Poet woes for railway passengers

The Central Railway plans to refurbish its falteringu00a0POET machines to help passengers access information

The Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminal (POET), installed in most major railway stations in Mumbai, have been lying idle and damaged, owing to the lack of proper maintenance and upkeep.

The few machines that are functioning, however, are a great resource to passengers, who use it to check the PNR status of their bookings, availability of seats, schedules, fares and other such information.


At present, only 19 POET machines are in working order, while the others lie damaged and unattended

They are easy to operate, and can be handled even by those who have limited technical know-how.

The Central Railway (CR) had installed 40 such machines in its Mumbai subdivision, in the year 2000. At present, only 19 of these machines are in working order, while the others lie damaged and unattended.
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A senior railway official, willing to speak only off the record, admitted, "We have been experiencing a lot of problems with the POET machines.

A lot of complaints have been pouring in from the passengers. But it has become increasingly difficult for us to maintain these machines, as they are old.

Because they are in constant use, they are susceptible to everyday wear and tear. Keyboards get damaged often.
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We are trying to make arrangements to replace the existing machines with sleek, modern machines. Of course, this is an expensive proposition, as each machine costs nearly 23,000 rupees.

Then and now

The Western Railway (WR) had begun similar services in the year 2000, but discontinued it in 2005, after facing problems. Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO of WR, said, "Passengers had already stopped utilizing this facility by the time we decided to discontinue it.
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In the year 2000, when the service was first started, mobile technology was not advanced and little used. So there was a greater demand for these terminals. Once the information was made available on the internet, the machines fell into disuse.

Why should passengers come to the stations for updates, when they can access all the information at the click of a button?"

Passengers speak

Passengers, however, have a different story to tell. Ravindra Kamble, a resident of Matunga, said, "I regularly use this machine to check my PNR status. I prefer to reach the station for my journey an hour early.

Instead of asking the official at the enquiry counter, I check the details on the POET machine at Dadar station."

Kamble also said that he had been facing great inconvenience since the terminal at Dadar stopped working. "I am aware of the various alternatives that modern technology has made possible the internet, sms, mobile browsing; but for me, this is the most simple, convenient and inexpensive way to obtain information."u00a0

Making a'mend's

Passengers like Kamble need not be disheartened. The CR has no plans of discontinuing the service. Rather, it is planning to refurbish the machines and upgrade the system.

A K Singh, PRO, CR, said, "It is natural for machines to suffer wear and tear. Maintenance is an ongoing process, and we will try to ensure that damaged machines are repaired promptly."