ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Basic hygiene - and unclean toilets in particular - is one of the biggest problems with India's railways according to frequent passengers.

A survey of 12,000 respondents revealed that dirty toilets were the top concern for 30 per cent of travellers on Indian Railways, while another 14 per cent rated unclean coaches as their chief bugbear.

Meanwhile, 13 per cent of respondents complained about the quality of food on board the railway system, and other concerns included passenger security, delayed rail services and overcrowded coaches.

The research targeted men and women aged 18-45 who regularly took overnight journeys with Indian Railways at least twice a year and who had travelled distances of 600-700 km at least once during previous three months.

Indian Railways is the country's largest public transporter and carries millions of passengers each year. The company's reputation has suffered in recent times due to a number of issues including safety concerns.

However, despite the many hygiene complaints some survey respondents praised the cleanliness of the trains' floor and berth space plus the dryness of bedding in the overnight compartments. They also appreciated the availability of berth space and the fact that the lights and fans functioned well.