Latest news with #SouthWesternRailway
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
South Western Railway to launch ‘Margadarshak' digital navigation system at more stations
To boost passenger convenience at railway stations, South Western Railway (SWR) has introduced 'Margadarshak', a smart digital navigation system. The system was launched at the SSS Hubballi Railway Station recently. It features a 43-inch multilingual touchscreen kiosk installed near the station entrance. Functioning like Google Maps for the station, the kiosk provides an interactive map that helps passengers to easily locate platforms, footbridges, escalators, drinking water points, waiting halls, catering stalls, and other amenities. 'Passengers can also access the service on their smartphones by scanning QR codes placed across the station. This allows them to identify their location and receive personalised, step-by-step directions to their desired destination within the premises,' Manjunath Kanamadi, chief public relations officer of the SWR, said. Key features of Margadarshak include 24/7 self-service functionality, support for Kannada, English, and Hindi, and a virtual tour of the station. The system is designed to reduce confusion, save time, and significantly improve the passenger experience. Mr. Kanamadi said plans were on to extend the facility to other key stations, including Dharwad, Belagavi, Ballari, Gadag, Koppal, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, and Vasco. Another official explained that Margadarshak offers detailed 2D route maps to help passengers navigate the station and plan their journey with ease. 'The system also features immersive 360-degree 3D views, allowing users to virtually explore the station layout for better orientation. Voice assistance provides real-time, step-by-step directions, while real-time positioning and blue-dot navigation make it easy to track one's location within the station. The app also enables users to quickly identify safety points and emergency exits when required,' official said. Describing it as a significant advantage for travellers, the official added, 'The system ensures a seamless experience for all passengers, including senior citizens.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
ATVMs installed in Hubballi division to reduce rush at ticket counters
Hubballi: In a move aimed at reducing crowds at ticket counters, South Western Railway (SWR), Hubballi division, installed 25 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) across various stations in its jurisdiction. Hubballi station has eight machines, followed by Belagavi and Ballari with three each, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Gadag, and Hosapete with two each, and Dharwad, Koppal, and Ghataprabha stations have one each. Most passengers rely heavily on unreserved tickets. These machines are useful for daily commuters such as workers and students, enabling them to quickly and conveniently obtain tickets without having to wait in long queues. ATVMs facilitate issuance of multiple ticket types, including monthly (season) passes, platform tickets, and unreserved journey tickets. One of the key features is the use of rechargeable smart cards, which can be used as needed for different travel purposes. Passengers can also scan a QR code to purchase tickets. A total of 31 ATVM facilitators are appointed across various stations to assist passengers in using the machines. They either disburse the tickets through the facilitator smart card or guide the passengers to buy tickets. These facilitators are retired railway employees selected through the screening of applications by the committee of officers. To encourage the use of ATVMs, passengers purchasing unreserved tickets through these machines are offered discounts credited to their smart cards—3% for journeys up to 150 km, 2% for distances between 150 and 500 km, and 1% for trips exceeding 500 km. These discounts are also extended to ATVM facilitators (operators). With advanced technical support, the department aims to significantly increase the number of tickets issued through ATVMs. This not only enhances passenger convenience but also reduces the workload on conventional ticket counters.
