ER installs 34 ATVM, 48 unreserved ticketing system counters at Howrah station
The Statesman | 26 August 2024
Eastern Railways has installed 34 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVM) and 48 unreserved ticketing system counters for quick issuance of tickets at Old and New Complex of Howrah Station. Howrah Station is not only known for its iconic station building but at the same time is an important transportation hub in the eastern region of the country. Handling both suburban and non-suburban traffic, a total of 169 pairs of local trains and 58 mail/express trains originate from Old Complex, 73 down and 74 up local trains and 23 mail/express trains from New Complex of Howrah are operated every day.
According to the zonal railway office, it has been noticed that passengers of the suburban section are always in rush. Considering the fact, the ER has installed 34 ATVMs and 48 UTS to meet the huge demand and aim to dispense the queue within two to three minutes. For enabling passengers to get early access to the coaches both reserved and unreserved, 159 coach indication boards in Old and New Complex of the station have been installed.
As the Howrah station is the terminal station where passengers from various cities across the country reach at different times, retiring rooms have been set up with four rooms, 49 seating arrangements at Old Complex and 23 rooms and 70 seating arrangements in the New Complex. For security, the station has an X-Ray baggage scanner, two parcel scanners , sniffer dog squad, security help booth and CCTV surveillance system.
In addition, for maintaining hygiene and cleanliness, Howrah station mechanized cleaning has been arranged with six scrubber machines and high pressure jets utilized for cleaning of pit lines and special night cleaning. Notably, Howrah Railway Station, the largest in the country in terms of number of platforms, has been awarded CII-IGBC Platinum rating under the Indian Green Building Council, Green Railway Stations Rating System, for incorporating some of the finest green buildings features and passengerfriendly features such as installation of station rooftops, water management, rain water harvesting, mechanised cleaning, segregated Garbage accumulation point , solid waste management, fresh air ventilation, universal accessibility and first and last mile connectivity.