CHENNAI : From March onwards, rail travel from Chennai to Tirupati, Jolarpettai and Nellore by local trains, is set to get better with the Railways having begun fitting bio-toilets in Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) rakes recently. To begin with, six coaches of Chennai - Arakkonam MEMU local and one coach at the centre of seven MEMU rakes, has been fitted with the toilets two weeks ago. The MEMU rake of Chennai - Arakkonam local, is run as an Express train between Arakkonam and Jolarpettai.
According to official sources, the Avadi MEMU coach maintenance shed holds 11 MEMU rakes each, comprising of two motor coaches and six trailer coaches. The official said,”Bids have been invited to install bio-toilets in 66 trailer coaches of MEMU rakes maintained at Avadi shed. Each trailer coach will be provided with two toilets. Works to clean the toilets also will be outsourced,” said a senior Railways official from the Mechanical wing.
Though it has been a month since toilets have been installed in select rakes, many are yet to be thrown open for public and often remain closed owing to issues in water filling and lack of infrastructure facility in cleaning the toilets. “We have just begun to create dedicated water filling points for bio-toilets at Arakkonam, Katpadi, Vellore and Tirupati. We expect the works to get completed by March next year,” added a Railways official.
On right track
Avadi car shed holds 11 MEMU rakes
Chennai - Arakkonam MEMU rake fitted with toilets recently
A rake comprises 6 trailer coaches and two motor coaches
Railway to install toilets in 66 coaches
Each trailer coach to get two toilets
Each MEMU rake runs three to five services a day, covering a distance of 350 to 400 km a day
The trains run in Chennai - Arakkonam, Arakkonam - Jolarpettai Express, Vellore Cantonment - Beach, Beach - Tirumalpur, Katpadi - Salem, Chennai - Tirupati, Tirupati - Nellore and Nellore - Chennai
Many newly fitted toilets yet to be thrown open to public due to issues in water filling and lack of infrastructure facility to clean the toilets