Indian Railways is planning to develop a wet and dry heavy duty vacuum cleaner that can collect the garbage from the tracks and deposit in different containers. The machine being considered will not only cater to the need of clearing dry waste like plastics and bottles but also clear the night soil on the tracks. SK Ahirwar, Director – Traffic Commercial, Railway Board told Clean India Journal, “The technology to develop these machines already exists in the country; the only thing lacking is the need to integrate it in such a manner that it tackles the main challenge of keeping the tracks free of solid and semi-solid waste.”
The track cleaning machines will be developed on the lines of the ones presently used for sweeping the roads. These kinds of machines are already in work in different places across the globe like the Europe and the US. “Once it is developed it will also help in combating the nuisance of rodents and weeds on the tracks; thus, improving the sanitation and also the safety of the tracks.”
The cleaning machines will initially be deployed in main junctions and stations with more than 10 lines and having six or seven platforms with heavy traffic. They will also be used in terminals having a large number of originating trains. The success of the machines will determine their usage on a wider scale.