SCR, Vijaywada Division introduces Hand Held Terminal devices working in 5 trains

South Central Railway, Vijayawada Division, Commercial Department introduced Hand Held Terminal (HHT) Devices in 5 Intercity Trains of Vijayawada Division viz 12717/ 12718 Ratnachal, 12711/12712 Pinakini and 12078 Janshatabdi Express. This would bring in transparency in allotment of berths to the passengers and also facilitate paperless and digital working. The TTEs need not carry manual charts for train ticket checking and can carry out their duties with ease and comfort. Through HHT, the summary reports at the end of the journey are digitally auto generated and needs no manual entries. The HHTs would reduce the stress on printing stationery of Railways also.

Shri Vavilapalli Rambabu, IRTS, Sr. Divisional Commercial Manager, Vijayawada Division said that the Commercial Department has procured 417 HHT Devices and training was already imparted to around 240 TTEs to make them familiar with the HHT Devices. He said that these would immensely benefit passengers by bringing in real time allotment of vacant berths to needy passengers apart from paperless working and automation of reports. Shri Vavilapalli Rambabu also suggested the passengers to board at the station from where the train ticket is booked and cooperate with the railway adminstration.

Advantages of HHT

1. The Ticket Checking staff (TCs) can easily check the tickets of passengers and mark their occupation of the allotted accommodation. Accordingly, any vacancies that arise during the journey can immediately come to notice of the TCs who will be able to allot the same to needy passengers on train.  Passengers will benefit from prompt allotment of vacant berths in the course of journey. Passengers once recorded as not joined in HHTs will not be accomodated further during the journey.

2. Also it has another option of releasing berths to PRS: In case the train is vacant and no RAC passengers are there, TTE can release the not joined berths to PRS, which would be immediately available online and offline at next remote location. This would increase the availability of berths at next remote location, thereby benefitting passengers immensely. 

In addition to current booking availability, these not joined berths would also be added to the berth availability at next remote location enroute.