The 8 th Pay Commission kicked off another round of talks with employee and pensioner groups along with other stakeholders in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, today (July 6, 2026). During its two-day visit in the capital of Odisha, the commission will tackle topics like salary, pension, working conditions and allowances. Just last month, the Commission completed its discussions in Lucknow. Next up, they will be heading to Kolkata, West Bengal, for more talks on July 9 and 10, 2026.
8th CPC likely to visit Railway employees’ working conditions before salary revision
The 8 th CPC is expected to check out the working conditions of railway employees before any salary adjustments. In a letter dated July 2, 2026, the Railway Board informed the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) and All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), that the 8 th Pay Commission wants to see the Indian Railways in action and understand all the operations and maintenance involved in rail traffic.
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The exact location of the 8 th Pay Commission’s visit hasn’t been finalized yet. However, the Railway board has suggested that the visit could take place in Mumbai (CSMT/Central Railway), where they can showcase various aspects of train operations and maintenance.
Why 8th Pay Commission wants to inspect Railway operations and activities
During the inspection, the 8 th Pay Commission plans to get a first-hand look at the railway jobs to grasp the risks, hardships, and complexities involved in different railway operations and diverse tasks carried out by different departments.
A firsthand experience will help the 8 th Pay Commission understand how to adjust the salaries of these employees during the salary revision.
Which railway operations has the 8th Pay Commission proposed to visit?
According to the letter from the Railway board, the 8 th Pay Commission is set to observe the operations and activities conducted by different employees. The operations they plan to visit include:
- Track maintenance activities by track maintainers, particularly that of the keymen and patrolmen with special focus on the physical hardships faced by them and the high risk of death and grievous injuries in course of duty.
- Activities of technicians and related categories of P way, bridge, S&T and electrical departments.
- Duties and activities of pointsmen.
- Signal maintenance activities.
- Bridge inspection activities.
- Footplate inspection in a high speed corridor to understand the working of running staff and the high pressure faced by them during train operations.
- Visit the control room to observe the working of controllers.
- Station operations including the regulation of train movement, shunting, crowd management, sanitation and commercial activities.
- Visit to a workshop for showcasing the arduous maintenance activities and the innovations by Railway engineers in the field.
- Presentation regarding management of trains and crowd during the recently concluded Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj.
- Track maintenance and train operations in the Ghat section.
IRTSA demands inclusion of more operations during 8th Pay Commission’s visit
Indian Railway Technical Supervisors’ Association (IRTSA), which represents the technical staff of the Railways in India, has asked the Railway board to expand the inspection scope during the 8 th Pay Commission’s visit.
In a letter dated, July 4, 2026, IRTSA, urged the Railway board to consider including certain vital and highly specialised activities, that are essential for the safe and efficient functioning of Railways, in the 8 th CPC’s agenda.
According to IRTSA, these tasks involve advanced technology, round-the-clock maintenance, high safety responsibilities and considerable occupational hazards.
IRTSA is pushing the Railway board to add these activities to the agenda for the 8 th Pay Commission’s visit.
1) Electrical department
a) Activities involving TRD/OHE maintenance.
b) Maintenance of electric locomotives.
c) Maintenance of EMU suburban trains.
2) Mechanical open line
a) Coaching depot: Pit line inspection, IOH, interior maintenance particularly related to passenger amenities.
b) Wagon maintenance depot: ROH, sick line & rake examination.
3) Production units of Indian Railways
“A comprehensive exposure to the above activities will provide the Commission with a balanced understanding of the diverse nature of Railway operations, the technological advancements achieved by Indian Railways, and the high degree of skill, responsibility, risk and hardship borne by rail engineers and other employees,” says IRTSA in its letter.
