Indian Railways is intensifying cleanliness checks on 11 trains with journey times of more than 40 hours, requiring staff to photograph coaches and toilets at the originating station, destination and specified inspection points along the route. The plan is intended to improve monitoring of hygiene, maintenance and passenger complaints during long journeys.
The Railway Board has selected the trains under an initiative that places greater responsibility on the depots handling them. Zonal railway officials will review passenger complaints and the action taken on them every week, while the performance of on-board housekeeping agencies will be assessed using complaints filed through Rail Madad, the Railways’ official digital platform.
The trains covered by the plan are Jhelum Express, Pune-Saharsa Express, Amritsar Garib Rath Express, Avadh Assam Express, Howrah-Yesvantpur Express, Vivek Express, Danapur-SMVT Bengaluru Express, Amrapali Express, Ahmedabad-Saharsa Express, Rajgir-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express and RKMP-Agartala Express.
Under the monitoring arrangement, time-stamped photographs will be taken at key points during each journey. The images are intended to provide a record of the condition of coaches and toilets, allowing railway officials to track whether cleaning and maintenance standards are being sustained between the starting point and the destination.
A senior official cited in the report said on-board housekeeping staff would be trained to carry out small repairs. Dedicated teams comprising plumbers, electrical staff and other maintenance personnel may also be deployed en route to address problems more quickly. Cleaning at designated Clean Train Station points will receive particular attention, while divisions have been asked to ensure adequate manpower, equipment and consumables.
The Clean Train Station scheme is operational at 63 stations and covers 2,800 trains. At these stations, cleaning teams use scheduled halts to clean coach toilets and washbasins and remove garbage from dustbins inside trains. Indian Railways also provides on-board housekeeping services on 1,450 pairs of identified long-distance trains.
The new checks form part of a wider railway effort to manage waste generated at stations and on trains. Stations have been equipped with twin dustbins for waste collection and segregation, while waste produced during journeys is gathered at designated waste-handling stations at regular intervals. These facilities coordinate with urban local bodies and municipal authorities for disposal.
Indian Railways has also installed waste-processing facilities at some stations, including biogas and composting plants and plastic bottle-crushing machines. A Standard Operating Procedure for solid waste management covers railway stations, trains, colonies, hospitals, workshops, production units and other establishments. The guidelines set out procedures for segregation, collection, transportation, processing and disposal, as well as monitoring responsibilities.
Zonal railways have begun identifying units classified as bulk waste generators under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. An “As-is Waste Characterization and Quantification Study” has also been planned to assess the volume and composition of waste generated across railway establishments and trains. Nodal officers and Environment & Housekeeping Management departments at divisional, zonal and Railway Board levels will oversee plans, audits and compliance reporting.
