Bhubaneswar: On successful acceptance and positive response from women passengers after installation of Automatic Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines in Hirakhand Express and keeping in view the demand from the passengers, East Coast Railway has extended this facility to important trains originating from its jurisdiction. This initiative is a part of ECoR’s drive to improve sanitation and hygiene and a humble service to enhance the goodwill of the people for Railways and also a step towards promoting Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat. Total 91 Machines have been installed in 36 Trains.

East Coast Railway has installed 91 Automatic Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines in different coaches in 36 most important trains, originating from its jurisdiction i.e. from Puri, Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam. It is noted that, East Coast Railway is the first Railway Zone in Indian Railways to undertake such an extensive exercise for installation of Automatic Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine in Trains.

35 Coaches of 10 Trains include Purushottam Express, Puri-Ahmedabad Express, Tapaswini Express, Puri-Durg Express, Utkal Express, Jagannath Express, Neelachal Express, Puri-Chennai Express, Puri-Ajmer Express, Puri-Shirdi Express originating from Puri have been installed with Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine.

Similarly, 28 Coaches of 15 Trains originating from Bhubaneswar i.e. Hirakhand Express, Rajdhani Express group of trains, Prashanti Express, Dhanbad Garib Rath Express, Bhawanipatna Link Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Bhubaneswar-Tirupati Express, Bangalore Cant Express, Balangir Intercity, New Delhi Duronto, Krishnarajpuram Humsafar Express, Bangiriposi Express have been provided with this facility.

Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines have been provided in 23 Coaches of 11 Trains originating from Visakhapatnam including Samata Express, AP Express, Nizamuddin Dakshin Link Express, Korba Express, Visakhapatnam-LTT Express, Hirakund Express, Visakhapatnam-Gandhidham Express, Visakhapatnam-Digha Express, Visakhapatnam-Tata Express, Visakhapatnam-Paradeep Express, Visakhapatnam-Chennai.

Apart from this, ECoR has already installed these facilities in major Railway Stations over its jurisdiction like Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Puri etc. The price of the Sanitary Napkin is Rs. 5/- per piece. Passengers can get the Napkins by inserting a Rs. 5/- coin in the vending machine. This Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine can vend 75 pads at a time.

East Coast Railway has also planned for installation of these Vending Machines in more trains from its jurisdiction keeping in view the demand and response from the passengers.