India’s First Blind-Friendly Train Will Chug off from Mysuru Today

The Mysuru Railway Station, which has the distinction of becoming the first visually challenged-friendly railway station in India, is in the news again.

India’s first Braille-embedded train, which runs between Mysuru and Varanasi, will depart from the Mysuru Railway Station on Tuesday.

Mysuru-Varanasi Express(Train No.16229/16230) which chugs out today from Mysuru, will become 1st completely Braille-embedded Indian train.

— Disability Affairs (@socialpwds) January 26, 2016

The railway station had recently installed navigation maps in Braille to guide visually challenged people to reach platforms.

According to a report, all the bogies of train no. 16229 / 16230 Mysuru – Varanasi Express, which leaves Mysuru for Varanasi on Tuesdays and Thursdays, have been provided with metallic Braille signages inside the coaches. These indicate the location of alarm pull chains, toilets, emergency windows, and berth numbers, for the convenience of the visually challenged.

This initiative has been funded by Mysuru Member of Parliament Pratap Simha through his Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund.

Photo source: Twitter

The South Western Railway wants to extend the facility to Mysuru-Talaguppa, Mysuru-Tirupati, Mysuru-Mayilatuthurai Express trains, before the end of March.

Divisional Railway Manager Rajkumar Lal told the New Indian Express, “I can see many of visually challenged people struggle and ask others for directions to ticket counters, platforms, railway coaches, and seats. It took Rs. 2 lakh and two months to get the train fitted with Braille signage by a Bengaluru-based company.”

The Puri-Delhi Purushottam Express was the first train to have a Braille-embedded coach. However, the Mysuru-Varanasi Express is the first train in the country in which all coaches are Braille-embedded.

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