News

Tech soon to be common sight in India's railway stations

August 28, 2003

HYDERABAD, India -- A few months from now, railway commuters may be able to say goodbye to long lines, at least in the major metropolitan areas, thanks to ticket-vending machines and unmanned kiosks.

According to a report in The Economic Times, ticket collectors sporting PDAs, and handheld printers could also become a common sight at the stations.

R&D group CMC, which designed the computerized railway reservation system a decade back, is now gearing up to roll out server solutions that will help the Indian railways bring about a transformation in ticketing operations.

CMC's plans are to have the kiosks, coin-vending machines and mobile ticketing launched by mid-2004. The solutions are being tested with the railways.

The kiosk ticketing machines will enable commuters to use debit and credit cards, while vending machines will deal with cash, the report said.