Pre paid coupons in Railways soonMadurai:Pre paid coupons would be made available to passengers in important stations including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai,Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam in southern railway soon, top railway sources said.The official said here the coupons, in various denominations and with no extra costs,would help commuters exchange them for tickets through Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs), and also ease congestion.
The sources said the system had helped reduce queues in Western and Central railway and was successful.The CVMS would give the date and time without the intervention of the operator,like ATMs which give balance of account when account holders withdrew money."CVM is like platform ticket vending machine,instead of coins you drop coupons.Initially it would be introduced in stations where suburban trains are more," they said.The railways was now surveying the Peak time queue and drawing plans to reduce queues.Extension of e-ticketing to Petrol pumps,ATMs,Automatic ticket vending machines and smart card ticketing were becoming popular.
There was also a plan to improve the passenger amenities in Madurai Junction. A Shopping mall with public private participation,a two storey building would come near the junction. A new terminal for Dindigul trains would also come up and it would function as suburban terminus lobby for foreign tourists, e-ticketing kiosks, roof top restaurants, escalators,ramps and emergency stairs would come up as part of the station modernisation.