Indian Railways ,Pnr status, Railway Reservation Guide

The Indian railways Rail route travel is the largest in Asia since its beginning in April 1853.The Indian Railways is the largest in the world and has made a remarkable progress since its modest beginning in the initial era.

The Indian railways re-organized its zones and divisions in the year 1996 taking into account the quantum of workload to be handled by each zones in Indian railways. The Indian railways have two divisions to look in to the matters pertaining to transportation.

All the commercial responsibilities are handled by the commercial division which involves taking care of responsibilities like ticket checking, catering reservations, administrative responsibilities at stations etc.

The operations division maintains a check record on outgoing and incoming trains and attaching wagons etc are some of the key responsibilities handled by the team of members in the operational division.

The team working in the Indian railways Account service department is responsible for maintaining complete records of the financial operations of the Indian railways. A senior grade officer on this post is accountable for all the financial responsibilities of this zone.

All matters related to the personnel service like promotions, training, increments and transfer are entrusted on the team of people working in the Personnel service department of the Indian railways.

The railway protection service handles the key responsibility of maintaining law and order in trains as well as the premises of the Indian railways.

The technical requirements of the Indian Railways trains like maintaining tracks, bridges and building and taking care of new projects building and construction is key works handled by the members of the Railways Engineering services.

Remuneration received by all the employees of the Indian railways is fixed by the Government and follows the similar conduct of pattern like other civil services.

Indian railways joint venture with Indian Railways Catering Tourism Corporation has come as relief for the passengers of Indian Railways This move of providing meals on board has come into existence to fulfill the food needs of travelers and enhance the same via innovative marketing moves.

The Indian Railways catering Tourism Corporation grant a fresh meal service for all its express trains. The main objective of this move is to be sensitive to the customer’s demands of requirement of quality oriented food on board.

The Indian Railways cater to the demands of both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian service on board. It has also taken care of the religious values of the passengers for which they firstly inquire about the preferences of food kind to the passengers before serving them.

The food served is hot as it is prepared in the pantry car of the train. Some partially processed food is cooked on route making it all the more possible to serve hot food to its passenger commuters on board.

A variety of snacks also are available in the trains for the commuters on route. Likewise vendors too ferry periodically in the compartments with packaged foods, mineral water, cold drinks, tea and coffee.

A variety of local caters that operate at platform stations too offer a variety of hot and cold food products. The taste of the local flavors gets added to the meals of travelers when hawkers sell their eatables when the trains halt at the stations.

The quality of the food provided by the Indian Railways is tasty, filling, and cost-effective but demands better quality control. Indian Railways needs to develop

to offer comfortable contemporary ambiance with good quality, multi-cuisine, moderately priced food.

Indian railways have been incessantly working to provide upgraded services to its travelers in India. In the initial stages it was possible to make reservation inquiries only at the reservation counters.

As the usage of computers voluntarily increased its importance it also gained users in the Indian railways and gradually it has become quite easier than before to get reservations. India presently has computerized reservation system, except in a few remote villages. Internet has immensely helped Indian railways to help make online reservations for travel

It is now possible for people to inquire about reservations sitting right in front of the computer from anywhere in the country. You will just need to log in www.traininquiry.com for the necessary information.

Indian railways in alliance with IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) are offering some of the best services to the commuters of rail in India.

IRCTC too has launched its website www.irctc.co.in for all the useful and general information regarding the rail services in India for its prestigious clients.

IRCTC through its official website has made it conveniently possible to just make inquiries, book tickets or cancel them from your own convenient place and time. However for people who are not comfortable using internet services can convincingly rely on the phone services offered by the MTNL and BSNL.

The SMS facility has already been started by Indian railways for people to know about their reservation status. A common local No 139 has been started throughout India to inquire about the range of services such as the PNR status, Accommodation availability offered by the Indian Railways.

Soon Mobile companies are also planning to offer instant services of rail reservations and bookings from mobiles itself. More value added services by Indian railways such as the hotel bookings will be of added value to the people of India. Keep up the good work Indian Railways. We appreciate your efforts.

