Railway smart card price hiked by Rs20

The railways have decided to raise the one-time security deposit that is collected on purchase of the Automated Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) smart card from Rs30 to Rs50.

While the railway board has finalised the decision, the date of implementation is yet to be announced as changes are still being made in the ticketing software.

“The decision has been taken following the increase in the cost of the smart card. The one-time security deposit has been raised by Rs20,’’ a senior official said.
He added that once the Centre for Railway Information Systems, the IT wing of Indian Railways, made the software changes, they would advise all the zonal railways the date from which the new rates would come into effect.

The ATVM card has been a hit with Mumbai’s 7 million commuters. To encourage the use of independently operated machines, the Central Railway has manned a few of them with railway employees who act as facilitators.

Till recently, smart cards were just applicable to suburban train stations, but now their use has been extended further in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, by extending its use to mainline electric trains and diesel multiple unit shuttle trains that run along the city’s periphery.