Railways cracks down on 11 long-distance trains for cleanliness monitoring; details here

Indian Railways has identified 11 long-distance trains with journeys exceeding 40 hours for enhanced cleanliness monitoring, aiming to ensure hygienic coaches, functional toilets and better onboard services throughout the trip—not just at the originating station, PTI reported.

The list includes some of the country’s longest-running services, led by the Dibrugarh–Kanniyakumari Vivek Express. Others flagged for special attention are the Awadh–Assam Express, Rani Kamalapati–Agartala Express, Ahmedabad–Saharsa Express, Danapur–SMVT Bengaluru Superfast, Pune–Supaul Express, Amrapali Express, Jhelum Express, Rajgir–Mumbai LTT Janta Express, Howrah–Islampur Express and the Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath.

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What Railways wants fixed—and how

A Railway Board letter dated October 3 directs zonal railways to closely monitor these trains en route, with ownership assigned to maintenance supervisors and Coaching Depot Officers (CDOs). Maintenance supervisors and Coaching Depot Officers (CDOs) will take ownership of the identified trains, while officers at Zonal Railway level will review the cleanliness status on a weekly basis along with passenger complaints and their redressal, an official said.

Key Measures:-

• Focused cleaning: Cleaning will be carried out at designated Clean Train Station (CTS) points with adequate manpower, equipment and consumables.
• En-route repairs: Petty repairs will be carried out during the journey.
• Bio-toilet checks: Bio-toilets will be regularly inspected at depots and specified locations.
• OBHS monitoring: On-Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS) agencies will face stricter oversight.
• Garbage collection: Garbage will be collected every two hours and handed over at designated points.
• Photo monitoring: Time-stamped photographs of coaches and toilets will be taken at inspection points and at originating and destination stations to monitor cleanliness.

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Why this matters for passengers

By targeting trains that run for days, Railways hopes to prevent the typical drop in hygiene after the first major stop and keep amenities functional till the final destination. Zonal officers will also track passenger complaints and their resolution weekly, linking feedback to performance reviews of depots and housekeeping vendors.