To regulate the flow of passengers and boost security, the Western Railway (WR) has installed biometric token machines at Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus.
Railway Protection Force personnel have been deputed to operate the machines and issue tokens to passenger travelling in general compartments. Tokens are issued one hour before the scheduled departure of long-distance trains. Passengers have to queue up near the gate of the general compartment five minutes before the arrival of the train. Their fingerprints are then scanned before issuing the tokens.
Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR, said the new system would provide relief to passengers and prevent jumping of queues. He said, “We plan to procure an advanced version of this machine, which will be able to capture photos along with the fingerprints of passengers. This will further streamline the flow of passengers and act as a strong deterrent to criminals. The next batch of machines will be installed at major stations in Ahmedabad and Mumbai divisions.”
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Two machines each have been installed at Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus as they cater to the bulk of the long-distance passenger trains on WR. S.R. Gandhi, senior divisional security commissioner, WR, Mumbai division, said they implemented the system for a month on select trains at each station. He said, “Passengers are happy with the system as it is transparent. It also deters thieves who purchased unreserved tickets as it did not require them to give their personal details.”