Lok Sabha Question No. 160 (STARRED), answered on 2016-07-27
Subject: Passenger Amenities
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.160 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.07.2016

## PASSENGER AMENITIES

†* 160.  SHRI RAJU SHETTY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the total funds allocated and utilised for passenger amenities/facilities at railway stations and trains during the last three years and the current year, zone-wise;

(b)  the  zone-wise  number  of  complaints  received  by  the  Government regarding shortcomings in amenities at railway stations and trains during the above period; and

(c)  the  zone-wise  details  of  follow-up  action  taken  by  the  Government thereon?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI SURESH PRABHAKAR PRABHU)

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

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF STARRED QUESTION  NO.160  BY  SHRI  RAJU  SHETTY  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK SABHA ON 27.07.2016 REGARDING PASSENGER AMENITIES

(a) : The total gross funds allocated and utilised for passenger amenities/facilities  at  railway  stations  and  trains  during  each  of  the  last three years and the current year, zone-wise is given in the following table -

## (figures in crores of rupees)

| Railway zones         | 2013-14                             | 2013-14        | 2014-15                             | 2014-15        | 2015-16                             | 2015-16               | 2016-17                            |
|-----------------------|-------------------------------------|----------------|-------------------------------------|----------------|-------------------------------------|-----------------------|------------------------------------|
| Railway zones         | Funds allocated (Revised Estimates) | Actual Expend. | Funds allocated (Revised Estimates) | Actual Expend. | Funds allocated (Revised Estimates) | Actual Expend. (Prov) | Funds allocated (Budget Estimates) |
| Central               | 58.20                               | 59.70          | 77.00                               | 67.88          | 85.10                               | 78.74                 | 61.55                              |
| Eastern               | 110.18                              | 99.61          | 91.42                               | 70.71          | 67.72                               | 62.98                 | 55.44                              |
| Northern              | 70.01                               | 73.57          | 125.80                              | 85.46          | 128.80                              | 109.33                | 1075.06                            |
| North Eastern         | 18.36                               | 19.57          | 41.96                               | 22.34          | 55.00                               | 71.94                 | 47.79                              |
| Northeast Frontier    | 43.97                               | 41.89          | 50.48                               | 44.71          | 53.67                               | 54.03                 | 51.35                              |
| Southern              | 67.19                               | 70.25          | 62.58                               | 69.87          | 108.27                              | 95.91                 | 63.37                              |
| South Central         | 99.69                               | 96.51          | 104.24                              | 77.33          | 102.15                              | 94.82                 | 65.58                              |
| South Eastern         | 45.70                               | 47.26          | 56.37                               | 53.22          | 72.12                               | 65.60                 | 49.82                              |
| Western               | 51.07                               | 49.35          | 58.61                               | 42.65          | 52.21                               | 49.61                 | 53.29                              |
| East Central          | 52.34                               | 45.16          | 55.17                               | 44.88          | 88.03                               | 63.75                 | 50.53                              |
| East Coast            | 44.42                               | 36.93          | 55.00                               | 40.52          | 60.16                               | 57.41                 | 40.60                              |
| North Central         | 73.09                               | 62.32          | 92.22                               | 74.96          | 81.96                               | 52.62                 | 56.67                              |
| North Western         | 27.69                               | 30.12          | 42.18                               | 35.58          | 60.31                               | 66.07                 | 43.48                              |
| South East Central    | 40.86                               | 44.68          | 39.57                               | 36.12          | 48.71                               | 31.38                 | 33.48                              |
| South Western         | 30.26                               | 29.47          | 35.82                               | 31.88          | 72.71                               | 60.22                 | 41.28                              |
| West Central          | 53.58                               | 48.46          | 49.92                               | 54.65          | 71.31                               | 63.50                 | 42.07                              |
| Metro Railway Kolkata | 8.76                                | 7.56           | 11.56                               | 5.83           | 3.99                                | 3.19                  | 6.92                               |
| Total                 | 895.37                              | 862.40         | 1049.91                             | 858.61         | 1212.22                             | 1081.10               | 1838.28                            |

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 years and above and below 12 years) 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) Divisions of Eastern and South Eastern Railways (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 Stations'.

- (b) :  Number of complaints received regarding shortcomings in amenities (cleanliness and passenger amenities) at railway stations and trains during the  last  three  years  and  the  current  year,  zone-wise  is  given  in  the following table -

| Railway zones      | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Complaint Management System (COMS)   | Complaint Management System (COMS)   |
|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Railway zones      | 2013- 14                                                                | 2014- 15                                                                | 2015- 16                                                                | 2016-17 (upto 22.7.2016)                                                | 2015- 16                             | 2016-17 (upto 22.7.2016)             |
| Central            | 24                                                                      | 67                                                                      | 108                                                                     | 21                                                                      | 1250                                 | 700                                  |
| Eastern            | 5                                                                       | 12                                                                      | 3                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 407                                  | 260                                  |
| Northern           | 0                                                                       | 5                                                                       | 99                                                                      | 56                                                                      | 2666                                 | 1553                                 |
| North Eastern      | 4                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 241                                  | 193                                  |
| Northeast Frontier | 14                                                                      | 28                                                                      | 54                                                                      | 16                                                                      | 702                                  | 399                                  |
| Southern           | 91                                                                      | 112                                                                     | 110                                                                     | 26                                                                      | 1485                                 | 1062                                 |
| South Central      | 15                                                                      | 14                                                                      | 18                                                                      | 14                                                                      | 645                                  | 386                                  |
| South Eastern      | 9                                                                       | 4                                                                       | 21                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 634                                  | 356                                  |
| Western            | 93                                                                      | 92                                                                      | 200                                                                     | 62                                                                      | 1176                                 | 641                                  |
| East Central       | 17                                                                      | 29                                                                      | 63                                                                      | 12                                                                      | 740                                  | 330                                  |
| East Coast         | 22                                                                      | 25                                                                      | 20                                                                      | 14                                                                      | 634                                  | 387                                  |
| North Central      | 24                                                                      | 21                                                                      | 17                                                                      | 5                                                                       | 569                                  | 300                                  |
| North Western      | 298                                                                     | 95                                                                      | 206                                                                     | 50                                                                      | 489                                  | 293                                  |

…7/-

| Railway zones      | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)   | Complaint Management System (COMS)   | Complaint Management System (COMS)   |
|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|                    | 2013- 14                                                                | 2014- 15                                                                | 2015- 16                                                                | 2016-17 (upto 22.7.2016)                                                | 2015- 16                             | 2016-17 (upto 22.7.2016)             |
| South East Central | 4                                                                       | 6                                                                       | 10                                                                      | 1                                                                       | 163                                  | 86                                   |
| South Western      | 41                                                                      | 47                                                                      | 78                                                                      | 11                                                                      | 753                                  | 364                                  |
| West Central       | 6                                                                       | 9                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 405                                  | 281                                  |
| Total              | 667                                                                     | 566                                                                     | 1008                                                                    | 288                                                                     | 12959                                | 7591                                 |

- (c)  :        The  complaints  received through CPGRAMS are normally resolved within 60 days and complaints received through COMS are resolved usually in 30 days unless there is some complication on policy review in resolving the complaints.

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