Lok Sabha Question No. 596 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-20
Subject: Facilities to Rail Passengers
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 596 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2016

## FACILITIES TO RAIL PASSENGERS

†596.  SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has recently taken various decisions  to  extend  facilities  for  railway  passengers  and  these facilities  include  providing  confirm  tickets  in  some  important trains and reducing charges of cancellation of confirmed tickets etc.;
- (b)      if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether data of extending passenger facilities and sanctioning of new railway projects in each railway zone of the country as on date have been collected during the last one year and the current year; and
- (d)       if so, the zone-wise details thereof ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

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

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.596 BY SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  20.07.2016  REGARDING FACILITIES TO RAIL PASSENGERS

- (a) & (b): Conceptualization of the schemes for providing amenities/facilities to passengers and its implementation is a continuous  and  ongoing  process.    However  in  recent  past  Indian Railways have taken various steps to facilitate the passengers, some of which are as under:
- i. Introduction  of  the  Alternate  Train  Accommodation  Scheme known as 'VIKALP' to give option to waitlisted passengers to shift to alternate train having vacant accommodation.
- ii. Provision of facility to physical handicapped persons to book reserved tickets online.
- iii. Introduction of paperless unreserved tickets on mobile.
- iv. Provision of All India 24x7 helpline No. 138.
- Automatic  refund  of  confirmed/RAC/e-tickets  on  cancellation
- v. of trains.
- vi.
- Launching of Hindi Portal of IRCTC.
- vii. Enhancement  of  Senior Citizen Quota  as well as quota earmarked for physically handicapped persons.
- Making provision in the system for preparation of reservation charts  at  least  four  hours  before  the  scheduled  departure  of
- viii. train.
- ix. Provision  of  facility  to  book  available  accommodation  after preparation of first reservation chart through internet as well as across any computerised PRS counter.

- x. E-ticketing  facility  to  foreign  debit/credit  cards  for  foreign tourists and non-resident Indians (NRIs).

There is, however, no proposal under consideration to reduce the cancellation charges for confirmed tickets.

(c) & (d): Provision/augmentation of passenger amenities at stations is  a  continuous  process.  The  details  of  sanctioned  works  (each works costing more than ` 2.5 crores) for providing/augmenting/improving passenger amenities at station during the year 2015-16 & 2016-17, zone-wise along with the cost are as under:

| Railway            | 2015-16      | 2015-16                     | 2016-17      | 2016-17                     |
|--------------------|--------------|-----------------------------|--------------|-----------------------------|
|                    | No. of Works | Approx. cost ( ` in crores) | No. of Works | Approx. cost ( ` in crores) |
| Central            | 11           | 42.11                       | 10           | 54.21                       |
| Eastern            | 2            | 10.60                       | 4            | 15.00                       |
| East Central       | 4            | 19.42                       | 1            | 3.29                        |
| East Coast         | 8            | 55.06                       | 4            | 26.90                       |
| Northern           | 0            | 0.00                        | 4            | 16.48                       |
| North Central      | 5            | 40.32                       | 10           | 57.70                       |
| North Eastern      | 6            | 30.00                       | 6            | 41.74                       |
| Northeast Frontier | 1            | 2.62                        | 1            | 5.14                        |
| North Western      | 1            | 3.08                        | 3            | 15.77                       |
| Southern           | 4            | 32.52                       | 4            | 17.25                       |
| South Central      | 5            | 28.42                       | 6            | 17.93                       |
| South Eastern      | 3            | 15.02                       | 4            | 30.88                       |
| South East Central | 1            | 2.58                        | 1            | 10.60                       |
| Western            | 3            | 34.26                       | 10           | 62.22                       |
| West Central       | 6            | 27.15                       | 4            | 17.61                       |
| Total              | 60           | 343.17                      | 72           | 392.73                      |

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