24 Trains from (BIO)BORDI to (PCN)PANCH PIPILA

N.F. Railway is progressing at full throttle for achieving the Indian Railways target of becoming Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. In an endeavour for complete electrification, N.F. Railway has achieved another milestone by commissioning Dudhnai - Mendipathar (22.823 Track Kilometre) single line section and Abhayapuri – Pancharatna (34.59 Track Kilometre) double line section o­n 15^th March, 2023. The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in these sections.

 Mendipathar is the o­nly railway station in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya which is in operation since 2014 after being inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. After commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by electric locomotive will now be able to operate directly from Mendipathar in Meghalaya which will increase the average speed. More passenger & freight carrying trains will be able to operate through these sections with full sectional speeds. Punctuality will also increase in this section. Parcel & freight carrying trains hauled by electric locomotives from other states will be able to reach Meghalaya directly.

Electrification will significantly improve the mobility of trains in Northeast India.  In addition to the reduction in pollution due to the shift from fossil fuel to electricity, the efficiency of the Railway system in the region will also improve. This would facilitate seamless traffic and also save time of the trains moving to and from northeastern states apart from savings in precious foreign exchange.

                                       RAILMADAD: An effective grievance redressal mechanism of Indian Railways

RailMadad mechanism sees increase in usage amidst improved awareness amongst passengers and owing to its reliability

Telephonic call is the most preferred mode of grievance registration for passengers

Southern Railway takes an average of 37 minutes to resolve grievances

The First Response Time is 8 minutes for Medical & Security assistance

As a socially responsible and accountable entity, Indian Railways considers redressal of passenger complaints as o­ne of its Key Performance Indicators.  To put in place an effective complaints monitoring system which would also provide a o­ne-stop solution to complaints, grievances, enquiry and also serve as a robust feedback mechanism, RAILMADAD was launched in 2019.  Complaints and grievances lodged through different modes were brought into a single platform and channelized through this portal for time bound redressal. 

Receipt & Disposal of complaints in Southern Railway through RAILMADAD

In Southern Railway, over 61% of the complaints are received through Rail Passenger Helpline 139, 21% through RailMadad website (railmadad.gov.in, railmadad.in)10% through social media forums, , 5% through RailMadad App and the remaining 3% through other means like SMS to 139, E-mail, CPGRAMS, etc.

Southern Railway has been achieving 100% complaint disposal rate since 2019-20 and also maintains 37 minutes as average disposal time since April 2021.  Southern Railway also maintains 8 minutes as the First response Time (FRT).  FRT is an indicator of efficiency in handling Medical and Security assistance during emergencies. 

Railways at all levels have taken concerted efforts in creating awareness about RailMadad amongst passengers. Faster and satisfactory resolution of grievances has resulted in restoring the faith of the passengers in the grievance redressal system which serves as an harbinger of hope during any inconvenience experienced by passengers during their train journey or while at railway premises.

As a result lots of passengers have now started using the Railmadad complaints mechanism. The total no. 75613 complaints have been resolvedin the current financial year 2022-23 till date when compared to 31450 complaints resolved during the previous financial year 2021-22 (Apr-Mar).

How RailMadad works?

RailMadad, the unified customer interface for grievance, enquiry, suggestion and assistance, provides passengers the choice to access the portal through multiple channels, namely, Web, App, SMS, Social Media and Helpline number (139) during the journey for expeditious resolution of their complaints.On registration of a complaint, a unique complaint number is generated and the status of the grievance is continuously monitored. Passengers also have the facility to track the status of their complaints using the unique reference number. 

Depending o­n the complaint’s nature, urgency and complexity the maximum time limit within which a case has to be resolved is predetermined.As the name suggests, RailMadad has come to the rescue of thousands of passengers during emergencies offering first response and subsequently the required assistance in minimum possible time. While all the departments work in perfect coordination to resolve complaints, it is the Security, Mechanical and Commercial wings that deploy field personnel, play a very crucial role and rush to the passengers’ aid during emergencies arising during travel.

Responding to o­nboard complaints is a very challenging task. RailMadad handles this meticulously, as it is integrated with the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) and other platforms like Integrated Coach Management System (ICMS).  Thus, when an o­nboard complaint is registered both the Train Running Railway and Train Owning Railway is alerted and the complaint is resolved within the earliest possible time. 

Suggestions module

Further, the Suggestions module of RailMadad is an innovative tool through which suggestions from various stakeholders are received and forwarded to concerned branch officers, who could use them as a guide to make future decisions.RailMadad is also used as a managerial tool to measure the efficiency of the subordinate units. Each Division/unit is committed to rectify the deficiencies in their system and offer quality service to the passengers.

Team RailMadad

RailMadad portal is monitored round the clock by a dedicated and efficient team of Officers, Controllers, Inspectorsat the Divisional-level, Zonal-level,Railway Board-level and also by the Engineers atCRIS(the Centrefor Railway Information Systems).The consolidated Team effort is driving theRailMadad portal to the realm of success.

It is noteworthy that RailMadad was awarded Silver-under category-II of National e-governance Awards “for excellence in providing Citizen Centric Delivery” during the 23rd National Conference o­n e-governance held at Mumbai in February 2020.

 Follow us

www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in

https://twitter.com/GMSRailway

https://www.facebook.com/Southern-Railway-240606622749869/