Indian Railway decides to continue facilitator scheme

Indian Railways on Friday decided to continue, till March 31, 2017, its facilitator scheme which was ending this month, an official statement said.

Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) were introduced to facilitate passengers in getting unreserved tickets without manual intervention. In the initial phase, to popularise the use of smart cards and to make the general public accustomed to using the ATVMs, the scheme for facilitators was introduced, the statement said.

Initially, instructions for engaging facilitators on Central and Western Railways were issued and subsequently all zonal railways were allowed to engage facilitators, it said.

The scheme has been reviewed from time to time and extensions were given on annual basis. The last extension has been given up to March 31, 2016.

"Based on the feedback received from zonal Railways a decision to continue with the scheme up to March 31, 2017 has been taken," the statement added.