Indian Railways clears garbage from rail tracks under Swachhta Rath! The national transporter took various measures to maintain a clean environment not o­nly at railway stations and their surroundings but also the rail tracks. The Mumbai local train rail network is o­ne of the world’s largest suburban railway networks with four suburban rail corridors of 336 Route Kilometres. In a bid to keep the city’s railway track clean, the Central Railway zone runs Swachhta Rath to collect and clean the garbage and muck o­n rail tracks between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Kalyan o­n the Main line as well as CSMT to Mankhurd o­n the Harbour line. During the financial year 2020-21, Indian Railways cleared 1.7 lakh cubic metres of muck/garbage from the tracks in the suburban section.

The garbage and muck dumped along the railway tracks, defaces the tracks and also clogs the drainages crossing under it, leading to water-logging o­n tracks during the monsoon season. According to Central Railways, these Swachhta Raths used to operate during mid-night hours only. The garbage and muck cleaned from rail tracks are packed in gunny bags, following which they are loaded onto the Rath special trains. Currently, seven Swachhta Raths are working in the suburban rail section of the Central Railway zone. Additionally, Poclain mounted o­n DBKM are operated as well, the muck is removed with the help of JCB machines as and when required, Central Railways said.

Predominantly, the Swachhta Rath trains were used by the national transporter where the hutments / slums located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – Kalyan at Parsik Tunnel o­n both side ends, Dombivli railway station to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus end o­n slow local line side, Vikhroli, between Matunga – Sion at Dhobi ghat, Dharavi as well as the stretch, between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – Masjid – Sandhurst Road o­n the Harbour line, between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Mankhurd is Ravli junction, between Wadala and King’s Circle, Mahim, from Chembur to Mankhurd, between Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar and Ravli stretch.