Mumbai: Toilets in trains, an abiding pain-point for the Indian Railways and its passengers, is finally set to improve its hygiene levels with the Railways placing orders for machines that automatically dispense sanitised covers for toilet seats after every use by a passenger.
After successfully testing such a machine in the first-class AC coaches of the Rajdhani Express, operated by the Western Railway, and feedback received from passengers, orders have now been placed for 16 more machines capable of dispensing 200 biodegradable sheets in a single refill. The new machines ordered are expected to be installed in the Rajdhani, August Kranti and Shatabdi express trains operated by the Western Railway.
“Our on-board staff have received positive feedback from passengers who travelled on this particular coach. Passengers have all responded positively and favoured this step,” Mukul Jain, DRM, Western Railway, said. Mr. Jain credited Arun Singh, Senior Coaching Depot Officer, for having come up with the idea of installing the machine.
The Railways have regularly received complaints and suggestions from passengers about unhygienic toilets in trains. “One of our staff came to me and spoke about the machine which he saw in some mall. We liked the idea and decided to install it on our trains. We were surprised to see the overwhelming response from passengers in the coach where this machine is fitted. This has now motivated us to procure more such machines and put it up in some more trains,” an official said.
These machines will have 200 sheets stored, which will keep dispensing once the user presses a button at top of the toilet commode. The sheet is not reusable and will be part of waste after each use. There is a sensor attached to the machine to help detect the number of sheets used and will alert the railway staff when it is time for replacement.
