A 'Live TV' in Shatabdi Express via Satelite - Northern Railway

Railways roll out entertainment on Shatabdis

Those passengers who boarded the Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi Express on Thursday morning were in for a surprise. At the back of every seat was a slick touchscreen entertainment unit, a facility that Indian passengers currently enjoy mostly on aircraft.

From this week onwards, all those boarding the Shatabdi Express in areas under the Northern Railway are in for infotainment on wheels. Passengers can watch films and television serials directly via satellite on these entertainment units. The passenger will be spoilt for choice as there are blockbusters, classics, reality shows, music and games that one can choose from.

A ‘live TV’ section is also a part of the format, which will ensure that the passengers on long journeys can follow all major sporting events live. News channels too would be introduced soon, an official said.

The installation contract for the pilot project has been given to a private company. “This is one of the more interesting additions this year, something that is currently seen only on aircraft. We will neither charge any extra money from the passengers nor will invest anything into it. It’s a commercial publicity model for which we will charge a 20 per cent licence fee from the advertisers,” Neeraj Sharma, chief public relations officer, Northern Railway, said. The Railways will earn Rs 1 crore per train in five years, the official said.

In this year’s budget, there was a 60 per cent increase in the allocation of funds for passenger amenities. However, this business model does not dig any hole into that fund.

The entertainment units have been installed only on those Shatabdis that have LHB coaches (one with wider windows) as opposed to ICF coaches manufactured by the Railways. “We have tendered out all the Shatabdi Express trains already. The facility is currently available only on a few trains and will be seen in all trains by the end of this financial year,” G M Singh, senior divisional commercial manager, Northern Railway, said.

The passengers on the train seemed a little disappointed with the glitches. A click on ‘Die Hard’ (1988) had ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, a film that wasn’t even listed in the list, playing. Sound is still an issue and comes with enough static.

The Railways will not be providing the passengers with headphones as of now. However, these will soon be available on a rent of Rs 20 per journey. “The passengers can use their own to avoid any infection,” Singh said.

Source : The Indian Express.