Nearest stn, amenities, train timing? Know all in a few taps
S Railway Launches New App

TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Chennai:13.10.2018

Navigating through the city’s public transport or booking a train to tourist destinations like Ooty or Kanyakumari can be a nightmare if you don’t know where to go.

From Friday, knowing what train to book, which is the nearest station to your current location and what kind of amenities a station will have, will become easier for passengers who are new to the city.

Southern Railway’s commercial department has come up with an in-house mobile application ‘Rail Partner’ which has collated multiple railway information under one platform. This application was released by general manager R K Kulshrestha on Friday and is available for download. The application gives information on trains, live locations, platforms, all the railway helpline numbers, PNR status and frequently asked questions on railway issues like ticket booking, cancellation, unreserved ticketing and luggage booking.

The information is updated on a real-time basis. For instance, if a suburban train is cancelled, it would automatically get reflected in the application. For reserved train timings, it would work both offline and online.

But with several similar apps available, why should a commuter use this? “This application encompasses benefits of all applications and gives authentic railway information as it is in-house,” said principal chief commercial manager Priamvada Viswanathan.

The application is also interactive. One can enter a request for a special train from one location to another. For instance if a week after Diwali, railway officials find that there are requests for 1,000 seats from Madurai to Chennai for a special train, they would be able to announce a train. Currently, the commercial department relies on the waiting list of all the regular trains to plan specials on a date.

“This is business development intelligence. We can reach out to public who can give us feedback on a real-time basis,” said J Vinayan, chief commercial manager (passenger marketing) whose team is behind the application. The team has also been given a reward of ₹50,000 by Kulshrestha.

Passengers who want to book an entire coach or a train or want to inform Southern Railway regarding a particular festival or event at a location where hundreds of people are likely to gather can use this application. “This will help us plan facilities better,” said Viswanathan.

Visually challenged commuters can also use this application by activating the ‘talk back’ facility in their phones.