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403 MINIMUM ESSENTIAL AMENITIES PASSENGER AMENITIES, STATIONS AND YARDS
As stations and their environs are the first point of contact between Railways and their customers, special importance is required to be given to the facilities provided to passengers in regard to their adequacy, quality and maintenance. While planning for provision/ augmentation of stations, due consideration needs to be given to the importance of the station from point of view of passenger traffic. 402 CATEGORISATION OF STATIONS (a) Annual Passenger earnings:- This is an important parameter for deciding upon the category of a station. It consists of earnings from both reserved and unreserved passengers. (b) Stations have been categorised in six categories, A, B, C, D, E & F depending upon the earnings, which is an indicator of the passenger traffic. Criterion for categorisation of stations are as per Annexure 4.1. (c) The categorisation of stations shall be reviewed every five years starting from 1995-96. (d) All suburban stations have been included in Category 'C in order to accord a higher priority to these stations in view of a large number of passengers using them. 403 MINIMUM ESSENTIAL AMENITIES The Minimum Essential Amenities required in each category of station shall be as per Annexure 4.2. Scale of Minimum Amenities is prescribed in Annexure 4.3. Availability of these amenities at the prescribed scale will have to be ensured. 404 RECOMMENDED LEVEL OF AMENITIES: Once the essential amenities as prescribed in Annexure 4.2 and 4.3 are available at a station to the prescribed levels, further augmentation of these amenities can be made eeto higher recommended norms. These norms are recommendatory and efforts shall be made to provide the amenities as per the norms given in Annexure 4.4. 405 DESIRABLE AMENTITIES (a) Desirable amenities are those which are considered desirable to further improve customer satisfaction and interface process at the station. The quantum of these amenities would depend upon the category of the station. A comprehensive list of the Desirable Amenities is given in Annexure 4.5. (b) The provision of Desirable Amenities need not wait for complete provision of Amenities to levels recommended in Clause 404. The amenities out of the list given in Annexure 4.5 should be provided based on the need and relative importance of the station. 406 ALLOCATION OF EXPENDITURE Minimum Essential Amenities as prescribed in Annexure 4.2 and 4.3 shall Always be provided as a part of the concerned Plan Head at the time of construction of new Stations. Augmentation of any facility hereafter at station shall, however, be charged under Plan Head "Passenger And ) other User Amenities". 407 MAINTENANCE OF PASSENGER AMENTITIES Amenities provided at all the stations shall be maintained in good working order at all times. Maintenance staff shall carry out repairs needed immediately after receipt of information from the station Master/Station Supdt. 408 PASSENGER BOOKLETS AMENITY Additions/Modification to the Passenger amenities available at the stations should be incorporated in the database and Passenger amenities Management System (PAMS) and printed in the form of Passenger Amenity booklets of each division at the end of the financial year. The details of Passenger Amenities available at stations shall be updated and sent every year to Board in floppies and hard copies (sample proform at Annexure4.6). 409 BOOKING OFFICES (a) The. Booking Windows may be distributed function wise or destination wise by the Commercial Department. (b) The Booking Windows should be so located that the circulation at the entrance or exit from the station or the waiting hall is not affected by the queues in front of the Booking Endows. The length of the queue can be estimated at the rate of half a meter per person waiting in the queue. (c) A standardised layout for the Booking Windows may be formulated on the basis of the following design parameters: (i) Size of a cubicle: 1.8m x 1.5m (ii) Counters : Width 0.6m., Height above floor level 1 m (iii) Ticket Tubes: On both sides of the counters. (iv) Furniture: Chairs with caned seats, revolving type with short back and facility for seat adjustment (d) Partitions between Passenger -Booking Clerk : Toughened sheet glass or clear acrylic sheet with a hole for intercommunication at suitable height above the counter top and a suitable gap between the partition and the counter for collection of fare and issue of tickets, the partition being protected on the passenger side with steel grill. (e) The Enquiry and Booking offices should be specially brightened up at all the stations. 