Puri Railway equips six engines with waterless bladder technology

Guwahati, 04 December (HS). To further improve the working conditions of loco pilots, Puri Railway has taken an important step by installing an innovative technology – waterless urinals in six WAG-9 HC class locomotives. This initiative will facilitate better working conditions for loco pilots.

Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway, said on Wednesday that initially, the Electric Loco Shed of Malda Town (MLDT) has installed waterless urinals to conserve resources, convenience and enhance safety during train operations. Earlier, loco pilots of goods trains, who often worked continuously for 7-8 hours, had no provision for toilet facilities within the engines. This forced them to rely on unscheduled stoppages, which was likely to impact the safe operation and punctuality of trains.

Waterless urinals feature a dry system that eliminates the need for water and prevents odors while maintaining hygiene. They come with a number of advanced features, including an epoxy-coated odorless unisex design with stainless steel wire mesh, a perfume dispenser, and urinal mat. The urinals also have a microcontroller-based system for operating automatic LED lights and exhaust fan based on occupancy, an auto sensor based hand sanitizer and a UV controlled disinfection system. One of the key safety features of this system is that the urinals can be used only when the train is stopped and the engine brakes are applied, ensuring the highest level of safety during operations. With this, any possible accident or untoward incident can be avoided.

Pushi Railway’s Loco Shed, Malda Town, is planning to install these facilities on 50 more locomotives in the zone in a phased manner in the coming months. This development will not only promote convenience and comfort for loco pilots during their long working hours, but will also contribute to sustainability efforts by reducing water consumption and maintenance costs. It also marks a significant progress in the field of green initiatives under the railway system.