Railway Board Issues New Guidelines for Train Garbage Management

14 Nov 2025 CW Team

Under the revised guidelines, On-Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) and pantry car staff must collect waste from passenger compartments and dispose of it in sealed bags at designated stations en route. The system is designed to ensure cleaner coaches, toilets and railway premises.

A major focus of the directive is the role of on-board staff in creating a comfortable and hygienic travel environment. Zonal Railways have been tasked with training and equipping contractual staff adequately, reinforcing a service-oriented approach.

To ensure effective implementation, the Railway Board has ordered a month-long ‘Samvaad’ sensitisation exercise across all trains. Senior supervisors and officers from the Commercial and Mechanical Departments will conduct sessions to explain the importance of waste management, address staff concerns and screen instructional videos on correct disposal practices.

Divisions will submit feedback to the Principal Chief Commercial Manager and Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Zonal level. A consolidated report will then be forwarded to the Railway Board within 10 days of the exercise’s completion.

The Board has also mandated strict compliance from OBHS and pantry car licensees. Any violation of the guidelines will be treated as a major breach of contract and may result in termination.

This initiative builds on earlier instructions issued in July 2024, which introduced mandatory en-route garbage disposal, minimum waste-bag requirements and centralised monitoring through the CRIS CMM system. Through a combination of firm enforcement and staff engagement, Indian Railways aims to strengthen hygiene, enhance passenger comfort and support the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The Railway Board has issued detailed instructions to all Zonal Railways on the systematic management and disposal of garbage generated on trains during their journey. The move aims to improve cleanliness levels and enhance the overall travel experience of passengers.Under the revised guidelines, On-Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) and pantry car staff must collect waste from passenger compartments and dispose of it in sealed bags at designated stations en route. The system is designed to ensure cleaner coaches, toilets and railway premises.A major focus of the directive is the role of on-board staff in creating a comfortable and hygienic travel environment. Zonal Railways have been tasked with training and equipping contractual staff adequately, reinforcing a service-oriented approach.To ensure effective implementation, the Railway Board has ordered a month-long ‘Samvaad’ sensitisation exercise across all trains. Senior supervisors and officers from the Commercial and Mechanical Departments will conduct sessions to explain the importance of waste management, address staff concerns and screen instructional videos on correct disposal practices.Divisions will submit feedback to the Principal Chief Commercial Manager and Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Zonal level. A consolidated report will then be forwarded to the Railway Board within 10 days of the exercise’s completion.The Board has also mandated strict compliance from OBHS and pantry car licensees. Any violation of the guidelines will be treated as a major breach of contract and may result in termination.This initiative builds on earlier instructions issued in July 2024, which introduced mandatory en-route garbage disposal, minimum waste-bag requirements and centralised monitoring through the CRIS CMM system. Through a combination of firm enforcement and staff engagement, Indian Railways aims to strengthen hygiene, enhance passenger comfort and support the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Real Estate

05 Dec 2025

RBI Rate Cut Boosts Confidence Across Housing Market

Industry Context and Market DynamicsThe real estate industry has welcomed the RBI’s rate cut as a timely boost to affordability and demand. With home prices having risen steadily across major markets, even a marginal reduction in interest rates meaningfully strengthens purchasing power, especially for first-time and mid-income buyers.Ashish Jerath, President – Sales & Marketing, Smartworld Developers, observes:“The RBI’s 25-basis-point cut, bringing the repo rate down to 5.25%, is a timely boost for the real estate sector. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, enabling homeb..

Infrastructure Transport

05 Dec 2025

BMC Resumes Rs 170 Billion Road Works, Targets 80 per cent By Jan 2026

Following the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon in October, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has restarted work on 645 roads—covering 297.49 kilometres—under its large-scale concretisation programme. Data shows that more than 60 per cent of the resumed works are located in the western suburbs. Officials said the civic body aims to complete concretisation on 80 per cent of the roads where fresh work has begun by January 2026. Launched in 2022, the Rs 170 billion project seeks to concretise 700 kilometres of roads across Mumbai. All civil works were halted during the monsoon ..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Dec 2025

India Pushes Digital Shift In Urban Land Mapping

The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development has convened a National Symposium on NAKSHA – the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations – to advance India’s transition to modern, technology-driven land mapping. Speaking at the inaugural session, Secretary Manoj Joshi underscored the urgent need to move revenue departments away from outdated, tape-based methods and rough hand-drawn sketches. He stressed that adopting latitude–longitude-based digital mapping and GIS-linked registration systems is essential for economic stabi..