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Readers say spitting men can jog on along with racists and dogs on trains
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. I was disgusted to read Alice Giddings' investigation into how she was among thousands of women spat at by men while out jogging (Metro, Wed). The feature was part of Metro's This Is Not Right campaign to highlight the epidemic of violence against women and girls. In the same edition, you reported on Mark Keel, 33, who murdered his partner Maxine Clark after subjecting her and previous partners to mental and physical abuse. I am angered and saddened at these cowardly acts. I can only say that I am glad my time is running out as this is not the world I was raised in. Brian, Edinburgh I want to apologise to the guy on the train from Waterloo to Hastings at 9pm on Wednesday. The racist young guy shouting at you, telling you, 'When we get in, we're gonna get rid of you,' shouting about Reform and immigration, does not represent the views of most of us who had to witness that. You did really well to keep calm. Thank you to the conductor who acted quickly, too. Mike, Tunbridge Wells To the two guys on the Victoria line travelling north at Stockwell on Monday shortly after midday, who took up three seats because they sat a dog between them. You both knew this was unhygienic and prevented other people from having a seat. You both kept looking over at me because I had my transport uniform on. Please be aware that you are not the only ones who use the Tube. Noel, South London As a regular commuter on the railway from Hampshire to Waterloo, I for one am pleased my line has now been renationalised. But I do wish the staff would stop referring to the previous company name of South Western Railway! Not only is it free advertising for the former company of MTR and FirstGroup but it has the stigma of an atrocious service. Please, get the new livery, logos and name of Great British Railways out there as soon as possible. Fred, Hampshire UK governments go on about saving the environment. Well, here is a simple start. Cats kill 55million birds in the UK plus 220million small mammals every year. Introduce a tax of £300 a year for each cat and watch the numbers tumble. As an aside, it's one of the great mysteries of life but why do cats never mess in their own gardens? Clark Cross, Linlithgow Helen Shaw (MetroTalk, Wed) says it's 'insane' for politicians of different parties to want to limit the number of foreign students in the UK because universities can only survive through their higher fees. The problem is not that we have too few international students but that we educate too few British students here. Sensible countries such as Germany do not impose exorbitant tuition fees on home students. More Trending The answer is not to continue forcing our universities to be profit-making – an approach that is failing. We must invest in them as vital parts of our industrial infrastructure, working to develop Britain as an advanced industrial-knowledge economy. Will Podmore, London To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Nigel Farage is the Pied Piper of politics with a dash of 'dodgy estate agent'. He'll say and do anything to get your attention and lead you astray. But when you take a look at his smoke-and-mirrors policies, he's more Liz Truss 0.2 than the second coming… and look where that got us. Guy Wilkins, London I told my doctor I couldn't stop stealing things. He said, 'Take these pills for a week and if they don't work, can you get me a 42in flatscreen TV?' Jeff, Nuneaton MORE: Live jazz, dinner and drinks in Mayfair: 10 unmissable Time Out deals MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: Spanish Grand Prix: McLaren on top but Lando Norris is still wary of Max Verstappen in F1 title race
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Will Labour's rail replacement service leave travellers stranded?
By spooky coincidence, on Saturday night I watched an old episode of Slow Horses in which a passenger died mysteriously on a replacement bus between High Wycombe and Oxford Parkway – and on Sunday I woke to reports that the first service of the new era of rail renationalisation, the 5.36 from Woking to Waterloo, had also featured a replacement bus. Nobody died, but it wasn't a good omen. Nor was it quite the 'turning point for the future of our railways' that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander declared. South Western Railway's return to state hands this week was in fact the fifth major passenger franchise to go that way – four having already failed under the previous government. Nine more will transition as their contracts expire between now and 2028, by which time Labour's Great British Railways (GBR) will have seized control of the whole contraption, including tracks and stations. So this is a work in progress – which in theory should lead to economies of scale, co-ordinated timetables and simpler ticketing. In practice, it's also likely to be hobbled by incompatible IT, endless track and signal troubles, and workforce intransigence. But in fairness, all this reflects the fact that the Major government's 1996 blueprint for privatisation, which broke British Rail into 70 companies, was a Treasury-driven dog's breakfast that enriched undeserving players, bankrupted worthy ones and left commuters deeply disgruntled. On the other hand, GBR is also a nakedly leftist move to return to state ownership the only privatised industry in which (as its time-limited franchises expire) the transfer can happen without confiscation or compensation.
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Liverpool parade crash, Starmer sacrifices Chagos Islands and an octopus invasion
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced that 'more pensioners' would qualify for winter fuel payments, but did not say how many or when. Nigel Farage of Reform said he would scrap net zero to fund things like abolishing the two-child benefit cap and reversing the winter fuel cut in full. Millions of public-sector workers such as doctors and teachers were offered rises of between 3.6 and 4.5 per cent. From July, typical household energy costs will fall by £129 a year, still higher than a year earlier. South Western Railway was renationalised. Thames Water was fined £122.7 million by Ofwat for breaching rules on sewage and shareholder dividends. Devon fishermen complained of Mediterranean octopuses eating crabs in their pots. Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital after a car ploughed into crowds at the Liverpool FC parade. A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving while unfit through drugs; police announced he was 'a 53-year-old white British man'. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, called for possession of cannabis to be decriminalised. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, who performs as Mo Chara with the group Kneecap, was charged under the name Liam O'Hanna with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig. Some 431,000 more people arrived in Britain than left last year, compared with 860,000 in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics. In the seven days to 26 May, 918 people arrived in England in small boats. Sir Keir Starmer agreed to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius along with £101 million a year to lease for 99 years the Diego Garcia base on the islands, which is shared with the United States. 'Chemical castration' for some sex offenders will be mandatory at 20 prisons after the Independent Sentencing Review chaired by David Gauke said a voluntary trial should continue.
