Source: http://www.thehindu.com/
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, May 4, 2012 Easy access to real-time train status S. Anil Radhakrishnan Share · print · T+ It takes less than 20 minutes to get details on the interface TrainEnquiry.com The real-time running status of 8,500 trains, including long-distance, passenger, and suburban services, has been made available by Railways using a simple, user-friendly, and fast Internet interface. Calling the local station or the call centre on 139 will soon become a thing of the past with this. The new interface, TrainEnquiry.com, has been rolled out after a fine-tuning (of the old version) based on feedback from commuters and experts from various design schools. The enhanced version of the train information portal, launched by Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS), an organisation under Railways, and RailYatri.in, takes less than 20 seconds to search and find train status at any point of time. As many as 4,500 trains, on an average, operate in the country on a daily basis. Trouble-free Changes in train status can also be easily comprehended. Remembering train numbers or the right names (of trains) has been an aspect of difficulty for commuters (trying to find train status). The new interface saves commuters this trouble. The smart train search engine, which powers the website, provides correct options to users as soon as they type the initial characters of the train number or name. The website also shows which intermediate stations the train covered regardless of whether it has a stop there or not. CRIS Group General Manager Sunil Bajpai told The Hindu over telephone from New Delhi that the new version was the first in a host of features being planned. “We are using the latest technology to provide information to the commuters. In Chennai, satellite facility is used to track trains,” he added. Mobile version A mobile version of the train inquiry system has also been rolled out so that passengers can access the same during travel. The enhanced version will come in handy for those with internet-enabled mobile phones. “A majority of the trains will have updates every five to six km. Suburban trains running in Mumbai have not been included now,” according to Manish Rathi, chief executive officer, Stelling Technologies which operates the RailYatri.in platform for the National Train Enquiry System (NTES). The new interface comes at a time when the call centres in the country were finding it difficult to handle the huge call volumes and complaints from passengers. Comments to : [email protected] Copyright © 2012, The Hindu Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
