Chennai Citizen Connect: Out-of-service ticketing machine holds up passengers from timely commute at Egmore

CHENNAI: As a major terminal for the city, the Egmore Railway Station sees thousands of passengers every day, along with many commuters via the local trains. Installed to ease the commuter experience, the Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) now stands defunct at the ticketing centre of the station's EVR Periyar Salai entrance.

Of the two machines installed at the city terminal, one of them has been non-operational for a while now. This inconvenience crowds the station's manual ticketing queue and holds up the travellers at the lone functioning unit, delaying everyone's journey.

The Egmore station is the second major terminal under the Southern Railway and handles an average peak-hour footfall of about 24,000. Ticketing queues grow considerably during peak hours, troubling those in a hurry to board trains.

When DT Next visited the station during non-peak hours, a railway staff member was seen assisting passengers with ticket bookings at the working ATVM. Even at non-peak hours, several commuters were waiting for their turn.

"If the other ATVM were functional, passengers could book tickets themselves and carry on without waiting in long queues. Many also prefer using the machine for convenience," said Hemanath, a regular commuter.

Another woman passenger pointed out that the ticket counter is located some distance from the platforms. "Often, people have to rush to catch their trains. Having another working machine would save precious minutes," she said.

A senior railway official at the Egmore station said a technician had visited to carry out repairs but left due to the unavailability of certain equipment. "The machine will be repaired soon and restored for public use," the official assured.