Introduction

The Railways has always acted on your feedback and has depended on it to better the services you can
avail. 2018 saw the Railways make forays into technology and using it to their advantage. This year, the
Railways has, as always, tried pushing the envelope. Here are ten ways the Railways tried to make 2018
better for its passengers.

As a crucial infrastructure, railways have an important responsibility to participate in providing linkages

to the upcoming centers of growth. In view of the rapid growth in the industrial and port sector, the
State Government is looking for strategic options to improve transport facilities. This includes
conversion of existing railway lines from narrow/metre gauge to broad gauge, establishment of new
railway lines to connect the industrial growth centres, logistic hubs and ports. In this area, the State
Government is looking for private sector participation in general as also foreign direct investments

Indian Railways, the prime movers of the nation, is pivotal to the development of the country. It is the
third largest network under a single management. It carries largest number of passengers
(approximately 6.7 billion in a year) and one of the largest volumes of cargo (794 million tones in the
year 2007-08) among the worlds major rail systems.
IR is an efficient system of transportation. The energy consumption of freight
movement is about one fifth of the consumption required by travels. IR is an
efficient system of transportation. The energy consumption of freight movement
is about one fifth of the consummation required by travels.

Indian Railways operates 8,702 passenger trains and transports around five billion
annually across twenty-seven states and three union territories (Delhi,
Pondicherry and Chandigarh). Sikkim is the only state not connected.
The passenger division is the most preferred form of long distance transport in
most of the country. In South India and North-East India however, buses are the
preferred mode of transport for medium to long distance transport.

Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transferring

passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are located on
tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prepared flat
surface, rail vehicles (rolling stock) are directionally guided by the tracks on which
they run. Tracks usually consist of steel rails, installed on sleepers (ties) set in
ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. Other
variations are also possible, such as “slab track”, in which the rails are fastened to
a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface.
The railways are an important mode of transport in India. In 2018–19, 23.12
million passengers daily used Indian Railways network, which operates mainline
and suburban rail services in the country. In the same period, 3.36 million metric
tons of freight was also shipped daily on the IR network. Other rail operations
such as metros and tram will increase above figures.[1]Indian Railways (IR) is the
primary operator of rail operations throughout the country, a state-owned
organization of the Ministry of Railways, which historically had its own
government budget. Other locally owned public corporations operate various
suburban and urban railways throughout the country, such as Chennai metro and
Kolkata trams. Private sector operations currently exist only for freight trains and
railroads exclusively for non-passenger usage, but there has been renewed efforts
in 2020 to encourage private sector involvement in running passenger trains.
The Government of India has recently focused on improving the railways. This
includes electrification of the entire IR network by 2023,[5] new trains that can
operate on existing rail infrastructure at 200 km/h,[6] and new high speed
railways that can operate at speeds in excess of 300 km/h.[7]

India has also supported improving rail infrastructure overseas. As of 2018, over
$1 billion from India has been invested into upgrading railways and trains in Sri
Lanka using “Made in India” technology.[8] As of 2020, only three rail connections
to foreign countries were functioning, two to Nepal and one to Bangladesh,
though a 18 km railway link to Bhutan is also under construction and efforts to
reinstate the historic boat mail train to Sri Lanka were raised.

India’s first passenger train, operated by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and
hauled by three steam locomotives (Sahib, Sindh and Sultan), ran for 34
kilometres (21 mi) with 400 people in 14 carriages on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad
gauge track between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane on 16 April 1853.[9][10]
The Thane viaducts, India’s first railway bridges, were built over the Thane creek
when the Mumbai-Thane line was extended to Kalyan in May 1854.[11] Eastern
India’s first passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to
Hoogly on 15 August 1854.[1] The first passenger train in South India ran 97 km
(60 mi) from Royapuram-Veyasarapady (Madras) to Wallajah Road (Arcot) on 1
July 1856.[12]

On 24 February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi) tram opened in Calcutta

between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street.[13] On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn
tramway began operation in Bombay between Colaba and Parel.[14] In 1879, the
Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway was established which built several railway
lines across the then Hyderabad State with Kachiguda Railway Station serving as
its headquarters.[15][16] In 1897, lighting in passenger coaches was introduced
by many railway companies. On 3 February 1925, the first electric passenger train
in India ran between Victoria Terminus and Kurla.[17]

On 22 March 2020, Indian Railways announced a nationwide shutdown of

passenger rail service to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This became
part of a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.[29]
The railway shutdown was initially scheduled to last from 23 to 31 March,[30] but
the nationwide lockdown, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24
March, was to last 21 days.[31] The national rail network is maintaining its freight
operations during the lockdown, to transport essential goods.[32] On 29 March,
Indian Railways announced that it would start service for special parcel trains to
transport essential goods, in addition to regular freight service.[33] The national
rail operator has also announced plans to convert coaches into isolation wards for
patients of COVID-19.[34]