410 Waiting Halls (a) Waiting Halls should not be built detached from the main buildings. At small stations where some shelter is available for the passengers near the Booking Office, the net Waiting Hall area in the form of covered area on the Platforms may be provided. The above mentioned net area should be worked out after deducting the waiting area in front of the Booking Windows from the gross Waiting Hall area determined on the basis of Annexure 4.4. (b) Waiting Halls are meant for the paid passengers and hence should have entry from the platform side only. (c) At suburban stations, extensions of platform shelter in lieu of construction of Waiting Hall may be done. 411 Platforms a) Length of Platforms :The length should be adequate to accommodate the longest train received at the station. b) Width of Platforms: i) The width should be determined on the basis of the clearance specified in the Schedule of Dimensions. The platform widths should be adequate to permit a free unhampered movement of passengers. ii) The capacity of station platforms in discharging passengers per metre width of un-obstructed passage for movement in both directions can be taken as : Suburban Passengers : 60 per minute. Non-Suburban Passengers : 40 per minute. c) Height of Platforms : The level of platform shall be as mentioned as Annexure 4.2 for various categories at the stations. The heights for various levels of platforms shall be as under:
d) Platform Surfaces: (i) The platform surfaces should be of such material that it is dust free in dry weather and mud free in rains. At important stations, surface of main platforms should be paved with Kota stone or interlocking pavers. To keep platform surface smooth and clean, all trollies plying at the station be provided with rubber tyred wheels. (ii) In the case of single face platforms, the platform surface should have a slope of 1 in 60 away from the coping upto the edge of the berm, with the berm and the slope of the platform filling being protected by turfing or pitching as considered adequate. (iii) In the case of two face (island) platforms the platform surface should have a slope of 1 in 60 away from the centre of the platform upto the coping on either side. (iv) The ends of the platforms should be provided with ramps at a slope not steeper than 1 in 6. (v) A demarcation line should be drawn 1.8 m from the edge of platform. In the area so demarcated, trolleys shall not be allowed to enable free movement of passengers in that area. e) Platform Fencing : All single face platforms should be provided with a suitable fencing or hedging of a height of 1.8m with a berm of at least 600 mm beyond the fencing ort he hedging. f) Whenever Platforms are extended, washable aprons, if already existing, shall also be extended simultaneously. 412 Shady Trees on Platforms a) The planting, protection and upkeep of the trees will be the responsibility of the Engineering Department. Traffic Department should associate in watering of plants at wayside stations wherever feasible. b) The species and spacing of the trees should be properly decided. c) The trees should be so planted that they do not obstruct the visibility of signals or infringe Schedule of Dimensions or infringe the overhead electric wires (Traction or General Service) or obscure the platform lights or signs. d) If the trees are already in existence, the positioning of the new equipment should be so adjusted as to avoid cutting of trees as distinct from trimming their branches. e) It would be advantageous to provide suitable raised masonry platforms around the fully grown trees as an additional seating accommodation for the passengers. 413 Lighting a) Where electric supply is available all the lighting arrangements with the associated equipment including the lamp posts with their fixtures for the platforms, sign-boards, buildings etc. will be provided and maintained by the Electrical Department. b) Where electric supply is not available, the provision, repairs and maintenance of the lamp posts will be the responsibility of the Engineering Department. The provision, maintenance and repairs of the oil lamps and their lighting will be the responsibility of the Operating Department. c) Lamp posts should ordinarily be placed along the centre line of platforms where width of platform is 18 metres and above. The lamp posts should not be less than 4.5 metres clear from platform face and not less than 3 metres clear of the face of the station building. Where the station building is less than 7.5m from the platform face, the lamps should be supported on wall brackets. Such lamp brackets can be used upto a distance of 9 m from the platform face. d) The heights and spacing of the lamps should be determined by the level of illumination required, the area to be illuminated, etc. apart from the obligatory locations over the station name boards, water taps and other passenger facilities required to be illuminated. 414 Drinking Water Supply a) Where piped water supply is possible, potable drinking water should be supplied on platform by provision of taps at the rate of one tap for two coaches. On island platforms if the trains are expected to be received on both sides at the same time, number of taps should be doubled. b) At small stations, as determined by the Commercial Department, where provision of piped water supply is technically and economically not feasible, tube-wells with hand pumps should be provided. The size, numbers and locations of such tube wells should be determined by the Engineering Department,- based on the quantum of passenger traffic at the station. c) In addition, potable drinking water should be supplied through mobile or stationary water containers. The number, size, type and deployment of such mobile containers should be determined by the Commercial Department who shall also procure & maintain them. 415 Latrines, Urinals and Dustbins (a) Latrines and Urinals shall be provided as per scale laid down in Annexure 4.4 (b) Out of total no. of Latrines and Urinals as determined in manner indicated above, one third may be reserved for Ladies. (c) All toilets should be gradually converted into Pay & Use system. (d) The urinals may be suitably distributed on platforms and waiting halls. (e) Toilet should be provided near Station Master's office for easy maintenance at D&E category stations. (f) All latrines and urinals should be sanitised. Water-borne sanitation shall be provided as far as practicable. (g) An adequate no. of dustbins be provided at the suitable locations on the platforms. 