If you’ve ever spent two nights on a train, you know the pattern. The coach is spotless at the starting station, but by the second day the toilets are struggling and the floor needs attention. Indian Railways now says it wants to fix that.
What’s happening
Indian Railways has picked 11 long-distance trains with journeys of more than 40 hours for enhanced cleanliness monitoring, so that coaches, toilets and onboard services stay in good shape through the whole trip, not just at the originating station. A Railway Board letter dated October 3 tells zonal railways to monitor these trains closely en route, with maintenance supervisors and Coaching Depot Officers (CDOs) made responsible.
Why long journeys need special attention
The Board’s own reasoning is simple. Because these trains stay on the move for so long, problems with housekeeping, toilets, waste management and minor coach amenities hurt the passenger experience if they aren’t dealt with quickly. Some of these runs are enormous. The Vivek Express between Dibrugarh and Kanniyakumari covers 4,158 km with a turnaround time of 170 hours.
The trains on the list
Reports name the following services: Vivek Express, Awadh Assam Express, Rani Kamalapati–Agartala Express, Ahmedabad–Saharsa Express, Danapur–SMVT Bengaluru Superfast, Pune–Supaul Express, Amrapali Express, Jhelum Express, Rajgir–Mumbai LTT Janta Express, Howrah–Islampur Express and Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath.
What passengers can expect
- Time-stamped photographic inspections, garbage collection every two hours, and en-route repairs.
- Small repairs that come up mid-journey will be handled at designated points, and bio-toilets will be checked at maintenance depots and en-route locations.
- Zonal officers have been asked to review cleanliness status, passenger complaints and how they were resolved on a weekly basis.
- Divisional railway managers (DRMs) are to take responsibility for how their divisions’ long-distance trains perform.
Why it matters
For millions of travellers, especially on the eastern and northeastern routes, these trains are a lifeline, and a two-day journey in poor conditions is a real hardship. Ownership by specific depots and officers, photo evidence, and weekly review of complaints are what could make this different from earlier cleanliness drives. The real test will be whether the standards hold on day two and day three.
What you can do as a passenger
If you’re travelling on one of these trains, report any lapse through the Railways’ official complaint channels (the Rail Madad app or the 139 helpline). Complaints now feed into the weekly reviews, so they carry more weight than before.