provided with overtime allowance for extended working hours.
How to become a Station Master?
Steps to become a Station Master
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Station Master?
Aspirants who want to become Station Masters are required to possess several skill sets to perform everyday work responsibilities. We have provided below a list of Station Master skills.
Organising Skills: A station master requires to stay organized. He or she is required to oversee numerous operations and perform various tasks to ensure the efficient functioning of the station master.
Managerial Skills: One of the skills that are required for a Station Master is Managerial Skills which require him or her to be responsible for employees working in the railway station and maintaining the passenger amenities and their safety.
Supervisory Skills: Inspection of the railway station, cabins, level crossing gates and weighing machines, and station yard vehicles are s He or she has to ensure operations of the railway station as per the rules and regulations of Indian Railways.
Time Management Skills: A Station Master's work responsibilities include ensuring the scheduled arrival and departure of the train to and from the railway station. He or she is responsible for operating signals on time.
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Station Master?
A Station Master is a government service. In India, lakhs of aspirants wait to appear in the examination conducted by RRB to get government service as it is associated with alluring perks and perception of job security. It is considered one of the reputed jobs in railways. Therefore, it is a competitive job role. Candidates are required to qualify for the examination conducted by RRB for the Station Master appointment. Selected candidates undergo a training of 78 days.
Internship Availability
After successful selection for the role of station master, candidates are required to undergo a station master training period of 78 days. Earlier the training period was 2 years with a bond of 5 years. The initial grade pay during training is Rs. 2800 and after completion of training, it is Rs. 4200.
Career Path Progression for Station Master
We have listed below the details of types of a Station Master and the careers related to them.
Station Master: A Station Master is a railway personnel who acts as the manager of a railway station and manages the employee working in the station and ensures everyone’s safety there. He or she inspects cabins, signals, level crossing gates, lamps, weighing machines, station yards, goods, and vehicles at least once a day.
Station Superintendent: A Station Superintendent supervises Coach Attendants, Conductors, TTEs, and amenities staff such as ELECTRIC C&W, Safaiwallas, Air Conditioning Staff, Catering Staff, and other on-duty staff on the same train.
Assistant Operations Manager: An Assistant Operations Manager is responsible for fulfilling the role of Operations Manager in his or her absence. He or she performs hands-on operations and handles administrative responsibilities.
Divisional Operations Manager: A Divisional Operations Manager is responsible for closely monitoring the supply of essential equipment, Green Notices, Engineer’s works, and Over Hauling works. He or she maintains liaison with adjoining Divisions and HQrs.
Station Master Jobs and Salaries
Station Master
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 50446
Job Description
A Station Master is responsible for overseeing the arrival and departure of trains. He or she looks after passenger amenities to ensure a smooth journey of passengers. A Station Master acts as the Point of Contact for all necessary operations.
Salary Description
The basic pay of a station master is Rs. 35400. He or she is also provided with Grade Pay, Dearness Allowance, Travel Allowance, and HRA. The Dearness Allowance is 17 percent of the basic pay while HRA varies depending on the location.
Station Superintendent
- Average Salary 54472
Job Description
A Station Superintendent is a professional responsible for the general upkeep of the station. He or she ensures timely updation of operating literature such as pamphlets, gazettes, and circulars. A Station Superintendent ensures the safety of the staff working under him or her and explains to them their roles and responsibilities.
Salary Description
The Station Superintendent salary in India is Rs. 65,195 per month and the lowest salary is Rs. 41979 per month.
What is the job outlook for Station Master?
A Station Master is a government service. In India, lakhs of aspirants wait to appear in the examination conducted by RRB to get government service as it is associated with alluring perks and perception of job security. Station Master jobs are considered one of the reputed jobs in railways. Therefore, it is a competitive job role. Candidates are required to qualify for the examination conducted by RRB for the Station Master appointment. Selected candidates undergo a training of 78 days.
Frequently Asked Questions for Station Master
Que. What is the average salary of the Station Master?
Ans.The average salary of the Station Master is Rs. 560,404 per annum, according to Glassdoor.com.
Que. What is the minimum required qualification to become a Station Master?
Ans.The minimum required qualification to become a Station Master is successful completion of a bachelor’s degree programme.
Que. Who recruits Station Master?
Ans.Railway Recruitment Board recruits Station Master.
Que. What is the pay scale of Station Master?
Ans.The Station Master salary comes under 6 pay scales.
Que. What is the Grade Pay of a Station Master after training ?
Ans.The Grade Pay of Station Master after training is Rs. 42,00 per month.
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Did you know?
Fact 1
Indian Railways own the largest railways network operated by a single government with a total length of 127,760 kms
Fact 2
The longest railway platform is located at Kharagpur with a length of 2733 feet
Fact 3
UNESCO’ World Heritage site list includes two historical railway elements- the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Indian Mountain Railways
Fact 4
Indian Railways owns five luxury trains
Fact 5
The longest run by Indian Railways is covered by Vivek Express from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari with a distance of 4273 km
