New Delhi: The Indian Railways plans to introduce hi-tech automatic ticket checking and fare collection system across its network. This move aims to replicate the Metro-style ticket-checking in railway stations.
The modernisation proposal, also suggests transforming automatic ticket vending machines for both long and short-shor journeys. echargeable smart cards are planned for this purpose.
The railways are considering doing away with the current practice of e-tickets on mobile phones or tablets. Instead, commuters will need a printout of tickets with barcodes, or “QR-coded tickets,” from vending mach-ines or ticket counters.
The pre-tender process has been initiated to invite bids to transform the ticketing infrastructure.
Though automatic ticket vending machines ha-ve been introduced in a limited way, the railways now do not have any automatic ticket checking mechanism. There are plans to instal automatic gates fitted with requisite validators as a ticket checking mechanism.
