Now, Central Railways to tweet train updates daily

The Central Railways (CR) have finally got with the times, and have decided to connect with the public in a medium more appropriate for the digital age. With a dedicated Twitter account all set to provide regular updates, commuters will now be able to access the latest information regarding train cancellations, availability of seats and availability of tatkal quota on their mobile phones through the site.

The service was started last week, and daily updates are being put up on the Twitter handle ‘@CSTM_railinfo'. Though the initiative has not received a great response so far (it had only 8 followers till last night), railway authorities are confident that they will get a positive response very soon. "People are not aware about this new initiative, but soon it will be followed by many and will be useful to passengers," said a CR official.

Mukesh Nigam, divisional railway manager, CR, who has been following the initiative since the inception said that they have not advertised it as yet and Twitter users will come to know of the service through Twitter itself.

@CSTM_railinfo: The Twitter handle on which CR authorities will provide daily updates

"We are giving train updates like tatkal quota, megablocks, cancellations and accidents through our new Twitter account. This will facilitate passengers in getting their information with just a click. After we get a good response, we will provide more facilities in the future," he said.

Toral Ahluwalia, a commuter from Jogeshwari said, "This is a fantastic initiative which has been started by the CR authorities. They should provide us with quick updates about the current situation, which will prove very useful for railway passengers." Another passenger, Ashok Kumar said, "This should be followed up consistently and information has to be updated regularly. Many times in the past, a new service has been introduced with much excitement, only to be cancelled or disconnected later." u00a0