Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 15 Sep 2016 06:31

Foundation for Doubling of Hojai-Lumding Rail section laid

Guwahati: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain today jointly laid the foundation stone of the project for doubling of railway line in the Hojai-Lumding section (44.92 km) at a public function held at Hojai.
...
Gohain announced that doubling of railway tracks from Bongaigaon to Guwahati via Goalpara and Digaru to Hojai would start in October and it would be his endeavour to invite Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for the foundation stone laying ceremony of those projects. He said that these projects are expected to be completed within three years.

Gohain said that the electrification of railway tracks from New Jalpaiguri to Guwahati at a cost of about Rs 650 crore, which was sanctioned in 2008, would also start very soon. He also said that surveys are being undertaken for extending double line to upper Assam.

Railway’s Insurance Scheme for Rail Passengers a Runaway Success

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today tweeted, “No. of people opting for new insurance scheme crossed 4 million mark. Scheme a great success! One among many passenger friendly initiatives.” Prabhu had during his Railway Budget 2016 announced that Railways will provide the facility of optional travel insurance at the time of booking. The insurance cover being offered by Railways goes up to Rs 10 lakh and the premium is only 92 paise. Some reports even suggest that this may very well be the world’s cheapest rail travel scheme.
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The coverage includes death or total disability insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh; partial disability insurance of up to Rs 7.5 lakh; hospitalisation expenses of up to Rs 2 lakh. The facility is available to those who book e-tickets through the IRCTC platform. This does not include the sub urban trains. It insurance scheme is available only for confirmed and RAC tickets and covers all passengers except children below 5 years of age and foreign citizens. However, no refund of the premium will be given in case of cancellation of the ticket.
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Three companies — ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Royal Sundaram General Insurance and Shriram General Insurance provide the insurance. They have been engaged for one year with the provision of extending the contract on the basis of performance basis.

chilarai · Post by **chilarai** » 16 Sep 2016 02:41

Gohain announced that doubling of railway tracks from Bongaigaon to Guwahati via Goalpara and Digaru to Hojai would start in October and it would be his endeavour to invite Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for the foundation stone laying ceremony of those projects. He said that these projects are expected to be completed within three years.

Bongaigaon to Guwahati should have been doubled long back . In the early 1990s when we had to go to Guwahati for all those entrance exams the 180 odd kms used to take little more than 4 hours. And now 20+ years later probably due to all the new trains introduced in every budget .. the same distance took me 5.5 hrs last year !! a mere 180 kms ! what a loss of productivity !

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 16 Sep 2016 08:44

Agreed. But wasn't there an alternative route to GHY? That, coupled with the general apathy shown towards NFR was perhaps the reason. Good to see the increased focus these days.

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 16 Sep 2016 11:37

There is an alternative route via Rangiya Junction crossing the Brahmaputra at the Saraighat and entering Kamakhya Station before Guwahati Junction.

chilarai · Post by **chilarai** » 16 Sep 2016 12:38

Yes there are two routes one via Rangia and another via Goalpara. The latter being the more recent one. The one via Rangia is what took me more than 5.5 hrs last year.

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 16 Sep 2016 13:51

Apparently, the route via Rangiya too is being converted to double line. People living around the IIT campus- the line passes by it- have been asked to relocate as they are squatting on railway property. They are blaming the IIT administration for it! Apparently, they think it is because the IIT asked for it the Railways have decided to double the track!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Sep 2016 03:56

The route via goalpara is less flood prone. One via rangiya is a highly flood prone zone with tens of rivers coming off bhutan perpendicularly in bputra

there are 1000s of bridges in WB and assam of this nature, flowing over small rivers penned by dikes on both sides.
come monsoon and they rise up 20 feet and drain 20 times the regular flow. they damage and wash away bridges sometimes

Gai river dhemaji district assam

most of these rivers are not more than 100km long and rise in bhutan, and fall south into brahmaputra at various points along its 900km run in assam. they become very turbulent when the rains come and flood the plains with silt.
in contrast from meghalaya hills, north to brahmpaputra there are only few small rivers and not known as ferocious.

