Automated train cleaning facility in Tambaram soon

The pan and puke-stained exteriors of express trains, if not all, at least some of it would soon get better scrubbing and cleaning on the exterior, courtesy an automated cleaning facility to be set up soon at Tambaram railway station at an estimated cost of between Rs 3 and 4 crore. 

Senior SR officials who confirmed that the facility has been sanctioned by Railway Board (RB), told DTNext that they have initiated the process of identifying space in Tambaram, where the third terminus would soon be opened, for the automated train cleaner. 

Unlike state of art train cleaners available in institutions like Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) where multiple coaches could be cleaned simultaneously, the one designed for express train at Tambaram would only clean one coach at a time. 

Roughly, the exterior of a 22-coach train would be cleaned in less than 30 minutes, which would be a third of the time consumed now for manual cleaning. Even the wheels, which were the most shabby and difficult to clean and from where most stench emanates, would be cleaned easily using high pressure water sprayers in future. 

“By reducing average cleaning time per train, more trains could be cleaned, therefore providing more clean trains to travellers,” a SR officer reasoned. Though one cannot dispute that keeping the exterior as clean as the interior was important to promote brand Indian Railways, it would be found wanting if it does not shed its ugly image as the largest open toilet in the country.