Mumbai: Upgraded AC Waiting Lounge At LTT For Just INR 10/Hr

The Central Railways (CR) have started a new state-of-the-art air-conditioned (AC) waiting lounge at Mumbai's LTT station for a nominal fee of INR 10 per hour. It is being run under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Meanwhile, the non-AC waiting rooms for passengers remain free.

This service is restricted for the passengers who wait for their long-distance trains at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). With this, commuters will no longer have to mill around on the platforms. Moreover, railways aim to provide better passenger amenities at stations.

An official stated that the air-conditioned section of this waiting room can accommodate around 100 passengers at a time.

Reports stated that this waiting room is equipped with sofas, dining tables, cloakroom, catering facility inside the waiting room toilet and bathing (hot water), stacking of passenger luggage, mobile charging, recliner chair and WiFi facility.

Mumbai Division started PPP model waiting rooms at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus with recliner chair, mobile charging , Wi-Fi facilities etc. pic.twitter.com/fqtGN3Lvrg

— Central Railway (@Central_Railway) May 24, 2022

CR PRO Sutar said that the cost has been kept low to encourage passengers to use the lounge and not crowd the platforms, especially during peak hours. As compared to lounges at airports, the fee is pocket-friendly.

Railway officials said the waiting rooms earlier had several problems, including overcrowding and lack of facilities. The waiting rooms encountered rampant unauthorised entry and elongated usage by passengers. Overcrowding led to inadequate cooling, and available assets were always stretched to the limit, he added.

A CR official mentioned that the upgradation of Waiting Room on Renovate, Operate, Maintain and Transfer (ROMT) model of Public Private Partnership (PPP) at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus has been done by Mumbai division. The operator will have to pay INR 11,80,329 per annum as a license fee to the railway. The total contract value is INR 59,01,645 for five years.

This development comes as the Railways are currently facing a funds crunch due to a dip in revenue, the scheme is implemented under the non-fare revenue bracket.