Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday (June 24) conducted a comprehensive review of safety measures and passenger amenities along with senior officials at Rail Bhawan.
The meeting was attended by Railway Board Chairperson and CEO Jaya Varma Sinha, Member Infrastructure Anil Kumar Khandelwal, the Director General of the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), and the General Managers of all railway zones, along with Divisional Railway Managers from various divisions.
Passenger safety and comfort
Officials present at the meeting indicated that several crucial decisions were made concerning the maintenance of safety equipment on trains, enhancement of food quality, thorough cleaning of trains and stations, and provision of drinking water facilities, all aimed at benefiting passengers.
A senior railway official stated that to enhance the reliability of safety-related equipment, a comprehensive review of specifications, installation practices, and maintenance procedures for all critical safety equipment will be conducted. “Workshops will be organized by the RDSO in collaboration with manufacturers for this purpose,” a senior railway official said.
“To improve the food quality, the IRCTC and its agencies are upgrading the base kitchens at 1,000 locations. The work is in progress and it was decided that it should be completed on a war footing in the next six months,” he added.
Enhanced cleaning protocols for pantry cars
According to other senior officials, decisions were made to systematically conduct thorough cleaning of pantry cars and storage areas as per targeted goals, integrating them into the regular maintenance schedule.
“To improve water availability and cleaning of trains during journeys, it was decided that cleaning and watering facilities will be increased. The time required for cleaning and watering will be factored in in the time-tables for this crucial activity,” another official said.