New Delhi:
The IRCTC has floated tenders for setting up its executive lounge at 19 stations that will provide airport lounge-like facilities to train passengers at an affordable rate.
"The swanky executive lounges, which will be a state-of- the-art facility, can help the train passengers recover from tiredness during the journey. Also, waiting for a train will no longer be an ordeal," Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Chairman and Managing Director said.
The stations where the facility will come up are Jaipur, Vijayawada, Agra Cantt, New Delhi, Kathgodam, Patna, Sealdah, Howrah, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Puri, Nagpur, Madurai, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Lucknow and Gorakhpur.
The IRCTC MD said the tenders will be finalised by October and the executive lounges are likely to be functional by early next year.
The lounge will provide a string of airport-like facilities, including wash and change, Wi-Fi, Internet, Live TV, music channels, buffet services, newspaper/bookstand, luggage racks, shoe shiner, train information system and concierge services for pre-departure and post-arrival assistance to passengers.
Executive lounge will accept credit cards and debit cards, apart from cash. It will make travel safer as passengers are not required to carry cash.
The executive lounges at 30 more stations are likely to come up in a year's time.
Once operational, it will hugely change the profile of passenger amenities at these stations. The Railways will identify space at the stations, which will then be handed over to IRCTC for setting up the lounge.