Railways readies to save cost and better passenger experience on Vand Bharat trains

The Indian Railways is set to enhance cost savings and improve passenger experience on Vande Bharat trains through its Yatri Seva Anubandh initiative. In a pilot project for six pa Vande Bharat trains, the new initiative offers greater choice in food and beverages, ease o travel, and value-added services. The Indian Railways is eyeing a mix of cost saving and improved passenger experience on Vande Bharat trains through its new Yatri Seva Anubandh initiative. According to officials aware of the Admove, a pilot project for six pairs of Vande Bharat trains is ready and will be extrapolated to other premium trains if successful. It provides for greater choice in food and beverages, while also ensuring ease of travel through value added services. Besides improving passenger experience, the move also aims to reduce expenditure currently being incurred by Indian Railways (IR) on housekeeping through service integration (one Service Provider per train) and provide access to the Service Provider (SP) to revenue verticals such as advertising (inside trains) and permission to provide ancillary services.Concierge services, on-board infotainment, and access to travel essentials and accessories will also be introduced as part of this initiative.“This is a qualitative shift in the focus towards service outcomes through passenger driven performance appraisal system and holistic evaluation of service,” a senior official aware of the plan told ET. The service provider can sell a la carte food and beverages to passengers at pre-published rates. Further, resolving minor faults that can be resolved with the aid of a simple tool kit like a jammed door, a loose latch or a nut and leaking tap will need to be addressed by the service provider. “The service provider in these trains will have to provide housekeeping in all coaches free of charge to passengers. Prepaid meals will need to be served as per the menu and tariff notified by Indian Railways,” the official quoted above said Companies interested in participating under this initiative will compete on the highest license fee they can offer to the national transporter. To keep errant players out of this service, Service Providers need to have a minimum annual gross revenue of Rs 120 crore and at least 900 employees engaged in food and beverage or housekeeping during the last financial year 2022-23. This move is significant since services such as catering, housekeeping, and advertising are bid out individually to contractors on the premium trains of the Indian Railways such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Tejas, and Vande Bharat. Under the new policy, all instructions issued by various stakeholder departments such as Environment and Housekeeping Management, Tourism and Catering, Telecom, Mechanical (Coaching), Passenger Marketing/Commercial, Non-Fare Revenue from time to time will be governed under the fresh rules for these Vande Bharat trains.