• Source:JND
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Chennai Metro News: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is set to scrap all ticket vending machines across its 41 stations, potentially leading to increased congestion at counters in busy hubs. The decision comes after CMRL phased out tokens and smartcards earlier this year, rendering the machines idle.

Chennai Metro To Scrap Vending Machine: Impact On Passengers

- Passengers will have to rely on online and app-based ticketing or wait in long queues at counters for single-ride tickets.
 
- Peak-hour choke points like Chennai Central, Airport, and Alandur interchange will experience increased crowding.
 
“Earlier, passengers would top up their smartcards at the vending machines. Now that we have discontinued smartcards, the machines are hardly of any use. We want passengers to purchase tickets on their phone through several ticketing options,” a CMRL official was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
 
The ticket vending machines had several limitations, including:
 
- Cash-only payment: They didn't accept digital payments like UPI or cards.

- Frequent jamming: Notes often got stuck, causing machine malfunctions. Technical failure would often occur

- Denomination issues: They couldn't accept all note denominations, adding to passenger inconvenience.
 
The struggle to operate the vending machine added to the issue of long lines that it was meant to remove in the first place.
 
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“At least I could quickly get a ticket if the counter was full. Now I have to rely on my phone, which barely works in underground stations, or wait in line," said S Vikram, a commuter at Egmore metro