Indian Railways Will Not Go Down the Same Route as Indian Airways

For over 165 years now, the Indian Railways has been connecting people from different parts of the country. Going into the farthest and the loneliest stations, they have made sure that connectivity doesn't come in the way of someone finding their way home.

However, Indian Railways has also been one beset with problems. From trains running way out of their schedules to innumerable stories of troubled passengers, Indian Railways has been subject to many issues.

Innovation too has gathered speed to bring about a big change in the way we travel. With the likes of Richard Branson's Hyperloop to Hyperloop finding ways into the Indian travel industry to the bullet train speeding up its fast entry into India, Indian Railways which caters to billions of India is waking up to the need to innovate.

With many players in the Indian Airways troubled with debt, it seems that Indians are not ready to let go of the Indian railways down the same route.

Entrepreneur India takes a look at the various ways in which Indian Railways is innovating to make its service faster and more comfortable for its passengers

Bad Toilets Replaced with Bio Toilets

Indian railways is planning to change all the old fashioned toilets to bio toilets in all the coaches. They are planning to implement it by the end of 2019. This will bring an end to manual scavenging and will make railway network free of dirty toilets full of smell.

No More Ticketing Hassles

A review section of the Indian Railway ticketing website IRCTC would probably just have woes about the website's failure. Well, that could be a thing of the past. A user-friendly new IRCTC website has been launched which promises faster booking of tickets. The website will also predict whether a ticket can get confirmed soon. The new IRCTC also has a mobile app version for unreserved tickets. Not just that, the railways has also included a wallet in the app called R-Wallet.

They are also working to introduce operation five minutes for the people those who don't have a smartphone. This will aim at making the maximum time spend on the ticket counter just five minutes.

Say Goodbye To Stories of Weird Food Found on the Train

How many times have you heard stories of insects or even lizards (what?) found in the food served during train journeys? While these stories definitely fill one with disgust if not a disease, Indian Railways has now taken note.

Indian Railways has installed an automatic food vending machine on-board a running train, which can be operated with a tablet. Travellers onboard the Coimbatore-Bengaluru UDAY Express can enjoy the benefits.

Also, an app "Menu on Rails" has been recently launched where passengers can check the prices of food items before placing an order. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had tweeted about the same saying, "Railways launches 'Menu on Rails' App to create awareness among passengers about food items available & price. It will help in controlling the overcharging of catering items in the Railways. (sic)."

Buy Now, Pay Later

Offering more convenience to passengers who often have to travel on short notice and could face financial issues, Indian Railways had earlier partnered with the startup Epaylater, which lets users book tickets without having to pay immediately. Akshat Saxena, co-founder of Epaylater believes the fitment of this concept for Indian market is simply perfect, which explains the excellent traction it's been garnering. "We expect the momentum to continue, in fact only gather more pace," said Saxena