Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Indian Railways weighs shift to manpower-based station cleaning contracts
The Ministry of Railways in India wants to change how train stations are cleaned.
Right now, they hire cleaning companies and tell them the station must be clean, no matter how many cleaners they use.
This is called an outcome-based system.
The Ministry is thinking about a new way, called a manpower-based system.
In the new way, cleaning companies would have to send a fixed number of cleaners to each station.
Before deciding, the Railway Board asked all 18 railway zones to share their ideas.
Each zone needs to explain why the new system is good or bad and how much it would cost.
Some officials think a mix of both systems could work best.
Big stations might use more machines, while smaller stations might use more people.
The final decision has not been made yet.
The Ministry of Railways is reviewing a proposal to replace outcome-based station cleaning contracts with a manpower-based system at selected stations.
The Railway Board has asked all 18 railway zones to submit their views, detailed justifications, and the financial implications of the proposed change.
Under the current outcome-based model, private agencies must maintain prescribed cleanliness standards regardless of how many workers they deploy.
Under the proposed manpower-based model, contractors would be required to deploy a fixed number of cleaning personnel at stations.
Railway officials say the move could introduce a hybrid, need-based model that balances manpower, technology, and costs at individual stations.
- Who
- The Ministry of Railways and the Railway Board of India, which have asked all 18 railway zones to give their views.
- What
- A proposal to replace outcome-based station cleaning contracts with a manpower-based contract system at selected railway stations.
- When
- Under review as of August 5, 2026, the date of the Ministry's letter to all zones.
- Where
- Railway stations across India managed by Indian Railways.
- Why
- To adopt station-specific, cost-effective cleaning approaches that balance manpower deployment, technology, and cleanliness standards.
- Subject
- Review of station cleaning contract system
- Current model
- Outcome-based cleaning contracts
- Proposed model
- Manpower-based contracts requiring a fixed number of cleaning personnel
- Zones consulted
- All 18 railway zones
- Letter date
- August 5, 2026
- Letter addressees
- General Managers of all railway zones
- Possible outcome
- Hybrid, need-based model per station category