Raiganj, Dec. 11 -- In an effort to ease the huge crowds in front of the ticket counter, three Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) were installed on Platform No. 1 of Raiganj Railway Station on November 21. The machines allow passengers to purchase unreserved tickets for local trains through digital payment. However, even after 18 days of installation, the machines remain largely unused as most passengers are reportedly unaware of how to operate them.
Raiganj station currently has only one ticket counter catering to a heavy rush of passengers, especially before the arrival of trains. Long queues are a daily scene, often resulting in passengers missing trains. The ATVMs were introduced to mitigate this problem and offer a faster, hassle-free ticketing option. However the lack of digital literacy among passengers has posed a significant hurdle. According to a source, a majority of the passengers at Raiganj station come from rural areas where familiarity with digital payment systems is still limited. Many passengers have expressed difficulty in operating the new machines and have urged Railway authorities to appoint digital guides who can help them use it.
Atanu Bandhu Lahiri, General Secretary of the Raiganj Merchants' Association and a member of the Railway Consultative Committee of NF Railway's Katihar Division, said: "Most passengers here are from rural backgrounds and are not accustomed to using ticket vending machines. They need guidance. We have requested the railway authorities to appoint a technical staff member for a certain period to teach passengers how to obtain tickets through digital payment. The officials are considering the proposal."
Dipak Kumar Kshetri, Chief Ticket Collector of Raiganj station, informed that advertisements have already been issued for the recruitment of seven operators who will assist passengers in using the ATVMs and stated: "Once deployed, passengers will be able to obtain unreserved tickets easily through these machines. Then the queue in front of the ticket counter will decline."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.