Lok Sabha Question No. 48 (STARRED), answered on 2016-07-20
Subject: Amenities to Passengers
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH, KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.48 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2016

## AMENITIES TO PASSENGERS

* 48.  SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH: SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  major  initiatives  taken  to  improve  amenities  to  the railway passengers;
- (b) whether the Railways proposes to install electronic display board and/or audio address system at stations as well as in coaches for the benefit of passengers and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the time by which the said facility is likely to be made operational;
- (d) whether  the  Railways  have  taken  adequate  steps  to  promote booking of ticket through internet for the convenience of passengers and also save stationery and human resources and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  funds allocated and utilised for the above purpose during the last three years, zone-wise and year-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

( SHRI SURESH PRABHAKAR PRABHU )

- (a) to (e) :  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 48 BY SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH AND SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.07.2016 REGARDING AMENITIES TO PASSSENGERS

- (a):  Present  day  passengers  expect  visible,  qualitative  and  effective improvements  on  each  and  every  item  of  public  utility  provided  at  the stations.  In  view  of  the  increased  expectations  of  the  passengers/daily commuters, Indian Railways are making all out effort to provide various facilities at the stations. Indian Railways has more than 8000 stations.  It has  always  been  the  endeavour  of  the  Railways  to  provide  adequate amenities  to  the  passengers  at  the  stations.  Certain  amenities  are provided at the time of construction of new stations based on anticipated traffic.  Amenities are further augmented from time to time with growth in passenger traffic at stations, based on the needs and expectations of the travelling public and the availability of funds. Important initiatives taken by Railways in the last two years to improve amenities for passengers are as under:

April, 2014

1. The e-ticketing  system  was  upgraded  with  the  launch  of  the  Next Generation  E-ticketing  System  (NGeT)  for  improving  accessibility  and enhancing  the  overall  experience  of  e-ticketing.  The  capacity  for  Eticketing  System  was  enhanced  to  book  7200  tickets  per  minute  from 2000 tickets earlier and to support 1,20,000 concurrent users as against 40,000  earlier  in  2014.    This  has  been  further  augmented  to  support booking of 15,000 tickets per minute.

July, 2014

2. Go-India Smart Card introduced to facilitate cashless transaction in New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah sectors.

## August, 2014

3. Establishment of Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendras for issuing of tickets through  public  private  partnership  for  establishment  and  operation  of computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS)-cum Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) terminals.

## October, 2014

4. Cleanliness campaign under Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by Indian Railways on 2nd October, 2014 Gandhi Jayanti Divas, involving shramdaan and awareness activities. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, several initiatives have been taken to re-inforce the existing mechanism for ensuring cleanliness at stations.

## December, 2014

5. Facility  for  booking  unreserved  ticket  through  mobile  phone  was introduced  in  the  suburban  sections  over  Mumbai  and  Chennai  to facilitate passengers to book unreserved ticket through mobile.

## January, 2015

6. Facility for online concessional ticket booking facility for Physically Challenged persons on the authority of Photo Identity Card issued by the Railways.
7. Online  registration  of  booking  of  special  trains/  coaches  on  Full Tariff Rates was started as a pilot project over Western Railway.

February, 2015

8. Advance  Reservation  Period  (ARP)  was  increased  from  60  to  120 days to help passengers plan and purchase tickets in advance.

March, 2015

9. All India 24X7 Helpline Number 138 was provided to passengers for queries, complaints and suggestions regarding onboard services.
10. Checks  on  Touting  through  modifications  in  the  PRS  software  to prevent  cornering  of  tickets  by  Touts  like  automatic  log  out  after  one transaction.
11. Revision  of  Platform  Ticket  Rates  from  Rs.5  to  Rs.10  to  regulate rush on platforms.

## April, 2015

12. Increase  in  General  Class  Accommodation  on  Trains  for  general class  passengers  on  long  distance  Mail/Express  trains  by  delegating powers  to  General  Managers  to  de-reserve  Sleeper  Class  coaches  as General Coaches  in identified trains & sectors.
13. Paperless  Unreserved    tickets  on  Mobile  introduced  as  a  part  of 'Operation 5 Minutes' in Chennai suburban  section of Tambaram-Egmore on Southern Railway.
14. Running of Special Trains with special fares over and above timetabled trains to clear extra rush and augment passenger services.
15. Facility of SMS alerts through mobile phones in case of cancellation of trains was introduced for convenience of passengers.
16. The  capacity  of  PRS  server  was  enhanced  from  7000  to  15,000 tickets per minute.

