Kumbh 2019: Indian Railways launches device for generating unreserved tickets
What's the story
To facilitate the large number of pilgrims visiting the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, from all over the country, the Indian Railways has taken a number of steps. Notably, Kumbh is one of the largest and most celebrated religious fests across the world. This year, it is taking place at the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad (now, Prayagraj) from January 15 to March 4. Here's more on Railways' initiatives.
Details
The Electronic Ticket Machine makes travel easier for Kumbh pilgrims
In order to improve convenience and ease for Kumbh Mela pilgrims traveling from the Allahabad Railway station, the North Central Railway zone has launched an Electronic Ticket Machine for issuing unreserved tickets to passengers. The machine runs on a 4G SIM card and GPRS system, and can update transactions every 2-4 seconds on a local server.
Features
Features of the service
The tickets generated through the device are subsequently numbered and printed on the Railways' supplied stationery. The chip-based device works on the principles of Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) with preloaded cards, that even allow third-party sale of tickets. Further, the ticket printed by the machine also mentions the gate through which the passenger needs to enter the railway station.
Other measures
Other measures taken to handle the Kumbh Mela rush
In order to improve the convenience and safety for the large numbers of pilgrims traveling to and fro the city of Prayagraj, the Indian Railways has taken several measures. These include introduction of more than 800 special train services, installation of CCTV cameras, development of 5 new FOB and a Skywalk at the Allahabad junction, and beautification of stations. Additionally, the Rail Kumbh Seva mobile app has also been launched.