E. Coli Bacteria in Indian railway station water: CAG names 8 stations where drinking water was found contaminated

E. coli was found in water-cooler samples at eight Indian railway stations, according to a CAG audit. Here's the full list of stations, what the contamination means, health risks, water-testing gaps and the Railways' response.

New Delhi: For millions of railway passengers, the water cooler on a crowded platform is not a convenience—it is a lifeline. But a recent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has put a serious question mark over that everyday assumption of safety. Water samples from coolers at eight railway stations across four railway zones tested positive for E. coli, a bacterium that can indicate faecal contamination and, in certain strains, cause potentially severe illness.

Which railway stations were flagged

According to the CAG’s Report No. 31 of 2026 on Passenger Amenities and Sanitation at Non-Suburban Railway Stations, the affected stations were:

Southern Railway: Coimbatore and Palakkad Junction

South Central Railway: Hyderabad

Central Railway: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala

Eastern Railway: Madhupur

The audit covered passenger amenities and sanitation at 512 non-suburban railway stations across Indian Railways. Importantly, the report examines audit findings from 2019-20 to 2023-24, along with certain previously unreported observations. Therefore, the finding should not........

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