SCR equips TTEs with hand-held terminals in 16 trains

Vijayawada (NTR District): For the first time in the jurisdiction of South Central Railway, Hand-Held Terminals (HHTs) with advanced features have been provided to the ticket checking staff in 16 trains, which dispenses the need of carrying physical charts and making manual entries. These HHTs will enable the ticket checking staff on-board to verify status of reserved passengers list of the entire train, get to know on the live status of vacant berths and allot the vacant berths between identified destinations to passengers in a wholly transparent manner. Earlier, the HHTs were initially introduced on Indian Railways in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains in 2019 and in South Central Railway it was implemented in one train Secunderabad - Pune - Secunderabad Shatabdi Express.

Now, in addition to the above, 16 select trains have already been brought under this initiative. The ticket checking staff will be working with the latest HHTs in these sixteen trains which originate or terminate in the SCR Zone. These trains include three pairs of Duronto Express trains between Secunderabad-Nizamuddin, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad-Lokamanya Tilak Terminus, five pairs of superfast trains - Satavahana Express, Pinakini Express, Ratnachal Express, Sirpur Kagaznagar Express and Vijayawada Intercity Express. Necessary training was imparted to the ticket checking staff with regards to the working with HHTs.

The advantages of the HHTs are that it makes easy for the TCs to check tickets of passengers. Accordingly, any vacancies that arise during the journey can immediately come to notice of the TCs who will be able to allot the same to needy passengers on train. Berths can be allotted for the needy passengers in the next remote location in case of vacant accommodation, even when the train is in running condition.

Information about cancellation done after the preparation of the charts is sent o¬n an hourly basis to the HHT, thereby easily detecting fraudulent travel. Real-time charting will ensure greater transparency in allotment of berths, especially in case of vacant accommodation. Calculation of occupancy for food and bedrolls can be made instantly. Refund, if any, can be processed quickly as real-time data of vacancy position and occupancy is connected with PRS software.