The Railways is learnt to have tasked officials in the Research Designs & Standards Organisation and coach production units with the mission of developing new design coaches that will be faster, reliable and comfortable to the passengers.
With complaints pouring in on poor maintenance of toilets, water scarcity and jerk/vibration on trains, including the new design Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) rakes, researchers and engineers have been told to develop new design coaches that can run at higher speed for longer duration at a lower maintenance cost.
These decisions were taken at a high-level meeting of top railway officials from all zones and production units held in Guwahati last week. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai manufactures the LHB coaches which are facing complaints of jerks and vibration while in motion.
According to a senior railway official, the Member (Rolling Stock) was of the view that the upkeep and cleanliness was an area of concern. Though the railway was spending ₹2,300 crore annually on cleaning activities, complaints on bad toilet maintenance were pouring in from every sector.
“We should aim to get higher value for this investment. If we create an infrastructure which is easily cleanable, less money will be spent on its cleanliness…toilets of good standards must be there in our trains. If the condition of toilets improves, 60% of the complaints on the cleanliness front will be reduced,” he quoted the official as saying.
Senior officials of the Railway Board also expressed concern over complaints relating to cleanliness, amenities, safety and riding comfort. Admitting to frequent complaints from passengers on stinking toilets, the officials sought to address the issue on priority. Jerks and vibration from LHB and conventional design coaches had to be resolved at the earliest. It was felt that there was a need to spruce up the coaches with colourful paintings on the outside and ensure clean internal ambience.
The Railways is set to install CCTV cameras, LED/LCD destination boards and fire/smoke detection gadgets on trains. To address complaints of water scarcity in trains and at railway stations, sufficient funds would be allocated for quick watering arrangements.
On the freight side, focus would be on providing better quality wagons and special commodity coaches for enhanced loading and higher speed potential.
