RailEnquiry

Rail passengers may be in for some relief this winter. The Railways has, for the first time, launched a dedicated web portal for trains affected by fog.The site will enable passengers to monitor the movement of trains in real-time, officials said.During fog, passengers travelling via Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Punjab can face delays of up to 24 hours or more.The online portal will provide elaborate information to commuters under three categories — report on fog along certain routes over the previous 24 hours, currently-running trains affected by fog, and cancellations and diversions of trains.“The site will be updated every 2-10 minutes across all three categories. The initiative will help passengers make smart decisions with updated information,” a senior Railways official said.The fog inquiry portal can be accessed through a hyperlink on trainenquiry.com or at trainenquiry.com/fog. The website has been created by Centre for Rail Information Systems (CRIS) in collaboration with railyatri.in.“Planning your travel on trains can be smarter if information is available to passengers on time. With this initiative, we not only bring train information but also route/station status,” Sunil Bajpai, Group General Manager, CRIS, said.According to officials, fog-related information will help nearly 60 to 70 lakh passengers every day.Although, Railways has announced two helpline numbers, in addition to its helpline, 139, apart from an SMS helpline, a dedicated online portal was started considering the huge volume of passengers.“This is a pilot project. Based on the success of this initiative, we can see how best to convey information pertaining to other weather conditions,” Bajpai said.