Title - Info gadgets non-functional at railway station

We will ensure proper maintenance, says official
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Many passenger information equipment at the Erode railway station have become non-functional, causing inconvenience to the public.Information kiosks at the Computerised Reservation Centre and a few touch-screen kiosks located on the platforms and waiting halls in the railway station are not functioning for the past several days.As the both the kiosks at the reservation centre are dead, passengers are left with no option but to wait in the serpentine queues in front of the counters for hours together without knowing the seat availability.“It is frustrating to wait in the queue for hours together without knowing the seat availability.We will not waste our time, if the kiosks are functioning,” says D. Sivasubramaniam, an accountant, who frequently travels from Erode to Chennai.The Railways has spent thousands of rupees to install the kiosks, which provide PNR status, train timings, fares, accommodation availability, coach position and information on facilities available at the stations. “They are a vital part of the Railways. But the administration pays very little attention on the maintenance of these information kiosks,” R. Kannan, another commuter says.The frequent malfunctioning of equipment also increases the workload for the personnel at the booking and enquiry counters.Without the information kiosks, the commuters have to depend on the personnel at counters to get the required details.“The commuters ask the booking personnel to provide information. This process consumes a lot of time and the personnel face difficulties in serving the passengers effectively,” an official here said.

The lack of maintenance was said to be the primary reason for the failure of most of the passenger information equipment.

“We are trying our best to keep the information kiosks running. Since they are electronic devices, they develop snags very often. We will ensure proper maintenance to the kiosks and keep them functioning,” a senior railway official said.