The importance of railways

If someone said, ‘It is the economy’, then definitely, railway is one of the factors
underpinning the robust economy of a country. Railway is the most efficient, the
quickest and cheapest method of transporting people and goods in the world. All
the industrialised nations have well developed railway networks spread to all the
corners of their countries. When the British got hold over all of the Indian sub-
continent, among the first things to accomplish was to establish a network of
railway connecting all economic and strategic locations to help them manage the
Indian sub-continent efficiently. While travelling to Quetta, one can only marvel
at the tunnels dug through mountains in those times when no modern machinery
existed. The colonial power gave Karachi, a big sprawling city of its time, a circular
railway as a cheap and efficient way of public transport. The same pattern on a
grander scale was repeated in what is now India.
Now fast forward to the present decade. Railway is probably the second largest
institution after the armed forces, but it is in shambles. It is relying on the same
infrastructure developed during colonial times i.e. the railway tracks and
associated paraphernalia. They have not been replaced so that higher speed
trains could be put into service; nor have railway tracks been extended, albeit in a
few places, for more efficient running of trains; or new rail tracks laid down.
However, the addition of more passenger trains without investing in basic
infrastructure has resulted in frequent accidents resulting in ever precious loss of
human lives. After each incidence, a few condolence messages are aired without
any solution as to what should be done to avert possible future tragedies. As
more and more passenger trains were added as publicity stunts by successive
political governments, the cargo-carrying capability of railways was affected and
relegated to the background.
With an accidental incapacitation of the railways, the burden (or focus) shifted to
roads, which are never meant to bear such loads, this traffic has caused increased
wear and tear of roads. Thus, we are witnessing highways ruled by these heavily
overloaded trucks and oil-tankers often involved in serious accidents resulting in
the loss of human lives. Presently, travelling on highways is a nightmare.

More public and private transport on roads means more strain on the import bill
since a majority of these vehicles or their sub-assemblies/parts are imported.
Further, increased transport on highways means more fuel required which causes
more oil to be imported. Presently, oil import eats up a major portion of our
foreign exchange. Even in the present Covid-19 crisis, everyone is talking about
lockdowns and problems of maintaining the supply chain of essential goods;
hence the importance of keeping workshops, restaurants along the highways
open for goods transport vehicles. However, nobody is talking about what rail
transport could do here. It could load goods from Karachi and take them to all the
main cities of Pakistan from where local transport can take over. It is time that a
concerted effort be made to revamp our railway to exploit its full potential for the
progress of our country

Feasibility studies of railway projects

Purpose – Why undertake a feasibility study?

• Determine whether, and under what conditions, a project will be

Technically, financially and economically viable

• Demonstrate to potential donors that project will produce acceptable

Commercial rate of return (i.e. it is both technically and financially

Viable)

• Demonstrate to governments and to other stakeholders that project will

Achieve acceptable social, or economic, rate of return

What is included in a feasibility study of a Railway project?

- Demand analysis and traffic forecasts

- Engineering analysis and technical specs

- Capital cost estimation (land acquisition; civil works; signalling,

Electric power and control system installation; track-laying andInitial rolling stock
purchases)

O&M cost estimation (train crew costs; fuel/energy

consumption;Loco/wagon/carriage maintenance; fixed infrastructure

Maintenance; variable infrastructure maintenance; stationOperating costs)

 - Financial appraisal (revenue forecast; financing plan; DCFAnalysis, including
calculation of FIRR and NPV indicators)

- Economic appraisal (benefit estimation: reduced operating costs,Time

savings, reduced emissions, accident cost reduction,

Reduced road maintenance costs; analysis of economic netBenefit flows (benefits

less costs), including calculation of EIRR

Description

The first railway on Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles

from Bombay to Thane. The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with
Thane, Kalyan and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first
occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay
Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.

The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16 th April 1853,

when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at
3.30 pm “amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute
of 21 guns.” The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station
destined for Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15th August, 1854. Thus
the first section of the East Indian Railway was opened to public traffic,
inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of
the subcontinent.
In south the first line was opened on Ist July, 1856 by the Madras
Railway Company. It ran between Vyasarpadi Jeeva Nilayam
(Veyasarpandy) and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles. In the
North a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur
on 3rd March 1859. The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura
Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October, 1875.

These were the small’s beginnings which is due course developed into a
network of railway lines all over the country. By 1880 the Indian
Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000 miles. INDIAN
RAILWAYS, the premier transport organization of the country is the
largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest under one
management.

