Passenger amenities stood out in the maiden Rail Budget of the Narendra Modi government. Presenting it, railway minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda announced a slew of measures to improve facilities, that ranged from upgraded services at major stations to better catering on trains.
To cater to the needs of frequent business travellers, Mr Gowda announced a pilot project to introduce an “office on wheels”, under which workstations would be made available to passengers at a price. Also, he said wi-fi services would be provided on a much larger number of trains, and wi-fi zones would be created at all A1 and A2 category stations. Passengers will also get mobile-based wake-up calls and destination arrival alerts.
The minister said provision would be made soon for buying platform and unreserved tickets through the Internet.
Taking on frequent complaints of lack of hygience at most railway stations, Mr Gowda announced 40 per cent more allocation for cleanliness, and proposed outsourcing of cleaning work at 50 major stations to private entities. He also said CCTV cameras would be used to keep watch on the cleanliness status of stations, and said he would introduce a system of third-party inspections.
The minister also announced a proposal to set up RO drinking water units in trains and at stations on an experimental basis. Also, the minister said the provision of battery-operated carts would be extended to facilitate differently-abled and senior citizens to reach platforms at all major stations.
The minister also announced a proposal for parking-cum-platform tickets, that could also be booked online. Also, passengers would get call on their mobile phones to wake them up when they reach their destinations.
“The railways also propose to set up food courts at major stations to provide the option of ordering regional cuisine while onboard through emails, SMS.
A pilot project will be started shortly between New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu Tavi sections,” said Mr Gowda. He also said online booking of retiring rooms will be extended to all major stations. He added that earnest attempts would be made this year to provide sufficient water supply, as well as platform shelters and toilets at stations.