## June, 2015

17. The Tatkal timings were staggered for AC and Non-AC accommodation to facilitate easy purchase of Tatkal tickets.
18. Facility of automatic Refund of Confirmed/RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains was provided.
19. Powers to make policy to provide clean toilets to travelling public at stations was fully delegated to the Zonal Railways.

July, 2015

20. Paperless UTS tickets on Mobile extended to the suburban sections of Mumbai both on Western Railway and Central Railway.
21. Destination alert by SMS introduced on mobile phone for passengers 30 minutes in advance of arrival of train at destination station in Rajdhani, Duronto and Sampark kranti Express trains as a pilot project.
22. Suvidha  Trains  with  graded  pricing  structure  introduced  to  meet demand  surges  during  peak  demand  with  facility  of  limited  refund  on cancellation of ticket.
23. Hindi Portal of IRCTC was launched to facilitate booking of tickets using Hindi language.
24. Additional  lower  berths  for  senior  citizen  and  women  (increased from 2 to 4) were earmarked in the centre of the coach for women and senior citizens.

August, 2015

25. Defence  Travel  System  to  facilitate  booking  of  tickets  online  for Defence personnel to eliminate exchange of defence warrants was rolled out on the NGeT platform. Till date more than 2600 Defence units have started issuing tickets through this platform without exchange  of warrants.
26. Concierge  services  with  facility  for  online  booking  of  wheelchairs through IRCTC  website at New  Delhi and 23 other stations  was commenced.

September, 2015

27. Paperless UTS tickets on Mobile extended to the suburban sections of Delhi-Palwal in Delhi Division of Northern Railway.
28. Currency  Operated  Automatic  Ticket  Vending  Machine  (CoVTM)  to facilitate  purchase  of  unreserved  journey  tickets  provided  in  Delhi  and Mumbai.
29. Station  Ticket  Booking  Agents  (STBA)  Scheme  -a  regular  STBA scheme based on the pilot STBS scheme was notified for issue of tickets through outsourcing at E category stations.

## October, 2015

30. Facility for paperless MST on Mobile phones launched in sub-urban sectors of Mumbai in WR and CR and in the Delhi-Palwal section of NR.
31. Platform ticket on Mobile launched for WR, CR and NR (New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway stations).

## November, 2015

32. New  Refund  Rules  was  notified  which  has  helped  in  curbing speculative  buying  and  selling  of  tickets  and  improving  availability  of berths for common man.
33. Facility  for  Current  reservation  facility  through  internet  and  at  all PRS  locations  after preparation of first  chart  upto  minutes  before departure of train.
34. Increase in  number of berths for handicapped for Physically Challenged from 2 to 4 berths.

## December, 2015

35. Berths  for  child  tickets  (5  yrs  and  above  and  below  12  yrs)  made optional which has helped in providing additional reserved accommodation without any additional  inputs  by  railways  equivalent  to more than 20,000 additional  trains  in  a  year  or  54  additional  trains  per day.

## February, 2016

36. UTS  on  Mobile  extended    to  other  sections  of  Howrah  (3)  and Sealdah (5) Division of ER and SER  (24.02.2016).

## March, 2016

37. Lower berths for Senior Citizens enhanced from 2 to 4 berths.
38. Facility of e-booking of tickets on the concessional passes provided for Accredited Journalists.

April, 2016

39. e-ticketing facility extended to foreign debit/credit cards for foreign tourists and NRIs.
40. Facility provided for Cancellation of PRS tickets through 139 (IVRS and SMS) and IRCTC website.

May, 2016

41. Expansion  of  Vikalp  Scheme  to  5  more  sections  -  Delhi-SC,  SBC, MAS, BB/BCT, HWH (23.5.2016).
42. Pilot project of sale of UTS tickets through hand held terminal (HHT) initiated at Hazrat Nizamuddin.

June 2016

43. Facility  provided  for  booking  of  concessional  tickets  to  Divyang (orthopaedically handicapped, Paraplegic and Mentally retarded) Passengers with and without an escort.

Further to the above, 200 additional stations have been identified for development as 'Adarsh Station'.

- (b)  &  (c):  As  per  extant  instructions,  Electronic  Display  Board/  Public Address Systems are provided at the stations on the basis of its category. Accordingly, Electronic Display Board are required to be provided at all A1 and  A  category  stations  and  Passenger  Announcement  System  are required  to  be  provided  at  all  A1,  A  and  B  Category  Stations.  These facilities are available at stations as per guidelines.

