(Top) A passenger on a battery-operated cart and (above) a trolley operator pushes a passenger’s luggage in Howrah station. Pictures by Gopal Senapati

Howrah is no longer a horror and Sealdah has become a pleasant surprise. For rail travellers used to porter tantrums and touts, two services introduced recently — luggage trolleys and battery-operated carts — have made the prospect of train travel far less cringe-inducing.

Metro checks them out to find out how these small initiatives have made a big difference and suggests some measures that can be taken to make the train experience even better.

Luggage trolleys

What we saw: A couple disembark from a car outside Howrah station with two suitcases and two handbags.

Even before they start looking for assistance, they spot a youth pushing a trolley, dressed in a blue jacket with a sponsor’s logo. He loads the luggage on to the trolley and takes it right up to the train the couple will board, unloading the luggage right at the door of their coach.

To the frequent flier, a luggage trolley is pedestrian. But it’s something of a revelation for the harried long-distance train traveller.

It’s thanks to the Rail Yatri Sevak service, introduced by the Indian Railways last December, that luggage trolleys are now available at Howrah and Sealdah.

Youths in blue jackets with the words “May I Help You” emblazoned on them now dot the premises of the two stations. If you don’t feel confident of carrying your luggage yourself, you can ask for them to do it for you — just for Rs 35.

How to use the service: You don’t have to queue up anywhere. Just spot a person dressed in a blue jacket pushing a trolley and ask for the service. Pay him when he has pushed your luggage till the coach you are to travel in. It’s that simple, really.

User feedback: “We hardly got off the taxi when a youth approached us, pushing a trolley. He loaded our luggage on the trolley and pushed it till the door of the train coach,” Narayan Sharma, who went to see off his wife and children at Howrah a week ago, said. “This was such a pleasant experience, compared with the usual mobbing by porters, when passengers are usually forced to cough up exorbitant amounts,” said the Burrabazar trader.

How to make the service more effective: As of now, there are 180 luggage trolleys in Howrah and 100 in Sealdah. Considering that the two stations are used by 11 lakh and 14 lakh passengers daily (though not all travel long-distance) the number of trolleys needs to be increased.

“We haven’t been able to increase the number of luggage trolleys because of resistance from the porters’ union,” said a railway official at Howrah station. “Many new trolleys are lying unused inside a godown because we haven’t yet been able to utilise them.” But Eastern Railway sources said the number of trolleys would soon be increased.

There is also the need to put up proper signage — informing passengers of the service and how to avail of it — at both stations.

“We have put up adequate signs informing passengers about the service,” said Samir Goswami, the chief public relations officer for Eastern Railway. But as more trolleys are introduced, it would create more awareness,” he added.

Battery-operated carts

What we saw: Battery-operated carts that carry elderly and physically challenged passengers between various points on the Howrah and Sealdah compounds.

The vehicles resemble golf carts with sofa seating at the rear. Apart from the driver, four passengers can travel in each cart, provided there’s no luggage.

How to use the service: Carry your ticket to the enquiry counter and inform the official at the counter about the accompanying passenger who needs to take the cart. The official will get in touch with a car operator over walkie-talkie.

User feedback: Diptendu Sarkar and his wife Anamika had read about the service in a newspaper. But Diptendu, 54, was pleasantly surprised when a battery-operated car came to a halt near the enquiry counter where he was standing with his wife. “My wife suffers from arthritis. She has acute pain in her knees. I thought of trying my luck and asked about the service at the counter. After 10 minutes, a car arrived,” said the bank official from Lake Town.

How to make the service more effective: The Sarkars had to wait for 10 minutes for the cart because there are just nine carts in Howrah and four in Sealdah. Like in the case of the trolleys, the authorities need to increase the number of the battery-operated carts so that more passengers can use the service.