Railway Board overhauls cleanliness standards for long-distance trains

Following repeated passenger complaints regarding poor upkeep, foul bio-toilets, and unhygienic coach conditions on long-distance routes, the Railway Board has stepped in with strict directives to overhaul cleanliness standards across the Indian Railways.

In a letter sent to all railway zones, the Railway Board directed focused, end-to-end monitoring measures for long-distance services, moving away from brief cleanups at originating stations to sustained upkeep throughout the journey. 

“As part of the first phase, 11 high-priority trains with journey times exceeding 40 hours have been identified for enhanced oversight,” a Railways official said. 

The initial list targets long-haul routes where journey times and high passenger turnaround lead to severe hygiene deterioration. These are the 22503/04 Vivek Express between Dibrugarh and Kanniyakumari, the 15909/10 Avadh Assam Express between Dibrugarh and Lalgarh, the 01665/66 RKMP-AGTL Express between Rani Kamalapati and Agartala, the 19483/84 ADI-SHC Express between Ahmedabad and Saharsa, the 22365/66 DNR-SMVB Superfast Express between Danapur and SMVT Bengaluru, the 11401/02 Pune-SOU Express between Pune and Supaul, the 15707/08 Amrapali Express between Katihar and Amritsar, the 11077/78 Jhelum Express between Pune and Jammu Tawi, the 13201/02 RGD-LTT Express between Rajgir and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, the 22831/32 HWH-YPR Superfast Express between Howrah and Yesvantpur, and the 12203/04 ASR Garib Rath Express between Amritsar and Saharsa.

Each of these trains covers a distance between 1,700 km and 4,158 km per trip.

In the letter, the Railway Board emphasised that deficiencies relating to housekeeping, toilets, waste management and minor coach amenities in these long-distance trains should be attended to promptly during the journey. 

Tracking complaints