KOCHI: In a bid to boost Centre’s Digital India initiative, the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad Railway divisions have installed point of sale (PoS) machines at ticket reservation counters in various railway stations to allow passengers to use their debit/credit cards for booking tickets.
The Thiruvananthapuram division has installed three PoS machines each at Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram stations. They were installed in addition to the one PoS machine installed at each station.
Senior railway officers said the division will also install PoS machines at 28 stations under it, which include Chengannur, Thripunithuira, Chalakkudi, Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Aluva and Angamaly stations. “We have written to banks concerned for installing PoS machines at reservation counters in the first phase and at unreserved counters later,” the officer added.
Railways informed that SBI had been mandated to install 10,000 PoS machines at various locations of Indian Railways. In the wake of the decision, the Palakkad division also introduced additional PoS machines (one each) at Kozhikode and Mangalore Central Passenger Reservation Centres with SBI’s support.
The machines have been installed in addition to the already functional machines at the centres.
PoS machines will also be provided at 20 stations of the railway division.
These include the Pollachi, Palakkad Town, Palakkad Junction, Ottappalam, Shoranur, Angadippuram, Malappuram, Tirur, Feroke, Satellite Passenger Reservation Centre Counter at the Kozhikode Medical College, Wayanad, Badagara, Mahe, Tellicherry, Kannur, Payyannur, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Mangaluru Junction and also at the Mangaluru Satellite Counter (functions near Mangalore Corporation Office) within three days, added the senior railway officer.