Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates Various Passenger & Freight Initiatives

New Delhi: Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurated  the Following Passenger & Freight Initiatives:-

1)      Release of New Freight Structure for Double Stack Dwarf Containers.

2)      Signing of Agreements under Long Term Tariff Contract with TIISCO, India Cements & Ultratech Cements

3)      Escalator & Coach Guidance System in Jabalpur

4)      Additional Facilities for Divyang jans.

5)      Promoting Rail Tourism- New Policy of reservation for Foreign Tourists

6)      Launch of Integrated Mobile Application for passengers.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways is focusing on Better Passenger Amenities, Escalators at Jabalpur are another step in this direction. Integrated App Rail Saarthi will be convenient for the users, as all the social media channels are on one platform. Quota of 1 lower berths in AC3 Coach for Divyangs & 1 middle berths for attendants will facilitate their travel.Mission Retrofitment launched by IR will take care of Divyangs travel,travel for Divyang shall be more comfortable. Long Term Agreements with Key Customers shall be helpful for both Customers & Railways.It’s a win win situation for both customers & Railways. Indian Railways has reformed its Freight Policy to make it customer friendly ensuring the growth of volumes of traffic.Double Stack Containers is another win win proposition for Railways & customers in Freight Sector. Indian Railways is committed to maintain & cherish their relationship with its Freight Customers.

SALIENT FEATURES OF VARIOUS FEATURES LAUNCHED:

Long Term Tariff Contracts (LTTC)

Minister of Railways in Budget speech 2016-17 announced that IR shall enter into Long Term Tariff Contracts (LTTC) with key-customers using Pre-determined Price escalation Principle, to develop a long term commitment.

The LTTC was finalised after a process of structured dialogue, “SAMVAD”, with key customers.

Under LTTC, IR shall be assured of Long Term Freight Revenue commitment from customers at pre-determined price escalation principle as the customer shall commit Minimum Guaranteed Gross Freight Revenue (MGGFR) for each year of the contract period at a minimum of 5% increase over previous year.

 Customers shall stand to benefit from freight rebates.

Freight Rebate is linked with incremental growth in Gross Freight Revenue and as well as absolute volume of traffic.

Rebate ranges from 1.5% to 35% based on incremental growth in revenue and 0.5% to 5% on the total volume of traffic.

Contract under LTTC will be for min 3 years and max 5 years period.

Eligibility:

The Existing Customer who offered minimum 1 million tonne of traffic in previous year (previous 12 months) is eligible for LTTC.

The New customer has to make commitment to offer at least 3 million tonnes of traffic during the agreement period; and at least 1 million tonne in first year itself.

Agreement will be signed by the Zonal Railway with customer/s. In case

of traffic from multiple terminals, agreement can be signed with the Zonal Railway having maximum share of traffic (in the total traffic).

Today, three LTTC agreements are being signed:

• Tata Iron & Steel Company (TISCO) with South Eastern Railway
• M/s India Cement with South Central Railway
• M/s Ultratech Cement with South Central Railway

Around 10 proposals are in pipeline on different Zonal Railways and it is expected that these will be finalised in next 2 to 3 months.

New Tariff Policy for running of double stack dwarf container

Minister of Railways, in Railway Budget 2016-17, announced   the introduction of new delivery model and expansion of freight basket with the aim to achieve competitive edge over road traffic.

In compliance of the same, the freight basket for container traffic was expanded and around 45 commodities have been de-notified from the notified list and included in FAK rates, which are 30% lower than the notified tariff rates

• The commodities which have been de-notified and are likely to be attracted to container traffic include: Bricks and Stones, Sanitary Wares, Stone Pillars, Polished Granite slabs,  White Cement, Asbestos, Cement Blocks, Cement Plasters, Fly Ash, Chemical Manures, Clay and Sand, Flours and Pulses, Iron and Steel, Cable Wires, Fish Plates, Ingots, Pipes All Types, Wheels, Iron & Steel Pipe Cuttings, All types of metal and steels scrap, Salt, Soap, Sugar and many more.
• In addition, over 50 other commodities are being added to railways freight basket.
• Double Stack Dwarf Containers are designed with 6 feet 4 inches height to run under wire on electrified routes.
• DSDC shall, therefore, run on routes where only single stack of ISO container could run.
• Huge potential for DSDC as it can be run under wire all over the Indian Railways
• A trial run of double stack dwarf container was launched in the presence of Hon’ble MR and was conducted successfully on 2^nd March 2017 on Jamnagar-Ludhiana route.
• Jamnagar-Vapi section has also been identified for running of DSDC.
• Today, new tariff policy for Double Stack Dwarf Container trains is being issued.
• A DSDC can carry 50 tonnes as against 26.50 tonnes in a single stack conventional container; i.e. an increase of 89%.
• At normal haulage rate, DSDC can generate more than 50% revenue as against single stack conventional container.
• This is a unique case where even after granting a rebate of over 15%, the profitability of both IR and the customer shall increase by 25% each. Hence the new Freight structure for DSDC.
• The new concessional freight structure will bring down the overall logistics cost in the country significantly.
• The flats are available with CTOs and Industry shall order Dwarf Container Rakes as per requirement for running on IR. 

