The Kolkata Metro has launched a new ticketing system on the East-West Corridor that uses QR codes on paper tickets instead of tokens. This is an experiment to see if it can reduce the problem of missing tokens, which is a common complaint among passengers.
Kolkata Metro Update: Kolkata Metro has launched a new ticketing system on the East-West Corridor that uses QR codes on paper tickets instead of tokens. This is an experiment to see if it can reduce the problem of missing tokens. The QR code tickets are available at the counter at Sealdah Metro station and can be used to travel to any station on the East-West Corridor. If the experiment is successful, the system may be expanded to other lines, as per a report carried by news agency ANI.
Kolkata Metro’s Problem Of Missing Tokens
“The problem of missing tokens will cease to exist. We noticed that some people did not return their tokens. Every month we lost approximately one thousand tokens. Secondly, the maintenance and downtime will be reduced to a large extent,” Soumitra Biswas (Principal Chief Operations Manager) of Kolkata Metro said speaking to ANI on Wednesday.
How Paper-Based Tickets Will Be A Major Boon
Soumitra Biswas added that tokens are much more expensive than paper-based tickets and this new ticketing system will help in bringing down costs. Speaking on reducing manpower, he said, “Manpower will not be reduced. This is because these paper tokens will be given from machines and counters as well.”
“With this, the maintenance cost will come down,” he said.
When Will Paper-Based Ticketing Start
“The paper-based QR code ticketing system will start only at Sealdah station on an experimental basis. If is this successful Kolkata metro will start this system throughout East West Metro Corridor (Green line, Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake sector 5),” Kaushik Mitra, Chief Public Relations Officer Metro Railway said to ANI on Wednesday. The green line is operational from Sealdah to Salt Lake Sector 5 at present.
Kolkata Metro: Route Wise Ticket Applicability Details
Mitra informed that the QR tickets may also be introduced in the North-South corridor in the Blue Line (Kabi Subhash to Dakshineswar) and Purple Line (Joka to Taratalla) as well.
“One can enter and exit the gates by scanning these codes. There will be no problem and less costs. It is user-friendly,” Mitra said listing out the advantages of the QR tickets.
Speaking about tokens that were used as tickets, he said, “Tokens will be there along with a QR paper code.”
On future developments in the field of Metro travel, Mitra said, “In future, we will be working on saving time so that one does not need to stand in queues at the counter. We will be making this available in the Automatic Smart Card Recharge Machine.”
Moreover, the Kolkata Metro has upgraded all of its AFC-PC gates on the East-West Corridor to support the new paper-based QR code ticketing system. The Metro authorities are closely monitoring passenger feedback and will expand the system to cover the entire corridor if it is successful during the trial period.
(With inputs from ANI)