on the +ve side assam never lacks in water or fertile soil (which attracted the hordes of BD migrants) and the rivers and associated 'beels' wetlands harbour a superb variety of fresh fish and prawns. i pity my kids will never enjoy the variety and taste of fresh river fish i used to when growing up.

saip · Post by **saip** » 17 Sep 2016 05:46

What exactly is this Talgo thing is supposed to bring? I mean it has very few coaches and ran I am sure non-stop between Delhi and Mumbai in 12 hours. Now compare this to Rajdhani which takes 16 hours with 5 stops and probably 18 coaches. Stops consume 30 minutes and then acceleration and decceleration another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. So I am sure Rajdahani can do this in 14 hours if it runs nonstop and will carry more passengers too. For saving of two hours or so do we really need Talgo and spend hundreds of crores? Why not improve the present tracks and speed up the trains (all of them)?

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 17 Sep 2016 06:02

saip wrote:What exactly is this Talgo thing is supposed to bring? I mean it has very few coaches and ran I am sure non-stop between Delhi and Mumbai in 12 hours. Now compare this to Rajdhani which takes 16 hours with 5 stops and probably 18 coaches. Stops consume 30 minutes and then acceleration and decceleration another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. So I am sure Rajdahani can do this in 14 hours if it runs nonstop and will carry more passengers too. For saving of two hours or so do we really need Talgo and spend hundreds of crores? Why not improve the present tracks and speed up the trains (all of them)?

Not sure if it has run non-stop. But Talgo scores because of higher average speeds, higher acceleration. Although the coaches could hit 200 kmph, the tests were run at max speed of 150. So with minor changes in signalling, track alignment, the average speed could increase by some more. Main advantage is that the Delhi Mumbai travel could be a convenient over nighter. Board one city at say 7 and reach destination by 7 AM. But need to add more coaches as the coach length is smaller than IR coach.

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 17 Sep 2016 07:45

Talgo rakes are lighter (less wear on already beleaguered tracks), more fuel efficient and the tilting tech helps the rake negotiate corners at higher speed. The last point leads to higher average speeds which is actually more important than top speed.

Talgo also offer a more comfortable ride compared to the bullock cartish ride quality of standard IR ICF Schlieren bogie and coach (Please note that bogie and coach are not the same thing although they are used interchangeably by lay people). In fact, all modern designs the world over are lighter, more fuel efficient have tilting tech and offer a better ride.Talgo is not unique in these respects.

That said, Talgo have some kind of patented bogie articulation system which I have not researched and the bogies can be adapted to IR Broad gauge relatively easily.

I was quite impressed by the Bombardier designed and built Freccia series of trains run by the much maligned state operator Trenitalia. Very nice.

The one major and necessary mod to Talgo will be a louder horn with higher MTBF. At high speeds, I think loco pilots duct tape the horn switch to blast their way the entire journey.. What to do saar, all the bhains, gaiyya, humble people on tracks and little kids and grown men peeing off the edge of the station platepharum

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 17 Sep 2016 11:36

I read somewhere that Talgo coaches have only chair cars and not sleeper. May not be suitable for overnight journeys.

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 17 Sep 2016 14:02

Rahulmji, are the Eurostar trains from Bombardier or Pendolino? At least the Pendolino appears to be similar to Talgo.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Sep 2016 20:17

nandakumar wrote:I read somewhere that Talgo coaches have only chair cars and not sleeper. May not be suitable for overnight journeys.

the kazakhstan talgo is sleeper.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Sep 2016 20:24

eurostar are all bombardier iirc and non-tilting. they might operate at higher speeds in france.

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 18 Sep 2016 08:26

Eurostar rakes are essentially TGV derivatives to comply with chunnel standards and British rail gauge restrictions. TGV and derivatives were/are designed and built by GEC ALSTHOM.

SIEMENS has won the latest Eurostar contract causing major chaddi twist for ALSTOM.

For a long time I was doing the Eurostar St Pancras-Paris -Bruxells circuit weekly. In 1st class. Top service in all respects -stations, punctuality, check in, boarding, rolling stock, service, food, the works.