416 Platform Covers a) Depending on the climatic conditions, number of passengers and nature of traffic, Platform Covers should be provided as per scale laid down in Annexure 4.4. b) Large-scale covering of platforms should be confined to (i) Junction stations (ii) Stations at Civil District Headquarters (iii) Stations at cities and towns with a population of more than 1 lakh (iv) Stations in heavy rainfall areas (v) Suburban stations c) At important and suburban stations, the whole platform should be covered. d) The Platform Covers should be provided in terms of standard bays and the area under the Platform Covers may therefore marginally exceed the area required to be provided. e) Platform shelters should be extended upto the landings of the foot-over bridges. At small stations, platform shelters should be provided in front of the station building as far as possible. At locations where there is an uncovered space of platform between the shelter and the foot-over-bridge, as far as possible, a covered pathway should be provided to the foot-over-bridge. 417 Foot-Over-Bridges or Sub-ways a) Foot-over-bridges or sub-ways as convenient and techno-economically feasible should be provided keeping in view the following factors: (i) Interconnection between high level or low level platforms; (ii) The total number of passengers dealt with at the station; (iii) Frequency of train services; (iv) Blocking of the lines between platforms by freight trains. Stations with high level platforms should normally be provided with foot- over-bridges on a programmed basis. b) The design and location of the foot-over-bridges and the sub-ways should be guided by the criterion of a rapid dispersal of the passengers through the identified exit points and keeping in view the future expansion of station building. c) The width of the foot-over-bridge or the sub-way should be adequate to permit a free unhampered movement .of the passengers. The capacity of the foot-over-bridges and sub-ways and their component structures in discharging passengers per metre width of unobstructed passage for movement in both directions can be taken as:
e) At stations where there is more than one platform without any foot-over-bridge or sub-way connecting them, a pathway for passengers should be provided connecting the ends of the platforms. The pathways should have a minimum width of 2 m and should ensure that it is clear of all obstructions such as signalling equipment, etc. which should be suitably bridged. Notices in the prescribed languages should be prominently displayed near such pathway crossings, to warn the users to look out for trains before using the pathways. f) For foot-over-bridges, sub-ways and pathways, the lowest overhead clearance for the movement should be of 2.75m. g) At important suburban stations, the design for the stairways should be such as to facilitate installation of escalators in future for which the standard slope required is 30°. At major important stations, provision of escalators should be considered for speedy dispersal of commuters. 418 Waiting Rooms a) Waiting Rooms need not be provided at suburban stations i.e. Category 'C Stations. b) At non-suburban stations other than junctions and terminal stations, Waiting Rooms should be considered only if the number of upper class passengers dealt with daily is 25 or more. If however, the bulk of the traffic is booked or received by night the provision of the Waiting Rooms could be considered even with fewer passengers. c) At non-suburban junctions and terminal stations, the facility should be based on the volume of traffic changing over and the time the passengers have to wait as determined by the Commercial Department. d) If the area to be provided for the Waiting Rooms is sufficiently large, the Commercial Department may provide separate Waiting Rooms for the general and female passengers and passengers of different classes. 419 Signages (a) Standard signages shall be provided at the stations. (b) For Location of signages, a plan should be made for each station. 420 Vending Trollies/Stalls (a) Modular stalls shall be provided to save space on platforms. (b) Efforts should be made to make the stations cooking free and reduce the number of trolleys. (c) Minimum trolleys and catering stalls under the covered shed should be allowed. (d) Automatic vending machines should be encouraged to replace existing vending stalls. 