The decades-old practice of tabling of Railway Budget has been done away with from next year. But had it been not combined with the annual General Budget, the Railways would have made some key “passenger-friendly measures” riding on the digital bandwagon: From a Train Requirement Forecast System to Automated Check-in Services to reservation offices locator to linkages of local buses with trains to journey planner to virtual railway station tour Apps.
These measures will now be put in place gradually over the next year.
With reservations during peak rush hours still a problem for train commuters, the Indian Railways is working on the Train Requirement Forecast system to predict the demand of passenger traffic which can help in meeting the requirements by advance planning and enabling people to get accommodation as per their need.
A senior railway official said since passenger transportation is seasonal and the number of passengers willing to travel varies according to the festivals or holidays and vacations among others, a software solution to predict such demand will be quite helpful.
Railways is also working on a linkage of public transport buses with commuters’ trains and Automated Check-in services wherein the traveller does not have to wait for his or her ticket to be checked/verified by the train ticket examiners (TTE).
At present, ticket checking is done on trains, at station exits and also at platforms and is a manual process. But due to shortage of ticket checking staff, only a small number of passengers are checked.
“There is a need for a solution which can ensure 100 per cent ticket checking. The solution should be such that a passenger need not have to wait for getting his ticket checked. A barcode system on the pattern of metro trains or for that matter, a check in system at airports is being worked out,” said a senior IT expert of Railways.
It is also developing an App to plan the journey only with confirmed tickets availability from origin/way side station.
“Besides, a separate mobile App for train enquiry, e-ticketing, parcel, unreserved ticketing etc and unification of all the Apps on single platform will increase convenience for the users as well as improve popularity of the App. A single security App for women security over the entire network of Indian Railways can also help in improving safety and security of women,” added the expert.
Through the digital platform, a virtual tour of Railway Station will also be possible now since a host of facilities are available at major railway stations which passengers or stations users are not aware of. Passengers are often also unaware of the location of such facilities. An application to provide a virtual tour of Railway Station can be helpful in facilitating this information to the passengers, officials said.
“The linkage of public transport buses with the schedule of commuter trains can help in saving time for public as they will not be required to wait for the train at the station. The timing of reaching of public transport bus should be close to the arrival of the train at the station. It will help in reducing crowds at the station waiting for the train,” said the official. Several other measures to make use of GIS and digital platform for general passengers too are in the offing, he added.
In one of the biggest reliefs to train travellers, who had to get down at railway stations to lodge complaints in case of any untoward incident or incident of crime against passengers and their belongings, the Railways will provide a platform for online registration of FIR over entire network of Indian Railway for speedy initiation of action by GRP.
A software solution to provide location of the Reservation Offices, along with directions, will also be prepared. “Railways have Reservation Offices at about 3,500 locations across the country. The exact location of the Reservation Office is usually not available to the passengers. Such an initiative would be helpful,” said a railway official.
A software solution to monitor the actual usage of energy in Indian railways network such as locomotives, buildings, station premises and offices, which could be optimised to prevent wasteful usage, is on the anvil too and will also be used to compare usage by similar entity across the organisation.
“Cases of excessive usage of energy over and above the requirement can be identified. A huge amount of waste is generated on Railway stations and on trains. Efficient waste management will help in keeping the station premises and trains clean and also enhance passenger comfort. Solid waste generated at workplaces, colonies and hospitals is also required to be disposed properly. A software solution for efficient waste management can help in timely action,” added the official.