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Vande Bharat trains will be cleaned in 14 minutes from Oct 1 onwards: Railway minister
The Indian Railways will introduce a '14 minute clean-up' concept for Vande Bharat trains from October 1, inspired by Japan's bullet train model. The aim is to improve punctuality and turnaround time. The initiative will start with the Vande Bharat trains, with a total of four staff deployed in every coach to clean it within 14 minutes. This is a significant improvement compared to the usual three-hour cleaning time. Over 200,000 people participated in a cleanliness drive campaign launched by Indian Railways ahead of the launch.
The Indian Railways is introducing the ‘14 minute clean-up’ concept for the Vande Bharat trains from October 1, exemplifying Japan’s bullet train model, where the trains are cleaned in seven minutes, railway officials said on Saturday.
In a historical step for the Indian Railways, every Vande Bharat train will be cleaned in 14 minutes, this step is a big step as it otherwise takes around three hours to clean a train, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
“We want all the trains to be cleaned in 14 minutes but we are starting with the Vande Bharat as of now. A total of four staff would be deployed in every Vande Bharat coach. The cleaning staff has not only been trained for over a month to execute this initiative but also have had mock drills,” a senior railways official said.
Ahead of the event, as part of the ongoing Swachhata Hi Seva Swachhata Pakhwada from September 15 to October 2, the Indian Railways launched a cleanliness drive - Swachhata-Hi-Seva campaign.
Over 200,000 lakh people participated in around 2,050 activities involving 685,883 man-hours, according to the railways.
The railway minister said that the initiative is based on the concept of ‘7 minutes of miracle’ in Japan, where bullet trains are cleaned and made ready. He said the initiative is being undertaken to improve punctuality and turnaround time. “It is a unique concept and happening for the first time in the Indian railways,” the railway minister said.
Vaishnaw will launch this initiative at the Delhi Cantonment Railway Station on Sunday. “More than 29 Vande Bharat trains will simultaneously launch this system across the country on Sunday,” according to an official.
Besides Delhi Cantt, some of the other railway stations where it will be started are Varanasi, Gandhinagar, Mysore and Nagpur, depending on the respective arrival timings of the Vande Bharat trains.
Close to 68 Vande Bharat train services are functional right now in the country.
Vaishnaw said that the ministry has made improvements in these premium trains. These include, ramp access for wheelchair-bound passengers, increase in eat reclination angle, optimisation of the hardness of cushions, accessibility of mobile charging point from the seats, and extension of footrest of seats in executive class.
When asked about the Vande Bharat sleeper trains, Vaishnaw said that the first Vande Bharat sleeper train will operate on February 6 2024 and its prototype will be ready by the year’s end. “We have finalised the premium trains’ sleeper coaches and are firm to launch them by February next year. All the trials will be done in December itself,” he said.
He however said that the colour and routes of the train are yet to be decided.
“The routes of these trains that will have 20 to 22 coaches are being decided. We are also in the process of finalising its colour. These Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be launched with a guarantee of maximum passenger convenience in all the classes (AC1, AC2, AC 3).
(with agency inputs)