421 Retiring Rooms a) Retiring Rooms should be provided only where a minimum of 60% occupation is expected by the Commercial Department. b) Size and location of the Retiring Rooms may be decided taking into account the climatic conditions, the importance of the stations, availability of space etc. As dormitory type of Retiring Rooms offer accommodation at cheap rates to the passengers, keeping in view the demand from different types of clientele, local conditions of the place, availability of comparable type of accommodation in the vicinity and any other factor considered relevant by the Commercial Department, preference may be given for provision of dormitory type of Retiring Rooms. 422 Other General Items (i) All stations irrespective of their class should be sealed from all directions so that there is specified exit and entry and incidence of unauthorised entrants is reduced, to avoid unnecessary pressure on amenities. (ii) For mela and fairs traffic, additional temporary facilities may be provided. 423 Facilities For Physically Handicapped Railways are to provide convenience to the physically handicapped persons to comply with the provision of "The Persons with disabilities (Equal Opportunities; protection of rights and full participation)" Act, 1995. As per provisions of this Act, equal opportunities are to be given to handicapped persons in terms of employment, access to various places and services. The items concerning Engineering Department are as under: (i) Section 44(b) of the Act states that "Establishments in the transport sector shall, within their limits of the economic capacity and development, for the benefit of persons with disability take special measures to adapt toilets in rail compartment, vessels, air-crafts and waiting rooms in such a way to permit the wheel chair users to use them conveniently." (ii) Section 45(d) of the Act states that "The appropriate government and local authorities shall, within the limits of the economic capacity and development, provide for engraving edges of railway platforms for the blind or for the persons with low vision". (iii) Section 45(e) of the Act states that the "The appropriate government and local authorities shall, within their limits of the economic capacity and development, provide for devising appropriate symbols for disability." (iv) Section 46 of the act states that "The appropriate government and local authorities shall, within their limits of the economic capacity and development, provide for (a) Ramps in public buildings (b) Adaption of toilets for wheel chair users (c) Braille signals and auditory signals in elevators/lifts (d) Ramps in hospitals, primary health centres and other medical care and rehabilitation institutions." 424 Station Name Boards a) Station names should preferably be engraved and painted on the principal name boards made of stone or reinforced cement concrete. The principal name boards painted on both faces should be fixed at both the ends of the platform and generally oriented at right angle to the track without in any way infringing the Schedule of Dimensions. The actual angle at which the name boards are fixed should be determined by the site conditions ensuring the criterion that the name board is clearly visible from the approaching trains. b) In the case of long platforms and at stations so identified by the Engineering Department, additional secondary name boards at convenient intermediate positions usually at the rate of one for two coaches may be fixed parallel to the length of the platform. Such secondary name boards can be made of framed metal, asbestos or wooden sheets and painted on the sides (one or both) facing the track. c) The length and width of the principal and secondary name boards will be determined by the total written material to be engraved or painted on the name boards. The height of the lower edge of the principal and secondary name boards should be 2m above the platform level. d) At large stations to be identified by the Commercial Department, tertiary name boards of sizes smaller than the principal/ secondary name boards should be provided facing the adjacent track as fixtures to the lamp posts or other fixed structures. They should be fixed in a position parallel to the track. On suburban sections, such tertiary name boards may be provided on enamel plates. Where such tertiary name boards are provided it may not be necessary to provide additional secondary name boards mentioned here in above. e) The spacing of tertiary name boards should be such that at least one name board is visible from any compartment of a standing train. The board should preferably be square in shape and fixed with its diagonal axis in a horizontal position. The length and width of the name board will be determined by the total written material and their arrangement. The central horizontal axis of the board should be at a height of 2m above the platform surface. f) Subject to the modifications as ordered by the Railway Board from time to time, the station names on all types of name boards should be provided in the manner indicated here in under :- (i) The names and their spellings in different languages shall be as approved by the State Government. (ii) The station names shall be exhibited in the following order: Regional Language, Hindi and English, except for Tamil Nadu where the use of Hindi will be restricted to important stations and pilgrim centres as determined by the Commercial Department. Where the Regional language is Hindi, the name boards will be in two languages, Hindi and English, except for provision of Urdu language as specified here in below.
