NEW DELHI: From March next year, Delhi Metro users will not require to purchase a token or smart card for their daily commute. The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) is upgrading Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates across its stations to deduct the fare amount of travel directly from the bank account of the customers, officials told this newspaper.
The corporation has planned to link AFC gates with National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) and travellers having the card will be able to enjoy this facility. RuPay debit card is used under the NCMC.
Besides, the AFC gates will be equipped with the options of QR code scanner and Near Field Communication (NFC).
On existing stations, two AFC gates each at the entry and exit of Phases I, II & III will be installed with NCMC-compliant specifications by the end of March 2023, according to the officials. However, the feature will be installed at all AFC gates of Phase IV metro stations.
“Around 3,300 AFC gates of phases I, II and III and about 350 gates in Phase 4 stations (all gates) will be installed with the NCMC feature. This will involve the change of software in all existing AFCs and the installation of new gates of Phase 4 with new software. The process will also involve some updation of the hardware,” a senior DMRC official said.
Another official said that the facility can be started first on a trial basis on select Phase III metro stations first before a complete roll-out. Earlier this year, the DMRC entered into a pact with two private technology firms Thales and PayTM bank who will execute the NCMC implementation and upgrade the AFC system, according to officials.
The NCMC card facility is already running on the 23-km-long Airport Express Line which connects New Delhi to Dwarka Sector 2. The senior official said the NCMC could be implemented on the Airport Express Line earlier since the high-speed line has a different ticketing system.