Promoting Rail Tourism – New Policy of Reservation for Foreign Tourists

Foreign Tourist Quota booking at present is not available on IRCTC e-ticketing website www.irctc.co.in. At present, international users can book e-ticket on IRCTC website as a normal user and book normal ARP or Tatkal tickets.

Facility of making payment through International Debit & Credit cards is available on website to such users was launched by Hon’ble MR in 2016 (29.04.2016) to facilitate online booking of tickets using international debit/credit cards.

Now, Indian Railways has decided to provide the facility of Foreign Tourist Quota booking to International users on IRCTC website also. Till now this facility could be availed only through General Service Agents ( atSharjah, Nepal, United Kingdom, Muscat and Bangladesh only) or in person at International Tourist Bureau in India.

The following accommodation (per coach) will be available for booking (365 days in advance):

• Eight berths (two cabins) in IA coach
• Four berths (one cabin) in composite 1A cum 2A coach
• Eight berths per 2A coach (two inside berth cabins)
• Ten berths in EC coach

Features of the Scheme:

• International mobile no of user will be captured at the time of user registration/updation profile. To verify mobile no, an OTP will be sent to International user at his registered mobile no. Another OTP will be sent on his e-mail to verify e-mail ID.
• Passport number of all Foreign Tourist will be captured at the time of booking e-tickets.
• If the user has not got verified his mobile number prior to booking his e-ticket, he will be asked to update his profile through profile update with new mobile number with ISD code. This updated profile will be verified through an OTP or SMS to International Mobile no.
• User has the option to make payment through International Debit/Credit card through following payment gateway:
• AMEX(for American Express International cards)
• ATOM(for all International cards)
• User can book tickets under FT Quota upto 365 days in advance. They will also be able to book normal ARP/Tatkal tickets.
• After a ticket is successfully booked, ticket booking information will be sent on SMS to the user through International SMS facility.
• Ticket booking information will also be sent to user on his registered e-mail ID.
• Berth allocation SMS will be sent to the FT Quota users at the time of opening of ARP as soon as berths are allotted by the PRS system.
• Users can also download ERS (Electronic Reservation Slip) from website for booked tickets after berths are allotted by PRS system.

          If berth is not allotted to FT Quota users for any reason, Cancellation SMS/Email informing the user about booking having been dropped and refund being processed will be sent. Refund will be sent back to the same International Debit/Credit card and through same Payment Gateway which was used at the time of booking.

• In case of cancellation of the tickets booked under this facility by the passenger flat 50% of the fare shall be deducted in addition of the cancellation charges applicable while refunding the amount. The time limit for granting 50% refund will be as per extant rules i.e. upto 4 hours before scheduled departure of train, through website only. 

Brief for Integrated Railway Mobile App (IMA) ‘Rail SAARTHI’ for Indian Railways

Introduction

Currently, there are multiple mobile applications by Indian Railways to cater various passenger requirements including onboard cleaning. Most of the apps cater to one service only. To use different services, users need to search and download each application separately. In order to provide better customer experience, there is a need for an integrated application which will give a single window interface for these services.

Inline with the above concept, Minister of Railways had announced integration of all existing ticketing digital solutions under one App in his Budget Speech 2016-17.The same is reproduced below:

“Mobile Apps

 Presently we have different digital solutions for ticketing, grievance redressal and other issues. We intend to integrate all such facilities into two mobile apps; one dealing with all ticketing issues and the other for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions related to all our services.”

The project has been sanctioned and included in the Pink Book for the year 2016-17 as item No. 199 of Northern Railway at a total cost of Rs 7 crore.

The following 8 independent Mobile Applications (Apps) available on Google Play Store will become available in the new Integrated Mobile App ‘RAIL SAARTHI’- INDIAN RAILWAYS OFFICIAL APP(Centre for Railway Information Systems)

Name of the App	Purpose	Platform
Applications by IRCTC
IRCTC Rail Connect	For e-Ticket Booking	Android Only
IRCTC Air	For Air-tickets booking	Android Only
IRCTC Tourism	For Tourism /Packages Booking	Android Only
IRCTC Food-On-Track	: Meal Booking for Rail Passengers	Android and IOS
Applications by CRIS
UTS	Unreserved Ticketing	Android
COMS	Complaint Management	Android
COACH MITRA	Clean my Coach	Android
NTES	Passenger Enquiry System	Android

Scope:

