Coach indicators work to misguide
Indicators at Kalupur station flash a drab ‘welcome’; when they do work, the number displayed and the place where the coaches stop never match
By Yogesh Avasthi and Jignesh Vora
Posted On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20090422200904220250045684da1889d)
Electronic indicators on platforms are intended to provide information on train arrivals, delay if any and coach position etc. But if you go by these and stand below one that indicates your coach, you will be worse off than somebody who’s arrived late and is scampering to get to his coach. You’ll have more running to do, perhaps in all directions, before you get there.Indicators at Ahmedabad railway station usually don’t work, and if some do they are likely to misguide passengers more than anything else.
When the board is expected to flash the train name, number and arrival time, what passengers get to sees is a drab ‘welcome’ scrolling on it. And the coach number flashed and its actual position are invariably scrambled as if they were never meant to match. Ahmedabad station has indicators on platforms one to seven.
An AM team visited the station to check out how accurate or awry the indicators were. At 1.10 pm when Shatabdi Express pulled in, the indicators were flashing coach numbers, but when the train stopped the coaches stood way off mark. So coach C2 halted where C3 should have, and so on.
Sudip Shah, a passenger awaiting the Shatabdi, with elderly family members, said, “We stood at the spot indicated, but our coached halted way away and we had to walk some distance with the luggage to board it. What’s the point in having indicators if they don’t help passengers?” he said. Jammu-Tavi-Jamnagar Express passenger D K Sachdeva said of his experience, “I always encounter this problem travelling with my family, not just in Ahmedabad but other stations too. Running around with lots of luggage and kids on a crowded station is a pain.”
Another passenger Rohit Kashyap pointed out how misleading indicators can land one in a jam. “Some trains halt for just five minutes. Indicators giving wrong info on such occasions can cause a lot of anxiety.”D Ravikumar of Rajkot, travelling by Bandra-Jamnagar Intercity, said, “Many of the platforms don’t have indicators. At places where there are indicators, the information displayed is misleading and confusing.”
Navjivan Express passenger Harsha Vora said facilities on stations in Chennai function much better. “The display on electronic boards there is very accurate. Every platform has an enquiry counter, unlike here where you have to walk up near the ticket counter to seek information. The security on Chennai platforms is also better with cops stationed outside every coach.”
Senior DCM Udayshankar Jha, however, said things will improve soon. “Currently, indicators on platforms two, three, four are out of order owing to lack of maintenance by the contractor. We have decided to change the contractor and expect the problem to be rectified soon.” Occasionally, the driver is to blame for extending the run a little too much, causing a mismatch in indicators and coaches, he said.
By Yogesh Avasthi and Jignesh Vora
Posted On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20090422200904220250045684da1889d)
Electronic indicators on platforms are intended to provide information on train arrivals, delay if any and coach position etc. But if you go by these and stand below one that indicates your coach, you will be worse off than somebody who’s arrived late and is scampering to get to his coach. You’ll have more running to do, perhaps in all directions, before you get there.Indicators at Ahmedabad railway station usually don’t work, and if some do they are likely to misguide passengers more than anything else.
When the board is expected to flash the train name, number and arrival time, what passengers get to sees is a drab ‘welcome’ scrolling on it. And the coach number flashed and its actual position are invariably scrambled as if they were never meant to match. Ahmedabad station has indicators on platforms one to seven.
An AM team visited the station to check out how accurate or awry the indicators were. At 1.10 pm when Shatabdi Express pulled in, the indicators were flashing coach numbers, but when the train stopped the coaches stood way off mark. So coach C2 halted where C3 should have, and so on.
Sudip Shah, a passenger awaiting the Shatabdi, with elderly family members, said, “We stood at the spot indicated, but our coached halted way away and we had to walk some distance with the luggage to board it. What’s the point in having indicators if they don’t help passengers?” he said. Jammu-Tavi-Jamnagar Express passenger D K Sachdeva said of his experience, “I always encounter this problem travelling with my family, not just in Ahmedabad but other stations too. Running around with lots of luggage and kids on a crowded station is a pain.”
Another passenger Rohit Kashyap pointed out how misleading indicators can land one in a jam. “Some trains halt for just five minutes. Indicators giving wrong info on such occasions can cause a lot of anxiety.”D Ravikumar of Rajkot, travelling by Bandra-Jamnagar Intercity, said, “Many of the platforms don’t have indicators. At places where there are indicators, the information displayed is misleading and confusing.”
Navjivan Express passenger Harsha Vora said facilities on stations in Chennai function much better. “The display on electronic boards there is very accurate. Every platform has an enquiry counter, unlike here where you have to walk up near the ticket counter to seek information. The security on Chennai platforms is also better with cops stationed outside every coach.”
Senior DCM Udayshankar Jha, however, said things will improve soon. “Currently, indicators on platforms two, three, four are out of order owing to lack of maintenance by the contractor. We have decided to change the contractor and expect the problem to be rectified soon.” Occasionally, the driver is to blame for extending the run a little too much, causing a mismatch in indicators and coaches, he said.
