Mumbai: The Mumbai Central division of Western Railway (WR) has installed 436 talk-back systems (microphone systems) at its booking counters, for both suburban and non-suburban sections.
“under the passenger amenities project, the provision of counter communication system at booking counters aims to address the challenges faced by both passengers and booking clerks in crowded queuing areas where auditory communication becomes a hindrance,” said an official.
Previously, only a limited number of counters were equipped with such communication systems. However, the recent expansion includes the installation of 436 talk-back systems, with 345 allocated to unreserved counters and 91 to public reservation counters. These systems are strategically placed at 36 substations spanning the Churchgate to Dahanu route.
“The Mumbai central division, with a total of 521 counters comprising 409 unreserved and 112 public reservation centres, acknowledges the challenges faced due to ambient noise at stations, leading to miscommunication. This often resulted in the issuance of incorrect tickets, causing inconvenience,” the official said.
A senior officer of Western Railways stated, "Sometimes due to noise at the station, either passengers or booking clerks are not able to hear properly, resulting in wrong tickets being issued. To avoid such situations, the Talk Back system has been provided at 436 counters recently."
“The talk-back systems aim to mitigate these challenges, ensuring a clearer and more effective communication channel between passengers and booking clerks,” he said.
