Now, punch your railway coupons while you 'skywalk'

Authorities will be installing coupon vending machines in the skywalks at railway stations, to ensure the convenience of passengers, who have all but abandoned them

In a bid to encourage more passengers to use the skywalks at the city's railway stations, the railway authorities have decided to purchase and install coupon validating machines (CVMs) at the skywalks.


Easy way out: Officials claim that once the CVM machines are
installed on the skywalks passengers will be able obtain tickets while
u00a0taking the skywalk to the platform directly. File pic

The city's railway authorities have been wracking their brains over the last few months, to find a way to attract more passengers for the many expensive skywalks situated at railway stations across the city, which have been all but abandoned by railway passengers.

At a meeting held last week at Borivli with the state railway minister K H Muniyappa, passengers cited the absence of CVMs from the skywalks as one of the primary reasons for the cold shoulder received by passengers.

The common reason cited by pedestrians for abandoning the skywalks is that they have to descend from the skywalks in order to buy tickets, and end up taking circuitous routes to the platforms. Once the new machines are installed, passengers will be able obtain tickets while taking the skywalk to the platform, directly.

Ramesh Jadhav, a regular passenger from Vasai Road said, "This is a welcome move. I like taking the skywalk, but I am in marketing, and have to pass through many railway stations. Instead of buying tickets, I keep CVM coupons with me. I don't use the skywalks simply because it is inconvenient to come down, punch my coupons, and go back up on the skywalk, and then get down again at the platform."

Rima Raghvendra, a bank employee at Bandra, echoed Jadhav's sentiments, saying, " I hardly see any passengers using the skywalks. This will be extremely helpful during the monsoons. I am sure that hundreds of passengers will use the skywalks every day, once the machines are installed. In most of the stations, booking offices are located far from the skywalks, and so passengers avoid them," she said.

This is also strategic move made by the railway authorities, which has been raking in more and more money through sale of railway coupon booklets. The Central Railway (CR) has installed 175 CVM machines at its various stations, and is making sales worth Rs 19.6 lakh approximately daily.

As many as eight skywalks have been constructed by CR authorities in its stations, and plans are on to purchase more CVM machines. Western Railway (WR) has 230 CVM machines installed at its stations, collectively making earnings of Rs 14 lakh every day.

The authorities have planned to purchase as many as 250 new CVM machines for its six skywalks.u00a0
A spokesperson for the Central and Western Railway confirmed the plan, saying, "There is a huge demand for CVM machines at the skywalks. We are working on the plans and things will be finalised soon."

The MMRDA has planned 60 skywalks, almost all of which would be connected to railway stations. At present, the skywalks are located at Grant Road, Bandra, Santacruz, Andheri, Borivli, Kanjurmarg, Mulund, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan stations.u00a0