These are the dirtiest railway stations in India

Out of 407 big railway stations across India, Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura and Shahganj have been found to be the most dirtiest railway stations in India. The dirty list includes Gaya, Howrah, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Faridabad, Jhansi and Bareilly.

A survey team went across all the top 407 railway stations in India and found whether the premises and railway tracks were clean, whether litter was spread on the floor, were dustbins cleaned regularly, were the walls stained, and whether sweeping was regular. Photo: Mint
A survey team went across all the top 407 railway stations in India and found whether the premises and railway tracks were clean, whether litter was spread on the floor, were dustbins cleaned regularly, were the walls stained, and whether sweeping was regular. Photo: Mint

Who wants to catch a train from a railway station where garbage is spilling over, walls are stained, urinals are dirty and toilets taps run dry? The latest survey conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) for the Ministry of Railways shows that cleanliness has improved overall but many stations with high footfalls fall below the cleanliness benchmark.

According to the QCI report, Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura and Shahganj are the dirtiest railway stations in India out of a list of 407 stations that have generated large revenue for Indian Railways. Also in the list of dirty stations is Gaya, Howrah, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Faridabad, Jhansi and Bareilly.

The survey team went across all the top 407 railway stations in India and found whether the premises and railway tracks were clean, whether litter was spread on the floor, were dustbins cleaned regularly, were the walls stained, and whether sweeping was regular.

Besides direct observation, QCI assessors also took passenger feedback from 1.2 lakh people and then arrived at the ranking of India’s cleanest and dirtiest railway stations.

The ranking, done for the third consecutive year, has divided railway stations across India into various categories depending on revenue generation. In the A1 category, there are 75 railway stations that more than Rs 75 crore of annual passenger revenue.

List of dirtiest railway stations in the A1 category:

1.Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)

2.Kalyan (Maharashtra)

3.Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)

4.Gaya (Bihar)

5.Howrah (West Bengal)

6.Muzaffarpur (Bihar)

7.Varanasi (UP)

8.Jhansi (UP)

9.Bareilly (UP)

10.Bhagalpur (Bihar)

List of dirtiest railway stations in the A category:

There are altogether 332 railway stations that fall in the A category as they contribute between Rs 6 crore and Rs 50 crore as annual passenger revenue.

1.Shahganj (Uttar Pradesh)

2.Phaphund (UP)

3.Sasaram junction (Bihar)

4.New Farakka (West Bengal)

5.Ayodhya (UP)

6.Jagadhri (Haryana)

7.Adarsh Nagar Delhi

8.Sagauli junction (Bihar)

9.Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu)

10.Faridabad (Haryana)

The cleanest railway stations

Keeping the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in mind, the Ministry of Railways is working on a ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat’ campaign aiming to improve cleanliness. According to the report, in 2017-18, average cleanliness of stations went up by 18%.

Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, Jaipur and Marwar are among the most clean railway stations in India. Besides, Tirupati, Phulera and Warangal are also in the top ranking.