I will recount 1 Instance- I was returning to London (home base) from Brussels when the train was delayed by 30 minutes due to a signalling issue in the Chunnel. Before we reached London St Pancras, the head purser announced, in multiple languages, that to compensate its valued customers, Eurostar is offering all on board the train a free ticket of the same or lower class. All we had to do was present our boarding pass at ANY Eurostar booking counter ANYWHERE.

That's customer service from a state owned rail company! No forms, application on plain paper, challans, multiple counters, queues, signatures, lunch breaks etc. customer service is an attitude, doesn't require huge budget allocations and capex.

I have used the Virgin Pendolino service from London to Birmingham. It's an efficient mass people mover during peak times offerings the very "best" of British "cuisine" from the cafe car.

IRCTC has been a godsend for e-ticket and now I-ticket refunds. It will be a long time, if ever, IR refunds for late running services.

I general, in desh, my experience is, service improves when people are eliminated from the delivery chain, ATMs against bank counters, IRCTC refunds, ticket bookings for movies, hotels, planes and trains, bill payments, online passport applications etc etc

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 18 Sep 2016 09:03

Singha wrote:
nandakumar wrote:I read somewhere that Talgo coaches have only chair cars and not sleeper. May not be suitable for overnight journeys.
the kazakhstan talgo is sleeper.

The equivalent in India is probably first class AC.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Sep 2016 14:13

our rajdhani 1ac interiors are quite bit more dated and heavier and cruder in materials and design
it is something from eastern europe - of the 1980s. not bad but definitely not anywhere near latest stds.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Sep 2016 14:18

compare to the china equivalent called superior soft sleeper

this is a normal train

the hsr sleeper is much better

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 19 Sep 2016 18:28

After many years took the 12127 intercity AC CC from Dadar to Pune this AM.

Firstly, DADAR station seems to have received Swacch Bharat notice. Sort of. Platform 4 roof leaks severely throughout the platform length. Free shower for all. We need water proof roof Bharat abhiyaan.

I had the unsolicited privilege of travelling in a museum piece err relic. It is so remarkably preserved that it has the same spot of dirt in the same location from about a decade ago when i last patronised this service.

The AC ducting of the coach is made err sorry, hand crafted by unsung hatoda artisans using long forgotten sheet metal working skills.

The tray tables are self opening. They are thought controlled by random thoughts of random people and will open suddenly. They are not yet self closing.

While our trains do not have tilting tech, the trays have a key built in passive innovation system. A cup of tea kept at the rear left corner will make its way to the front right corner. Without fail. Ingenious.

The seat had auto adaptive recline control which dynamically and using some unpredictable algorithm kept moving back and front depending on the quantum of 'AIR BREAK' applied by the KALYAN WCAM2P loco.

On the subject of the loco, for a moment, I gulped nervously when I noticed 'UNFIT' printed in visible bold white on the front. I heaved a sigh of relief when on my second look I read the whole phrase UNFIT FOR DC SERVICE'. This is actually, now, a WAM2P in disguise.

I remember a time when I used to,eagerly look forward to morning veg brakephass on the train. This used to be the highlight of the trip. Today, I struggled to go through my very sad and sorry veg cutless with its wafer thin bread slices. I self flagellated - Rahul, you snob, behave yourself, the cutless must be the same, you must have become a snooty b@sratd'. Since, then, I have been cowering in my mental cave.

And finally, looks like Shivajinagar station has not received Swacch Bharat notice.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Sep 2016 18:31

Saar come to tfta sc railway. We do things properly down here...straight backed and praud.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 19 Sep 2016 21:02

saip wrote:What exactly is this Talgo thing is supposed to bring? I mean it has very few coaches and ran I am sure non-stop between Delhi and Mumbai in 12 hours. Now compare this to Rajdhani which takes 16 hours with 5 stops and probably 18 coaches. Stops consume 30 minutes and then acceleration and decceleration another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. So I am sure Rajdahani can do this in 14 hours if it runs nonstop and will carry more passengers too. For saving of two hours or so do we really need Talgo and spend hundreds of crores? Why not improve the present tracks and speed up the trains (all of them)?

could it be that faster trains can still move more passengers despite having less coaches? I mean, looking at the system as a whole, the slower trains are not just slow for themselves, but they slow the entire system because others have to wait around?

