Patna: The railways has decided to install at least 90 additional automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) at key stations in the Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR), to help manage rising passenger footfall and reduce long queues for general tickets.Danapur senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Abhinav Siddarth said the move would enable passengers to buy tickets more conveniently and save time. At present, 54 ATVMs are operational in the division, offering unreserved short-distance journey and platform tickets, he said.The initiative comes amid increasing demand for unreserved ticketing services from daily commuters on key routes such as Buxar–Patna, Mokama–Patna, Gaya–Patna, Rajgir–Patna and Kiul–Gaya. Recently, some machines faced shortages of thermal rolls used for ticket printing. The railway administration has since replenished supplies and deployed facilitators at crowded stations to assist passengers.According to officials, the division is currently issuing around 2.6 lakh unreserved tickets daily, including those generated through ATVMs. Along with expanding the machine network, the railways has also increased the number of UTS counters at major stations to handle the passenger rush more efficiently.Welcoming the move, Bihar Daily Passenger Association general secretary Shoaib Quraishi said the additional machines would help improve ticketing convenience and reduce congestion, particularly during peak hours.
