Railway to conduct surveys on cleanliness in trains

New Delhi, Feb 22: Passengers can judge the cleanliness maintained in popular trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto and certain major stations listed in the official order of Indian Railway.

The Indian Railway is also planning to conduct surveys at more than 400 railway stations, selected under the criteria of the number of people plying in to the station.

This latest decision is focusing on the hygiene maintained in the train, stations and its premises.

Along with this, a central control room would be set up, to where passengers could sent photos or complaints related to cleanliness in trains and stations, according to a senior Railway Ministry official.

These trains would be audited on the basis of the passenger’s feedback. House keeping services, quality of linen supplied in the train, cleanliness of toilets, waste disposal and even pest control.

A ranking system would also be implemented for trains and stations, on the basis of the feedback and survey results. By this venture, the Indian Railway aims at making passengers aware and involve in maintenance of a hygienic atmosphere in trains as well as in railway stations. This would also help the staff to be focussed on the importance of keeping the premises clean and odor-free.

Services of all Jan Shatabdi, Samparkkranti and inter-city trains will be included in the survey, apart from the premier ones.

Earlier in 2006, the Indian railway has conducted surveys with the help of a professional market research agency engaged by IRCTC, to asses cleanliness in the trains and stations.

Based on the recommendations for improving cleanliness standards at major stations, the Railways had issued guidelines to all zones in July 2016. It also directs to undertake focused actions in relevant areas, to achieve notable improvement.

For conducting the survey, it is decided to have a sample size of 50 for premium trains and 30 per journey for other trains.