Indian Railways, on its journey to provide world-class facilities to its customers, have added another feather to its hat. On November 17, the Ministry of Railways introduced its first-ever Pod retiring rooms at Mumbai Central Railway Station. In a tweet, Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State for Railways & Textiles, said, “Happy to share that Ministry of Railways introduces India’s first-ever POD retiring rooms at Mumbai Central Railway Station. Enjoy the luxury and amenities of a hotel room in compact form at affordable prices with these Pod retiring rooms.”
Happy to share that @RailMinIndia introduces India’s first ever Pod retiring rooms at Mumbai Central Railway Station.
— Darshana Jardosh (@DarshanaJardosh) November 17, 2021
Enjoy the luxury and amenities of a hotel room in compact form at affordable prices with these Pod retiring rooms. pic.twitter.com/hKIQrUzzjZ
The Pod Hotel was virtually inaugurated by Raosaheb Patil Danve, Union Minister of State for Railways. IRCTC, in a tweet, said that this state-of-the-art POD concept would provide a much-needed travel solution to railway passengers.
— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) November 17, 2021
Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, was also present during the inauguration. Western Railways, in a tweet, said, “Passengers can avail all modern facilities at comparatively cheaper rates at these Pod concept rooms.”
Hon. Minister of State for Railways, Coal & Mines Shri @raosahebdanve inaugurates the state-of-the-art ‘POD’ concept Retiring Room at Mumbai Central station.
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) November 17, 2021
Passengers can avail all modern facilities at comparatively cheaper rates at these Pod concept rooms.@RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/c9ui1t98E1
The POD hotel covers around 3,000 square feet of space on the first floor of the Mumbai Central Railway Station. It has 48 Capsule Rooms categorized in different categories. 30 PODs are in the classic category, seven are reserved for women, ten have been designated as private PODs, and one is available for differently-abled passengers. While classic and women-only PODs can accommodate one passenger, the private POD has extra room. In the POD for differently-abled passengers, two guests can fit in, and there is space for easy movement of the wheelchair.
PODs can be booked for Rs. 999 for 12 hours and Rs. 1,999 for 24 hours. The private POD is available for Rs. 1,249 for 12 hours and Rs. 2,499 for 24 hours. In the hotel premises, the guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi along with other facilities like washrooms, showers, and a common area. In each air-conditioned POD, there will be a television, mobile charging points, and reading lights.
The POD hotel is equipped with smoke detectors. All PODs have DND indicators to ensure privacy.
What are POD rooms?
POD Rooms or best known as Capsule Rooms were first started in Osaka, Japan, in 1979. In recent times, it has gained popularity across the world. Various countries, including China, Belgium, Hong Kong, Iceland, Poland and India, have such hotels. In India, it was first started by a company named Urbanpod in Mumbai. PODs are basically small rooms in the shape of a pod or a capsule. These PODs are best suited for short duration stay for single guests and are becoming popular as they take lesser space compared to conventional hotel rooms.
