INDIAN RAILWAYS
World’s biggest rail network which
# Always cares for employees. (for customers - God is there to take care!!!)
# Provides up to 5 times more tickets then capacity. (for general class coaches)
# Keeps platforms, waiting rooms, tracks and toilets equally clean.
# Helps country in fighting with biggest problem ? ?Population Blast? by throwing
Rajdhani express off the track, by playing face to face collision game with real
trains.
# Which waive offs platform tickets for beggars, animals etc on humanitarian
ground and allow them to freely interact with customers.
# Which selects and deputes extra ordinary staff ?where everybody believes in
?more thinking and less working?. They follow ? Simple living, high thinking and
less working?.
In my opinion Indian Railways is the PSU which deserves privatization on top priority. Country is not only getting bad name but also loosing big revenue due to extreme mismanagement in this department.
Because of my nature of job, I am a frequent user of Railways since last 10 years and there are many experiences which forced to write this review.
Mismanagement and solutions can be summarized as below-
# Ticketing and Reservation : Overcrowded windows with inefficient clerks. Reservation form requires unnecessary information, which is not required. We all fill our address and phone no on reservation form. Please let me know if any time railway has used it for any purpose. In my opinion only name is enough (like booking in airlines).
SUGGESTION: Tickets and reservation counters can be spread throughout the country and petrol pumps, post offices, shopping malls, hotels, hospitals etc can be used in the form of a network. IRCTC can easily execute it through their e-ticketing facility (which is at present not useful for those who are not having credit card or e-banking).
--Unreserved tickets can be sold easily by above proposed network like recharge coupons of cellular phones. Railway can control the misuse by collecting/destroying the tickets efficiently after the use.
--This will dramatically reduce the crowd at railway station ticket windows and people would be able to get tickets/reservations easily from a smiling clerk.
# Enquiry window : Only one per station.( That too in the hands of any frustrated clerk who is more interested in passing shift time instead of helping customers).
SUGGESTION: More no of enquiry counters in peak hours with young, efficient, trained staff which should be equipped with proper software and hardware for prompt and proper response. Continuous display of general updated information above enquiry windows will also help. At present many people believe that porters are best source for information. Railway should take a lesson and should depute some young and energetic officers/clerks on this task. They should follow a defined dress code and should be equipped with communication devices (walkie-talkie or cellular) for collecting updated information. These people can work as guide or as mobile enquiry counters or even as customer care executives.
# Tele- enquiry: Dial 131, if somebody picks ? you are lucky.
SUGGESTION:Look towards call centers or 24 hour help-line numbers of various banking, telecom and other service organizations. Instead of wasting time, money and energy on improving this my suggestion is that Railway must outsource this to any good call center.
# Displays at stations regarding train nos and schedules: Most of the electronic displays are in poor maintenance conditions and others are also of very poor quality. Either screens are dead or information is not updated. Same the case is with LED indicators. No body is there to update and maintain. Why they waste money on this when nobody is there to take care?
SUGGESTION: Outsource it and see the results.
# Public Addressing Audio System: Very-very poor quality on most of the stations. Even after putting full concentration, sometimes it becomes very difficult to understand the message because of poor quality of speakers and microphones.
SUGGESTION: High quality of systems with proper loudness, treble, bass and proper speaker locations can be installed in consultation with Acoustic experts.
# House keeping and Cleanliness: Horrible in all respects. No need to explain.
Suggestion: Outsource it as soon as possible. Give authority to any third agency not only to upgrade and maintain platform, retiring rooms and coaches but also for collecting the fines from defaulters.(Then only we can expect dust free, neat and clean platforms and coaches with some flowerpots and show pieces to welcome us, we can see application of room-fresheners/air-cleaners in retiring rooms and coaches, we can expect projection screens showing news/music on platforms and in retiring rooms with proper and adequate sitting arrangements. Any agency can do it for selected stations and can recover the cost by displaying advertisements hoardings on platforms and by running ads on screens. Even higher class passengers can also be charged nominally for the same.
# Confusing platform numbers: Go to Old Delhi station and you will find platform no 1A (?) . At some stations main platform is having last no. There is no standard criteria. Can be standardize easily on the basis of main entry.
# Standardization of platforms: Uniform rules can be applied for UP and DOWN trains (or even and odd no of trains) and for Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains for their platforms. It will help all the commuters specially who travels with heavy luggage.
# Pasting of passenger list on coach door: which doesn?t remain on place after train reaches to next station and you can see passengers running around for TT to locate their seats/berths.
SUGGESTION: Transparent fiber sheet protection can be adopted.
# Standardization of coach location on platform: Can easily achieved by little exercise.
# Availability of trolleys and Control on porters: Trolleys/Powered trolleys can be provided on chargeable basis. It will be a great facility to commuters and additional revenue for railways.
# Availability of public phones on platforms: Very less STD/PCO and forget about functioning of coin operated phones.
SUGGESTION: Situation can be improved by putting ZIP-Phones in sufficient quantity across the rail network with the help of various telecom players of the country. Ad display on ZIP will give maintenance revenue. After all customer pays for each call.
# Sitting arrangements on platforms: Insufficient no of chairs with poor maintenance.
SUGGESTION: As discussed above in point Housekeeping.
# Quality control (Eatables): Quality of eatables available at platforms clearly tells ? we are being cheated. Try a cup of tea at any platform.
SUGGESTION : Strong and honest administration or open competition by removing license policy for caterers.
Apart from above following can also be focused-
# Mobile charging facilities in trains
# Converting all day trains into chair car trains
# Optimization of manpower and infrastructure
# Making platform height up to the coach door
# Punctuality of trains
Above situation clearly shows ?
?EVERYTHING IS MISMANAGED AT INDIAN RAILWAYS?
and railways can?t improve on it because they are not made for customer care, they are not made for business, they are not made for growth, they are not made for productivity, they are not made for efficiency, they are not made for innovativeness..??THEY ARE HERE FOR TIME PASS.
And ??privatization is suggested.
Thanks for givin