The Railways has decided to build 100 additional barracks at key locations to depute Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel. The decision comes following a crucial meeting between Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani and RPF Director-General Dharmendra Kumar on the safety and security issues of passengers and rail properties. 

DG RPF mentioned about non-availability of barracks and said it was essential for the secure and safe operations of railways. He requested barracks be built on priority. Lohani has now directed the zonal railways to identify locations and take immediate steps to ensure availability of barracks.  "In fact, a need for 100 additional barracks for the RPF personnel was highlighted by the RPF DG. In phase one, 10 locations have been short-listed for expeditious construction of the barracks," said a senior rail official.

There are 744 barracks in the country for residential facilities of RPF and RPSF personnel while 740 posts and 527 outposts of the RPF across the railway network. The barracks are usually built near railway stations for easy access to them.

The 10 barracks include one each near station premises in West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri and Kolkata Terminal in Sealdah, Kishanganj in Delhi, Raipur in Chattisgarh and Rayagada in Odisha. There would be two barracks each in Danapur, one for women personnel, and Lumding in Assam.

The railways board had said that basic amenities like drinking water, toilets and vehicles for the railways' security personnel, both at their barracks and work, should be improved as it had been pending for decades.

The RPF is a security force of India entrusted with protecting railway passengers, passenger area and railway property of the Indian Railways. It also has the responsibility of escorting passenger trains in vulnerable areas.