Participated in an interactive discussion on Railway Stations Redevelopment Programme with architects & planners in New Delhi
Details of major initiatives taken by Ministry of Railways to improve the facilities for Rail Passengers are as under:-
(i) Online ticket booking facility through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website thereby obviating the need to stand in queues at reservation counters.
(ii) Reserved and unreserved ticket booking facility through mobile phones.
(iii) Provision of Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) at railway stations for dispensation of tickets.
(iv) Provision of various cashless modes of payment like net banking, e-wallets, credit/debit cards through Point of Sale (POS)s machines, through Unified Payment Interface (UPI), etc.
(v) Earmarking of separate counters at various Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from persons with disability, senior citizens, ladies, former Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, accredited press correspondents and freedom fighters.
(vi) Automatic preparation of first reservation charts at least 4 hours before scheduled departure of train and thereafter booking of available accommodation through internet as well as through PRS counters till preparation of second reservation charts.
(vii) Intimation to passengers through SMS in case of change in passengers’ reservation status from waiting list/RAC to confirmed, cancellation of trains, late running of train in identified trains, etc.
(viii) Cancellation of computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter tickets through IRCTC website or through 139.
(ix) Automatic refund to e-ticket holders in case of cancellation of trains.
(x) Introduction of Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme ‘VIKALP’ to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers in alternate train to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation.
(xi) Increase in number of berths earmarked as RAC to accommodate more passengers.
(xii) Earmarking of combined quota of 6 lower berths per coach in Sleeper, 3 lower berths per coach in 3AC and 3 lower berths per coach in 2AC class for Senior Citizens, pregnant women and female passengers 45 years of age and above. Further, in Rajdhani, Duronto and fully Air Conditioned/ Express trains, 4 lower berths per coach are earmarked under this quota.
(xiii) Earmarking of a reservation Quota of 6 berths in 3AC class by Garib Rath Express trains for exclusive use of female passengers irrespective of their age while travelling alone or in group of female passengers.
(xiv) Earmarking of reservation quota of two berths in 3AC class and four berths in Sleeper class for persons with disability.
(xv) Introduction of Sarathi Seva to help old and disabled passengers requiring assistance at the station and strengthen the existing services for enabling passengers to book Battery Operated Car (BOC), porter services etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop and wheelchair services.
(xvi) Provision of Yatri Mitra Sewa at major stations for enabling passengers to book wheelchair services cum porter services.
(xvii) Electronic display boards are provided at ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ category stations and public address systems are provided at ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ category of stations and can be provided upto “D” category of stations.
(xviii) Taking various steps with a view to encouraging booking of rail ticket through internet e.g. withdrawing of service charge imposed by IRCTC, enhancing the capacity of the server, increasing the options available for making payment while booking ticket through internet etc. Due to these efforts, internet ticketing now constitute approximately 65% of total reserved tickets issued on Indian Railways.
In addition, in the Union Budget 2018-19 it has been announced that redevelopment of 600 major railway stations is being taken up by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited. All stations with more than 25000 footfalls will have escalators. All railway stations and trains will be progressively provided with wi-fi. CCTVs will be provided at all stations and on trains to enhance security of passengers.
It has also been decided to open the first ever National Rail and Transport Institute at Vadodara. The University will be set up in the campus of Ministry of Railways’ National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) in Vadodara, Gujarat. The campus infrastructure will be built in phases to cater to approximately 3,000 students over 10 years. Detailed Project Report has been submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development which has forwarded it to UGC for examination and advice on conferment of Deemed to be University status under the denovo category. Renovation and upgradation work at National Academy of Indian Railways shall start shortly.
Source: http://pib.nic.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1523026
Indian Railways under its Operation Swarn is upgrading as many as 14 Rajdhani Express and 15 Shatabdi trains at an average cost of Rs 50 lakh per train. The New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express has become the first Shatabdi Express train of Northeast Frontier Railway to get this golden upgrade.
New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express is now ‘Gold Standard’! Indian Railways under its Operation Swarn is upgrading as many as 14 Rajdhani Express and 15 Shatabdi trains at an average cost of Rs 50 lakh per train. The New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express has become the first Shatabdi Express train of Northeast Frontier Railway to get this golden upgrade. Operation Swarn is a 10 parameter upgrade scheme of Indian Railways, under which passenger comfort and feedback has been given importance. Security, staff behaviour, toilets, onboard cleanliness, catering, coach interiors, punctuality, onboard entertainment, linen and real time feedback are the 10 areas that have found focus in this upgrade of the New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express.
