Southern Railway plans to introduce On-board housekeeping service in two more trains originating from Tiruchi railway division.
It is aimed at ensuring better upkeep of long distance trains even while they were on the move. The system is proposed to be introduced in the Chennai – Tiruchi – Chennai Cholan Express and Puducherry – Mangaluru – Puducherry (via Vriddhachalam) Express.
Railway sources told The Hindu that tenders would be floated shortly. An agency would be identified and entrusted with the task of executing the on-board housekeeping service in the two trains. While Cholan Express is a daily service, the Puducherry – Mangaluru train is a weekly service.
The sources said a team of caretakers would be deployed on board these trains to keep the reserved air-conditioned and non A/C coaches tidy by cleaning them at regular intervals. The caretakers would have necessary equipment to keep the coaches and toilets clean.
The Puducherry – Mangaluru express takes more than 15 hours to reach the destination, covering nearly 800 km.
The on-board service has been introduced in six trains originating from the Tiruchi division. Initially, it was put in place in Tiruchi – Howrah – Tiruchi Express and Chennai – Mangaluru – Chennai Express trains. Later it was extended to four more trains — Mannargudi – Bhagat Ki Kothi, Puducherry- Mangaluru (via Tiruchi), Villupuram – Kharagpur and Villupuram – Purulia services.
