Central station is the first silent station in the country to do away with public announcements.
What’s it about? There was something unusual about Central station on Sunday as it said farewell to public service announcements. Like some airports, the station has opted for more display boards and inquiry booths. For the disabled, braille maps and QR codes will guide them. The response has been mixed from passengers.
- The station now has large digital display screens with information in Tamil, Hindi, and English at its three entry points. The concourse areas also have 40-60 inch digital boards.
- The public announcement (PA) system will continue for suburban trains. The move is being done as an experiment with the same rule applying to ads. For persons with disabilities, the QR code will take them to a sign language video.
Response: For some, the absence of the system didn’t make a difference since passengers generally look at the display boards for departure and arrival times. R Pandiyaraja, a former member of the Southern Railway Users’ Consultative Committee, said it’s too early to adopt such a move, and rail passengers can’t be equated with airlines.