Chennai: As machines idle, suburban railway passengers suffer

CHENNAI: Most of the automated passenger amenities like ticket vending machines, water dispensers and digital information screens are idling at city’s suburban railway stations despite high footfalls in these stations.
At West Mambalam station, all the three automatic ticket vending machines are not in working condition. While one is supposed to have been ‘fully automated’ machine, two others are to be manually operated. “They are not in working condition for a very long time,” said a lady clerk, adding, “I don’t’ know how long will they remain so.”
At Tambaram, of the four ticketing machines, two are out of order for the past many months, and a railway employee at the station said the issue had been communicated to commercial department and action awaited. Even the ATMs are in short-supply. Of the three ATMs at the main entrance, two are out of order, resulting in endless queue in front of the lone working ATM.