WR trains soon to be fitted with on-board media servers preloaded with content accessible through a mobile app
AC local is one of the first four trains where the service will be provided. File pic
Western Railway wants to make your commute on the AC local train really cool. Soon, you will be able to access movies and TV shows on your personal devices on the train. Passengers on three other trains — the two Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express trains and the Mumbai-Chennai Express — will also be able to enjoy high-quality movies and TV shows onboard. The trains will be fitted with on-board media servers preloaded with content that can be accessed through a mobile application. Four trains have been selected for the pilot project of the Content on Demand (CoD) service. About 2,864 pairs (up and down) of suburban train services, including 21 pairs of ladies special local trains and 1,516 pairs of mail express trains will be covered in the final phase that is expected to be complete in two years.
Download app for entertainment
Explaining how the system will work, Western Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Ravinder Bhakar said daily commuters and long-distance passengers will be able to access movies and TV shows on their personal devices on the train. "Commuters will have to download an app called Sugar Box through which the content will be provided," he said. The trains will be fitted with on-board media servers, which will be preloaded with content that can only be accessed through a mobile application, he added.
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'A service on the train'
Bhakar said the CoD service, a non-fare revenue monetisation service, is provided with the aim of improving overall passenger experience and at the same time increasing the non-fare revenue. "Under this project, infotainment in the form of data, audio and video content will be provided as a service on trains," he added. Passengers will be able to download the app and choose packages, including paid ones. "The Chennai Express is one of the important trains of Central Railway and we are working on improving overall passenger experience onboard it. Recently, we increased the speed of the train by cutting down the distance between Mumbai and Chennai by about 20 km and the time by
nearly two hours," Central Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said.
Initial services
Two Rajdhanis - Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani and August Kranti Rajdhani
Mumbai-Chennai Express
Suburban Rake-AC local
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