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 20 Sep 2016 00:00

Rahulm ji,

You will find these as good reads:
1. The Talgo Trials
2. In India, A Rich Food Culture Vanishes From The Train Tracks

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 20 Sep 2016 09:52

Thanks IR and no 'ji' please.

I remember, hazily, my travels from when steam was on its last legs. Dad's bi-annual LTA would see us travel from Pune to Nagpur in the only convenient train -Maharashtra Express. Perpetually late and always slow. It was and still is a second cousin far removed to more 'prestigious' trains on the route

Coach Windows had no bars so my head was always craning out to sight the majestic bullet nosed WP class charging ahead billowing black smoke and huffing steam from every vent, valve and imperfect seal.

Meals were ordered and then served by attendants in steel trays with stamped pockets. Dal, rice, wheat rotis (no maida) and sometimes Bhindi or aloo palak. The meals were to look forward to, wholesome, tasty and hungrily wolfed down.

I remember arriving at Nagpur station with a face further blackened by soot, fine coal dust and soot in my hair, a well fed stomach and a contented smile. Each time.

Today, rotis are made of maida, food is spicy and oily, Bhindi and palak have been replaced by paneer, more paneer and chole, plain rice with jeera rice and the WP class is extinct.

Today, upto BSL the ALCO 251B clag comforts and soothes, from BSL an utterly efficient, ruthless and throughly charmless WAP does cold blooded duty, lowers its pantograph and shuts down for the night. The WP hissed all through the night in yards, sheds and sidings always awake

As pantry cars get replaced by centralised kitchens, welcome variations in food are being replaced by the predictability and ho-hum of standardisation.

Conversations and bonding with fellow travellers has been replaced by constant facepalm updates in the ether. Train travel is transitioning from being an experience to becoming an activity.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Sep 2016 10:07

there is a cookbook detailing the indian railway recipes of old back when the sahibs travelled first class with attached baths.
not sure if it has been published.

in the days I travelled, mutton curry was some tasty red gravy and a few pieces of mystery skin like things. a piece of genuine meat was hard to find...maybe the server staff kept it for themselves.

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 20 Sep 2016 11:46

rahulm wrote:Thanks IR and no 'ji' please.

I remember, hazily, my travels from when steam was on its last legs. Dad's bi-annual LTA would see us travel from Pune to Nagpur in the only convenient train -Maharashtra Express. Perpetually late and always slow. It was and still is a second cousin far removed to more 'prestigious' trains on the route

Coach Windows had no bars so my head was always craning out to sight the majestic bullet nosed WP class charging ahead billowing black smoke and huffing steam from every vent, valve and imperfect seal.

Meals were ordered and then served by attendants in steel trays with stamped pockets. Dal, rice, wheat rotis (no maida) and sometimes Bhindi or aloo palak. The meals were to look forward to, wholesome, tasty and hungrily wolfed down.

I remember arriving at Nagpur station with a face further blackened by soot, fine coal dust and soot in my hair, a well fed stomach and a contented smile. Each time.

Today, rotis are made of maida, food is spicy and oily, Bhindi and palak have been replaced by paneer, more paneer and chole, plain rice with jeera rice and the WP class is extinct.

Today, upto BSL the ALCO 251B clag comforts and soothes, from BSL an utterly efficient, ruthless and throughly charmless WAP does cold blooded duty, lowers its pantograph and shuts down for the night. The WP hissed all through the night in yards, sheds and sidings always awake

As pantry cars get replaced by centralised kitchens, welcome variations in food are being replaced by the predictability and ho-hum of standardisation.

Conversations and bonding with fellow travellers has been replaced by constant facepalm updates in the ether. Train travel is transitioning from being an experience to becoming an activity.

OT. You should really consider writing. You are really good at it.

I just missed the steam engines and I was so sad about it. When I was very young I was in Durgapur. My father promised to take me to Asansol where the last of the steam beauties were puffing their last. It never happened. Anyways, we used to take the Mayurakshi Express for the biennial trip to my grandparents at Kolkata. It took approximately 3.0 hours (there were no guarantees). My mother used to be very worried because I wanted to lean over the platform's edge, to try and get the first glimpse of green and black WAM-1/2/3.

