look news india
Indian Railways is considered the lifeline of the country, through which crores of passengers reach their destination every day. In this modern era of technology, Railways has decided to move beyond traditional announcements and complex notice boards and reach out directly to the pockets of common passengers i.e. smartphones. Railway Board has launched ‘Short Videos and Reels’ based digital information system to make the exchange of information simple, attractive and accessible.
Now passengers will not need to stand in huge crowd at the station or stand in queue at the inquiry window to get information about their train location, coach position, platform change information or schedule of special trains. Passengers will be able to get accurate information in real time by watching 15 to 30 second reels on their mobile screens.
This new digital platform of Railways is being integrated with official social media handles, mobile applications and WhatsApp bots. Developed in collaboration with the Information Technology Wing (CRIS), the system will provide updates to passengers through both visual and audio:
-
Platform and Diversion Alerts: At major junctions, before the arrival of the train, a short video clip or graphical reel of which platform the train will be placed on will be released.
-
Coach Position Guide: The 3D reel animation showing the exact position of Sleeper, Third AC, Second AC and General bogie from the engine will be immediately understandable to the passengers.
-
Festive and summer special trains: The routes, timings and vacant seats of special trains running during upcoming festivals (Holi, Diwali, Chhath) and summer holidays will be highlighted in the short video.
-
Catering and Safety Guidelines: Simple steps to book food through e-Catering, use ‘Rail Madad’ app and contact 139 in case of emergency will be shown in reel form.
Railway officials believe that today’s generation prefers to see information in visual format rather than reading long paragraphs or bulky PDF files. Seeing the increasing popularity of Instagram, YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels, Railways has completely changed the language and style of information transmission.
This initiative will not only facilitate young travelers but also make it easier than ever for older and less educated citizens to understand the colorful graphics, maps and voice-overs spoken in local languages. Railways is also preparing these reels in regional languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi etc.) so that passengers from every corner of the country can get updates in their own language.
This scheme is also being extended to the physical infrastructure of railway stations. These useful reels will also be played in a loop on large LED screens installed in the waiting halls, concourses and platforms of major railway stations. Apart from this, QR codes are being installed in the station premises for the convenience of passengers.
Passengers will be able to watch 10-second navigation videos of the facilities available at the station—such as cloak room, executive lounge, wheelchair facility, RO water point and medical booth—by scanning the QR code with their smartphone camera. With this, passengers will not need to ask anyone to find their way even at unknown stations.
This step of Indian Railways is going to strengthen the ‘Digital India’ campaign at the grassroots level. This will reduce unnecessary chaos at stations, last-minute stampedes on platforms and confusion among passengers to a great extent.
Campaigns related to passenger safety, ticket refund rules, new guidelines for Tatkal booking and cleanliness will also be conveyed to the general public in this visual format. Analysts believe that integration of popular social media formats with public services by government departments is a positive administrative innovation that will significantly improve both the image of rail services and the passenger experience.