The city of dreams just made commuting more entertaining. Residents who commute via Mumbai local trains can now shop and watch movies, TV shows, and educational programs for free. Here’s everything you need to know. Eshita Srinivas
The hustle of Mumbai is synonymous with its local trains, which carry several lakhs of people every day. In fact, for most residents, these trains are a second home. And while it can be overwhelming to hop on one if you’re new to the city, those who rely on it for their daily commute might find the experience mundane, to say the least. However, the new “content-on-demand” initiative by the Central Railway (CR) might change that. In collaboration with Margo Network Pvt. Ltd., this “infotainment” service aims to ease access to entertainment services for commuters, free of cost.
The Mumbai local “infotainment” service does not require an internet connection
Commuters who wish to avail this service will need to download the SugarBox Network mobile application. They will then need to type in their mobile number and enter the one-time password (OTP) they receive, an official release stated. Post this step, an internet connection will not be needed to access all the entertainment shows.
Commenting on how much time people spend on the locals and the importance of access to uninterrupted digital services, Zee News quotes Anil Kumar Lahoti, General Manager of CR saying, “We witness footfalls of 45 lakh passengers daily across our suburban network during pre-covid times. Often, for commuters, this travel time is an opportunity to spend uninterrupted time on their devices. If we could empower them simply by integrating technology into our services, then it could strengthen our goal to stay future-forward and customer-centric.”
Shri Anil kumar Lahoti, GM_CRly had a first hand experience of ‘Content on Demand-Infotainment Service’ provided in 10 Suburban Local Trains by Central Railway & @SugarboxN.
This initiative by CR through Non-Fare Revenue will provide digital experience for commuters @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/Ck9kercNdj— Central Railway (@Central_Railway) February 11, 2022
Adding to this, Rohit Paranjpe, co-founder and CEO, SugarBox Networks said “Through this partnership, we aim to make Mumbai a stellar example of in-transit connectivity and make it a digitally equipped travel line.” A device has been installed on each coach of 10 trains to enable this service and work on doing the same across all 165 local trains is underway, Mint reports.
In a report by Republic World, Shivaji Sutar, CR’s spokesperson stated that the non-fare revenue of the Central Railway had grown 295 percent from April 2021 to January 2022. “This was a win-win for passengers, the railways and the service provider,” he added. This new infotainment initiative is slated to bring in INR 8.17 crore over the next five years.
Related: In April, You Can Travel From Delhi To London On A Bus
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