Vacancies in train and platform maintenance crews have remained unfilled for years at the Chennai Central Junction leading to extremely dirty and unhygienic trains.

Railways sources said that Chennai Central was 180 short of the sanctioned 405 maintenance employees (includes mechanical, electrical and general maintenance) required for cleaning the interiors and exteriors of trains besides undertaking routine mechanical and electrical maintenance of trains.

According to a rough estimate, on an average, two lakh people visit Chennai Central daily and about 51 trains depart and a like number of trains arrive from different parts of the country here every day.

Of the 102 trains, a dozen are sent during the day and another seven at night to the Basin Bridge Coach Maintenance Depot for primary maintenance, which involves complete exterior and interior cleaning besides total mechanical and electrical overhaul.

The rest of the trains go through secondary maintenance or “other end attention” at BBQ or “turn back train attention” at Central itself.

Given the large number of vacancies, the quality of maintenance at Central leaves a lot to be desired as platforms, like toilets on-board trains, continue to stink. Maintenance staff, preferring anonymity, admitted to substandard maintenance and attributed it to poor working conditions and staff shortage.

It is difficult to move freely in the lanes to clean the rakes, workers complained. On Thursday, over 50 “overworked” workers led by SRMU went on a flash strike demanding immediate filling of vacancies and better work conditions, including cleaning of pit-lanes in the Central station.

Poor working conditions, staff shortage haunt railways

The stench emanating from toilets and stains on windows of express trains should be out of place if one were to go by the guidelines stipulated in the upkeep of trains.

Such is the nature of train maintenance, done under four categories at Basin Bridge Coach Maintenance Depot (BBQ). Firstly, primary maintenance involves interior and exterior cleaning besides compulsory mechanical examination at the yard.

Secondary maintenance would be filling water. The third is the “other-end attention”, in which the train should be cleaned, especially the toilets. The fourth category of trains are turn-back trains like Sapthagiri Express and Pallavan Express, which arrive and leave in a short time from Chennai Central after toilet cleaning and water filling at the platform itself.

Apart from the 19 trains sent to BBQ for primary maintenance daily, the rest undergo maintenance under the three other categories. Ironically, BBQ is not fully equipped either, says SRMU branch secretary Mr Diwakar.

Only one pit lane in BBQ has the capacity to maintain a 24-coach train in accordance with Indian Railways rules, while the rest are only fit to handle around 17 coaches.

A senior SR official said BBQ only works to 50 per cent of its capacity. However, union members and staff at the depot blame poor working conditions and large number of unfilled vacancies, which, they say leave passengers suffering bed bugs, stinking toilets and dirty interiors in trains.

Following a flash strike on Monday, the management deputed 45 workers from Jolarpettai and Tondiarpet to BBQ.