Railways bet on track cleaners

SIDHARTHA ROY

While the streets of the Capital might soon witness vacuum cleaning to keep the dust away, the Railways have already began using similar technology to keep the rail tracks clean in Delhi. The Delhi Division of the Northern Railway has started using a ‘wheel mounted track cleaning car’ for regular cleaning of rail tracks, primarily at the New Delhi railway station.

In simpler terms, the track cleaning car is a rail wagon with a massive vacuum cleaning machine mounted on it. The track cleaner has been developed by the Northern Railway and has a combined vacuum and exhaust function, which means it acts both as a blower for dust and other smaller particles but can also suck garbage such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, food items thrown away by passengers etc. The machine not only keeps the tracks clean but also sucks up garbage from areas alongside the track. Arun Arora, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi said that the wheel mounted track cleaner is mostly used in the rail yard at the station that witnesses a heavy movement of rail traffic every day, which leaves behind a lot of dirt and grime on the tracks. Though the track cleaner was first launched two years ago by the Northern Railway, it hasn't been used very regularly till recently because some issues regarding its operation and maintenance had to be resolved first.

“It is being used at the New Delhi railway station but it can be easily moved to Delhi Main station or any other railway station as it is wheel mounted and can travel on rails,” Mr. Arora said.

The track cleaner, however, is not very useful for cleaning human excreta on the tracks as it can mainly suck up dry objects, Mr. Arora said.

He said that the track cleaner was locally made, with both the wagon, the vacuum and the exhaust machine being manufactured in house. The machine has been customised and wheel mounted by an Indian firm, he said.