Novel ideas make it an eventful year for Railways

Before the 2011 roundup of the railways, here is some news for 2012:

The Bangalore division of South Western Railways will be introducing a separate waiting room for senior citizens and differently-abled persons in January first week.

The initiative by the Railways will enable them to not only avoid crowded waiting rooms but also reach trains using battery-operated carts.

Divisional Railway Manager Sudhanshu Mani said senior citizens can arrive at waiting rooms using carts and later use the same to reach trains as well.

The Railways, in the past year, has not only introduced a slew of new measures such as new trains routes, notably the Rajya Rani Express to Mysore and the extension of Bangalore-Mangalore line to Karwar, but it also came up with some novel ideas.

Following the success of battery-operated carts, the Railways will add more carts in the City Railway station and Yeshwantpur station.

To ensure better coordination of trips, a centralised booking station will be started. The introduction of handcarts, which faced stiff opposition from the porters in the beginning, is now gaining increased acceptance.

Now, Bangalore East and KR Puram stations too will get the handcarts. Carts at the KR Puram station will be placed towards the end of foot-over-bridge (FOB) and can be taken upto the train.

Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewak was yet another new initiative of the Railways in 2011.

Friendly booking centres

The passenger-friendly scheme has allowed recognised travel agents to book railway tickets. Some of the booking centres are located next to the Railway station.

The booking centres have reduced the queues at ticket centres. Every day nearly 7,000 tickets are sold through the booking centres.

The railway stations in the City have received a facelift following a series of art camps, the most notable being the City Railway Station.

Murals

Reputed abstract, folk and student artists have created beautiful murals that adorn the main entrance and Okalipuram entrance to the City Railway Station. The experiment is being repeated at Yeshwantpur and Cantonment stations too.

Seven months ago, an emergency medical centre was started to ensure passengers have access to paramedics. The 24/7 service will be started in Yeshwantpur station soon.

However, the commuter railways project has not made much headway, although it gained momentum in the earlier years.

A feasibility study is yet to be commissioned and is likely to take a long time before a concrete proposal of suburban services can be placed.

The plans for the Baiyappanahalli station and the expansion of the City railway station have been halted due to problems related to land.

Litigation has put a break to the massive expansion plan of the Baiyappanahalli station on the NGEF land.

Moreover, the Railways have not made a breakthrough in acquiring Binny Mills land, aimed at easing congestion at the City Railway station.