Indian Railways Passengers Friendly Services You Must Know About
Have you ever wondered what makes Indian Railways the country’s most preferable mode of transport? The answer in your mind comes like “It is convenient or it is easily accessible or it is economical” All are true. The wide network of Indian railways covers almost all the regions in the country. With it, you can go to Kanyakumari, Kashmir, Gujarat, Assam or any part of the country.
In addition, it is designed in such a way that it offers comfort and enough space to travel without any hassle. The Indian railways’ fare bracket is also huge; it ranges from economical to luxurious. Passengers, according to their needs or budget, can book train tickets for any of the travel classes of Indian railways.
But apart from these, what makes the Indian railways experience more epic is its passenger-friendly services. In this blog, we have discussed some of the amazing Indian rail services you might be unaware of. Read on to know more.
Passengers Friendly Services of Railways
To enhance rail passengers’ travel experience, Indian Railways keep introducing unique services you can avail of per your requirements.
Indian Railways Buggy Service or Platform Cars
Indian Railways buggy service is a battery-operated platform car. It facilitates older people, medical patients and disabled people to travel on the platform conveniently. These platform cars have well-trained drivers to run the buggy in a crowd. The ticket price for buggy service is RS 40 – 50 per person. Rail passengers can book IRCTC platform cars on mobile phones.
Popular Indian Railway Stations and Their Buggy Service Contact Number
- Secunderabad Railway Station – 8827331111
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – 9152156194
- Chennai Central Station – 9940356789
- Chennai Egmore Station – 9952056789
- Bangalore City Station – 9900789789, 9845120000
- Mysore City Station – 9900012333
- Dhanbad – 9771445924
IRCTC e-Wheelchair
IRCTC e-wheelchair is another facility for sick, old-age people, disabled and needy passengers. Travellers can book IRCTC e-wheelchair online through IRCTC official website. However, they need to book it in advance. The IRCTC e-wheelchair facility is available at 20 major Indian railway stations, including Agra Cantt., Jhansi, New Delhi, Indore, Varanasi, Mumbai Central etc. The IRCTC e-wheelchair is a free-of-cost facility. Passengers just need to deposit RS. 500 to avail of the service that gets refunded. It is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Baby Feeding Cabins at Railway Stations
With the coordination of NGO, Indian Railways facilitates the baby feeding Kiosk at Indian railway stations to enable women travelling with babies to feed their newborns in private without any worry. The breastfeeding centres are available at Kalyan Junction, Kurla, Boisar, Secunderabad railway station, GTB Dockyard and Badlapur railway station.
Sanitary Pad Vending Machine
To make travel easy for half of the population, Indian railways installed Sanitary pad vending machines near ladies’ toilets and waiting rooms at railway stations. Needy passengers can get sanitary pads after inserting some coins into the sanitary napkins’ automatic vending machine. The sanitary pad machine is available at most Indian railway stations.
Indian Railway Station Squat Machine
This is an exclusive Indian railway service at stations to promote the Fit India movement. Under this scheme, youths are asked to do 30 squats in 180 seconds and earn a platform ticket. Passengers visiting railway stations to drop off or pick up their loved ones can take this fitness challenge. The squat machine is available at Anand Vihar Terminus, ANVT, Delhi.
Parcel Packing and Door-to-Door Pick up and Drop Facility
The Indian Railways parcel packing door-to-door pickup and drop facility is one of the top facilities for people shifting their town or state, especially those who want to take their two-wheeler with them. Under this Indian railway scheme, Indian railways facilitate end-to-end luggage or parcel service. The facility is available at selected railway stations, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, etc.
Health Kiosk At Railway Station
Indian Railways health kiosks are one of the great initiatives of Indian railways to ensure a fit India. Under this service, rail passengers can get basic tests, including blood pressure, BMI, haemoglobin, sugar, pulse rate etc., at nominal prices. The health centres are also available at limited stations such as Belagavi railway station, Agra Cantt and Mathura junction.
Recycle Plastic Bottles and Earn Rewards
As a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission and Go Green programme, Indian railways installed plastic bottle recycling machines in which passengers can put their used plastic bottles and cans for recycling. For doing this, they will get rewarded with discounts and coupons. These discount coupons can be redeemed at selected brands. Recycling with a machine is an easy process. Passengers just need to put the bottle in the machine when the machine accepts the bottle. Its screen will display three options- donations, mobile recharge and discounts from selected outlets. You can use any of the options.
Public Fridge
Food wastage and malnutrition are two major issues in the country. To solve this problem, Indian railways have installed a public fridge on railway station premises. There are two types of fridges- one in which passengers can keep leftover cooked foods for people in need and the other for fruits. So, whenever you travel by train and have eatables left, keep them in the freezer instead of wasting them.
Electric Vehicle Charging Facility
It is a great initiative of Indian Railways to promote sustainable transportation and green mobility. Under this rail service, Indian Railways has installed electric vehicle charging points at major Indian railway stations, including Vadodara railway stations, Manda Railway Stations, Ambattur, Avadi, Arakkonam, Basin Bridge Junction, Chengalpattu, Chennai Beach, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Guindy, Katpadi, Kotturpuram, etc. The electric vehicle charging facility is beneficial for people living within the city.
What are other Indian Railway services that you find useful for rail passengers?
Online ticket booking facilities, e-catering services, and getting rail information at your fingertips are some of the useful and passenger-friendly services of Indian railways. This facility doesn’t only contribute to making train journeys hassle-free but also enhances the trip experience.
Various Indian railway apps make travelling by train easy and organised. RailMitra is one of them. With this rail app, you can check train schedules, including their scheduled arrival time, en route station, train deboarding time, live train running station to know where your train is, and PNR status to check whether your ticket is confirmed, RAC or waitlisted.
In addition, you can also use its app to check trains between stations, get train details, know train fares and more. The RailMitra e-catering services also offer a variety of food in train from South India to Continental, Chinese to Pure Veg. With it, order your favourite meal and satiate your hunger while journeying by Indian railways.