CR plans to start 14-minute Japanese cleaning method on 98 long-distance trains

The 98-odd trains are called ‘Platform Return’ where it terminates in Mumbai and within one to two hours, it again departs for its next destination, sources said, adding, “Usually, it takes 45 to 60 minutes to clean a long-distance train”

Mumbai: After the 14-minute Japanese technique of cleaning trains was successful in three Vande Bharat trains, the Central Railway (CR) plans to implement the same cleaning method on at least 98 long-distance trains, sources said on Sunday.

Pune, India - March 21, 2020: Railway employees cleaning the inside of compartments with disinfectants at Ghorapadi in Pune, India, on Saturday, March 21, 2020. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

The 98-odd trains are called ‘Platform Return’ where it terminates in Mumbai and within one to two hours, it again departs for its next destination, sources said, adding, “Usually, it takes 45 to 60 minutes to clean a long-distance train.”

According to CR officials, since the ‘Platform Return’ trains halt for a limited time in Mumbai, therefore, the railways can only look after basic checks and cleanliness. “The 14-minute scheme will certainly benefit the trains that terminate at LTT, CSMT, Panvel and Dadar. At present, it takes about an hour to clean these trains, but now that the 14-minute scheme has worked for Vande Bharat, we can think of replicating it on the ‘Platform Return’ trains as well,” a CR official said.

The housekeeping staff have to clean the coaches, remove garbage, upkeep the toilets and try to keep it spick and span. The railway officials agreed that there are some long-distance trains which travel for more than 30 hours and hence cleaning them is a big task. “It also depends on the number of coaches. The Vande Bharat has eight or 16 coaches, however, the other long-distance trains have up to 24 coaches. We will have to work out many things, but the new method of cleaning the trains is possible,” another CR official said.

Meanwhile, on October 1, the CR authorities cleaned Solapur-Mumbai, Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi, and Bilaspur-Nagpur Vande Bharat trains at CSMT, Sainagar Shirdi and Nagpur stations respectively. In CSMT, the cleaning drive started at 12.42pm. There were 44 housekeeping staff who went inside this 16-car train to complete the job in 14 minutes. The work was wrapped up at 12.56pm.

“The cleaning process was carried out by 44 cleaning staff in three teams after the train arrived on the platform. These teams have been formed to carry out deep cleaning exercises of toilets, interiors, including racks, panels, seats, floor and coach exterior,” Shivraj Manaspure, chief PRO of CR, said.