IMAGE: On World Tourism Day last month, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh was awarded the most tourist friendly railway station in India by the central government.
A man waits outside the entrance with a mural on the station wall behind him. Photographs: Rediff.com

IMAGE: The entrance to the station is devoid of the usual traffic jams and haphazard parking that is a common feature outside railway stations.
In 2017, Visakhapatnam was declared as the cleanest station in India. 70,000 passengers and 120 trains pass through the station every day.

IMAGE: A giant fan, which costs around Rs 4 lakh and can be seen at airports and some suburban railway stations in Mumbai, keeps passengers cool in the waiting area of the station.
Messages inform passengers about amenities provided at the station. The station has AC, Non AC and executive waiting rooms and shower facilities.

IMAGE: A food court provides meals, tiffin, snacks, tea and coffee. A cup of tea in an Indian Railways paper cup is a must! The station has a kids corner selling toys, a pharmacy, sanitary towel dispensing machine and a gaming zone.

IMAGE: Messages against the use of plastic with attractive colours are pasted on the platform. Particularly one, saying no carry bag but carry-a-bag.
The station also has mechanised equipment for cleaning and disposing waste. It has bio-degradable and non-biodegradable dustbins.

IMAGE: What is more striking than the tourist friendly badge is how clean the station is and not overflowing with passengers.
A woman in gloves and a uniformed housecoat empties the bins. The station has been lauded for its solid waste methods.

IMAGE: That morning trainee station managers dressed in white uniforms had come to the station from different parts of India as part of their orientation and training. There is a lot they can learn from this station for sure!