Indian Railways: CAG audit finds E. coli in drinking water at stations, major gaps in passenger amenities

What was meant to be a routine drink of water for passengers at several key railway stations across the country carried a hidden, dangerous risk. A comprehensive audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria — a pathogen responsible for severe food poisoning, diarrhoea, and kidney failure — in water samples collected directly from station water coolers.

The contamination was detected during a sweeping evaluation of passenger facilities across 512 non-suburban grade (NSG) railway stations, spanning every zone of the Indian Railways. Laboratory testing of water cooler samples returned positive results for E. coli across four major railway zones.

"Water sample from water cooler was positive for E.coli at two stations (Coimbatore and Palakkad Junctions) in SR (Southern Railway), one station (Hyderabad) in SCR (South Central Railway), four stations (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala) in CR (Central Railway) and one station (Madhupur) in ER (Eastern Railway)," the report stated.

The audit's findings extend beyond water contamination, shedding light on systemic deficits in basic passenger infrastructure. Of the 512 stations evaluated, 458 — over 89 percent — failed to meet the mandatory Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA) criteria. Facilities at these locations were either missing entirely or fell significantly below established standards.

The non-compliance comes despite clear mandates established years prior. "In April 2018, RB (Railway Board) issued comprehensive instructions prescribing Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA), Recommended Amenities (RA) and Desirable Amenities (DA) for stations categorised as NSG 1 to NSG 6. RB stipulated that MEAs were to be ensured at all stations by 31 August 2018," the report highlighted.

The Railway Board guidelines had explicitly ordered that foundational facilities be prioritized across every category without exception.

"RB's instructions (April 2018) mandated that MEAs be provided first at all stations, irrespective of category. These include drinking water, waiting halls, seating arrangements, platform shelters, urinals, latrines, high-level platforms, fans, Foot Over Bridges (FOBs), dustbins, clocks and public address systems," the report added.

The scale of the network highlights the vast footprint of these lapses. Indian Railways operates 5,908 stations under the Non-Suburban Group (NSG), running over 7,424 non-suburban passenger trains daily and transporting 292.4 crore non-suburban passengers in 2023-24 alone.

Even top-tier NSG-1 stations handling massive daily footfalls — including New Delhi, Mumbai Central, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Howrah, and Sealdah — exhibited notable deficiencies. Audit teams recorded shortfalls in essential seating, sanitary facilities like latrines and urinals, waste bins, and electronic train indicator boards.

A detailed review of the Passenger Amenities Management System further underscored network-wide shortfalls, documenting inadequate latrines at 201 stations, missing or insufficient urinals at 403 stations, and missing water taps at 2,035 stations.

In light of the findings, the CAG issued direct corrective instructions, urging the Railways to "ensure compliance with prescribed protocols for inspection of water supply systems and comprehensive testing of drinking water quality, including all parameters under the Uniform Drinking Water Quality Protocol."