(iii) Stations name boards of stations
falling under the following Districts shall also be displayed in Urdu: (iv) At locations, where any other language in addition to the above is considered necessary, the Commercial Department may decide the matter in consultation and with approval of the appropriate Railway Users Consultative Committee and the concerned State Government. (v) The script for the station names in Hindi shall be Devnagari and for other languages as adopted by the respective State Governments. (vi) The size of the letters and their prominence for all the scripts shall be uniform and conform to the following:
g) All station name boards shall be properly illuminated so that they are legible at night. Special importance is to be given to the principal name-boards which may be specially illuminated with a bright electric lamp so that the whole of the board is clearly visible and legible at night. h) Station names in the same scripts as specified here in above may also be displayed on the following structures so as to be visible from a running train, the letters being in Black on Traffic Yellow or White background : (i) Lamp shades in letters of 75 mm height (ii) High service tanks and other Tall Structures in letters of 300 mm to 600 mm height (iii) Cabins in letter of 300 mm height illuminated with a bright electric lamp where the cabin is electrified. 425 Platform Sign-Boards a) Indication sign boards - For larger stations, the following colour scheme should be adopted :- (i) Bright red letters on white background for important offices such as Station Superintendent, Deputy Station Superintendent, Enquiry, Telegraph and Railway Mail Service etc. (ii) Blue letters on white background for passenger amenities such as refreshment rooms, waiting rooms, retiring rooms and platform lavatories etc. (iii) Black letters on white background for other offices. (iv) Blue arrows should be painted at 1.5 metres above platform level or 300mm above the dado level on the walls directing passengers to Waiting, Refreshment and Retiring Rooms. Red arrows should be painted to direct passengers to Station Superintendent, Deputy Station Superintendent, Enquiry and Telegraph offices. The lettering should be of size, suitable for the requirement. (v) Every sign-board be painted on one side with the name of the office in Hindi and on the other in English and the regional language. The board should be erected at right angles to the building and immediately over the door of the office or room to which it refers. (vi) The wording on sign-boards, the direction of arrows and platform numbers should be decided by . Divisional Officers of the Engineering, Operating and Commercial Departments. (vii) All notice boards shall be erected and maintained by the Engineering Department. Where notices are fastened to walls, proper fixtures should be provided. For smaller stations, black lettering-on white background may be used for all kinds of sign boards which may be painted on one side only and fixed to the wall. b) Platform number signs - These may be on enamel plates to the following specifications :-
At stations having a large number of platform signs, these should be fixed at right angles to the track and staggered horizontally so as to give a clear direction from a distance. The height of platform number signs may vary to suit local conditions. 426 Time Table Boards And Fare Lists- Boards or cement plaques, with or without wire-netting, should be provided at suitable places, in consultation with the Commercial Department, for posting time tables and fare lists thereon. 427 Pictogram At major stations and places of tourist interest important pictograms, indicating the locations of various passenger amenities, as approved by Railway Board should be displayed at suitable vantage locations in the station premises. 428 Design of Station Complexes - The layouts for the construction of the stations including the circulating areas, station buildings, goods shed etc., should be so planned as to be functionally efficient. For important stations the Engineering Department may engage the services of Architectural Consultants to evolve suitable plans. Apart from providing for the passenger amenities detailed here in above the station layouts should be given special importance as detailed in paras 429 & 430. 429 Station Buildings a) The layouts for the station buildings should provide for all the passenger amenities detailed here in above and the functional requirements. The layout should also provide for future expansion and should result in an overall pleasing and functionally efficient layout. Amenities provided should be of user-friendly nature. b) The station buildings should incorporate in them the features of the local architectural heritage wherever possible. While extending or modifying the existing station buildings, it must be ensured that the new construction harmonizes with the architecture of the existing station buildings. The plinth level of the station buildings should provide for raising of the platform to a high level platform. c) The existing facilities at the stations should be relocated to make these