Mumbai: Train fare hike brings down ticketing systems

As the clock ticked over to midnight on December 31, ticketing system at the counters of suburban stations went kaput, inconveniencing Mumbaikars. Officials said the malfunction was caused during a software update to incorporate the hike in fares across the network, excluding suburban trains.

The malfunction was brief at most stations, said an official, adding that only a few stations, including Churchgate where the changes were not automatically adapted faced difficulty. These ticket counters were back on track by 5 am, once the update ended.

Systems malfunctioned even though the Centre for Railway Information Systems, Indian Railways's IT arm, tested the software two hours in advance.

M Bose, a commuter, said, "There were several New Year revellers, and more people were buying tickets as suburban trains were running throughout the night. I wanted to go to Andheri and there was chaos at the booking counter [at Churchgate]. The person at the counter issued me a manual ticket, with details scribbled on an 'excess fare sheet'."

The railway officials, however, said the glitch did not affect many people as most suburban passengers use season tickets, etc.

"There were no losses and the problem was limited to ticket counters only. We issued manual ticket slips and used back up terminals to ease the pressure," a senior commercial official said.

The railways on Tuesday announced a two paise/km hike in fares of mail/express non-AC trains and four paise/km hike in the fares of AC classes, effective Jan 1, 2020. The suburban passengers were left out of the hike keeping the "affordability concerns of daily commuters", the railways said.

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