Not feasible to provide free battery car service at Trichy junction: Railways

TRICHY: It is not possible to provide the battery car services free-of-cost to passengers at the Trichy railway station as the fee of Rs 30 is necessary to meet the expenses towards procurement, operation and maintenance of the battery car by the licensee, a senior official from the Trichy railway division has said.

“There are two battery cars being operated at Trichy junction out of these ones is being operated free of cost and a nominal charges being collected for the other,” said additional divisional railway manager (ADRM) C R Harish in reply to a query by M Sekaran, secretary of Air, Rail and Road travellers Federation, regarding operation of battery car of free-of-cost.

“It may be noted that charging Rs 30 is in conformity with the guidelines issued by the Railway Board vide its commercial circular No. 38/2016 to fix a charge for transportation of passengers on the battery car. Further, the amount of Rs 30 is essentially required to meet the expenses towards procurement, operation and maintenance of the battery car by the licensee”, he said.

On the provision of electronic coach indication boards, the officer said that the process of establishing it on all the seven platforms is under progress and the same will be completed in a phased manner, he said.

Responding to a TOI report about the inconvenience caused to commuters owing to the new slippery granite flooring along the subway at the Trichy junction, Sekaran said that the provision of polished tiles used for flooring has been noted and action will be taken accordingly.

The ADRM also stated that owing to unavoidable technical and operational reasons, trains are being halted on platform number 3 at the Srirangam Railway Station.