(d):  In  order  to  promote  booking  of  tickets  through  internet,  various significant measures have been undertaken as follows:-

- i. Next Generation e-ticketing system (NGeT) has been launched to cater  to  increased  traffic  over  the  Indian  Railway  Catering  and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) portal and infrastructure augmented to cater to surge in demand during Tatkal booking hours.
- ii. Agents  have  been  authorized  by  IRCTC  to  book  e-tickets  for passengers  who  do  not  have  access  to  Internet  or  are  not  used  to internet working and online payments.

iii. Mobile  applications  have  also  been  developed  in  Android,  IOS, Windows and Blackberry to enable booking of tickets through mobile applications.

iv. Short  Message  Service  (SMS)  sent  on  booking  of  train  tickets through  the  internet/mobile  applications  can  be  used  in  lieu  of  the Electronic  Reservation  Slip  (ERS)  for  travel  on  trains  thus  saving  on stationery and printing costs.

Due to the above measures Railway tickets issued online through IRCTC  web  portal  comprised  approximately  58%  of  total  reserved Railway tickets booked during Financial Year 2015-16.

- (e)  :  The  details  of  funds  allocation/expenditure  under  Plan  head  'Passenger Amenities' during the last three years and the current year, zone-wise are as under:-

( ` in Crores)

| Zonal              | 2013-14        | 2013-14     | 2014-15        | 2014-15     | 2015-16        | 2015-16     | 2016-17        | 2016-17                   |
|--------------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|---------------------------|
| Railway            | Allotment (RE) | Expenditure | Allotment (RE) | Expenditure | Allotment (RE) | Expenditure | Allotment (BE) | Expenditure (upto May'16) |
| Central            | 59.10          | 59.68       | 77.00          | 67.90       | 85.10          | 77.93       | 61.55          | 12.37                     |
| Eastern            | 118.14         | 98.96       | 91.42          | 70.46       | 67.62          | 63.00       | 55.44          | 3.65                      |
| East Central       | 52.42          | 46.07       | 55.17          | 44.95       | 88.03          | 63.57       | 50.53          | 9.62                      |
| East Coast         | 45.28          | 33.57       | 55.00          | 40.59       | 60.16          | 36.55       | 40.60          | 7.06                      |
| Northern           | 65.67          | 75.91       | 125.80         | 88.22       | 128.80         | 107.82      | 75.06          | 15.52                     |
| North Central      | 72.60          | 62.47       | 90.23          | 75.28       | 81.46          | 52.55       | 56.67          | 4.75                      |
| North Eastern      | 18.36          | 19.44       | 41.96          | 19.98       | 54.49          | 61.69       | 47.79          | 13.70                     |
| Northeast Frontier | 43.94          | 4239        | 50.48          | 44.71       | 53.67          | 54.00       | 51.35          | 6.11                      |
| North Western      | 27.53          | 30.15       | 42.18          | 35.32       | 60.31          | 67.24       | 43.48          | 9.06                      |
| Southern           | 67.72          | 67.56       | 62.58          | 69.72       | 108.21         | 95.25       | 63.36          | 7.68                      |
| South Central      | 99.69          | 95.57       | 104.24         | 77.09       | 102.05         | 94.54       | 65.58          | 6.73                      |
| South Eastern      | 45.72          | 47.60       | 56.37          | 52.85       | 72.08          | 65.48       | 49.81          | 4.65                      |
| South East Central | 51.72          | 45.43       | 39.57          | 36.62       | 48.71          | 31.63       | 33.49          | 2.33                      |
| South Western      | 35.46          | 29.48       | 35.81          | 31.84       | 72.69          | 60.00       | 41.28          | 5.24                      |
| Western            | 52.98          | 48.08       | 58.61          | 42.88       | 52.16          | 47.60       | 53.29          | 3.21                      |
| West Central       | 53.58          | 47.82       | 49.92          | 53.92       | 71.31          | 63.41       | 42.07          | 3.72                      |
| Metro Rail         | 6.29           | 7.55        | 11.56          | 5.83        | 3.99           | 3.19        | 6.92           | 0.52                      |
| Total              | 914.40         | 857.73      | 1047.90        | 858.16      | 1211.84        | 1045.45     | 838.27         | 115.92                    |

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* RE - Revised Estimate

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