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While traveling by train, many times passengers have to face unpleasant situations like dirt in the coach, smelly toilet, non-functioning of air conditioner (AC), faulty charging point or stale and poor quality food served by the catering vendor. Earlier to solve such problems one had to look for TTE or wait for the next bigger station. Now Indian Railways has completely upgraded its digital infrastructure. Thanks to the ‘Rail Madad’ integrated portal and 24×7 helplines, passengers can now call the On-Board Housekeeping (OBHS), Electrical Wing and Pantry Supervisor directly in their coach with just a digital message or click from the comfort of their seats.
Railways has created a single-window system ‘Rail Madad’, eliminating the hassle of calling different numbers for different problems. This facility can be availed through both mobile app and official website.
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PNR based registration: By visiting the app or website, the passenger has to enter his 10 digit PNR number. By doing this, the system automatically fetches the information about train number, coach and berth.
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Selection of problem: Select the specific complaint (like ‘bio-toilet choke’, ‘coach cleaning’, ‘AC cooling issue’ or ‘bad food’) from the dropdown menu.
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Photo or Video Upload: To confirm their complaint, passengers can directly upload a live photo or short video of the spot on the portal.
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Real-Time Tracking: As soon as the complaint is registered, a unique complaint reference number (CRN) comes on the mobile, through which the live status can be tracked.
If internet connectivity is weak during travel, Railways’ all-in-one helpline number 139 is the fastest and most reliable option. This number operates 24×7 in all major Indian languages.
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Via Call: Dial 139 and select the relevant option on IVR and speak directly to the customer care executive and register your PNR and problem.
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Via SMS: Passengers can also complain by sending a simple text message from their mobile. For this one has to write CLEAN and send it to 139. This message goes directly to the On-board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) server and the sweeping staff reaches your seat before the next scheduled station.
For passengers who are active on social media, ‘X’ has become the quickest and most public means of complaint. Post your seat, coach number, PNR and a clear picture of the problem by tagging the official handles of Railways—@RailMinIndia, @RailwaySeva and the DRM of the concerned division. The social media cell of Railways does 24-hour real-time monitoring. Within minutes of the tweet being posted, the control room of the concerned Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) sends a live alert to the on-board TTE, RPF and technicians, thereby immediately reaching the attendant coach at the next stoppage.
If cold, stale or unhygienic food is served in the Pantry Car or e-Catering delivery, or the vendor is overcharging from the printed menu, passengers can directly call IRCTC toll-free number 1800-111-139. Apart from this, if complaints about non-billing vendors are lodged in the catering section of ‘Rail Madad’, heavy penalty is imposed on the vendor and the passenger is given the facility of immediate fresh food or refund.