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‘Passenger is the king’, seems to have been driving mantra of union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad as he unveiled a basket of goodies to make train travel more comfortable and greener. Forget the long queues to book your tickets. You could do it through your mobile phone, if the announcements made in the Railway Budget 2008-09 are anything to go by. Harping on use of IT, the Railways is all set to make ticketing a child’s play. Automated vending machines issuing tickets would be increased from 250 to 6,000 while unreserved ticketing system windows would increase to 15,000. E-booking could now be done for a waitlisted ticket as well.

All coaches on trains would have an online display board giving train arrival and departure information, reservation information. This facility would be available to passengers by March 2009. The initiative not only makes travel easier for passengers but could also spell a huge business opportunity for IT companies. The high quality display panels with touch button facility will be installed on all stations. Select mail and express trains will get a public address system, akin to the one installed in Shatabdi and Rajdhani category of trains.

The bag of goodies is not yet over. “Atithi Devo Bhav”, passenger is our revered guest,” said Mr Prasad as he went on to announce the landmark initiative - discharge free toilets. The long-standing demand of train travelling public could turn into a reality in next five years. Indian railways would provide for such toilets in all 36,000 coaches in next five years at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. Modular and ergonomically designed toilets will replace the dreary ones in the new stainless coaches which the Railways is proposing to introduce.

Besides, passengers will not have to bear with dirty coaches in their journey with the new on-board cleaning facility that would be outsourced to private agencies. The stress on cleanliness will not be limited to just the trains.

 The platforms will also get a new face with a large number of them witnessing an increase in height to make them passenger friendly. All high-level platforms would get foot -over bridges and all major stations will be fitted with lifts and escalators. Length of 30 more platforms would be increased and provision for platform shelters would be made even at small stations.