OREANDA-NEWS. December 2, 2011. Indian Railways always endeavour to improve upon the standards of maintenance of the coaches and cleanliness and hygiene in coaches and stations. For improving upon the standards of cleanliness in coaches, schemes like Intensive mechanized cleaning; On Board House-Keeping Service (OBHS) and cleaning attention to trains during their stoppage at “Clean Train Stations” etc. have also been launched. Indian Railways have also planned multi-pronged action by synergizing technology, education of users and provision of better mechanized equipments to improve upon the standards of cleanliness at stations.

Indian Railways continuously endeavour to make travelling more convenient for passengers. Actions taken in this direction in the recent past are:

o Cushioned seats/berths, fluorescent lights, fans and toilet & washbasins facilities etc. in mainline coaches.

o Mirrors, snack tables, magazine bags, water bottle holders, coach hooks, small luggage racks, luggage securing arrangements, mobile/laptop charging sockets etc. in reserved coaches.

o Curtains for aisles/windows, berth reading lights, dustbins etc. in AC coaches. Attachment of coaches including general class coaches in trains is an ongoing process on Indian Railways and is done keeping in view the traffic pattern of different class of passengers, operational feasibility, commercial viability and availability of resources. Besides, additional general class coaches are also attached in various trains on regular basis to clear rush of general class passengers.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.