Indian Railways to introduce ATMs on trains

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New Delhi, October 5:: Withdraw money while traveling in trains. Indian Railways are planning to install ATMs in selected trains.

"We already have ATMs in many stations. Now, as a further step, we are planning to install ATMs in some trains as a pilot project," said a senior railway ministry official.

"We are in discussion with some banks to finalize the ATM project", said the official adding a feasibility study is also being commissioned to study the proposed ATM plan.

In the first phase, ATMs would be installed in popular trains and later on depending upon the success of the facility it would be extended to other trains.

Beside ATMs in trains and platforms, railways are planning to install about 6,000 automatic ticket vending machines across the country, beginning with Mumbai and Bangalore, selling platform tickets and unreserved train tickets. Installation of ATVMs would help reduce the rush at ticket counters of daily passengers.

However, trains passing through Naxal-affected areas are not being considered for ATM facility for security reasons, the railway official said.

"We have strengthened security measures at railway stations and trains by deploying explosive detection devices, doorframe metal detectors, CCTV and smart video cameras at sensitive stations. Besides acquiring modern security gadgets our dog squads have also been strengthened as there is a need for deploying sniffer dogs at stations", he said.

Steps have been initiated to operate Global Positioning System (GPS) in trains to improve our trains tracking system. A GPS-based system for rail navigation has been planned in coordination with IIT Kanpur. The system provides real time tracking system using GPS.

Beside ATMs and ATVMs, Railway Ministry is planning a major upgradation of entertainment in some inter-city superfast trains.