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Indian Railways will introduce Integrated Train Enquiry System (ITES), consisting of Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) and Manual Enquiry provisions as pilot projects.
To begin with, ITES will be introduced at Bangalore and Patna under the aegis of RailTel Corporation of India in November 2004. After its success, ITES will be extended all over the country in all the 23 telecom circles in a phased manner.
When fully operational, Railways will set up call centres in each telecom circle.
A service provider will set up the ITES either through own investment or through franchisee.
Under the ITES, one universal three or four digit number will be allotted as enquiry number in consultation with the service provider.
Any passenger in the concerned telecom circle desiring to make enquiry will dial this number as a local call without prefixing or dialing STD code in the pulse duration of 60, 90 and 180 seconds per call. The ITES will be available to each and every phone on landline, mobile and WLL in a particular telecom circle. The same number will be available in all the telecom circles in the country. For example, all telephones in Bihar and Jharkhand under a common telecom circle at Patna, will access ITES as a local call. Similarly, entire Karnataka will access ITES at Bangalore as local calls.
Passenger would first get connected to IVRS. In case, he needs to make manual enquiry, he will be guided through IVRS.
The telephone lines, computer softwares and any other equipment, provided by the service providers at the centre, will be maintained by the same.
The service provider will share four per cent of gross revenue received from BSNL/MTNL or any other service provider with Indian Railways as per the existing agreement between Indian Railways and service provider.
The ITES is intended to revolutionize train enquiry system by providing hassle-free optimum customer satisfaction.
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