RailMedia

RailMedia Social Good web application to solve the problems of passengers

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Inspiration

Railways are the lifeline of transportation in a developing country like India, offering an affordable means for millions of people to travel daily. However, passengers often face numerous challenges such as unclean platforms, lack of water supply, and broken infrastructure. These issues are difficult to address from a government standpoint due to the complexity of communication with the appropriate authorities. We wanted to bridge this gap and empower passengers to directly contribute to improving their travel experience.

What It Does

To address these challenges, we built RailMedia, a web application that allows users to upload images and videos highlighting the problems they encounter during their train journeys. Users can view, like, and comment on posts made by others, creating a community-driven platform for raising awareness.

On the other side, RailMedia provides a dedicated interface for railway authorities. Authorities can access complaints specific to their stations, update the status of issues as pending, in-progress, or completed, and generate analytic reports to prioritize tasks. Users receive notifications whenever the status of their complaint changes, ensuring transparency and engagement. Visual evidence attached to the posts further aids in addressing the issues effectively.

How We Built It

RailMedia is built using React.js for a seamless and interactive user experience. We integrated Firebase Realtime Database for real-time data synchronization across users and authorities. To enhance the platform’s utility, we integrated various endpoints from RapidAPI, including PNR status, train availability, fare calculation, and a station map feature that displays locations of essential facilities such as bridges, toilets, and lifts.

Additionally, we developed a chatbot using the Gemini framework, trained specifically for the Mumbai region, to assist passengers with any queries they might have.

Challenges We Faced

One of the major challenges was gathering accurate data to create detailed station maps. Additionally, developing comprehensive dashboards for the authority side required careful planning and execution to ensure usability and effectiveness.

Accomplishments

We’re proud to have won 3rd prize in the VEC Hackathon and 2nd prize in the SOES Project Competition. These recognitions validate our efforts and the potential impact of RailMedia on improving the railway travel experience.

What We Learned

This project taught us how to manage and execute a large-scale application within a limited timeframe. We gained valuable experience in using Firebase for real-time data management and balancing the development of two distinct user interfaces—one for passengers and one for authorities.

What's Next for RailMedia

Our next goal is to collaborate with the government to implement RailMedia on a larger scale, thereby helping to resolve railway-related issues more effectively across the country.

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