Commuters want facilitators to be appointed for ATVMs in railway stations for making better usage
The Southern Railway has installed new automated ticket vending machines (ATVMs) in several railway stations in and around to relieve the commuters from waiting at the ticket counters, but the railway administration has to post persons to issue tickets as ATVMs are lying idle in several railway stations, point out commuters.
The suburban train services, being a preferred option for thousands of commuters on the west and south sections, on any given day the ticket counters in most of the railway stations are crowded resulting in long queues during peak hours.
To alleviate the problem, the Southern Railway had introduced two kinds of digital ticketing including Unreserved Ticketing system (UTS) app and ATVMs. These ATVMs dispensed tickets through the smart cards but had poor reception from commuters as they found it easier to stand in queues to purchase the tickets than operating the machines. To overcome this, the Southern Railway deputed retired railway men to issue tickets for which they were paid commission through the smart cards. However, in several railway stations the absence of persons to man the ATVMs resulted in the counters remaining crowded.
Social activist K.S. Gopalakrishnan said the residents have been requesting for two round the-clock ticket counters in Pattabhiram railway station which witnessed heavy passenger population daily instead of the one counter being operated but have installed one ATVM, which is of no use. If a person is deputed, the ATVM would be useful as commuters do not have the smart card to get the tickets, he added.
While the ATVMs have become a smart way to beat the queue where persons are available including in Moore market station, Egmore, Mambalam, Avadi and Perambur, the ATVMs remain unused in several railway stations where there are no persons. Some of the railway stations where ATVMs remain idle are Chintadripet, Thirumayilai, Velachery, Basin Bridge and Saidapet.
A senior official of Southern Railway said the Chennai Division as part of enhancing passenger convenience has installed 128 (ATVMs) across 61 railway stations and have appointed 86 facilitators consisting of retired railway employees and general public. “We are calling for facilitators to operate the ATVMs regularly and whenever any person applies for it we appoint them in vacant railway stations,” the official added.
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