Trains today serve a number of purposes in order to meet the growing demands of various industries. A skilled engineer keeps moving a powerful engine along the railway tracks and ferries millions of people to their choice of destinations each day.

In the early evolution of the railways the trains were run by hovering coal and steam in to the fire to keep it moving. But today with the changing trends and growing demand to get eco-friendly they have been powered by diesel fuels in some places they are even kept on the run by using electricity to reduce the pollutants they offer to the environment.

In earlier days freight trains were used to transport various kinds of materials in tons so that the business man could create innovative products out of them. The majority of this material transported is in tons and weigh very heavy. It used to take a lot of time to unload the freight carried by the train for which an innovative concept of a semi-trailer was designed.

With this innovative concept when the train reached its desired destination the semi-trailer was hooked off from the train and hooked up to an additional truck where in the truck drivers would keep up with the heavy equipment and transport and get it unloaded to its final destination.

Millions of people travel by passenger trains. These trains transport people from one place to another. Today many cities are offering passenger trains which are above the ground which has helped reduce congestion on the rods to a huge extent.

Depending on the place where you live and each person’s individual requirements you need to get aware of the freight and passenger trains running in your area A few people are aware of the additional freight services the trains offer.

The railways have been progressing day by day to improve on the amenities provided to the passengers. Indian Railways have provided facilities for the physically challenged, ladies, senior citizens etc.

On the trains special compartments only for the physically challenged are introduced. Similarly “Ladies special” which operate at peak hours is considered as a boon by all ladies who rush to work and then back home to take care of their near and dear ones.

Railways have made a lot of changes in the ticketing system, which earlier involved battling with the long queues for journeys especially on weekends. The introduction of the coupon validating machines has changed the scenario for the better. There is help provided not only for the routine travels, but it’s a boon for the season ticket holders too.

It is due to computerized technology that it is now possible to purchase a season ticket between any two stations.

Another major change made by the Indian railways is the discard of manually operated indicators by young boys. But with the introduction of electronic indicators which often displays which are larger and clearer to view without straining your eyes are an improved work of Indian railways.

In the last few years broad, spacious and airy footbridges have been added to help commuters avoid the rush that they witness frequently. Using footbridges also has been made compulsory in the recent past so as to avoid frequent deaths on railway tracks while crossing platforms.

To cater to the growing needs of the commuters traveling by locals Railways have added a few more local trains originating and terminating at busy stations like Malad, Bhayender etc. Broadcasting announcements in case of emergencies is also being widely used to relay information about separated near and dear ones.

Railways have taken steps to facilitate networking of traveling between short distances. Now as commuters we too hold responsibility to make use of this public property in a dignified manner.

Railways are the backbone of people, especially in the Mumbai city. Traveling by roads is not only very expensive but also very time consuming. The traffic on roads is snarling and moves at snails pace. This is one of the main reasons that most people have opted for traveling by locals each day.

Due to the highly growing populace the compartments of the train are highly packed with people. Somehow people manage to board the train which is a daily nightmare for the commuters to go through mostly at all hours, belittling it only during a few hours in the afternoons and during the late night hours.

Some of the benefits which the commutes feel privileged to get are that they managed to reach their desired destination in a stipulated period of time, delaying seldom caused due to unavoidable circumstances or because of accidents.

The facility of traveling in first class compartments at affordable, yet economical rates is enjoyed mostly by the business class strata. We can easily carry luggage in local trains while commuting.

The disadvantage though while traveling in local trains is that the maddening rushes often makes it impossible to board the train in the first attempt. Moreover due to same problem of crowded trains the no of accidents that take place and are witnessed by commuters are on the rise each day.

The plight does not end here. The place that is available to stand once you make your way in to the compartment is substantially less for a normal person to be able to breathe. The stink that follows of the sweating arms from co-commuters is the most horrendous experience that a commuter has to go through each day. The fans seldom work in the Indian locals which again is a pitiful experience to the added disaster of crowded locals.

Last but not the least the other disadvantage involved is the clothes get completely crumpled while on board. The locals which are the lifeline of Mumbai’s maddening crowd need to grow not only in the form of added routes and trains but also with its services.