Highlights of the trip:
1. My parents arguing if the TT would think that I was too old to travel on half-ticket. I, personally wanted to travel on full-ticket because that meant that I had grown up.
1. Window seat: all kids were allowed that, immaterial of how crowded the trains were.
2. Jhaal-muree with a strip of coconut on the top
3. Mihi-daana from Bardhaman
4. Soan-papdi for later. Bengali soanpapri is a little more fluffy
5. Sight of the Howrah bridge

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Sep 2016 14:50

WB platforms usually had people with stoves tucked inside empty tin cans serving roti, tarkari and boiled egg. pretty good stuff imo.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 20 Sep 2016 17:12

No stopping railways’ capex engine, April-August figure up 31%

Capital investment may be stagnating in general, but government agencies seem to be partly bridging the deficit. Indian Railways, which had seen an unprecedented 52% jump in capex in the last financial year, is maintaining the tempo in the current year as well, data gathered by FE reveal.

In April-August this year, the railways — under Union minister Suresh Prabhu — invested Rs 34,748 crore in capital equipment and facilities, up 31% from the corresponding period last year. The largest amounts were spent on laying of new rail lines (Rs 4,531 crore, up 80%), rolling stocks (Rs 6,768 crore, up 11%) and passenger amenities (Rs 363 crore, up 29%).

These apart, Rs 1,716 crore has been spent in the first five months of this year. Though this was down 15% from the year-ago period, sources said the high base (doubling projects saw a huge increase last year) is part reason for the decline.

Also, doubling projects usually gather momentum in the later part of the year.

What has enabled the transporter to keep capex projects going for the second year in a row is the additional resource mobilisation through extra-budgetary sources. “Indian railways has increased its focus on laying of new lines in order to augment capacity and rectify the congestion and excess capacity utilisation problems it faces on many routes. This may be the reason why doubling, track renewal and electrification projects have taken a hit,” said Abhay Krishna Agarwal, partner infrastructure & PPP at Ernst & Young LLP. “A clearer picture of the transporter’s spending and whether it is on track can only be understood according to the capital spending figures in Q3 and Q4 because that’s the period when actual construction work picks up,” he added.

Even though the national behemoth seems to be on track when it comes to spending on projects which yield it financial returns, its freight earnings have taken a major hit owing to the slew of freight rationalisation schemes it rolled out in the current fiscal year. Its overall freight earnings till August FY17 declined 10% to Rs 40,654 crore as compared to the corresponding period last year. Freight earnings from coal, cement and fertiliser shrank by 15%, 13% and 13%, respectively.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 20 Sep 2016 19:43

Coming soon: India’s longest railway tunnel on Rishikesh-Karnprayag route

Work on the 125-km Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail link, which will have India’s longest tunnel of 15.1 km, is set to begin in four-five months.

The cost of the railway project will be Rs 16,200 crore, up from around Rs 4,000 crore estimated when it was mooted six years ago. The rise in cost has been attributed to the forest ministry’s delay in giving environment clearance to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for acquisition of land in high-altitude areas.

Besides inflation, the cost escalation is due to inclusion of a separate rescue tunnel that will be constructed parallel to the main rail line, RVNL officials said.

“Escape tunnels for relief or rescue was included following a guideline issued by the Indian railways in 2013,” RVNL joint general manager for the project, Sumit Jain said, adding that work is set to begin in 4-5 months.

According to sources, the forest ministry’s office in Dehradun did not give the clearance as it was not convinced that the rail track alignment plan was linear which was mandatory considering the unstable and fragile nature of Himalayas.

However, it was forced to give the clearance after Union ministry in Delhi wrote a letter to it on September 16, stating that the project is linear.

The rail link will connect pilgrimage towns Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Gauchar Karnprayag with five districts of Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri, Rudrapryag and Chamoli.

The line will have 105 km or 85% of the project inside tunnels. A 15.1-km tunnel, longest in the country, is set to come up between Devprayag and Lachmoli on the route. The project will also include 16 bridges with the longest of them being 460m.

