The Group of Mobile App to serve Railway Passengers, customer-friendly

Railway Systems in India has turned into a tech-savvy, customer-friendly, Finally!

The Group of Mobile App to serve Railway Passengers

The Railway system in India is on a major innovations spree. From promising cleaner coaches and toilets to offering some serious dining variety, here’s how the government is making travelling by train cool again.

Clean-My-Coach App:

Fewer cockroaches onboard is always a good thing, we think. Long-distance train travelling is about to get more hygienic with this newly launched app which promises to get train coaches (and soiled toilets) cleaned in under 15 minutes. The app will allow travellers to file complaints online, which will be routed to the on-board housekeeping staff for quick remedying.

RISSTA App:

RISSTA (Railway interactive Security Solution for Travelers Assistance) – An Android mobile application for security of MMTS passengers of twin cities (Secunderabad & Hyderabad) was launched on 4th June, 2015. The utility of this App by MMTS passengers met with many positive results. On 9.6.2015 at 09.01 hrs. help button of RISSTA App was activated by a passenger named Shri Anil, Cell No. 9866123593 travelling in General Coach of Tr.No. 47176 (Lingampally-Falaknuma MMTS) when the train was passing Hi-Tech City Railway Station. Immediately, a message was automatically conveyed to next 3 MMTS stations. At Bharathnagar MMTS Railway station Sri. K.S.Naidu, Home Guard of RPF rushed to the passenger. The passenger made complaint that some persons are staying at doorways obstructing free movement of passengers while boarding / detraining. The persons standing at doorways were cleared at 09.05 hrs and the complainant sent a feedback through RISSTA App that “Escort attended at Bharathnagar”. In yet another incident, on 11.6.2015 at 18.11 hrs. help button of RISSTA App was activated by a passenger by name Shri Arun, Cell No. 9059638854, travelling in General Coach of Tr.No. 47163 (Falaknuma-Lingampally MMTS) while the train was passing Borabonda MMTS Railway station. Immediately, a message was conveyed to next 3 MMTS stations i.e Hi-tech City, Hafizpet and Chandanagar. At Hafizpet Railway station Shri.Ch.Sathya, Home Guard, rushed to the passenger. The passenger made complaint that some persons are standing at doorways obstructing free movement of passengers while boarding/detraining. The persons standing at doorways were cleared at 18.20 hrs. and the complainant sent a feedback via message that “Thanks. Your staff attended the train at Hafizpet”.

Google Maps App:

Google Transit, a feature in Google Maps, helps in planning public transport trips efficiently, and is available through Google Maps app on any Android or iOS device, as well as on the desktop. So, for example if you are traveling from Delhi to Hyderabad to visit your relatives. just open Google Maps on Android or iOS or your desktop PC and type the destination address. Google Transit will intelligently tell you, whether you should take a Metro or a bus to nearest Railway Station. It will also tell you the earliest and best train schedule for traveling to Hyderabad. And, it will let you know which kind of public transport to take after your reach Hyderabad to reach your destination. In short, it will give you full directions from point A to point B, across various transportation means including buses, Metro’s and Railways.

UTS On Mobile App for Android, Windows to buy tickets

Fulfilling yet another commitment of the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched Mobile Application for Paperless Unreserved Ticketing through video conferencing on Egmore–Tambaram Suburban Section of Chennai, at a function here today. This is a pilot project covering 15 stations in Southern Railway and will be extended to entire country in phases. Referring his Railway Budget announcement, the Railway Minister said that for the passenger, the Indian Railways is committed to ‘Operation Five Minutes’ – that is, purchase of an unreserved ticket within five minutes and today’s launching of Paperless Unreserved Mobile Ticket is the first step in this area. He said that it will allow the passenger to buy a ticket on the move and allow him or her to board the train with the ticket secured on his or her mobile phone, without any need for printing the ticket. Shri Suresh Prabhu commended all the members of CRIS to develop the Paperless Unreserved Ticketing Mobile Application and hoped for speedy implementation of other IT projects in the pipeline. The railway Minister said that the innovative ideas are always welcome and said that he has set up ‘Kayakalp’ Council which will consider innovative ideas for the betterment of Indian Railways.

Metro Mitra:

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 24th April 2015 to jointly work for the development of a comprehensive Mobile Application for Transport information in Bangalore for the use of general public. The Mobile application will provide information about Metro routes, timings, fare and facilities like parking places, retail outlets and other amenities available in Metro stations. The application is also envisaged to include information about bus transport for multimodal trip planning for the urban commuters.

Cash on delivery:

Launched in Feburary this year, the railways introduced their ‘cash on delivery’ service exclusively for online ticketing, aimed at those passengers without access to net-banking facilities, a debit or credit card. Democracy lives, y’all.

Food catering by McDonald’s:

You can leave the theplas at home. In a January 2015 announcement, the gorvernment set new guidelines permitting all express and mail trains (that provide pantry car services) to start catering coronary-inducing ‘ready-to-eat’ meals from McDonald’s and Delhi’s cult favourite Nirula’s as add-on options.

Free WiFi:

Free WiFi will no longer be limited to luxury tourist trains. The Indian Railways, giving priority to express trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto, is set to provide WiFi facilities to over 400 railway stations (in the initial phase). Kick-starting this initiative was Bangalore Railway Station in October last year, with Ahmedabad following suit in January. Plans are on to extend free WiFi internet facility to at least a dozen long-distance trains and major city stations in the country.

Convert waitlisted train tickets to airline tickets:

Buy a train ticket and fly? The IRCTC has tied-up with budget airline carrier GoAir, offering passengers the option to get their waitlisted train tickets converted to airline tickets. At a competitive fare, of course. Over 100 passengers have used this service since it launched last month. That’s 100 people who were smarter than you…