In a much-needed move, the Railway Board on Tuesday directed focused measures to strengthen cleanliness, upkeep and serviceability of long-distance trains, particularly those remaining en route for extended durations, across all zones.
In a letter issued to all zones, the Railway Board, as part of the initiative, stated that 11 long-distance trains with journey durations exceeding 40 hours have been identified for enhanced monitoring, with particular emphasis on maintaining cleanliness and passenger amenities throughout their journeys.
The Railway Board has 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. The focus is on ensuring sustained cleanliness and serviceability from the originating station through to the destination, rather than limiting interventions to the beginning of the journey.
Prominent among the 11 long-distance trains identified for enhanced monitoring are 22503/04 Vivek Express – Dibrugarh-Kanniyakumari, which covers a distance of 4,158 km and has a turnaround time of 170 hours; 15909/10 Awadh Assam Express – Dibrugarh-Lalgarh, covering a distance of 3,117 km in 148 hours; 01665/66 RKMP-AGTL Express – Rani Kamalapati-Agartala, covering a journey of 2,490 km in 121 hours; 19483/84 ADI-SHC Express – Ahmedabad-Saharsa, covering a journey distance of 2,280 km in 115 hours; 22365/66 DNR-SMVB Superfast Express – Danapur-SMVT Bengaluru, covering a journey distance of 2,684 km in 105 hours; 11401/02 Pune-SOU Express – Pune-Supaul, covering a journey distance of 1,998 km in 103 hours; 15707/08 Amrapali Express – Katihar-Amritsar, covering a journey distance of 1,808 km in 95 hours; and 11077/78 Jhelum Express – Pune-Jammu Tawi, covering a journey distance of 2,173 km in 94 hours, besides others.
According to railway official sources, the identified trains will be closely monitored by their owning depots during the journey for cleanliness and upkeep.
"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", said an official.
He added that the performance of On-Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS) agencies would also be closely monitored. OBHS details available on the CMM portal have been integrated with Rail Madad, making complaints traceable and enabling assessment of agencies based on their performance.
The Zonal Railways have also been advised to define key performance indicators for depot supervisors and officers associated with these long-distance trains.
Sources said special attention would be given to Clean Train Station (CTS) points identified along the routes of these trains. "The concerned divisions will ensure adequate manpower, consumables and equipment at these locations, while the efficacy of work undertaken by CTS teams will remain the responsibility of the owning division", sources said.
Besides these measures, the initiative also provides for en-route petty repairs. OBHS staff will be trained to undertake small repairs, while CTS points will have arrangements for attending to minor maintenance requirements.
Dedicated teams, comprising plumbers, electrical personnel and other required maintenance staff, may be deployed at CTS points for prompt attention to deficiencies.
Information regarding deficiencies in a train will also be communicated to the concerned CTS point before its arrival, enabling timely intervention.
The bio-toilets in the identified trains will be thoroughly checked and attended to at the originating or base depot, as well as at identified en-route locations, to ensure their effective and trouble-free functioning throughout the journey.
Sources said that the OBHS scheme provides for garbage collection every two hours in all coaches, helping prevent garbage from being thrown on the track, including from General Seating and General Second Class coaches.
Sources also added that collected waste is to be handed over at nominated garbage disposal or CTS points for appropriate disposal, with the respective divisions responsible for proper management of disposal points.
To strengthen monitoring and accountability, time-stamped photographs of coaches and toilets will be taken at nominated en-route inspection points, as well as at originating and destination stations.
The photographic record will facilitate regular assessment of cleanliness and upkeep throughout the complete journey.
The Railway Board has also instructed that depots ensure the availability of spare rakes to undertake intensive cleaning whenever required, based on the condition of the rake. No rake is to be placed in service with deficiencies.
The enhanced OBHS framework places emphasis on passenger awareness and regular capacity building of housekeeping staff. OBHS personnel are to be regularly trained for their assigned tasks, as well as proper etiquette and behaviour while interacting with passengers.
The most important part of this initiative is that Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) will monitor and take ownership of the performance of long-distance trains within their respective divisions, with a focus on quality services for passengers.
The divisions, having nominated en-route inspection points, will ensure regular manning and inspection of the identified trains.
"And,recurring complaints and deficiencies will be analysed for their root causes, followed by suitable corrective action without delay. The objective is to ensure sustained cleanliness, serviceability and quality of passenger amenities throughout the journey rather than improvement only at the originating station", railway said in a statement.
It further added that the identified trains may appropriately be brought under the ambit of the New OBHS scheme, with further long-distance trains to be added subsequently.