The Southern Railway is acting on suggestions it has been receiving from passengers on improving cleanliness in long-distance trains halting at Erode station.
Suggestions are being elicited from 10 passengers every day through feedback forms as part of the drive that follows the selection last month of Erode station under Clean Train Station (CTS) scheme, a novel concept introduced in 2002 by the Indian Railways at select stations of zonal railways for enhancing passenger comfort and keeping the passenger areas clean and hygienic.
Based on the suggestions, the employees engaged in cleaning work were being provided with counselling on handling passengers courteously.
An additional thrust has been accorded for cleaning up the toilets well.
The cleaning works are being monitored by a Senior Section Engineer of the Carriage and Wagon wing, an official said. Under the CTS, all passenger trains that run for more than four hours before reaching Erode, especially the long distance trains, are covered.
Spick and span
The concept involves thorough housekeeping of coaches, including cleaning of toilets, door way area with high pressure jet and disinfecting of toilets; floor drying with wet and dry vacuum cleaner and general wiping of all toilet fittings; sweeping / mopping of aisle area inside the coach with disinfecting agent; removal of waste from coaches; spraying of deodorant / room sprayer in all coaches; wiping of platform side windows of AC coaches; and disposal of collected waste.
G.V. Venkatesan, Public Relations Officer, Salem Division, said that on an average, cleaning works are carried out from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in 41 trains with 251 coaches every day.
