Cellphone chargers now on trains

Passengers travelling outstation on trains of the Western and Central Railways will soon be able to charge their mobile phones during their journey, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

Passengers travelling outstation on trains of the Western and Central Railways will soon be able to charge their mobile phones during their journey.

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While the Western Railway has given itself a time limit of one year for starting the project, the Central Railway has not yet committed to a timeframe.

Under the project, all non-AC coaches will have two charging points at each end, and AC coaches will have points in every cabin. “It is a national project, but we are planning to install charging points in all our coaches within a year. Mobiles are essential for communication and one cannot afford to carry a dead phone,” said Western Railway’s Divisional Manager Satya Prakash.

Central Railway’s Divisional Railway Manager R.S. Virdi has said that they too have begun installing charging points in all their coaches. Konkan Railway was the first to embark on such a project three years ago and Indian Railways plan to follow suit.

Asked about the possibility of local trains having the facility, Prakash said, “We did give it a thought, but with so much crowd in the trains, there will be problems and is not advisable.”

Email Rajendra Aklekar: rajendra.aklekar@hindustantimes.com