Ratings methodology, sources and limitations

Purpose and independence

RailHygiene is an independent Android app and website created to help passengers record and check historical cleanliness observations for Indian Railways train coaches. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by Indian Railways, IRCTC or RailMadad. It does not resolve complaints, provide official PNR status or certify a coach as clean.

What is measured

Passenger feedback is organised into separate aspects: overall coach condition, coach floor, toilets and dustbins. Where journey data supports it, reports are grouped by train number and coach identifier. A public train page may show overall averages, coach-level summaries, the number of reports and the most recent recorded journey date.

Ratings use a five-point scale. Displayed averages are arithmetic summaries of the available observations for that train or coach. They are rounded for presentation. An average does not reveal every individual experience, so report count and coach coverage should always be read alongside it.

Journey-linked community feedback

The Android app uses journey information to associate submitted feedback with the relevant train and coach. The public website displays aggregates rather than passenger PNRs. Details about data access, anonymous identifiers and processing are maintained in the privacy policy.

RailHygiene may also maintain aggregate records derived from publicly reported railway cleanliness experiences. Automated classification is treated as supporting coverage, not as proof that a condition currently exists. Aggregates can contain classification or source errors, which is one reason the service invites fresh passenger feedback and avoids representing results as official findings.

Sample size and confidence

The site currently labels the exact count on each rated train page and warns when the sample is small. RailHygiene does not invent ratings for trains without evidence. Pages without reports remain accessible to app links and users but are marked not to be indexed by search engines.

Freshness and automatic updates

The maintained train directory and aggregate rating snapshot are refreshed by an automated website build. The generator validates train numbers, rejects duplicate records and falls back to a committed data snapshot when a remote source is temporarily unavailable. Rated train pages and XML sitemaps are then regenerated together so search listings do not depend on JavaScript rendering.

The date on a train page refers to the latest recorded journey in the aggregate, not necessarily the date the page was generated. A train’s route or name can change; passengers should confirm operational and schedule information through authorised railway sources.

Editorial and correction standards

• We separate official assistance from community ratings and link current problems to RailMadad or 139.
• We identify RailHygiene’s independent status on search landing pages.
• We avoid claims that an average predicts the next journey.
• We do not publish empty train pages in the search sitemap.
• We revise guides when product behaviour, official guidance or material data handling changes.

If you identify an incorrect train mapping or a material error in a public aggregate, use the support route listed on the app’s Google Play page and include the public train-page URL. Do not send a PNR or unnecessary personal information in a public message.

How passengers should use the data

Use RailHygiene as one community information source. Check report count, latest date, coach coverage and category differences. For live cleaning assistance, use RailMadad or railway helpline 139. For official schedules, ticketing and PNR services, use authorised Indian Railways or IRCTC channels.