The Hindu : New Delhi News : Vending machines soon for platform tickets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Vending machines soon for platform tickets

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI, JUNE 29. The entire railway paraphernalia seems to be heading for a change. After introduction of "kullads" and much cleaner platforms, New Delhi railway station will soon have vending machines for issuing platforms tickets, and that too at 50 per cent cheaper rates. The move is aimed at not only providing relief to people from standing in long queues outside the station but also adding to the revenues of Northern Railway being earned under this head.

Though the idea was mooted by Nitish Kumar, the predecessor of the Railway Minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, but it seems that the latter had scored points over his political rival. Since assuming office at Rail Bhawan, Mr. Yadav has been very keen on refurbishing the facilities as well as the image of New Delhi railway station. And the installation of new vending machines here is also one of his priorities. Northern Railway has started the process of acquiring the new ticket vending machines that are likely to start functioning at New Delhi railways station from August this year. "Initially, over 20 new machines will be installed at various key locations at the station premises to issue platform tickets. To get a ticket, people will have to insert a two-rupee coin into the machine to get an entry ticket containing information about their bodyweight as well as their day's astrological forecast," said a senior Railway official.

The machines will be kept on one-month trial basis and railway employees will be deputed at every machine to assist people and tackle any problem they might face while using it. "We will take feedback from people and try to know if they faced any problem in operating the machine. We will also look for any technical flaw in these machines. Only after examining its functioning and assuring that their operation is foolproof, we will go for installation of these machines at other locations and railway stations, including Old Delhi and Nizamuddin," he informed.

Senior Railway authorities hope that more and more people visiting railway stations might start taking platform tickets which they had been avoiding till now because either they had to stand in long queues or it was priced at Rs.3 per ticket. "These machines will be installed at various key and convenient locations outside stations like parking lots, inquiry counters, eating joints and entrance so that they can have easy access to these vending machines," he added.

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