The installation process of four new automatic ticket vending machines has started at Dhanbad railway station, an A1 category station of East Central Railway, which witnessed a daily footfall of more than 25 thousand passengers in the pre-pandemic period.

Installation of the machines procured as per the Railway Ministry Plan to install 5000 automatic vending machines across the 16 zones of Indian Railway is being carried out with the aim of avoiding the huge rush at the ticket counters of major railway stations on the Dhanbad division.

The pedestals for installation of the ticket vending machines have already been constructed at four different places in the concourse area of the station near the main gate of north side main campus of Dhanbad, including two on the left side of main gate and two near the unreserved ticketing system counter area.

Besides the four automatic ticket vending machines at Dhanbad station, three ATM vending machines each would be also installed at two other important stations of Dhanbad Rail division including Koderma and Daltonganj Railway stations each.

“The installation of automatic vending machines at three stations of Dhanbad division is being carried out for the passenger convenience as it would avoid overcrowding at the railway station,” said P.K. Mishra, Public Relation Officer of Dhanbad Division.

A senior level source at Dhanbad division said part of the consignment of the Automatic Ticket Vending Machines has already arrived at Dhanbad Railway Station and the installation would begin soon after the arrival of other parts and machine and its configuration.

Similar machines from Forbes Technosys Limited are already functional at Patliputra Junction of Danapur Division of East Central Railway and the four machines of the same company would be made operational after completing its configuration process.

A total of 12 Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) counters are available at Dhanbad including 10 at the main station complex on the north side and two others at south side station complex towards Purana Bazar. These counters, however, witness long queues during the rush hours, particularly during morning hours when several trains depart and arrive at Dhanbad station.

Welcoming the development, Pintu Singh, member of Zonal Railway Users Consultative committee of East Central Railway, said,“We welcome the railway decision to install Automatic Ticket Vending Machines at Dhanbad Railway Station and also two other stations of Dhanbad division as it would lessen the rush at the ticket counters of station and people would save their time also.”

Notably, as per the Railway Ministry Plan to install 5000 ticket vending machines across the country 3000 coin operated machines are to be installed while 2000 smart card operated machines are to be installed.