The Railways, similar to that of the Metros, will set up mechanical flap gates at stations integrated bar code scanners. This will be done to ease the stress on ticket collectors and examiners as well as smooth the progress of faster ticket checking.
To start with, the access control network, already functional in Delhi and Kolkata Metro services, will be applied where the rush of traffic is very less—at non-metropolitan stations. The software division of the Railways, CRIS, is on the task to produce the innovative flap gate system functional in Delhi Division at Brar Square station as a pilot project.
The access control network in Delhi Division at Brar Square will be operational in the coming 3 Months, claimed a Senior Railway Ministry administrator having a deep knowledge of the project. If victorious, the network will allow the Railways to cope with the shortfall of train ticket collectors and ticket examiners.
As per the network design, an encrypted QR code will be imprinted on unreserved tickets where travelers need to exit or enter through these gates for the selected station post authenticating their tickets. The mechanical flap gate system can manage faster exit or entry of travelers at the time of rush hours.
Apart from installing mechanical gates, there will be sections at the Brar Square station to offer passengers with QR-coded tickets for exit or entry. Even though the network is productively dealing with the Metro rush in Kolkata and Delhi, it has by no means been attempted in the railway network. Although Metro stations are positioned either at underground or elevated levels, railway stations are on the ground level with no margin walls.
“We select Brar station for performing the trial since the rush of passengers is partial here,” said the administrator. As an initial measure, the whole station will be fenced so that no traveler breaks out without ticket. It took almost Rs 4 Lakh to set up the mechanical gate with bar code feature. Apart from this, at ticket counters, there will be thermal printers for bar coded tickets.
Well, the new idea of mechanical gate with bar code at Railways is too interesting.
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