The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Southern Railway Zone is poised to increase its manpower strength with a fresh batch of constable recruits undergoing training at Tiruchi.

The comprehensive 12-month-long training for a total number of 258 male constable recruits began last month at RPF Zonal Training Centre, Khajamalai, Tiruchi, which is the lone training establishment in the entire Southern Railway Zone.

This is the 84th batch of RPF constable recruits to undergo extensive training that began on July 1 at the zonal training centre to make them physically fit and professionally competent to effectively discharge their security-related duties and responsibilities in the railway system.

The training module consists of both outdoor and indoor components. The outdoor training focuses on physical fitness, endurance and operational preparedness through exercises, drill, handling different types of weapons such as Self Loading Rifle, INSAS rifle, AK-47 assault rifle, Carbine and pistol and on obstacles.

The indoor training covers a host of subjects such as crimes, their prevention, relevant laws and rules connected with their day-to-day functioning, railway working systems, roles and responsibilities of the RPF, said officials here.

A separate team of instructors of the RPF has been imparting theoretical and practical training to the recruits at the training centre, which also conducts refresher and orientation courses on various subjects, including bomb detection and disposal and Improvised Explosive Devices, to RPF Constables, Head Constables and Sub Inspectors serving in the Southern Railway Zone and other Zones.

The Southern Railway Zone consists of six railway divisions: Chennai, Tiruchi, Salem, Madurai, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. Protecting and safeguarding railway passengers, railway property and passenger area in order to boost the confidence of the travelers and escorting passenger trains are the main roles of the RPF.

As part of their ongoing training, the recruits will also undergo field visits and practical training at different railway stations and other operational locations to gain first-hand experience of railway security, passenger security, crime prevention and day-to-day RPF duties.

The combination of classroom instructions, physical training and practical field exposure is primarily intended to provide the recruits with a comprehensive understanding of their duties and preparing them for the challenges on the field, the authorities said.

Upon successful completion of their training, they would be posted at various locations within Southern Railway covering Tamil Nadu and Kerala where they would provide security at railway premises, passenger areas and railway property besides being deployed for train escort duties.

“The completion of their training and their deployment in various railway divisions falling under Southern Railway will increase the existing manpower strength of the RPF at the field-level”, a senior official said.

Some women recruits who are undergoing training at the RPF Training Centre at Valsad in Gujarat will also be deployed in Southern Railway after their successful completion.

Published - August 12, 2026 06:02 pm IST