2,096 bio-toilets installed in rail coaches so far

New Delhi: Continuing its efforts to provide a clean and eco-friendly travel to train passengers, Railways has expedited the work of fitting bio-toilets in coaches with over 2,000 of them already installed so far. "We have completed installing a total of 2,096 bio-toilets in coaches at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) at Kapurthala till March this year," a senior RCF official said.

The bio-toilet not only helps in maintaining cleanliness by preventing discharge of human waste on tracks, but in turn also protects the railway lines from corrosion, he said. Manual scavenging will also be be nullified in due course, he added. Corrosion costs railways over Rs 350 crore every year, the official said, adding, these toilets have been fitted in Sleeper and AC coaches of premier and mail/express trains. The new-age green toilets have been designed by Railways along with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) keeping in mind the requirements of Indian trains. The bio-toilets are fitted below the coach floor underneath the lavatories and the human waste discharged into them is acted upon by a particular kind of bacteria that converts human waste into non-corrosive neutral water. "Gradually, all coaches will be fitted with bio-toilets as per the plan," the official said. Meanwhile, touching a new high, the RCF at Kapurthala has created a record production of over 1,700 coaches for premier and other mail/express trains in the financial year 2013-14. The RCF has produced 1,701 coaches including 389 LHB coaches in the fiscal 2013-14, which is highest ever production in the unit so far, said the official. The coaches will be used mostly in Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Double Decker and mail/express trains.