Alappuzha: The Indian Railways has charted out a slew of measures to enhance passenger comfort by reworking the relationship between the national transporter and its customers.
Under the proposed passenger-friendly initiative, ticketless passengers will no longer be hauled up or forced to pay hefty fines. If a commuter accidentally uses a train ticket on the wrong date, the TTEs will help him/her find a vacant seat.
Laying emphasis on etiquette and customer satisfaction, specific training programs will be conducted for employees from the rank of managers to cleaning staff to make Indian Railways an institution that puts the customer first. The authorities are hoping that the one-year-long training programme will help the Railways enhance its image and deliver superior service.
Railway employees such as TTEs, booking counter staff, and station masters who constantly interact with commuters will be put through a specially designed training module to improve their customer service skills.
Better relationships between employees and improved productivity is one of the highlights of ‘Project Saksham’, the recently launched comprehensive training programme for employees of Indian Railways.
Engineering staff will undergo training in Chennai while training for the rest of the employees will be held in Tiruchirappalli. The sessions will be led by senior employees and soft-skill trainers. The project intends to minimise errors from engineering staff and equip the other employees with skills to meet higher service expectations from passengers/clients.
Customer first
If a passenger is found to be travelling without proper pass or ticket, he/she will be allowed to continue the journey by paying the fare between the boarding point and destination and a nominal fine. It is up to the passenger to convince the ticket examiner of his boarding point. If there is no seat unavailable, the commuter will have to alight at the next main station.
If a female passenger is found to be ticketless during night time, the officials will help her get off at the next main station and book a retiring room.
TTEs have been instructed to consider favourably passengers’ requests to change the berth or seat. There will also be efforts to improve answering and handling phone calls.
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