KOLLAM: The next time passengers wait for a train at a railway station in Kerala, they may leave not just with a ticket or a cup of tea, but with a bottle of fragrance in their hand.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Southern Railway is planning to introduce dedicated shops selling attar and perfumes at railway stations in the state. Currently, the tender has been allocated for the Aluva railway station, and has been called for Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam South, Kollam and Thrissur railway stations.
The initiative is part of the Railways’ efforts to diversify non-fare revenue, while making station spaces more commercially vibrant. “The stalls will be launched mostly by the end of this month. Perfumes and attars were chosen as it is one of the products passengers would choose to purchase during travel or while waiting at the stations. The shopkeepers will be free to sell any type of fragrances,” said a senior official of the Southern Railway.
Additionally, a tender has been called for cosmetic and personal care stalls in Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town stations. This would make it easier for the passengers to grab their make up products easily from the stations during the journey.
The proposed outlets are expected to offer a range of traditional attars and modern perfumes, giving passengers an opportunity to shop for fragrances while travelling or waiting for trains. “Even when we travel for official needs, if we forget to take a perfume, we could purchase it from the stations instead,” said Varghese S Edayady, state president of Thirukochi Rail Commuters Welfare Association.
Similar, attar and perfume stalls are currently operational in several railway stations of Chennai division.