What happened

The Ministry of Railways announced a rail cleanliness and waste-management framework built around Dedicated Environment & Housekeeping Management (EnHM) departments and housekeeping services for trains and railway stations. EnHM departments have been set up at Division, Zonal Railway, and Railway Board level. On-board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) is provided for end-to-end cleanliness in long-distance trains, and the Clean Train Station (CTS) scheme supports station-based cleaning of coach toilets and washbasins during train halt time.

Background and earlier position

Railway hygiene and waste collection on trains and at stations typically involve multiple operational units spread across railway zones, divisions, and station/yard functions. Before EnHM, cleanliness activities were generally handled through existing station operations and housekeeping arrangements, but a single, clearly specified multi-level department structure for waste management and cleanliness monitoring was not positioned as a uniform governance layer across Railway Board, zonal, and divisional levels.

What changed now

The railways introduced a structured administrative mechanism for waste management and hygiene monitoring through Dedicated Environment & Housekeeping Management (EnHM) departments at three governance levels: Divisions, Zonal Railways, and Railway Board. The government also set out two operational service elements: On-board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) for long-distance trains and Clean Train Station (CTS) teams at specific stations. OBHS is available in 1450 (pairs) identified long-distance trains. CTS is implemented at 63 stations covering 2800 trains through dedicated teams equipped with cleaning equipment that clean coach toilets and washbasins and collect garbage from trains’ dustbins during halt time.

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