Passengers undertaking journeys that extend across dozens of hours can expect significantly cleaner compartments and sanitary facilities throughout their travel. Indian Railways has rolled out an intensive hygiene and maintenance mechanism aimed specifically at long-haul services taking more than 40 hours to complete their itineraries. The objective is to sustain clean conditions right up to the final destination through end-to-end operational monitoring.
Expanding the Scope of Onboard Housekeeping
Sustaining hygiene across multi-day train travel has often posed challenges, especially inside washrooms and vestibule areas. To resolve this, authorities have tightened the execution of the On-Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS). Dedicated onboard teams are tasked with round-the-clock upkeep of passenger compartments, sanitisation of lavatories, handling urgent minor repair issues, and ensuring proper functioning of bio-toilets.
Key Routes Exceeding the 40-Hour Mark
A notable cluster of long-haul trains operating from or crossing through the East Central Railway network fall into this multi-day travel category. The services covered under these stringent cleanliness parameters include the Avadh Assam Express (15909/10), Ahmedabad-Saharsa-Ahmedabad Express (19483/84), Danapur-SMVB Bengaluru-Danapur Express (22365/66), Pune-Supaul-Pune Express (11401/02), Amrapali Express (15707/08), Rajgir-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Rajgir Express (13201/02), and the Saharsa-Amritsar-Saharsa Garib Rath Express (12203/04).
Primary technical maintenance for two of these services, namely the Rajgir-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express and the Danapur-SMVB Bengaluru Express, rests directly with East Central Railway. The remaining trains receive primary upkeep from other railway zones. However, cross-zone operations will not exempt trains from rigorous oversight; specialised cleaning protocols will be enforced at designated Clean Train Stations located at Barauni and DDU (Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction). At present, East Central Railway manages the primary maintenance of 159 train rakes, with OBHS currently functioning across 81 operational services.
Scheduled Two-Hour Garbage Collection and Bio-Toilet Inspections
A key operational shift involves a structured waste handling timeline, mandating that staff collect rubbish through the coaches every two hours. The collected refuse will not be discarded along the tracks; it must be unloaded strictly at designated waste disposal facilities and CTS points located along the corridor for regulated disposal.
Furthermore, technical scrutiny of bio-toilets will occur both at the originating base depots and at pre-identified en-route stations. Depot heads and supervisory staff have been instructed to monitor passenger grievances in real time and ensure immediate corrective action, reinforced through mandatory weekly hygiene review assessments.
