Central Railway, Western Railway to propose 5 ideas about improving services

Mumbai: Central and Western railway will be presenting five ideas to improve passenger experience in the Rail Vikas Shibir that begun on Friday evening that include concierge-like end-to-end service for senior citizens, sick people and women travelling alone being escorted to their doorstep and reducing the piling up of garbage on tracks, platforms and in trains.

All the 17 zones of the Indian Railways had been asked by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu to come up with ideas and were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Both the central and western railways had conducted an internal conference with its officials to ideate with the same idea.

The concierge service will be implemented with the railways tying up with an agency that will appoint its personnel to take the passenger concerned to their home.

An official on the condition of anonymity said, “If your wife, parent or sick relative is travelling alone then a man from the private agency will pick the passenger up from the station where the train will arrive and get a wheelchair if need be. He will then take the passenger in, say, a taxi/auto or private vehicle and escort them to their home or destination. A sick or a senior citizen will not need to pick up their baggage from the minute they de-board and a woman travelling alone at odd-hour will feel safe as well.”

One of the other ideas is to provide the incentive of money to pantry and food stall operators of money in exchange of garbage that might be created from the food packaging. City officials have also suggested that all ATM’s machines be provided with software through which a person can take a ticket or pass and do not have to go the counter to buy or renew them.

In order to make more revenue during lean season it has also been recommended that fare of premium trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi be taken below the base fare, as the trains run empty instead.

Confirming the move, Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Narendra Pati said, “Yes we have sent our ideas which all the railway officials are scheduled to present to both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Railways. The best ideas will be picked and hopefully implemented.”