OREANDA-NEWS. May 16, 2011. The Minister of Railways, Mamata Banerjee, has released ‘Rail Bandhu’ – an onboard magazine of Indian Railways here today. Also present on the occasion were Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vivek Sahai and other senior officers of the Ministry of Railways.

Rail Bandhu is a unique magazine to be distributed free on Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express trains and AC coaches of Duranto Express trains. It is for reading purpose only. The magazine was conceptualized with the specific purpose of bringing the Railways closer to its main customers – the passengers. It is a bid to make the people of India aware of the fast changing face of Indian Railways. People from all walks of life travel by train and this magazine will reflect the spirit of the traveller, his aspirations in an emergent India and his connect with the changing world. The Indian Railway is a cultural entity, a microcosm of India’s story and needs to be represented through a medium which will cover all its facets collectively.

The magazine, ‘Rail Bandhu’, will include an off the beaten track section which would be dedicated to those destinations which are accessible only by rail. Luxury trains being run by Indian Railways would also feature in some issues of this magazine. This magazine will also cover a pilgrimage destination in all issues. As adventure tourism is a fast growing industry and Indian Railways has played a large part in its growth by simply providing fast, easy and affordable connectivity, the magazine, ‘Rail Bandhu’, will cover spots for adventure tourism in every issue.

This onboard magazine of Indian Railways will cover heritage Railways and buildings in great details in each issue to increase the awareness of the rail traveler about the vast history and heritage of Indian Railways besides reflecting the modern aspects of the Railways. This magazine will also have a Railways and Cinema section in which famous film personalities will be interviewed about the memorable railway journeys undertaken by them.

In addition, a significant part of the magazine will consist of Railway news including projects, policies and schemes being undertaken. One zone will be covered every month, railway heroes - people who have made a difference, will also be a regular feature. FAQs will also form part of these pages to address the queries of the passengers about the railways.

For the execution of the magazine, an editorial board has been formed. It comprises of Shri Shivaprasana, Chairman Passenger Amenities Committee, Shri Derek O’Brien, Chairman Passenger Services Committee, Shri V.K. Jain, CCM/G/NR, Smt. Seema Sharma, Director Information & Publicity Railway Board (who is also coordinator for the Editorial Board) and Kalyani M.R., Editor Indian Railway magazine. The editorial team which shall assist the editorial board, publish, and design the magazine is from M/s CMYK Printech.