Passenger amenities: Prabhu taps technology to make travel comfortable, safe

Coaches would have LED boards, FM radio, water-level indicators; third-party audit of catering services to be made mandatory

The next time a passenger finds a dirty railway coach, he does not have to look the other away.

An SMS to the railway authorities is all it will take to have it cleaned. Mothers, too, have been provided the choice of ordering special baby food.

For Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, the passenger is the brand ambassador and he devoted a sizeable amount of his Budget speech to a slew of amenities, including onboard entertainment.

In what will please the common man, Prabhu announced the Antyodya Express, an unreserved, superfast train that will ply on densely populated routes, besides the four Deen Dayalu coaches in long-distance trains.

Faced with falling passenger growth, the minister announced three special train services with better amenities. Humsafar will be a fully air-conditioned AC-III tier service where the passenger can opt for a meal. Tejas will be a high-speed train with onboard entertainment and Wi-Fi facilities. UDAY, an overnight double-deck air-conditioned train plying on busy routes, would increase carrying capacity by almost 40 per cent, Prabhu said.

Railway passenger earnings growth has been pegged at 12.4 per cent and the earnings target has been budgeted at Rs 51,012 crore.

To improve hygiene and the quality of the food, the Railways will now make third-party audit mandatory for catering services while adding 10 base kitchens and local cuisine to the menu.

Prabhu indicated that the catering service would gradually be outsourced and IRCTC would primarily play the role of a food distribution company.

As expected, the emphasis was on cleanliness with the Railways planning to involve third-party audit of stations.

The Railways' failure to reach the target of 17,388 bio-toilets announced last year did not deter Prabhu from announcing 30,000 new ones this year.

Prabhu said railway coaches would have amenities like LED boards, FM radio playing through the public announcement system, and water-level indicators. "These new smart coaches will cater to the emerging needs of customers," he added.

Travel insurance for passengers found a mention in the Budget, with the Railways planning to work with private insurance companies to provide the option.

The minister has also tried to leverage technology in improving infrastructure with drones and geospatial satellites for review of remote projects. A dedicated team will be set up to reap the benefits of the data that the Railways collects.

Additionally, the Railways will try to find solutions from start-ups for critical problems like improving the capacity of coaches and digital capability of stations.