After the upgrade of 12041/12042 New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express train upgrade, the 12085/12086 Guwahati–Dibrugarh Shatabdi Express and 12087/12088 Guwahati–Naharlagun Shatabdi Express trains will also be revamped and made swanky. According to Indian Railways, an approximate expenditure of Rs 2 lakh per coach will be incurred for these three Shatabdi trains. So what does the Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express upgrade mean for the railway passenger? We take a look at 10 salient features of the upgraded Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express that will cheer rail passengers on that route:
1. The interior of Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express has been given an “international” colour scheme. Additionally, interior panels and areas above the luggage rack have been given an anti-graffiti vinyl wrapping.
2. LED lighting has been fitted for energy conservation and better illumination.
3. Toilets – a big pain point of travellers – form a big part of the upgrade under Operation Swarn. For one auto janitors have been fitted for better hygiene
4. An epoxy coating has been done in toilets. Extra mats in the toilet and the surrounding connecting areas mean that the washroom will be dry at all times and better cleanliness will be maintained.
5. The toilet doors have been given an anti-graffiti vinyl wrapping
6. Better quality dustbins, improved soap dispenser, health faucets and stainless steel wash basins are some other features that help improve the aesthetics of the toilets
7. Also, the toilet commodes and basins have been polished and will be cleaned regularly to keep them odour free in every trip
8. LED lights have also been provided over the mirrors
9. There is now a night signage to make sure that passengers are able to easily identify berths
10. New design magazine bags and an extra pocket for mobiles are other features
According to Pranav Jyoti Sharma, CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway, the catering staff has also been given training for better servicing and the food would also be of better quality, For Operation Swarn, the Ministry of Railways has formed nine teams. These teams have two officers each from the Railway board – a step that helps better monitor the progress of work under this passenger-friendly project.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/new-jalpaiguri-howrah-shatabdi-express-operation-swarn-upgrade-gold-standard-features/1093219/
“Even though all the information is displayed on boards, they keep coming again and again with silly queries,” she told AFP at Gandhinagar junction in Jaipur, where female station masters and clerks draw astonished looks.
“They are not used to seeing women handling such jobs, so I don’t really blame them.”
These trailblazers are not just breaking new ground in conservative Rajasthan but upending social norms in India that assume a women’s proper place is in the home.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing major economies but also has one of the lowest rates of female employment, and the trend is worsening.
Fewer and fewer women are entering the workforce, particularly in rural areas where most Indians live. Women are staying in school longer, but even two-thirds of those with university degrees are not working, the World Bank says.
This helps explain the fascination with the all-women crew “manning” Gandhinagar as superintendents, conductors and station masters.
Urban subway networks in major Indian cities may have train carriages designated for women, but that is less about empowerment than a measure to prevent sexual harassment.
Yet roughly 7,000 passengers passing through the major junction at Gandhinagar — including Indians from remote tribal corners of the desert region — come into direct contact with these pioneering women every day.
Many passengers travel from villages where women are rarely seen outdoors, let alone managing a major state-run institution from the ground up.
Women even staff the bulk of the security detail that patrols the station, muscling in on jobs still considered in many parts of the world to be the realm of men.
– Keeping on track –
Seeing women make the trains run on time and round up troublemakers in smart government uniforms remains a leap too far for many men, suddenly forced to interact with females outside their comfort zone.
Neelam Jatav said her job as a station supervisor had undeniably given her “new wings to fly”, but she still had to deal with men sceptical of a female authority figure.
“Ever since I started working here, I have noticed men keep trying to peep in from here and there,” she told AFP.
“It feels really awkward, because I am just doing my job.”
But in statistical terms she is an oddity in India, where women contribute just 17 percent to national GDP, less than half the global average.
Economists warn India cannot reach double-digit growth if it does not reverse falling women’s participation in jobs.
The McKinsey Global Institute found in 2015 that India could increase its GDP by up to 60 percent by 2025 just by bridging the gender gap.
Most Indian women are not working at train stations but undertaking domestic work or childcare. Surveys show that Indians expect women to stay at home, and social taboos disapprove of women earning their own income or travelling to workplaces alone.
Even women with jobs are often expected to give them up when they get married or have children.
But slow inroads are being made.
At Gandhinagar, the station is equipped with sanitary napkin vending machines, a huge stride in a country where any discussion of menstruation is off limits.
There is also talk of a creche, still a rarity in India, so women can bring their children to work.
Saumya Mathur, the head of Jaipur’s railway division and a mother of two, said she hoped young girls passing through the station would take note of those in charge and “start believing in themselves”.
“Just a little push is needed to make a girl feel that she can do what she wishes to do. She can dream of doing things which earlier she would not have dreamt of,” Mathur said.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/indias-all-women-railway-crew-derail-sexist-attitudes/articleshow/63213515.cms?utm_source=AMPusers&utm_medium=twittershare&utm_campaign=socialsharebutton&from=mdr
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