NASHIK: The Indian Railways consistently takes various measures to maintain a clean environment not only at stations and its surrounding but also on the railway tracks. Central Railway’s network is one of the largest rail networks in the world, serving commuters of four suburban corridors and network of 336 routes.
In order to keep the city’s tracks clean, Central Railway runs Swachhta Rath to collect and clean the muck and garbage on the tracks. During the year 2021-22, 1.66 lakh cubic metres of muck and garbage were cleared from the tracks in the suburban section. A significant portion of this muck has been cleared taking the advantage of the Sunday Mega maintenance block operated on suburban sections.
The muck and garbage are dumped along the tracks which not only deface the tracks but also clogs the drainages crossing under them, leading to water-logging on tracks during monsoon. These Raths known as muck specials used to operate only during midnight. The muck and garbage cleaned are packed in gunny bags which were then loaded onto the Swachhta Rath specials train. Five such Swachhta Raths are working in the Suburban section of the Central Railway. In addition to this, one Poclain mounted on DBKM and six JCB machines are also operated to remove the muck on the tracks.
CR appeals
While Railways appeal to the public not to pollute or throw waste onto the tracks, the operation of Swachhta Rath trains to clean that garbage exemplifies, Central Railway’s continuous endeavour to provide a cleaner environment.