Railways strengthen mechanism to check QR codes on suburban train network

QR code to be mandatory in WR from September, says DRM of WR 

@hepzia

Mumbai: Amidst talks of opening up of railway services for all, the Mumbai suburban railways have strengthened mechanisms for mandatory QR code E-passes to access suburban railway networks. 

The Central Railway stated that they had already placed a QR monitoring system at 15 stations to check QR code, while the Western Railway stated that they had already installed a QR-checking system at Churchgate. 

“From September, we plan to make QR based E-passes entry mandatory in WR. We have already placed scanners at Churchgate station as a pilot project and will subsequently place them at other important railway stations too. We are already in the process of procuring handheld scanners to check QR.  As per our information, of the two lakh-odd essential workers, about a lakh are still to receive QR electronic passes. In most of the pending cases, the SMS’s procedures have already been done from our side but are pending confirmation procedures from the passenger’s side,” divisional railway manager (DRM) of Mumbai division of Western Railway, GVL Satyakumar told thenews21.com.  

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The railways may continue with the QR system to restrict entry into railway stations only for bonafide passengers similar to the Metro system using automatic flap barrier gates at entry points. Entry to metro stations is accessible only for ticketed passengers using tickets to open the flap gates.  

“As of now, there is no timeline to have an QR system for all passengers. Let us see how it fares till say January. The subsequent implementation will depend on the response to our pilot project,” said Satyakumar. 

On the Central Railway, the QR-checking system has been installed at 15 stations including CST, Dadar, Thane, Panvel etc. The CR has also simultaneously intensified its ticket checking drive against unauthorised passengers. “The mechanism set up at stations to check QR codes displays information like name, age, organisation, designation etc and helps verify credentials. There are so many instances of people travelling with fake identity cards on trains. At times, people don’t even know the names written on their own illegal card,” remarked Anil Jain, senior public relations officer with CR. 

The Mumbai division of the CR also recovered penalty worth Rs 3.82 lakhs from 291 cases in a week-long drive till August 27 under various charges like travelling with fake IDs, misusing senior citizens quota, travelling with xerox coloured tickets etc on North-bound trains.