Learning from Japan: CR cleans train at LTT in record 7 minutes | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Central Railway Mumbai division has achieved a milestone by cleaning the train 17222 LTT-Kakinada Port Express in a record seven-minute timeframe under a trial project on Thursday.
This is a new standard for efficiency in Indian Railways on the lines of “the seven-minute cleaning miracle” of the Japanese Shinkansen (bullet train), said CR chief spokesperson Shivraj Manaspure on Saturday.
On Sunday, Indian Railways will go for another pilot project – it has decided to clean all Vande Bharat trains, including the ones at CSMT, Shirdi and Nagpur, in “14 minutes”. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will start the pilot project from Delhi on Sunday morning.
“In case of the Kakinada Express record cleaning time, the train comprising 20 coaches had arrived with passengers on platform number 3 at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 11.18 am on September 28,” an official recalled.
Swift and effective action by the security staff ensured the complete deboarding of passengers by 11.30 am, allowing the cleaning staff to board the train promptly at 11.31am. “Throughout the process, regular announcements were made, urging passengers to refrain from boarding the train and patiently await the completion of the cleaning process. This proactive communication played a crucial role in facilitating the efficient operation,” he said. The cleaning ended at 11.38 am.
The entire operation, from initiation to completion, was executed with precision and dedication, resulting in the train being ready for passenger boarding by 11:39 am, he added.
The comprehensive cleaning activities encompassed a range of tasks like dry sweeping of coach interior and collection of garbage in poly bags and dumping them in the dust bins, scrubbing and mopping of toilet floor, cleaning of all mirrors and washbasins inside and outside of the toilet area and cleaning and mopping of doorways, vestibule area and fall plates.
Besides, the staff was also involved in sweeping and mopping of entire floor area, spraying of deodorant (R5) in all the coaches, wiping of AC window glasses from inside and outside with cleaning agent, disposal of collected waste from all the coaches & underneath the wash basins from AC coaches, dusting of all seats/berths and cleaning/wiping of flap tables in all coaches.
The successful execution of this trial was made possible by the combined efforts of 110 cleaning staff, 11 security personnel and six commercial staff.