Indian Railways to introduce double-decker trains - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced that the Indian Railway would introduce double-decker train-sets as a pilot project. Presenting the Railway Budget for the year 2010-2011 in the parliament here, Banerjee said: "Double-decker train-sets matching the best in global standards will be introduced in two trains each from Delhi and Kolkata as a pilot project." Declaring that passenger amenities are a very high priority of the Government, she said that a number of initiatives are being taken for this purpose. "Modern trolleys at all important stations with uniformed attendants will be introduced to assist senior citizens and women passengers for carrying their luggage," Banerjee said. The Railway Budget also proposed to initiate SMS updates of reservation status and movements of wagons to freight customers. Mobile vans for issuing e-tickets will be extended to government medical college hospitals, court complexes, University campus, IT hubs, IITs and IIMs. Banerjee also announced that railway reservation ticket centres would also be opened at district headquarters and village panchayats to give more facility to common man. In order to bring more transparency in freight business, Banerjee announced RFID technology will be introduced for tracking of wagons, allotment of the rakes would be accessible through the web. Highlighting efforts being made for safety and security of the passenger, Banerjee said the railway is developing crashworthy coaches and locomotives and will provide automatic fire and smoke detection system in 20 pairs of long-distance trains as pilot project. She announced that manning of further 1,000 level crossing will be taken up during the budget year and added that in coming five years, all the unmanned level crossing will be manned. To assure full security to women passengers, Banerjee announced that formation of 12 companies of women Railway Protection Force (RPF), named "Mahila Vahini."