NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, MAY 21
With the objective of developing a one-stop solution for complaints, grievances and inquiries from the people, RailMadad, an efficient portal to redress rail passenger grievances, was launched in 2019.
- In the current FY 2023-24, a total of 14,404 have been resolved till Friday with a disposal rate of 99.97%
- SR maintains 8 minutes as First Response Time (FRT)
- Southern Railway has been achieving 100% complaint disposal rate since 2019-20 and also maintains 37 minutes as average disposal time since April 2021
Its increased awareness and popularity among the tech-savvy passengers has helped the Southern Railways to dispose of 90,963 complaints in FY 2022-23. In the current FY 2023-24, a total of 14,404 have been resolved till Friday, May 19, with a disposal rate of 99.97%. Now, more passengers are turning to this portal for faster and more effective solution for their woes.
Railway officials said that increased awareness about the RailMadad mechanism among the people was the key reason for the leap in its use.
Safety of woman passenger
“Absolutely one of the best customer services I have ever experienced. Swift response. Thank you!” This was the positive feedback from a complainant whose grievance was redressed through RailMadad. On 29th April 2023, a complaint was lodged through RailMadad Helpline 139. The complainant, a lady passenger’s relative, had registered that the passenger onboard was missing/not responding to repeated calls and requested Railways to ensure her safety. The RailMadad wing of Southern Railway sprung into action and through active liaison with field officials onboard like RPF, NR Cell, TTE, Train Batch Incharge confirmed that the said passenger is safe and continues her journey. The entire process of registering the complaint and disposal took 41 minutes with the First Response time registered being 8 minutes.
Emergency medical aid
In another instance, prompt medical assistance was extended to a sick passenger at the following station and the grievance was resolved in 22 minutes. There are many such instances where the rail user receives timely assistance through RailMadad. .
Southern Railway’s RailMadad performance
In Southern Railway, over 58% of the complaints are received through Rail Passenger Helpline 139, 23% through RailMadad website, 11% through social media forums, 6% through RailMadad App and the remaining 2% through other means like SMS to 139, E-mail, CPGRAMS, Umang, etc.
Southern Railway has been achieving 100% complaint disposal rate since 2019-20 and also maintains 37 minutes as average disposal time since April 2021. Southern Railway also maintains 8 minutes as the First response Time (FRT). FRT is an indicator of efficiency in handling Medical and Security assistance during emergencies.
A total of 90,963 complaints have been resolved in the last financial year 2022-23 compared to 31,450 complaints resolved during 2021-22. In the current FY 2023-24, a total of 14,404 have been resolved till 19.05.2023 with a disposal rate of 99.97% .
Southern Railway has taken concerted efforts in creating awareness about RailMadad amongst passengers. Faster and satisfactory resolution of grievances has resulted in restoring the faith of the passengers in the grievance redressal system which serves as an harbinger of hope during any inconvenience experienced by passengers during their train journey or while at railway premises.
RailMadad can be accessed for security and medical assistance, train-related enquiry, catering, vigilance and other general nature of complaints. RailMadad website also has the facility to track the status of complaints lodged.
