CHENNAI: The Southern Railway has got the least number of complaints about cleanliness compared to other railway zones. An analysis of the Indian Railways’ Complaints Portal COMS (Complaints Management Systems) has indicated that the Southern Railway has fared well in addressing and redressing cleanliness-related complaints from passengers.
Among the zones, the Southern Railway has stood first in the reduction of complaints pertaining to maintenance of coaches and supply of quality linen in the current financial year compared to 2016-17, said an official statement. Significantly, it is in the top slot for reduction of complaints relating to cleanliness at stations.
Cleanliness of trains is accorded utmost priority with onboard housekeeping services (OBHS) provided in 85 trains handled by the Southern Railway. All OBHS trains are covered under “clean our coach” service with average response time of less than 30 minutes.
Train care centres at Basin Bridge and Ernakulam undertake cleaning of 43 coaches every day. For pest and rodent control, contracts have been awarded for all trains in all divisions of the Southern Railway.
The clean train station (CTS) project is fully functional at Shoranur station where 358 coaches are attended per day on an average while the CTS at Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore and Mangalore Junction railway stations caters for 578 coaches every day.
High-pressure jet cleaning systems have been installed in 51 platforms and 27 pit lines. This has helped in better cleaning of toilets on the platform and pit lines. The system has also helped in better cleaning at doorways and gangways and has also resulted in saving of water, said the statement.