Confusion prevailed on Saturday when capital-bound train passengers suddenly found themselves stranded just ahead of their destination.
Most were left cooling their heels for at least an hour, but not the members of Friends on Rails. Within minutes they knew a locomotive had jumped the signal and the resultant chaos will take a minimum of two hours for the train service to resume.
A voluntary non-profit making organisation representing nearly 5,000 daily train commuters between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, the USP of Friends on Rails is its quick and accurate updates.
30 WhatsApp groups
Operating through its 30 WhatsApp groups, the network provides the passengers all essential information regarding train timings, schedule changes and cancellations.
“It’s more accurate than any other source and we depend on it a lot since we commute on a regular basis. If a train is running late, you will know it instantly and you can plan accordingly. The most convenient part is you will get an idea when to start from your home or office as very few trains stick to the schedule,” says Deepu V.M, an IT professional working at IBS, Technopark.
Speciality
The speciality of Friends on Rails is its thorough formal character as nothing apart from updates and service-related queries are allowed in the groups.
The groups steer clear of pictures, videos, forwards, good-mornings and good nights, but will let you know when each train crosses a particular point.
“We have some very strict norms and we all follow that. Among the 30 groups four are exclusively for women and our members include government employees, doctors, techies, teachers, lawyers, police officials, students and railway staff. As a voluntary organisation we are also into some charity activities,” says Liyons J., secretary.
At times the network is used to retrieve forgotten luggage or alert Railway police in cases of emergency.
Children traced
“Last month, two children boarded a wrong train from Kollam while travelling with their mother. We immediately located the children on Sabari Express and the panicking mother was sent to Kayamkulam station to collect them,” he says.
Friends on Rails, which was started a couple of years ago by a group of daily commuters, has also grown into a forum addressing their grievances.
“The recently revised train timings are causing much inconvenience to employees working in offices with biometric punching system. In private sector long halts and late arrivals have already cost some people their jobs. We have filed complaints and submitted memorandums to all officials concerned requesting timely arrival of morning trains,” says Liyons J.
He says unwarranted delays and Railways’ failure to relay accurate information make train journey quite miserable for daily passengers.
“We are also planning to approach the consumer court regarding this,” he adds.
Those who want to join the Friends on Rails network can contact 8281217465.
