Indian Railways’ Resolves To Ensure Continuous Cleaning of Trains

As part of Indian Railways’ resolve to undertake “52 reforms in 52 weeks” in 2026, the first one will ensure proper end-to-end cleaning of trains, especially long-distance trains.

India’s Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated that under the existing mechanism, cleaning was largely limited to reserved coaches and that, for the first time in railway history, cleaning of general coaches has been fully integrated into the system.

He explained that the earlier “Clean Train Station” concept, which provided thorough cleaning at limited stations, is now being replaced with a continuous cleaning model from the train’s origin to its destination.

Toilets, garbage bins, cabin interiors, water availability, and minor electrical or mechanical defects, such as lights going out, will be addressed throughout the journey to ensure passengers experience a significantly improved travel environment.

Mr Vaishnaw stated that Clean Train Station reform was designed to improve the customer travel experience. In consultation with Zonal Railways, approximately four to five trains per zone, primarily long-distance and high footfall trains, have been identified for rollout over the next six months.

A total of 80 trains have already been identified across zones in the first phase, and over three years, the reform will be implemented across all trains of Indian Railways.

The selection of trains has been made at the managerial level, based on field inputs and operational criteria. Continuous toilet cleaning, garbage removal, cabinetry cleaning, linen handling and related services will be ensured.

The Minister elaborated that a fully technology-enabled professional team will be hired under clearly defined Service Level Agreements specifying cleaning frequency, with higher frequency during peak hours and lower frequency during non-peak hours.

He further stated that the linen distribution, linen collection, and cleaning functions, which were earlier distributed among separate agencies, will now be integrated and awarded to a single agency.

At designated stations, staff deployed in reserved coaches will move into general coaches to ensure cleaning standards equivalent to those of reserved coaches.

He described this as a significant change in the history of Railways and stated that, for the first time, substantial attention is being paid to the general cleanliness of coaches.

The reform includes the creation of war room control centres where AI-generated images of cleaning activities will be monitored and analysed. An AI-based assessment will verify whether cleaning has been properly done, and if not, strict action will follow.

Route-specific teams will be formed after a detailed study by Railway Board officials, drawing on extensive operational experience.

These teams will include multi-tasking personnel capable of addressing minor mechanical and electrical repairs, as well as cleaning, thereby providing integrated on-board service delivery.

The clean train station initiative is the first reform under “52 reforms in 52 weeks” approved by Indian Railways, and its implementation will commence immediately.

The second reform focuses on developing additional Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals. Introduced in 2022, the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal (GCT) Policy significantly simplified the cargo terminal approval process. 

Mr Vaishnaw stated that with this reform, the existing 124 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals are expected to increase to more than 500 in the next five years.