This IMA integrates following services to the passengers/customers of Indian Railways:

1. i.            Ticketing – Reserved presently on the App “IRCTC Rail Connect” and Unreserved presently on the App “utsonmobile”
2. Enquiry – Seat availability, PNR enquiry, Fare enquiry

                            iii.            Affiliated services – for ordering food on train “IRCTC Food- on-Track”, Trackingof train running on real time basis – NTES, Booking of travel tours through “IRCTC Tourism”

1. Onboard Cleaning and link to 138,182 – “Coach Mitra”
2. Feedback – COMS

1.         Ticketing:

  This comprises both reserved and unreserved segment of passenger services:

1. i.            Reserved Ticketing:

For reserved passenger segment, CRIS has a developed an App for IRCTC named “IRCTC Rail Connect” for Android smart phones. The App provides one Step login facility for existing users. New users can register from the App or www.irctc.co.in website. The App allows passenger to book reservation, search for trains, check ticket availability and cancel their tickets. Presently, appx. 1 lakh  tickets are booked daily generating revenue of appx  Rs. 9.65 crores.

1. Unreserved Ticketing:

An App “utsonmobile” exists in the suburban sections of IR and non-suburban sections of NR (NDLS-PWL and NDLS-GZB) for booking of paperless unreserved ticket – both journey and season tickets. A zero value R-wallet is created on registration and the same can be recharged through App, website or at UTS counter. The App and website are device compatible. Recently, an option has been given wherein ticket can be booked through app and the ticket can be printed through ATVM at originating station of 8 Zonal Railways. Facility of this App is currently available at 828 stations. Ticket can be booked through various payment options like R-wallet, Paytm and Mobikwik using credit or debit cards/Netbanking modes. Currently, appx. 14,400  ticketsare booked daily covering  92,000 passengers travel & generating revenue of appx. Rs 6.8 lakhs.

2.         Enquiry: Following enquiries are available in this App:
3. Seat Availability: Passenger can check seat/berth availability in trains for planning his/her journey through a web link.
4. Fare Enquiry:

Passenger can check fares for his/her journey based on train, source, destination, class, concession through a web link.

iii.              Train Running (NTES):

This is an App developed by CRIS which facilitates passengers to get information about train running on nearly real time basis.

1. PNR Enquiry:

Passenger can check his/her booking status (Confirm/RAC/WL) using the PNR printed on the ticket through a web link.

The aforementioned web links take the user to “www.indianrail.gov.in”, website of Indian Railway developed in-house by CRIS.

3.         Affiliated Services:Thefollowing services are provided by IRCTC under this option:
4. Air Ticket Booking: Enables passengers to book air tickets through “IRCTC AIR” App.
5. Food on Track: Enables passengers to order  food at his seat through “IRCTC CATERING” App.

                                        iii.            Tour Booking: Enables passengers to book tickets for a tour through “IRCTC TOURISM” App.

1. iv.            Book  Retiring Room:This is a link which leads user to the www.rr.irctctourism.com website and enables him/her to book Retiring Rooms.
2.         Onboard Cleaning and link to 138,182:

The App also provides following services to the passengers:

1. Clean my Coach App (COACH MITRA):

This App enables passengers to request for cleaning their coach.

1. Link to Helpline Nos. 138,182:

Ø Passenger can call the Helpline No. 138 for Complaints and Suggestions.

Ø Passenger can call the Helpline No. 182 for Security.

5.         Feedback: Following services are available under this option:
6. Complaint/Suggestions (COMS):

The COMS (Complaint Management System) App developed by CRIS enables passengers to register/track their complaints for the inconvenience faced while availing various services of Indian Railways and also allows them to offer suggestions for improvement.

1. Twitter : A link has been provided wherein passenger can tweet his suggestion/feedback through his twitter handle. This requires that customer is enrolled with Twitter.
2. Mobile Applications to be integrated with IMA

• IRCTC Rail connect
• UTS on Mobile
• IRCTC Air
• COMS (Compliant Management System)
• NTES
• IRCTC Tourism
• IRCTC Catering
• Clean my coach

Earmarking of reservation quota for Divyangjan in 3AC classes. 

1. At present, a reservation quota of four berths in Sleeper class (two lower berths for Divyang Jan and middle berths for their escort) is earmarked in long distance mail/express trains.

2. It has been decided to earmark a reservation quota of two berths in 3AC class also for Divyang Jan (lower berth for Divyang Jan and middle berth for their escort) in all long distance mail/express trains where Divyang Jan have been extended the facility to book reserved tickets on concession. There will, however, be no change in case of Garib Rath Express trains, where four berths in SLRD are earmarked for Divyang Jan despite non-availability of any concession.            Zonal railways will define these berths in the system as per Advance Reservation Period(ARP) or no booking date whichever is earlier.