Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Guide for the travelling public

Malayalam names of railway stations, reader-friendly timetables and new features with valuable information are some of the value-added elements in the new Indian Railways timetable for the Southern Zone that has just hit the stands.

The four zonal railways in the south, namely, Southern Railway, South Central Railway, South Western Railway and Konkan Railway, have been clubbed together as in the previous editions to make a comprehensive railway timetable for the commuters.

The picture of an express train moving through the hillside, along with a collage of tourist attractions in the States that come under the Southern zone of the railways figure on the cover. "The book has been designed to make it more user-friendly. The tables have been drawn up to facilitate easy reference," says the note.

The authorities have used green colour to facilitate easy reading. The timetable starts with organisational details of zonal railways and has a step-by-step user guide to browse through the book.

Four simple methods have been listed out and tips provided, along with illustrations, on how to locate the correct tables in the 325-page book, priced at Rs.25. It is followed by an illustration on how to read a table and how to locate the trains and railway stations.

Timetables of express and passenger trains of all the zones as well as all- India trains have been provided. As in the previous edition, route maps have been given above all the timetables to enable the commuter to know the route of the train.

In the passenger information section, telephone numbers of all zones and divisions, advance reservation procedures, rail travel concessions, refund rules, claims, amenities at stations, retiring rooms and dormitories at stations, list of trains with pantry car facility and the fares of passenger, Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi trains have been included.

Grievance and redressal

Public grievance and redressal machinery, public information officers under the Right to Information Act and the list of zonal railways and websites have been provided.

Abstract tables of all India trains, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi, Sampark Kranti and Garib Rath/Garib Nawaj trains are included with days of operation, train number and destination under the `Trains at a glance.' The entire country's railway map is another major feature.

Tourist destinations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Pondicherry figure in the Splendid South India section. The South zone map and places of interest have been featured towards the end of the book.

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

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