Indian Railways is a multi-gauge, multi-traction system covering the

following:

Track Kilometers
Broad Gauge
(1676 mm)
Meter Gauge
(1000 mm)
Narrow Gauge (762/610 mm)
Total
86,526
18,529
3,651
108,706
Route Kilometers
Electrified
Total

16,001
63,028

Other Interesting facts of Indian Railways

Indian Railways runs aroun
D 11,000 trains everyday, of which 7,000 are passenger trains

7566 - locomotives
37,840 - Coaching vehicles
222,147 - Freight wagons
6853 - Stations
300 - Yards
2300 - Good sheds
700 - Repair shops
1.54 million – Work force

Territorial Readjustment of Zones and In-House Reforms

In order to bring about greater efficiency in administration, speedy

implementation of on-going projects, better customer care, reduction
of workload on General Managers etc., Indian Railways have decided to
create seven new zones by territorial re-adjustment of existing zones.
The new zones, having limited financial burden on Railways, will have
thin and lean, efficient and modern administrative set up. Two of the
new zones have already started functioning.
And B/C indicators)

How You Can Improve Passenger Satisfaction

1. POS machines on trains:-

IRCTC decided to introduce POS machines on board, to reduce
overcharging.Image credit:
Acting on the complaints of overcharging of food items by vendors, the Railways
decided to bring POS machines on board to avoid discrepancies. The Railways
decided that electronic billing and a record of transactions would prevent vendors
from charging customers inappropriately. This came close on the heels of the
Railways announcing that if a passenger didn’t receive a bill for the food ordered,
there would be no charge applied.

2.Safety Button for Women

The carried declared 2018 as the year for women’s safety. So, based on passenger
feedback, the Railways started taking steps to ensure women that felt secure
while travelling in trains. The highlight was the panic button installed on trains.
Solo women travellers on trains, have been the inspiration for this button, which
is linked with the guard coach, and placed at convenient points near the electric
switches. Women finding themselves in trouble can press the button, thereby
receiving timely help from authorities.

3.Food vending machines:-

As a first, the Railways installed a food vending machine on the Coimbatore-
Bengaluru UDAY express. Passengers could use a tab to order tea, coffee,
aerated drinks, canned juices and a variety of snacks. Choose the items from the list,
add it to your cart, and once the payment goes through, the vending machine will automatically
dispense your items. This was the first time a food-vending machine was used on a train, so
passengers could get what they wanted to eat when they wanted
4.Cleaner, softer linen:-
The Railways decided to give the train linen an overhaul, and passengers
travelling in AC coaches were lucky enough to get cleaner, softer and better
quality linen before they turned in for the night. The Railways, acting on a
directive, ensured that the blankets given to passengers in AC coaches were
 devoid of grease, soap, filling or any other additive. This marked a change
from the regular woollen blankets which tend to be slightly rough. The new
blankets are a comfortable blend of wool and nylon and are washed more
frequently than the ones the Railways used to issue earlier.

5. CCTV cameras on trains, to improve security

The Railways decided to install cameras in coaches, covering entry gates, aisles and vestibules, to
improve passenger safety and security. The footage generated by those cameras are under constant
watch by members of the Railway Protection Force. The cameras were planted with an aim to aid
the process of tracking the past movements of offenders who enter women-only coaches, to arrest
them promptly. The government set aside a huge sum during Budget 2018, ensuring that around 12
lakh CCTV cameras could be installed in trains, to give passengers a sense of safety and security.

6. Railways Debit Card:

In a boost to cashless spending, the Indian Railways decided to equip all

passengers with their very own SBI Debit Card. The State Bank of India and IRCTC
venture will allow passengers to buy rail tickets
without charging any additional interest, and also make passengers eligible for
loyalty plans. Tickets are the primary source of revenue for the Railways, and
post-November 2016, the Railways waived off the fees for online booking. Now,
even though IRCTC doesn’t charge for online bookings, it is bearing the cost of
bank service charges.

7. Allotment of lower berths to senior citizens and women:-

The Railways made changes to its ticketing system, such that elderly
passengers and solo women travellers can book lower berths through the
online ticket booking system. The IRCTC official page states that elderly
passengers above 60 years of age, and women passengers who are 45 or
above, can apply for the quota on the IRCTC website. Earlier, it was only
pregnant women who could apply for the lower berth, but now, that facility
has been extended to all women travelling alone and the elderly.
8. Applications for grievance redressal and a food menu
The Railways went down the technology road and developed two mobile apps
to make passenger life simpler. One will allow you to submit complaints, while
the other one is a food menu, allowing you to see the prices of menu items
beforehand. The Railways ‘Rail Madad’ and ‘Rail Menu’ applications will allow
passengers to air their grievances, and check the listed prices so that they are
not overcharged during their journey.
9.Change your boarding station:-
This is a huge boost for travellers who want to change their station of origin.
In cases where the ticket has already been booked, passengers can log on to
the IRCTC account, and change the station. This marks a big change, as earlier,
changing the boarding destination was cumbersome and tiring. Now, with a
few mouse clicks, boarding points can be changes according to customer
convenience