Advance reservation is the service offered by the Indian railways to help an individual plan his journey well in advance. The advance reservation facility allows you to book your tickets well in advance on the Indian railways network. We can book tickets from any originating station to our required destinations across the country through Computerized Reservation centres across the country, making it possible for us to book our tickets from anywhere to any destination of your choice. This method of reservation of tickets has drastically cut down on the huge lines to reserve tickets and has even made reservation simpler, faster and hassle free.

You can reserve your tickets 90 days in advance before our scheduled journey excluding the date of travel. This facility gives a person an opportunity to work according to planning and save enough for the holiday home.

The reservation status is clearly visible in your ticket. If your ticket has been confirmed as per the availability your class of reservation other than in first class and AC first class will be clearly mentioned along with your coach details and berth numbers. The word “confirmed” will be mentioned alongside the class of the travel mentioned on the ticket. If your ticket in case has not been confirmed due to non-availability (RAC) Reservation against Cancellation OR Waitlisted status for the same will be mentioned on the ticket.

You can board the train if in case you have an (RAC) Reservation against cancellation ticket initially and sit on the seat allotted for RAC passengers. Further if there is any cancellation if any confirmed ticket passenger does not turn up the berth can be allotted to (RAC) passengers by the train superintendent subject to availability.

In any case Indian Railways are not liable if any passenger suffers losses due to non- provision of reserved accommodation or for that matter any losses suffered by the passenger if the trains are running late or due to any other untoward event.

The city of Mumbai is always bustling with crowd and to take care of the over –populace crowd are the Mumbai suburban trains which are considered to be the backbone of the Indian railways. The considerable growth in the number of rail accidents has shot up due to overcrowded compartments where people stuff themselves as herds of cattle.

The state and the culture of commuting for mere daily routine commuting has become nearly a life threatening experience each day. It has proved fatal for many and has endangered the lives of commuters. There is a very urgent need to curtail down on these rail accidents, for which alternative methods to ease down the commuter traffic needs to be adapted.

The upcoming Metro Rail service in Mumbai with its superior full-proof technology would counter Mumbai maddening traffic and would considerably take care of the frequent accidental deaths that happen due to the commuters dangling out of the compartments.

The personal loss of life as well as loss of property in terms of damage in Indian railways is immense. To witness a scene of accidental spots in Railways is the most pathetic and tragic experience for co-passengers.

The most recent accident in the history of Indian Railways is the derailment of the Gyaneshwari express. The passengers were sandwiched in the windows of the derailed train. The ear –piercing cries of the distressed and shocked passengers in pain could be heard. The luggage all broken lies unattended on places of accidents. This sight to witness is unnerving to react due to its impact on the society.

In 1500, trolleys were used for transporting coal from one place to another. These trolleys ran on Railway tracks. This was the beginning of the Railways. Public railways were introduced by George Stephenson of England in 1825.The trains pulled by steam engines could not run fast. The electric engine was introduced in the year 1879.Its use increased the speed of the trains.

The landmark in the history of railways was the introduction of the underground railways in London called “The Tube”. In the beginning they were running on steam energy but later they were changed to electricity.

Railways have become a very useful means of transport for carrying goods and passengers to far away places. Most countries in the world have very good network of Railways.

Some countries like Japan, France and Germany have very fast trains which run at a speed of over 200km per hour. Some trains in Europe and North America pass through many countries.

The railways were introduces in India in 1853.The first train ran from Mumbai to Thane covering a distance of about 30 kilometers. Today Indian railway is the fourth largest railway network in the world. Millions of passengers travel by Railways everyday.

Trains like Rajdhani express, Shatabadi Express etc are very fast and comfortable trains. Some trains have facilities like library, medical aid, telephone, pantry air-conditioning etc. Railways have also introduced “Container service” which helps in transporting machinery and other goods quickly and safely.

Local trains play an important role in carrying passengers to their places of work in big cities like Mumbai. Calcutta is the first city in India which has an underground railway called Metro. Now the Metro rail has been built in Delhi, the capital city of India.