facilities user friendly. As far as possible maintenance free material should be used at stations to avoid frequent maintenance. d) For all stations, the centre of the station building acts as the reference point for the yard plans, inter-station distances, chargeable distances, etc. The reference point shall be prominently marked with an engraved vertical arrow on the external walls of the station building with the caption "CENTRE LINE OF STATION" engraved below it. The location represents a fixed reference point and shall not be altered if the station building is subsequently extended, altered or rebuilt. The fixed reference point shall be maintained properly and in the event of removal of the part of the structure on which it is fixed, the reference point shall be re-engraved at the same location on any other permanent structural element available. e) A permanent Bench Mark (B.M.) linked with the Survey of India B.M. System should also be provided in the prescribed manner on a suitable part of the station building at a location least likely to be disturbed. A list of B.M.s should be maintained in the offices of IOW, AEN, & DEN with complete description of their location, level etc. 430 Approach Roads and Circulating Area a) The location of new stations and their facilities covering Booking offices, Goods sheds, etc. should be so chosen as to be convenient to the city, town or village served by the station. The station and goods shed approach should have an easy and unobstructed connection with the main road system serving the station. b) The approach roads for all the station facilities within the Railway land should be maintained by the Engineering Department. The portion of the approach road beyond the Railway Boundary linking the main road network of the city, town or village can also be maintained by the Engineering Department if the Road Authorities agree to the arrangement with the maintenance being undertaken as a Deposit work. c) The circulating area adjoining the station building and goods shed should be properly designed to ensure rapid dispersal of the passengers and road vehicles and avoiding conflict between pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The circulating area should provide adequate parking space, nominated space for embarking and disembarking for vehicular traffic, and loading and unloading of goods. The circulating area should facilitate a smooth unhampered flow of the road traffic in the vicinity of the station building and goods shed. d) While formulating the plans for new circulating area or modifying the existing circulating areas, the Engineering Department may consult the appropriate local authorities to ensure that the Railway's planning matches with the local authorities' planning for the road traffic management near the station area. e) Whenever circulating areas are redesigned, altered or wherever stations are congested, possibility of providing FOB landings directly into circulating areas should be examined as it decongests main platforms. f) No statues and plaques should be provided in the station premises.
CATEGORIES OF STATIONS FOR PROVISION OF PASSENGER AMENITIES Stations shall be classified in the following categories: Category 'A': Non-suburban stations with an annual passenger earnings of Rs.6 crores and above. Category 'B': I. Non-suburban stations with an annual passenger earnings between Rs.3 crores to Rs.6 Crores. II. Stations of Tourist importance, or an important junction station (to be decided by G.M.). Category 'C: All Suburban Stations. Category 'D': Non-suburban station with passenger earnings between 1 and 3 Crores. Category 'E': Non-suburban stations with earnings less than 1 crores. Category 'F: Halts. Note: Earnings of the year 1995-96 can be taken as the base till next review in the year 2001
MINIMUM ESSENTIAL AMENITIES AT EACH CATEGORY OF STATIONS.
# (1) Regular / Flag Stations should be electrified if electricity is available within one Km. (ii) if electricity is not available within one Km. and trains stop at night, electricity through solar power be considered * Where trains stop at night @ To be provided at electrified stations.
SCALE OF MINIMUM ESSENTIAL AMENITIES AT STATIONS
Note: Scale of all the amenities prescribed above are the bare minimum to be provided at the appropriate class of stations. Amenities over and above the prescribed minimum scales will continue to be provided as per stipulated norms, details in Annexure 4.4.
RECOMMENDED AMENITITES (Norms for provision of Passengers amenities at the Recommended Level) N max = Average no. of passengers at any time during peak including the inward and outward passengers (excluding mela traffic) N db = Design figure for number of passengers for 'A' & 'B' stations to be calculated as N db = 0.3 (N max). N db = Design figure for number of passengers for 'C', 'D' and 'E' stations to be calculated as N ds = 0.45 (N max).
* Washable Aprons may be provided in a planned manner to cover only stations from where trains terminate/originate or stop for longer duration in the morning hours. PASSENGER AMENITIES DETAILS
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