BHUBANESWAR: Differently-abled passengers can now enter and alight train coaches in a hassle-free manner. East Coast Railway (ECoR) has introduced mobile wheelchair foldable ramp at two railway stations in Odisha and one railway station in Andhra Pradesh on a pilot basis. The service is free of cost for passengers.
Initially, the service has been started at Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Visakhapatnam railway stations. The foldable ramp has been designed and fabricated by ECoR and can be easily carried.Not only differently-abled people, many elderly people, who have trouble while boarding trains can also be benefited. The user-friendly ramp will help those on the wheelchairs to easily get into the trains.
An ECoR official said passengers can avail the facility by showing any of their Identity Cards. “The beneficiaries will have to inform the wheelchair section near the office of Chief Ticket Inspector (CTI) at the railway station. The service will be of great help,” he said.
The ramp can be placed on the edge of the platform, connecting to the entrance of the coach. It bridges the gap enabling seamless entry of the wheelchair into the coach. There are porters who will ensure that the ramp is carried to the compartment of the passenger. They will also set it up against the coach entrance.
A regular traveller Sudhakar Sethi said the service should have been started much earlier. The number of ramps should be increased as it may not be possible to serve all such passengers within the short halting period, he said.
Earlier, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) had to face a lot of difficulties in boarding the train coach due to gap between train and platform. They had to take the help of their relatives or co-passengers to reach their berths.
“The response received at the three stations has been quite positive and encouraging. After reviewing the success of the pilot project, ECoR is planning to provide the facility at other important railway stations in both the States shortly. The number of ramps will be increased depending on the demand,” the official added.