Mysuru: The newly introduced concept on long-distance Mail/Express trains for integration of all service delivery systems, detailed to a large team of onboard railway personnel/outsourced staff, under the control of the “Train Captain” was implemented on the Mysuru division with T.No.12781 Mysuru-Nizamuddin Swarnajayanthi Superfast weekly express recently. Thus this becomes the first train to have Train Captain under new scheme.
Aparna Garg, Divisional Railway Manager, Mysuru informed that the senior most Ticket Checking member on the train will be designated as Train Captain for coordinating with onboard staff of different departments such as Mechanical, Electrical, Operations, Security as also Catering and Onboard Housekeeping Services personnel, for providing seamless and complaint-free services during the entire course of the journey of the train. In addition to Swarnajayanthi Express, two other long-distance trains originating at Mysuru, viz., Mysuru-Dadar Sharavathi weekly express and Ajmer-bound bi-weekly expresses will also have the services of Train Captain, she added.
She also stated that the Train Captain with a distinct arm badge and a mobile phone with contact details of all onboard staff will be initiating action to fix the problems, as and when reported, effectively and swiftly. Unlike in Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duranto trains, where Train Superintendents work on end-to-end basis, the Train Captain of trains starting at Mysuru will be handing over the charge to his counterpart at Hubballi, being the second leg of the journey, she said.
Aparna Garg expressed confidence that the new concept would go a long way in enhancing customer satisfaction with qualitative improvement in onboard services of long distance Mail/Express trains which incidentally was a priority area for the Railways. C Arogyanadan, Chief Ticket Inspector, Sleeper, Mysuru division was the first Train Captain from Mysuru division.
Role and responsibility of Train captain
It is a single point of contact for all sorts of guidance, assistance and grievance redressal for onboard passengers. The train captain will be overall incharge of the train and will be responsible for ensuring passengers amenities throughout the train journey including availability of water, cleanliness of coaches, toilets, working electrical fittings such as fans, lights and mobile charging units. The names of train captains will be displayed in all reservation charts in the coaches. In future, there are plans to send train captain contact numbers to all the passengers via sms.
