India wants cleaner trains and stations from Railway Ministry

Dear Friends:

Yesterday, we had initiated a poll on what is the most important area of improvement for Railways. 46% of those who voted said Better Cleanliness of Trains and Platforms followed by 38% voting for Better Safety on Tracks. Better Reservation Systems and Better Food were voted for in single digits.

If you haven't casted your vote yet, please do so by logging on at http://www.localcircles.com and selecting Polls in the Railway Circle.

Also, based on your submissions on Solutions for key Railway issues, below is a summary. Some of them are quite good and specific and can have a lasting impact.

If you have anything additional, please respond to this post. We will soon be finalizing the whitepaper for submission to the Railways Ministry.

Thanks for your participation.

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

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Solutions identified to make Railways Better for Citizens:

1. Unauthorized entry of citizens without ticket or platform ticket must be stopped
2. Local vendors and beggars must be banned on the platform and in the train
3. Awareness should be created among the general public about keeping railways and platforms clean
4. The cleaning staff needs to be made accountable for their work
5. Cleaning of stations and trains must be outsourced to private industry with service level contracts.
6. Bigger dustbins in every compartment and they being emptied at every major station
7. Bio toilets should be scrapped and the ones like in aircrafts should be installed
8. The pantry car should be made to adhere to the highest standards and should go through regular quality checks.
9. More staff be redeployed for train maintenance, discipline, and functions like cleaning, pantry, catering outsourced.
10. Railway tickets should have more distribution channels so it is easier for citizens to buy them
11. Performance of the IRCTC website should be significantly improved
12.Railways should acquire modern safety, monitoring and communication equipment to prevent accidents
13. Regular training and certifications made mandatory for train drivers
14. Anti-collision devices should be made mandatory in all trains
15. Regular behavioral training programs should be organised for the railway employees
16. An accessible via internet and mobile phone anti-corruption wing should be created to keep a check on the TTEs
17. Rationalization of ticket quotas for VIPs and railway employees at all levels.
18. Strict actions should be taken against touts and middlemen
19. Every compartment should have a cap on the number of passengers allowed in
20. All major stations should have a pre-paid porter counter. more