Four ticket vending machines installed at Dhanbad Railway station have been made operational on Wednesday.

The programme was launched as part of the Railway plan to provide relief to the people from the huge rush outside the unreserved ticketing counters by installing 5000 automatic vending machines at different A1 and A Category stations of 16 zones

Notably besides the four ticket vending machines installed at Dhanbad Railway station an AI grade station of Dhanbad division of East Central Railway, three ticket vending machines have also been installed at Koderma and Daltonganj Railway stations, the two other A grade stations of the division.

Though the installation of the machines at the concourse area of Dhanbad Railway Station were launched during August last year itself, these have been made operational today after the completion of its configuration process.

Notably as per the railway plan to install 5000 automatic ticket vending machines across the different railway stations of the country 3000 coin operated machines are to be installed which 2000 card operated machines will be installed.

Confirming the development, Avinash Kumar Pandey Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Dhanbad division said, “The Automatic Ticket Vending Machines installed at Dhanbad Railway station besides Koderma and Daltonganj have been made functional” and added that the installation work carried out as part of the passenger amenities increase drive by railway will help to control the rush outside the ticket counters to a great extent.

Talking to The Telegraph Online, Md Sohrab, former president of Purana Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Given the fact that the Dhanbad division is one of the highest revenue earning divisions of the Indian Railway such facilities should have been made much earlier at different stations of the division including at Dhanbad Railway station, but it’s better late than never

“Despite the presence of altogether 12 unreserved ticket counters at Dhanbad Railway station including 10 at main station complex near the north side and two on the south side extension centers, huge rush is witnessed outside all of these ticket counters during the morning hours between 4 to 8 am as large of number trains connecting Dhanbad to different places like Patna, Calcutta, Delhi, Gaya, Asansol, etc leave or arrive at the Dhanbad Railway station” said further said Sohrab.

He however raised the issue of encroachment of the newly developed approach road for the south side extension of Dhanbad Railway station by vegetable and fish sellers and expressed hope that the railway and district administration would clear the road for ensuring better connectivity to the people to the Railway station.