Use Vande Bharat sleeper trains ‘only if you have learnt your toilet manners’: Railway official

The new Vande Bharat sleeper train service is expected to cut travel time by around three hours compared to existing express trains on the route.

Ahead of the launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on January 17, a senior railway official has sparked a debate on cleanliness in Indian trains by urging passengers to travel on the new service only if they have “learnt their toilet manners” and respect public property.

“Please travel in it only if you have learnt your toilet manners, will obey the instructions given in the washrooms, and have respect for public property. Thanks!” wrote Ananth Rupanagudi, a chief project manager at Indian Railways, in a post on X. His comment, viewed over 80,000 times, triggered a wave of responses about hygiene standards and maintenance on trains.

One user replied: “Hope the flush will work, water will be filled, tissues will be kept. Then please educate the public because these are not available mostly in 2 AC and 3 AC. Proper maintenance is required, and adequate staffing should be provided, and contractors should not loot.” Rupanagudi responded: “That’s never the problem, at least in premier trains. It’s just that some of the passengers don’t even bother to flush or even check whether it’s working.”

When another user shared a video of a railway staffer disposing garbage out of the trains and onto the tracks and accused them of poor practices, the official countered: “Just selective circulation of old videos doesn’t tell the complete truth. Yes, there’s a problem which is being tackled, and the vendors indulging in such activities are being fined heavily.”

The "passionate Railwayman" also said it was a good idea when a third user suggested putting informational videos on the train on washroom manners.

Please travel in it only if you have learnt your toilet manners, will obey the instructions given in the washrooms, and have respect for public property. Thanks! #IndianRailways#VandeBharathttps://t.co/mnnm153clQ

— Ananth Rupanagudi (@Ananth_IRAS) January 12, 2026

New train, new rules

The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, set to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Guwahati–Howrah route next week, will introduce significant changes to ticketing norms. According to an Indian Express report, the train will eliminate Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) and waitlisted tickets entirely. Only fully confirmed tickets will be issued, with all berths open for booking from the start of the Advance Reservation Period.

A Railway Board circular dated January 9 clarified that the “minimum chargeable distance shall be 400 km” and ticket prices will be slightly higher than premium services such as the Rajdhani Express. Passengers will pay at least the fare for a 400-km journey, regardless of actual distance travelled.

The new service is expected to cut travel time by around three hours compared to existing express trains on the route, the report added.