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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3299
ANSWERED ON 20.03.2026
WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RAILWAYS
3299 SHRI MALLIKARJUN KHARGE:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether Indian Railways has issued guidelines to curb the dumping of solid waste from running
trains;
(b) the zone-wise number of trains and coaches fitted with functional dustbins and waste-collection
mechanisms, in the last five years; and
(c) the year-wise data on solid waste collected from trains and the number of violations detected or
penalties imposed for improper waste disposal, zone-wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c) Indian Railways (IR) has taken various measures to curb the dumping of solid waste from
running trains. Some of the provisions, in this regard, are as under:
Garbage generated during train operation is collected by On-Board Housekeeping staff, stored
in sealed bag, and disposed of only at designated stations.
Dustbins are provided in all passenger coaches for waste management.
Awareness drives are conducted regularly through public announcements, posters, and
messages to encourage passengers not to throw waste on tracks.
Regular inspections and intensive drives to discourage dumping of waste by OBHS staff and to
ensure adherence to waste-management protocols.
On-Board Housekeeping Staff Service is provided in identified long distance Mail/Express
trains for cleaning of coach toilets, doorways, aisles and passenger compartments during the run
of the trains and to attend any passenger grievance.
Clean Train Station service has been introduced for mechanized cleaning in identified trains
during their scheduled stoppage enroute. Dedicated team of staff equipped with high pressure
jet machines and cleaning equipment carries out cleaning followed by drying of coach toilets.
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Mechanized Coach Cleaning is being ensured during primary maintenance for better cleaning
of the coach including interior, exterior and toilets.
All passenger coaches have been installed with bio-toilets so that no human waste is discharged
from coaches on the track resulting in improved cleanliness level. The details of provision of
bio toilets are as under:
Period Number of Bio-Toilet fitted
2004-2014 9,587
2014- Till February 2026 3,66,250
Penalties are imposed on service provider and railway staff suitably if improper waste disposal
from running trains is noticed.
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