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400 railway stations to get Wi-Fi facilities

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Railway minister Suresh Prabhu
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CST, Bombay Central, Bandra, Thane and Borivili stations in Mumbai are next in line to get Wi-Fi even as New Delhi Railway Station in the national capital goes Wi-Fi on Thursday. The Railway Board will also be meeting on Thursday to discuss the complete revamp of Surat Railway Station, sources said. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday also constituted a high-level panel to suggest ways to improve the financial health of the Indian railways. 

The railways has set a target of providing Wi-Fi facilities to 400 ‘A1 & A’ category railway stations in the entire country though no time limit has been set. Prabhu will inaugurate the Wi-Fi facility at NDLS. The ministry of railways said Rail Tel, an Indian railways-run PSU, will implement and operate the Wi-Fi system. Trial-run from all the platforms of NDLS have been successfully carried out. 

The ministry said once Wi-Fi at NDLS becomes a success, all other ‘A1’ and ‘A’ category stations in the national capital will also get the facility. A top railway official told dna that ‘A1 and A’ category stations in Mumbai will be the next to get Wi-Fi, in the next phase of “Wi-fisation” of railway stations in the country. Bangalore railway station was the first to get Wi-Fi in the country. That was in October, during the brief stint of Sadananda Gowda as railway minister.

A railway official said the service will be available free for a certain time period, say half an hour, and thereafter charged by the hour or every 30 minutes. Those details are being worked out by Rail Tel. Another target set by the railways is to introduce Wi-Fi in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duranto trains. A pilot project on the Howrah-Rajdhani Express is already working. 

Surat Railway Station in Gujarat will be transformed into a modern railway hub in the very near future, sources in the railways told dna. In fact, the railway board will be meeting on Thursday to discuss the revamp and refurbishment of the station which was built in 1860.

The second most earning station, after Mumbai Central, in Mumbai division of the western railways, it serves Surat City -- the second largest city in Gujarat --- Gotahngam, Uttran, Udhan Jn, Bhestan, Niol and Sachin railway stations. Several major trains halt and pass via Surat.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, who is in a hurry to get to know the workings of the Indian railways, on Thursday formed a high-level committee to identify factors, issues and avenues for improving the financial health of Indian railways. Former secretary to the government, DK Mittal, will be the chairman of the nine-member committee.

Prabhu has given the committee 20 days’ time to come up with a report, which sources said Prabhu will arm himself with by the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament in 2015. “It is on a very fast-track, and has to be ready by December 21. The minster wants to be prepared for the next session of Parliament,” the top railways official told dna. 

 

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