India’s longest tunnel is the 11.2 kilometre link from Banihal to Quazikund linking the Jammu region to the Kashmir valley.

As per RVNL and state tourism department officials, it will reduce the time taken between Rishikesh and Karnprayag— which bifurcates road for Badrinath and Kedarnath—to a maximum of 2 hours from the present over seven. “Besides this, there will be huge cut in travel cost for pilgrims,” Jain said.

Officials said it would also speed up the transportation of defence personnel and equipment to border areas.

“This project will also support the state’s efforts in stopping migration and open the gateway for penetrating railway lines further into the hills,” former minister of state for railways, Satpal Maharaj, during whose tenure the rail link was first mooted, said.

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 24 Sep 2016 06:40

@IR It has been said to me me too many times since my school days but I studied engineering instead. Appreciate the kind words.

i did and sometimes still consider the idea of freelancing as a defence journalist but have never pursued it to completion. My fauji buddies are still trying to egg me on. They are fed up with current defence journalism standards. Getting accreditation with a publication is the first step towards access. Then, I think it shouldn't be that hard.

Trouble is, I have too many extra curricular activities

Sicanta · Post by **Sicanta** » 28 Sep 2016 09:21

Well the first tejas is to start in a week between Lucknow and New Delhi. Fare will be 20% higher than base fare with flexi fares applicable. But slower than existing Swarn Shatabdi on the same route.

Need a look at the final fare but i wonder if it will be able to leech off some morning traffic from air travel in that sector.

saip · Post by **saip** » 06 Oct 2016 01:29

Heard NRI Seniors are going to lose the discounts for train tickets. But how will the Government recognize them?

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 06 Oct 2016 06:36

saip wrote:Heard NRI Seniors are going to lose the discounts for train tickets. But how will the Government recognize them?

Just like ASI "recognises" OCI/PIO at ASI monuments where non-Indians have to pay a higher entrance fee. I have known quite a few who simply walked in with the "local" ticket, as no one thinks of checking their IDs. On the other hand, know at least one instance where a person from NE was given some grief, since the officials there were reluctant to believe that he was Indian and insisted on seeing his passport!!

Regarding train discounts, they'll need to enter their personal details for booking right? Unless they enter a local address, they'll be recognised as NRIs and tagged as such wouldn't they?

saip · Post by **saip** » 06 Oct 2016 06:50

AFAIK ASI can not charge more from OCIs. Was not there SC ruling to that effect? Reg Railways, while on line booking, it asks your Nationality and if you select Indian it will not ask for ID number but you are required to carry it with you. PAN or AADHAR cards can be shown as IDs. Normally I select US as my nationality and enter my Passport no. I normally show my CA license as ID and never had any problem.

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 10 Oct 2016 22:04

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ind ... n=Railways

NEW DELHI: Train passengers and tourists can now look forward to travelling in state-of-the-art luxurious coaches having glass ceiling and equipped with infotainment system, similar to that in Switzerland.

manjgu · Post by **manjgu** » 11 Oct 2016 06:43

and see people shitting along the railway tracks and piles of garbage littered all over !!

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 13 Oct 2016 19:40

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 145_1.html

Indian Railways to ink deal with Germany for high-speed trains

Would love to see Siemens Velaro in India. But the link doesn't say if it's going to be for a particular route.

tandav · Post by **tandav** » 14 Oct 2016 09:12

manjgu wrote:and see people shitting along the railway tracks and piles of garbage littered all over !!

At least in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telengana, Andhra and Karnataka I have not seen open defecation (men pissing merrily yes but no squatting) and piles of garbage which were common even about 10 years ago have disappeared.

I attribute this to the fact that most trains do not allow toilet waste to trickle onto the tracks like before and therefore people living around also do not consider tracks to be toilets.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Oct 2016 14:48

yes the kind of large slums on encroached railway land that used to line the railway tracks have been cleaned out and people moved on a bit.
urban slums too have complexes of pukka toilets these days. perhaps there are holdouts in places like mumbai / ccu/ del but with ppl even in these slums earning a tidy living and just staying there for cheap rent, I would imagine good number of toilets exist.