Indian Railways to Launch 200 Apps for Travelers, Employees

The Indian Railways is taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign further by developing 200 applications for travelers, stakeholders and employees.

From information for tourists to details about construction of infrastructure, the various apps will be catering to different audiences.

“People will be informed about the services to be provided by the railways with the help of these apps. This will enforce accountability,” said an official, according to the Times of India.

Apps like Rail MADAD and Menu on Rails will be useful for travelers. Rail MADAD aims to help passengers file complaints related to travel and facilities at stations for faster redressal of issues. The app is almost ready and has integrated all passenger grievances and redressal mechanism in railways.

The Menu on Rails app will have the IRCTC menu with a price list for food items available at stations and different trains such as mail/express trains or elite Shatabdi/Rajdhani trains.

Travelers will also be able to find out about the progress of construction of foot overbridges, installation of escalators at stations, status of construction of underpasses or underbridges, and installation of WiFi service at stations. Earlier, the Indian Railways had partnered with Google to set up WiFi at hundreds of stations in a push towards the government’s Digital India initiative.

Apps will also be developed for tourist information and the National Rail Museum.

Travelers will also receive information about the status of station redevelopment, catering stalls, their locations, and planning and progress in removal of unmanned level-crossings through the use of these apps.

The Indian Railways is also going to launch an app called “IR SUGAM,” which will have information about freight business for customers.

The Railways’ revenue for passenger traffic as well as freight movement has increased between April and December 2017 by 5 and 8 per cent year on year, respectively, according to PTI.

The department launched three apps in February 2016, including handheld terminals for traveling ticket examiners (TTEs), a paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application, and a facility for e-booking of disposable linen on trains. An app called “UTSONMOBILE” was also launched in South Central Railway for unreserved ticketing.

To boost foreign and NRI tourists, the Indian Railways offers confirmed accommodation in upper classes of all trains one year in advance. This is above and beyond the Foreign Tourists Quota (FTQ) of eight berths each in First and Second Class AC coaches, the Hindu reported in July 2017.