Lok Sabha Question No. 727 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Poor Condition of Railway Coaches in Southern Routes
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Mani A

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 727 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## POOR CONDITION OF RAILWAY COACHES IN SOUTHERN ROUTES

## 727. SHRI MANI A:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  serious  complaints regarding poor condition of coaches and substandard passenger services in certain Southern-bound Rajdhani Express trains, particularly Trivandrum Rajdhani, Goa Rajdhani and other Rajdhani services on Southern routes and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  despite  charging  high  dynamic  fares comparable to premium trains like Tejas Express and Rajdhani services on other routes, passengers are facing issues such as torn  and  dislodged  seats,  infestation  of  cockroaches,  poor cleanliness, substandard quality of food and unhygienic bedding in these trains;
- (c)  if  so,  the  details  of  inspections  conducted  and  complaints received during the last three years, train and route-wise; and
- (d)  the  corrective  measures  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government to improve coach maintenance, cleanliness, catering quality and bedding standards and to ensure uniform service quality across all Rajdhani Express routes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (d)    Modernization  and  Improvement/up-gradation  of Rolling Stock to enhance safety, convenience and comfort of passengers is a continuous and ongoing process on Indian Railways.

All the Rajdhani Express trains including Southern-bound Rajdhani Express  are  being  operated  with  Technologically  superior  LHB coaches having better riding, improved aesthetics and features like

Lightweight design, Anti climbing features, Air suspension (Secondary)  with  failure  indication  system,  stainless  steel  shell and disc brake system etc.

Production of LHB coaches during 2014-25 vis-à-vis 2004-14 is as under:

| Period   | LHB coaches manufactured         |
|----------|----------------------------------|
| 2004-14  | 2,337 nos.                       |
| 2014-25  | 42,677 nos. (more than 18 times) |

Further, regular actions are taken to ensure and improve maintenance standards and cleanliness of coaches, which are as follows:

-  Maintenance of coaches is carried at coaching depots/terminals  in  line  with  laid  down  detailed  guidelines and prescribed standards.
-  Mechanized Coach Cleaning is being ensured during maintenance  for  better  cleaning  of the  coach  including interior, exterior and toilets.
-  On-Board  Housekeeping  Staff  Service  is  being  provided  to ensure  cleanliness  on  run  and  Clean  Train  Station  services are also provided for en-route attention.
-  Regular monitoring is done through inspections by nominated officials  in  divisions/depots  &  workshops  etc  across  Zonal Railways.
-  Regular training of staff is also undertaken to ensure safety and comfort of passengers.

Railway serves about 58 Cr meals every year on average. In order to  take  passenger  feedback,  the  complaint  management  system over Indian Railways has been strengthened, simplified and made more accessible over the last few years through the introduction of RailMadad Portal.

This  RailMadad  portal  is  Indian  Railways  grievance  redressal mechanism  that  provides  passengers  an  integrated  platform  for grievances  redressal  and  assistance.  RailMadad  can  be  reached through  multiple  channels  i.e.  Helpline  number-  139,  RailMadad Web,  App,  SMS  &  RailOne  App  and  it  is  resolved  in  real  time  by auto assigning the request to the concerned officials. Necessary steps are accordingly taken by Indian Railways from time to time allows their to improve services to passengers.RailMadad also passengers to share feedback on the resolution of grievances.

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