Railway Budget 2015: Slew of passenger friendly measures announced
Prabhu said Rs 120 crore will be earmarked for lifts & escalators at key stations and more general-class coaches will be added for travellers.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
NEW DELHI: Suresh Prabhu's formula for his maiden railway budget was simple. While it had to be growth-oriented, the emphasis had to be on passengers, their comfort and safety. He unveiled measures that should vastly improve travel experience for passengers, much of it centred around the adoption of technology and greater levels of hygiene and safety.
After presenting the budget, Prabhu said in an interview that he had no "moral authority" to increase fares until the railways could provide basic facilities. The minister had received more than 20,000 suggestions from rail users and he found most of them wanted cleanliness, hygiene, better food, faster ticketing and greater safety, especially for women.
The new measures will make it possible for tickets to be booked four months in advance instead of two, meals to be pre-selected, greater WiFi availability at stations, better toilets on trains and the disabled and the elderly getting easier access. Cleanliness will also be a focus, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Passengers will also be able to dial 138 to complain, even from the trains they are traveling on and possibly get grievances sorted out en route. Another number, 182, is to be set up as a security helpline with a focus on women's safety with some of the money for this to come from the Nirbhaya fund. Closed-circuit TV cameras are also to be installed on some trains as well.
"Railways touches lives of millions of people and meeting their expectations is the biggest challenge," Prabhu said at a press conference after his speech in Parliament. "The budget has systematically tried to meet some of the expectations."
CLEANLINESS DRIVE
Cleanliness was a major area of dissatisfaction, he said. The minister promised a major cleansing of stations and the coaches, saying that Swachh Rail would drive the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. "We propose to create a new department for keeping our stations and trains clean. Integrated cleaning will be taken up as a specialised activity, which will include engaging professional agencies and also training our staff in the latest cleaning practices," he said in the budget speech. The rudimentary plumbing in most railway toilets poses another big challenge.
After presenting the budget, Prabhu said in an interview that he had no "moral authority" to increase fares until the railways could provide basic facilities. The minister had received more than 20,000 suggestions from rail users and he found most of them wanted cleanliness, hygiene, better food, faster ticketing and greater safety, especially for women.
The new measures will make it possible for tickets to be booked four months in advance instead of two, meals to be pre-selected, greater WiFi availability at stations, better toilets on trains and the disabled and the elderly getting easier access. Cleanliness will also be a focus, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Passengers will also be able to dial 138 to complain, even from the trains they are traveling on and possibly get grievances sorted out en route. Another number, 182, is to be set up as a security helpline with a focus on women's safety with some of the money for this to come from the Nirbhaya fund. Closed-circuit TV cameras are also to be installed on some trains as well.
"Railways touches lives of millions of people and meeting their expectations is the biggest challenge," Prabhu said at a press conference after his speech in Parliament. "The budget has systematically tried to meet some of the expectations."
CLEANLINESS DRIVE
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Cleanliness was a major area of dissatisfaction, he said. The minister promised a major cleansing of stations and the coaches, saying that Swachh Rail would drive the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. "We propose to create a new department for keeping our stations and trains clean. Integrated cleaning will be taken up as a specialised activity, which will include engaging professional agencies and also training our staff in the latest cleaning practices," he said in the budget speech. The rudimentary plumbing in most railway toilets poses another big challenge.
DESIGN CHANGES
The Research, Design and Standards Organisation will, meanwhile, design vacuum toilets such as those on airplanes. The minister also spokeof partnering with institutions such as the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and the National Institute of Design (NID) to improve the passenger experience. While NIFT has been approached to improve the design and quality of bed linen, NID is helping with better stepladders in coaches for easy access to the top berths. NID is also developing ergonomically designed seats.
Prabhu promised several measures for the convenience of the elderly. In addition to installing more escalators and lifts at major stations, wheelchairs will also be made available. There was also a proposal to change the design of coaches and make wider entrances to make access easier for the differentlyabled. Prabhu caused some surprise by saying that he would use money from the Nirbhaya fund to help with women's security.
He said that surveillance cameras will be provided on a pilot basis in selected mainline coaches and ladies' compartments of suburban coaches without compromising on privacy.
BETTER TICKETING
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A railway official said the minister had applied his mind to finding ways of improving the ticketing and reservation process. Operation 5 Minutes is aimed at speeding up the process of buying unreserved tickets. The railways will also install more automated ticket-vending machines. Coin-vending machines and single-destination teller windows will be set up at various stations to speed up ticketing.
Prabhu also promised longer rakes to cut down on long waiting lists. Ticket checkers will be given hand-held terminals while an SMS service on train timings is being piloted. Pre-booking of disposable bed linen is to be extended. The minister also promised reforms in the catering system that often comes in for severe criticism by rail users. Passengers will be given wider food choice, including the option of ordering from the menus of reputed food chains.
E-catering was introduced in 108 trains on an experimental basis in January, allowing passengers to order food through the IRCTC website at the time of booking. Prabhu was also keen to leverage technology for the benefit of passengers, such as providing WiFi at more stations. "Small things matter. Passengers asked for electrical points to charge their phones in the coaches and we are doing that," he said. Prabhu also spoke of moving toward paperless ticketing with an SMS treated as a valid ticket. This would also expedite refund claims apart from saving on paper. He also proposed to introduce an SMS alert service to inform passengers about updated train timings.
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Text: ECONOMICTIMES.COM
In a Railway Budget focused on enhancing passenger experience, Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday announced multiple initiatives including better ticketing facilities, upgraded stations and cleaner trains.
Prabhu increased the funds allotment for passenger amenities by 67%. "We are launching initiatives that will systematically address customer concerns about cleanliness, comfort, accessibility, service quality and speed of trains," Prabhu said.
"We are directing our efforts to make travel on Indian Railways a happy experience with a mix of various initiatives," he said in the Rail Budget speech.
We take a look at 15 main areas in Prabhu's Rail Budget that will improve common man's train journey:
In a Railway Budget focused on enhancing passenger experience, Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday announced multiple initiatives including better ticketing facilities, upgraded stations and cleaner trains.
Prabhu increased the funds allotment for passenger amenities by 67%. "We are launching initiatives that will systematically address customer concerns about cleanliness, comfort, accessibility, service quality and speed of trains," Prabhu said.
"We are directing our efforts to make travel on Indian Railways a happy experience with a mix of various initiatives," he said in the Rail Budget speech.
We take a look at 15 main areas in Prabhu's Rail Budget that will improve common man's train journey:
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