The Indian Railways is constantly improving and developing. It has come up with quite a few new innovations in the recent past and has proposed many more. They want to ensure their passengers not just a comfortable but also a reliable travel experience.
Here are the latest initiatives by the Indian Railways for a ‘happy journey’
As per the reports, this scheme has been launched on pilot basis and the service will be available in more than 200 cities initially. Customers can book a ticket 5 days prior to commencement of journey and can get it delivered at home where the payment can be made.
- The cash on delivery payment method for booking tickets
For customers, who do not have access to the net banking facilities and for those who do not prefer using their credit or debit cards for online transactions, the Indian Railways introduced the COD–Cash on Delivery payment system. You can book online but pay in cash. If the reports are to be trusted, the COD scheme has been launched on the basis of the pilots and initially, the service will be available in not more than 200 cities. The passenger can book the ticket online before six days of the journey’s commencement and can have the ticket delivered on their address for the payment.
- Eco-friendly vacuum toilets on the train
The Railway Minister, in the Rail budget 2015-2016 announced that the Indian Railways would install 100 vacuum toilets in Shatabdi Express on the Delhi-Chandigarh route. However, this is for trial basis and if the initiative turns out well, each train in India will have vacuum toilets.
Vacuum or the eco-friendly toilets are very important since they prevent any kind of corrosion on railway tracks when the train is stopped for discharging all the waste on the tracks.
There are also plans of swapping the toilets with bio-friendly ones.
- Free wifi at stations and in trains
There are quite a few luxury trains, which have already been providing wifi connectivity since quite some time, but Prime Minister Modi wants that at least ten more long express trains get wifi. It is likely that priority will be extended to Rajdhani, Duronto and the Shatabdi express.
Also, the railways are looking forward to offer free Wi-Fi facilities to a total of 400 railway stations in the country, but it can be used for only 30 minutes.
Bangalore railway station became the foremost station in India to get Wi-Fi facility for offering high-speed connectivity to the passengers. This service began in October 2014. Later, the service started at Ahmadabad railway station on 31st January, 2015.
- Bullet trains – Indian Railways came up with a proposal of high-speed bullet trains in the country on the 2015 Republic Day Parade. Bullets trains will run only on three routes by the end of this year.
With such a lot of emancipation in the railway sector, from the facility to spot ur train to the availability of nutritious food to vacuum toilets, our country sure is moving ahead on the tracks of development.