Latest news with #ATVM
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
ATVMs installed in Hubballi division to reduce rush at ticket counters
Hubballi: In a move aimed at reducing crowds at ticket counters, South Western Railway (SWR), Hubballi division, installed 25 automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) across various stations in its jurisdiction. Hubballi station has eight machines, followed by Belagavi and Ballari with three each, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Gadag, and Hosapete with two each, and Dharwad, Koppal, and Ghataprabha stations have one each. Most passengers rely heavily on unreserved tickets. These machines are useful for daily commuters such as workers and students, enabling them to quickly and conveniently obtain tickets without having to wait in long queues. ATVMs facilitate issuance of multiple ticket types, including monthly (season) passes, platform tickets, and unreserved journey tickets. One of the key features is the use of rechargeable smart cards, which can be used as needed for different travel purposes. Passengers can also scan a QR code to purchase tickets. A total of 31 ATVM facilitators are appointed across various stations to assist passengers in using the machines. They either disburse the tickets through the facilitator smart card or guide the passengers to buy tickets. These facilitators are retired railway employees selected through the screening of applications by the committee of officers. To encourage the use of ATVMs, passengers purchasing unreserved tickets through these machines are offered discounts credited to their smart cards—3% for journeys up to 150 km, 2% for distances between 150 and 500 km, and 1% for trips exceeding 500 km. These discounts are also extended to ATVM facilitators (operators). With advanced technical support, the department aims to significantly increase the number of tickets issued through ATVMs. This not only enhances passenger convenience but also reduces the workload on conventional ticket counters.
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Hans India
Orchha and Pukhrayan, two revamped railway stations in Jhansi set for inauguration
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate 103 redeveloped Amrit stations in 86 districts across 18 states and Union Territories (UTs) on Thursday. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, a total of 1,300 railway stations are being redeveloped across the country with modern facilities, reflecting regional architecture and enhanced passenger amenities. Many of these stations have been redeveloped and revamped on lines of India's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the country's artworks and architecture of the past. Orchha and Pukhrayan stations are the two stations in the Jhansi Railway Division which have undergone a modern makeover under the Amrit Bharat scheme. They have been developed keeping in mind the requirements of developed India and also depict a unique confluence of spiritual consciousness, cultural heritage and modernity. Orchha, the city of Lord Rama, is a historical city located in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh and also makes for an internationally renowned tourist centre. Orchha railway station serving this city has been developed under Amrit Bharat Station Yojana at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore. The new facade of this station is a unique amalgamation of spirituality and culture with an attractive and modern design. The station has been designed on the lines of the Orchha temple. The statue of Ramraja Sarkar and Hanumanji has also been installed here. The station will provide modern facilities to local citizens as well as tourists. A scene from Ramayana has been depicted on the boundary wall of the circulating area. Separate parking spaces have been made for bicycles and other vehicles. Apart from modern and convenient ticket counters, an ATVM facility has also been provided for ticketing. Beautiful, attractive and comfortable mini cover shades have been installed to protect passengers from rain and sun. Toilets and ramps have been made for the disabled. Along with this, paid toilet services have also been made available for other passengers. Pukhrayan is another railway station to undergo a makeover in the Jhansi division. It has been developed at a cost of Rs 7.22 crore, which will provide modern facilities to the passengers. The station has been equipped with a VIP room and, passenger waiting room. Provision of pay and use toilets has also been made on the platforms, in addition to the provision of common toilets. As PM Modi inaugurates both these stations virtually tomorrow, many public representatives, retired army officers, Padma awardees and local people, as well as family members of the railway staff, will be present on this occasion.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate redeveloped Urkura, Bhilai & Bhanupratappur stations with modern, eco-friendly facilities
Urkura, Bhilai, and Bhanupratappur stations in SECR's Raipur Division have been revamped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, prioritizing safety and passenger comfort. RAIPUR: Urkura, Bhilai, and Bhanupratappur stations in SECR's Raipur Division have been redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme with modern, eco-friendly amenities, prioritizing safety, accessibility, and passenger comfort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate them on Friday. 'The redevelopment work of the above mentioned stations has been completed. These stations have been equipped with modern amenities, making them more comfortable, safe, and of a higher standard for passengers. The Indian Railways, under this scheme, has further enhanced passenger facilities at these three stations with the highest priority given to the safety, security, and convenience of passengers,' stated SECR spokesperson. The aesthetics, cleanliness, and high level of passenger services at these stations have been ensured. They have also been redeveloped with environment-friendly technology and design, enhancing their sustainability and appearance. The redevelopment work has been carried out keeping in mind the long-term development goals, which will improve the travel experience of passengers along with the increase in rail services, the SECR stated. The "Amrit Bharat Station Scheme" is not only strengthening the basic infrastructure of railway stations but is also proving helpful in regional development and economic growth. The stations built under this scheme showcase the extensive grandeur of the railway infrastructure. These stations are also capable of providing a world-class experience to the passengers. The virtual inauguration of the Urkura, Bhilai, and Bhanupratappur railway stations of the Raipur Division under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme will be done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 22. A wide range of upgraded facilities has been introduced, including a separate parking area for two-wheelers and four-wheelers with a paved surface and lighting, ensuring improved convenience and security for commuters, while an area has also been earmarked for future commercial development, adding long-term value to the infrastructure, along with the installation of a selfie point to enhance the passenger experience. For Divyangjan (differently-abled) passengers, a dedicated parking facility and an entry/exit ramp with double rail hand grips have been provided for ease of access, complemented by staircases fitted with yellow strips for enhanced visibility and safety, while the newly constructed booking concourse measuring 10.4 metres by 9.4 metres features double-layer counters suitable for both general and Divyangjan passengers, offering unreserved and reserved ticketing services along with the Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) facility. To ensure comfort, a water cooler and water booth with a Divyangjan-friendly tap have been installed, in addition to a separate Akshita Bubble area designed for women passengers, enhancing safety and privacy. For passenger security, IP-based CCTV cameras have been installed throughout the premises, ensuring real-time surveillance and enhancing overall safety.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Sonepur division leads in ticket sales through vending machine
