The city railway station will get six Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) in a move expected to provide relief to the regular railway commuters and passengers.
The new machines will be in place within a fortnight and will be New Year’s gift to railway passengers from Mysuru. “While we are confident that the ATVMs will become functional another 15 days, people can be assured that even in case of a slight delay, these machines will be operational by January 31st, 2015”, according to Mysore Divisional Railway Manager, Rajkumar Lal.
He was speaking after the Mysuru-Varanasi Express was flagged off from the city station on Thursday. Though the train was running as a premium special, its services have now been regularised. The regularised service was flagged off by the Mysore MP, Pratap Simha.
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ATVMs are a long-pending demand of the stakeholders as it eliminates the hassles of standing in lengthy queues to procure a ticket. Mr. Lal said the ATVMs would be smartcard-based.
Sources in the railway said 23 ATVMs have been sanctioned for the Mysore Division and apart from the city, it will be installed at Davanagere, Shivamogga, Arsikere, Hassan, Birur, Harihar, Haveri and Bhadravathi.
The Mysuru-Varanasi Express will depart from the city on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.20 a.m. and reach its destination on Thursdays and Saturdays at 11.50 a.m. In the return direction, the Varanasi-Mysuru Express will depart from Varanasi on Thursdays and Saturdays at 9.05 p.m. and reach Mysuru on Sundays and Tuesdays at 3 a.m. and the rake has 16 coaches.
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Chamaraja MLA Vasu and other elected representatives and senior railway officials were present.