The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has rolled out technology-enabled on-board services in five superfast train services to improve cleanliness, hygiene and passenger comfort. With this move, NFR has become the second zonal railway in India to introduce the initiative, officials said on Sunday. NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the upgraded services cover two Vande Bharat Express trains and three other services connecting major destinations across the country.

The upgraded services have been introduced on the following trains:

• Kamakhya–SMVT Bengaluru Express
• Guwahati–Kolkata Garib Rath Express
• Dibrugarh–Mumbai LTT Express
• New Jalpaiguri–Patna Vande Bharat Express
• New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati Vande Bharat Express

According to Sharma, the Guwahati–Kolkata Garib Rath Express and Dibrugarh–Mumbai LTT Express began operating with the enhanced services on October 10 and 11, respectively.

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The New Jalpaiguri–Patna Vande Bharat Express and New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati Vande Bharat Express introduced the services on October 14 in the presence of senior railway officials. The Kamakhya–SMVT Bengaluru Express also received the upgraded facilities from its originating station, Kamakhya, on the same day.

The initiative focuses on improving the upkeep of coaches and facilities throughout the journey. The enhanced services include regular cleaning of coaches and air-conditioned windows, improved washroom maintenance, better waste disposal and the timely distribution and collection of bed linen.

Dedicated teams will also provide basic technical assistance, check water availability and respond to passenger complaints. The railway has set a target of resolving complaints within two hours, with unresolved issues to be escalated to the relevant railway authorities.

The new system uses technology to monitor service delivery and improve accountability. It includes geo-tagged verification of services, staff tracking and centralised monitoring of on-board housekeeping activities.

Real-time passenger feedback and star ratings will help assess service quality. AI-based cleaning assessments will also be used to evaluate performance and identify areas requiring improvement, Sharma said.

Through the initiative, Northeast Frontier Railway aims to maintain higher cleanliness standards and improve the overall travel experience for passengers.

The combination of technology-led housekeeping, digital supervision and faster grievance redressal is intended to make on-board services more consistent across the five selected train services.

Inputs from agencies