MUMBAI: For quite some time now, local train commuters in Mumbai are having a torrid time. Not due to the vigilant security screening or the constant fear of another terrorist strike, but due to the serpentine queues formed outside various ticket counters across all major stations. People have to stand in queue for at least 10-15 minutes in most circumstances and often longer if they are out of luck.

The problem arises due to burgeoning numbers of travelers (over 6 million daily according to estimates) and not enough number of ticket counters. To compound the issue, journey ticket coupons system has stopped functioning for sometime now. This system had been launched with much fanfare a couple of years back, and like most of the projects by government agencies, it just stopped working one fine day.

To be fair, the system was beset with problems from the very onset, most of the coupon validating machines across many stations were quite cumbersome for the layman to operate, and often not in operable itself. There was also the belief that the authorities had not installed substantial number of machines, to be of any impact. Nevertheless quite many commuters used the system to escape the long queues.

“Travel has become a bane on the local trains, not only are they choc-a-block, but now one has to wait for quite sometime to buy tickets. It leads to much wastage of time,” says one commuter, Abhijit Deb.

Indeed a bulk of the regular commuters on the Mumbai local trains travel on season tickets, that are quite economical, less than one-third the total cost of travel. Pranai Prabhakar, chief public relations officer, Western Railway, estimates that around 70 per cent of the travelers use season tickets, while around 2-3 per cent were using journey coupons.

“The contract for the maintenance of machines had expired in 2003. We had floated a tender and hopefully within a month the coupon system would resume,” said Prabhakar.

Will there be some innovation over the earlier system? There would not be much, admits Prabhakar. The commuters in Mumbai are also eagerly awaiting the debut of SMS-based ticketing system.

“IRCTC is working on the SMS-based ticketing system but it is in pilot stage. If I am not wrong, the project is being tested somewhere in the southern India. It could take up to two years for the project to make a commercial appearance,” says Prabhakar.

Thus, Mumbai commuters could heave a sigh of relief and there could be a few less people in the queues. But, as it would be more or less the same old system, with same kind of issues that will make a reappearance, don't expect much; incase you imprudently did.

© CyberMedia News