E-Paper
AC comfort in 3-tier travel, courtesy students’ start-up
PRAYAGRAJ Passengers travelling in three tier sleeper coaches of Prayagraj Express between Allahabad and New Delhi will soon be able to procure bed-sheets, blankets,
PRAYAGRAJ Passengers travelling in three tier sleeper coaches of Prayagraj Express between Allahabad and New Delhi will soon be able to procure bed-sheets, blankets, pillows, snacks, etc for the duration of travel, as provided in AC coaches, only for Rs 59.
If a trial of the service is successful and it is extended to other trains, you will even be able to book these articles through the IRCTC site.
A team of six budding engineers of second and third semester of BTech programme at MNNIT have come out with this plan through their registered start-up company which has even been given an approval by the railway authorities of Allahabad division of North Central Railway (NCR). If successful, this service may even be extended to other trains.
The facility can be availed by passengers on demand at the respective platform from which the train begins its journey, ie Allahabad or New Delhi, and can also be availed inside the coach while on the move, or through an app.
“We will be providing a mink blanket with cover, a bed-sheet, a pillow, a hand towel, a bottle of mineral water, a biscuit packet and sanitiser and a handy dustbin at a minimal cost of Rs 59,” said the start-up company CEO Sonu Kumar Gupta.
Recounting how it all began, he said that it was during the winter of 2017 “when I was shivering while going to Delhi by train and saw there were many who were in the same condition that the idea clicked. When I returned, our team started collecting feedback of passengers of the train on whether they would like to have facilities like the one provided in AC coaches and at what cost, etc.”
The youngsters then wrote to MNNIT director Rajeev Tripathi who forwarded their request to railway officials.
According to the letter of the senior divisional mechanical engineer (carriage and wagon), dated November 12, a (copy of which is in possession of HT), the railway officials have given their approval to the proposal for a trial period of two months, starting from when they so decide.
“We will start the project after our exams, which end in December 2019. This would also be a great opportunity for a large number of unemployed youths who we will employ to maintain the articles used in the facility,” Gupta said. There is great potential in this project which would hopefully be extended to other trains after the trail is successful,” he added.
To start with, the team has set a target of 100 passengers, for which they will keep two helpers. For keeping the bedding and other items, the team will book the first side lower berth of a coach, said Akash Kumar, another student of the institute, who will be looking into marketing side of the company.
After the first two months, passengers will also be able to book the facility through the IRCTC portal, the link to which will be uploaded by the competent authority, Kumar said.
