RailEnquiry

Kochi: Got confused over how to get tickets via the new Automatic Ticket Vending machines and don’t want to stand in the long queue? Get the aid of railway ‘facilitators’.  
The railways has deployed ex-service personnel to help commuters get tickets from the ATM after it found out that a majority of the commuters did not know how to operate it.  
“Though many wanted to use the ATMS and avoid rush in the queue, especially during the peak hours, they were not adept at handling the machines. We’ve deployed two facilitators for every machines at all the five stations where the ATMs were installed,” said Area Manager (Thiruvananthapuram Division) P L Ashok Kumar.  
The Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATM) is a touch screen kiosk which issues unreserved tickets and platform tickets to passengers with a smart card. Two machines were installed at five major stations – Thiruvananthapuram Central, Ernakulam, Junction, Kottayam, Thrissur and Aluva.  
Those who don’t have recharge cards can get the tickets via the cards of the facilitators. Only thing is that a nominal amount should be given to them for each ticket. The facilitators are deployed on a temporary basis till the commuters get familiar with the
ATMs, first installed by the Southern railways across the country.   “Now over 1000 tickets are daily being sold via the ATMs,” Kumar said. Meanwhile, the first of the six escalators, that for main platform 1, was set up at the South station on Friday night. “The lift provided by Johnson consortium was imported from China and has sensors to detect overcapacity, gas leak and danger alert among others.”