Mumbai : Many people travel long distances by train during the festive season. But often passengers have to face some problems during long distance travels. Sometimes for some reason you have to stay at the station for a long time. But now there is good news for train passengers. This is because a new lounge equipped with state-of-the-art facilities has been started. So now passengers do not have to stand on the platform to wait for the train. Central Railway has started an air-conditioned (AC) waiting lounge at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
The name of this waiting lounge is “Namah Waiting Lounge” and it will be of great benefit to the train passengers. For this, passengers will be charged only Rs 10 per hour. The waiting lounge is connected to the corridor connecting platforms 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 at the CSMT mainline station entrance. The new waiting lounge will have a dining table, sofa, toilet, bathroom, library, café, dedicated charging points, disposable linen kits and more.
A state-of-the-art lounge
Authorities have also installed LED screens in the waiting lounge to inform passengers about the train journey. This will help the passengers to know when the trains will arrive as well as the departure time. The lounge also has speakers from which the station operator’s announcements can be heard. According to officials, passengers will initially be charged Rs 50 when they enter the lounge. Of this, Rs 40 security deposit will be charged as advance. When passengers leave the lounge, they will be returned Rs 40 they paid earlier.
Children under the age of five will have free entry. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 will be charged Rs 5. According to Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway, “Our main objective is to provide better facilities to the passengers at our stations. If this model is successful, we will set up similar lounges at other stations like LTT, Dadar, Thane and Kalyan. It costs less than an airport lounge.”
Bag wrapping and sanitation facilities for passengers
Normal waiting rooms will be free. Shivaji Sutar has also said that the purpose of this is not to crowd on the railway platform. Central Railway has started bag wrapping and sanitation facility for passengers at CSMT station. The fee will be fixed between Rs 60 to Rs 80 depending on the size of the goods. This waiting lounge will be very useful for long distance travelers.