BackVande Bharat cleaned in just 14 minutes, as Indian Railways takes cue from Japan's bullet trains | WATCH
Indian Railways Sunday said it has introduced the ‘14 minute clean-up’ milestone for every Vande Bharat trains from October 1, emulating the rapid cleaning procedures followed in Japan for bullet train, where the trains are cleaned in seven minutes
PremiumIndian Railways Sunday said it has introduced the ‘14 minute clean-up’ milestone for every Vande Bharat trains from October 1, emulating the rapid cleaning procedures followed in Japan for bullet train, where the trains are cleaned in seven minutes.
Vande Bharat trains will be covered under the "14-minute miracle" scheme which is set to be launched on October 1 at Terminal Stations across Indian Railways as part of the 'Swachhata-Hi-Seva' campaign, ANI reported citing sources in Ministry of Railways
“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.
This step is a big step as it otherwise takes around three hours to clean a train, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
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.
"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here!
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.
Over 200,000 lakh people participated in around 2,050 activities involving 685,883 man-hours, according to the railways.
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 Indian Railways 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)" he added.
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
