Automatic ticket-vending machines to come up at city railway station

Tribune News Service

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Bathinda, January 27

In a move to reduce heavy rush on ticket counters at the Bathinda railway station, the authorities have been planning to install automatic ticket-vending machines.

Railway officials believe that these machines will prove to be helpful for passengers as well as visitors in purchasing platform tickets. The move can also prove to be a boon for people, who are facing a cash crunch, as they can purchase their tickets through debit cards.

However, it may be a challenge for the authorities to make the people aware of these machines so that they can operate these without any difficulty.

With a limited number of ticket windows, a large number of passengers are facing difficulties in getting tickets. They have to wait for long for the same.

Touch-screen ticket-vending machines will be installed at different points of the station to provide convenience to the visitors and passengers who want to purchase tickets.

The tickets can also be purchased by using ATM or debit cards. Apart from this, passengers can also get a smart card issued from the ticket-window clerks after depositing the requisite amount. The card can also be recharged.

Officials of the Bathinda railway station have decided to wait for a few more months to install these machines. They have also proposed to widen the area for passengers visiting the station to purchase the ticket or to get any information.

For this, the authorities have got an approval to shift the ticket counter a few more yards back.

“It was a prolonged demand of passengers to provide more windows for general tickets at the railway station. So it was decided to install three automatic ticket-vending machines. We have already received directions to give a new look to the station and install state-of-the-art automatic machines,” said Ram Swaroop Meena, Station Superintendent, Bathinda.