Central Railway (CR) authorities have made a significant decision to open all ticket booking counters at Nagpur Railway Station on Friday. This came as a pleasant surprise for passengers, who had grown accustomed to only two counters being functional. With the festive season in full swing and more people opting for offline bookings, the additional counters are expected to reduce waiting times and make the process smoother.
Welcoming the move, Basant Shukla, Secretary of Bharatiya Yatri Kendra (BYK), said they had repeatedly urged the administration to increase the number of counters from two to at least three. Earlier, only one counter handled both digital and cash payments, leading to long queues. Now that all five booking windows are operational, travellers are enjoying a much smoother booking experience. Shukla expressed hope that this arrangement would continue throughout the year. Previously, only two counters were functional on the western side of the station, causing significant inconvenience to passengers relying on offline bookings.
One of the challenges with QR code payments is that refunds for cancellations take a long time to process. In contrast, cash payments only involve clerical deductions, and the remaining amount is refunded promptly, which encourages more travelers to opt for offline bookings.
Initially, to promote digital payments, the railways operated only two booking windows, with one exclusively reserved for VIPs and senior citizens. As a result, only one counter was available for the general public, making cash transactions slower despite digital payments being processed quickly.
Recognizing these issues, BYK had requested the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) and Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Sr. DCM) to open more counters, at least during the festive season, to manage the increased rush. When several windows remained non-functional, many passengers missed their trains due to long queues delaying their access to the counter.
Moreover, the clerk at the QR payment window often sat idle, while the cash counter saw heavy crowds. This discrepancy was also brought to the administration’s attention by CRMS and NRMU, two registered railway unions, Shukla noted. Now, it remains to be seen whether the decision to open all counters will be a temporary measure or a permanent solution.