Whether it is putting passenger safety into focus, or improving the quality of

food, the Railways has consistently made changes throughout 2018. All in the
name of passenger satisfaction. So the next time you decide to book a ticket,
be ready to be surprised by the amenities you can access!
10. Airline-like meals, thanks to AI and CCTV technology:-
Once again, the Railways, acting on harsh consumer feedback decided to infuse
technology into its catering process. AI-based technology and CCTV cameras
ensured that kitchen regulations were followed so that the passenger would get

top-quality, hygienic food. Ashwani Lohani, Chairman of the Railway Board,

promised that ‘high quality and tasty food’ would be served in premium trains on
a trial basis, and in all trains after that. He compared the proposed meal,
comprising around 2 or 3 items, to the food served in flights.
 Innovation

Natural water coolers

The Western Railway has developed natural water coolers, with zero electric
consumption, each at a cost of ₹1.25 lakh and a lifespan of ten years. The system
works on principle of heat transfer where water is passed through copper coils
which are covered with cooling fabric active through a water dripping system.
These coolers have been installed at Borivali, Dahanu Road, Nandurbar, Udhana
and Bandra railway stations.

A bell system
A bell system – developed by Allahabad division – alerts passengers at platforms
that the train is ready to depart within two minutes and they should occupy their
seats. This is already in use on platform number one of Allahabad junction railway
station

Air quality monitoring

Another innovation the Railways is looking at is air quality monitoring equipment
developed by NCR and installed at Allahabad railway station.

Unreserved tickets through apps

With the coronavirus pandemic encouraging people to go contact-less, the
Northern Railway developed a system through which they issued unreserved
tickets through mobile apps and bluetooth printers.

This pilot project helped Railways to open online UTS ticketing counters at
stations, platforms, tent cities and passenger holding areas without UTS
connectivity and uninterrupted power supply as these devices work on lithium-
ion batteries and SIM cards.

The Railway Board has instructed the zones to furnish implementation reports of
these 20 innovations within the next three months.

Here are some ideas to improve the railways

• If a train is overbooked, they should add more coaches, and
correspondingly more engine power to not slow down. The number of
coaches should be increased or decreased dynamically to accommodate
everyone who buys a ticket one hour before the train starts from its
terminus.
• The railways should sell only waitlisted tickets, and when a train is
overbooked, use that as an opportunity to reduce the number of stops. For
each station, determine the number of people getting on or off the train,
and cancel all tickets for journeys that start or end at the least popular
station. Repeat till the train is no longer overbooked. This process reduces
the number of stops the train makes, making the journey faster. This also
undoes the tendency of politicians in years or decades past to announce
new stops as a way to please people living in those stations, even if it
makes the journey slow for everyone and is a bad tradeoff.

• No train should face a red or yellow signal. If it does, it should be treated as

a problem, investigated, and fixed.
• Every train should have sufficient engine power to accelerate to the
maximum allowed speed in 1 minute. If not, build faster locomotives, and
add more to every train. Engine power should not be the limiting factor.
 Bibliography

https://www.thebetterindia.com/145235/10-initiatives-railways-irctc-
passengers-2018-news/

https://www.survio.com/survey-template/train-passenger-satisfaction-
survey

https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132557

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Railways

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_India

https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/explain-the-importance-of-
railways-as-the-principal-mode-of/
 Questions

1. Gender:
• Female
• Male
2.Age group:
• < 20
• 21-30
• 31-40
• 41-50
• 51-60
• 60+
3.Which of the following describes you best?
• Student
• Employed
• Self employed
• Retired
• Not Employed
4.How often do you travel by train?
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• A few times a year
• Never
5.What type of ticket do you usually purchase?
• Per journey
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Annual
6.Do you travel by train for reasons:
• Business
• Personal
• Social
• Holiday
• Transport
7.How would you rate our railway stations and platforms?
Information
• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%
8.Cleanliness
• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%
9.Available Assistance
• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%
• 25%
 • 0%

10..Refreshment Facilities
• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%

11. Waiting Rooms

• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%

12.Design, overall environment feeling

• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%
• 0%
13.How would you rate our ticketing process?
• Number of ticket counters
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
 • Poor
• Very Poor

14.Self Service
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
• Poor
• Very Poor
15.Information provided by ticketing staff
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
• Poor
• Very Poor
16. How would you rate our trains?
• Comfort
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
• Poor
• Very Poor
17.Food and beverage offer
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
• Poor
• Very Poor
18.On-board information
• Excellent
• Good
• Neutral
• Poor
• Very Poor
19.How would you rate the train service we provide?
0/5 *****

20.Please tell us what can we do to improve:

Type a paragraph

Thank you