New Delhi, July 4: Sixteen railway stations across the country, including one in Jharkhand and two in neighbouring Bihar, may soon offer small islands of luxury to passengers, providing them a comfortable, airport-like experience, but for a price.
The Indian Railways plans to build executive lounges with classy décor, high-end furniture and various amenities along the lines of the first such lounge set up at New Delhi station three years ago that is already a big hit with high-spending passengers.
The new lounges will be established in Howrah, Sealdah, Dhanbad, Patna, Darbhanga, Ajmer, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Visakhapatnam, Bilaspur, Secunderabad, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jaipur, Vijayawada and Kathgodam, officials with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said.
"The response to the Delhi lounge has been very good. Not only is it profitable for us, it has also taken customer satisfaction to high levels," IRCTC spokesperson Sandip Dutta said. "We are now setting up lounges in major cities to provide top-rate facilities to passengers... and the prices will be reasonable."
IRCTC officials expect the lounges to become operational within a year. Tenders for the lounges have already been floated and contracts for their construction will be awarded soon, officials added.
The lounges promise to provide a string of world-class facilities, including wash and change chambers, WiFi, Internet, live TV, music, buffet services, newspaper and book stalls, train information system and concierge services for pre-departure and post-arrival assistance to passengers.
While a welcome drink - tea or coffee - and Wi-Fi will be complimentary, passengers would need to pay for services such as food and other beverages that would be available at the lounges to be set up on the ground floor of the main platforms of each of these stations.
"Once operational, the lounges will hugely change the profile of passenger amenities at these stations," an official said.
IRCTC will set up the lounges at its own cost under its brand name. "It will plan, design, develop, commission, supervise and control the facility while the ownership will remain with the railways," he added.
The lounge at the New Delhi station - set up with an investment of Rs 5 crore - has a capacity to host 125 passengers at any given time and provides all facilities round-the-clock for a fee of Rs 300 for a three-hour stay.
"The business model for the Delhi lounge is designed to cater to about 1,000 passengers a day," a senior executive at the lounge said. "On an average, it has been receiving 60 to 70 per cent of its capacity every day."
Swati Singh Malhotra, a resident of Delhi who has used facilities at the Delhi station lounge, said it provides value for money, but the railways should also upgrade the area outside the swanky centre.
"At smaller stations, the waiting room meant for passengers are often poorly maintained and leave a lot to be desired. Therefore, such a lounge is a good idea, at least for those who can shell out some extra bucks for comfort and good atmosphere," she said.
"But when you walk out of the lounge, you see this sharp contrast - our stations are marred by filth, chaos, and poor facilities - the railways should focus on improving the overall services too," she said.