Patna: Sonepur division of the East Central Railway (ECR) has emerged as the frontrunner in sales of tickets through automatic ticket vending machine (ATVM) across the ECR zone. Muzaffarpur Junction has taken the lead with an average of 3,960 tickets sold daily through ATVMs making it the top-performing station in the entire ECR jurisdiction, said Sonepur divisional railway manager (DRM), Vivek Bhushan Sood. According to Sood, Hajipur station has registered a sale of 1,514 ATVM tickets daily followed by Begusarai (1,423), Khagaria (1,844), Mansi (847), Sonepur (801) and Naugachia (459). Incidentally, these stations falling under Sonepur division are witnessing a steady rise in ATVM transactions. This achievement is the result of a sustained and focused campaign by railway authorities to encourage digital ticketing , he said. The DRM said the railways has launched a mix of social media outreach and on-ground street plays to educate passengers to use ATVMs instead of standing in long queues at the ticket booking counters at the crowded stations during peak travel hours of the day, he said. Daily commuters are thus relieved of facing the pain of long waits to procure either short distance or platform tickets from the general ticket booking counters. "These efforts are aimed at reducing queues at ticket counters and saving passengers valuable time. The response has been very encouraging and the railways intends to extend these awareness drives to more stations in the coming weeks," said Sonepur senior divisional commercial manager Raushan Kumar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo According to sources, Patna Junction has a daily sale of 2,357 ATVM tickets while Patliputra Junction has hardly 489 daily sale of ATVM tickets, both the stations are under Danapur division of the ECR jurisdiction. Similarly, Saharsa which is under Samastipur division, has the maximum sale of 762 tickets per day through ATVMs, sources said, adding the greatest advantage of the ATVM is that it can be shifted to any place while a ticket booking counter can not be shifted as per passengers' convenience.
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Musk's companies got billions from the government. Now he's pulling up the ladder behind him
'Pulling up the ladder after you've climbed it' refers to a familiar social pattern: achieving success thanks to certain advantages – then working to dismantle those very structures, denying others the same opportunities. Many have cited immigrant Trump voters as an example; some who have benefited from relatively open immigration policies now advocate for stricter border controls and cuts to legal immigration. The American upper middle class have been dubbed 'dream hoarders' who, after achieving success, work to keep the bottom 80% down with a variety of subtle barriers, such as legacy college admissions and exclusionary zoning. Few individuals embody ladder-pulling more starkly than Elon Musk. Though he has been lauded as a self-made innovator and visionary entrepreneur, Musk's empire only exists thanks to the support of massive public investment. Yet as leader of the 'department of government efficiency' (Doge), he has directed and overseen the dismantling of the very government programs, regulations and subsidies that enabled his rise. Musk's companies, particularly Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity, have benefited from an estimated $38bn in public support, including government loans, tax credits, and federal contracts. In 2010, Tesla received a $465m low-interest loan from the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) program. That funding was critical to keeping Tesla alive – without it, insiders later told the Washington Post, the company would have gone under. The success of Tesla's flagship Model S, the expansion of its manufacturing base, and even the illusion of its early profitability were all bolstered by public money. Zero-emission vehicle credits and the $7,500 federal EV tax credit were equally pivotal. Tesla earned billions by selling regulatory credits to legacy automakers struggling to meet emissions standards. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, 43% of Tesla's net income came from these credits. The company also profited from California's emissions credit system through a scheme involving phantom battery-swapping infrastructure – credits that provided hundreds of millions in additional income. Despite this, Musk now derides subsidies and regulations as government overreach and has used Doge to slash many of the same types of programs – such as renewable energy incentives and federal climate investments – that once saved his own companies from bankruptcy. These were essential to Tesla's success, and now he wants to limit other entrepreneurs and businesses from the same opportunities. While Musk claims he aims to eliminate 'waste', his companies continue to benefit from government contracts. SpaceX has received more than $17bn in federal awards since 2015, including lucrative Nasa contracts and taxpayer-funded Starlink deployments in Ukraine. The irony could not be more profound: Musk attacks the legitimacy of public spending even as his empire remains one of its top beneficiaries. The craven self-interest that drives this behavior is particularly on display when considering Musk's newfound advocacy for policy built on climate denial. Tesla was conceived in the shadow of climate change – and succeeded largely because US federal and state governments treated climate as an emergency. Regulatory frameworks created demand for EVs. Emissions credit markets made Tesla profitable. Yet Musk has now aligned himself with climate deniers like Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump, dismissed environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns as 'the devil', and supported deregulation plans that could allow polluting industries to ignore environmental rules altogether and make it harder for other EV companies to grow. This is not just hypocrisy – it's a calculated repositioning: he made his fortune as a climate-focused entrepreneur, and now he aims to protect his personal and political power through climate skepticism. Elon Musk did not succeed in a vacuum. In America, we are inclined to celebrate the heroic individual entrepreneur while ignoring – and even downplaying – that massive public support was the foundation of their success. Consider the iPhone: nearly all of its core technologies, from GPS and touchscreen displays to the internet itself, were publicly funded. Covid vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry, too, have relied heavily on NIH-funded research. And yet, Musk, Steve Jobs, and other tech titans are cast as heroic innovators, while the state is derided as inefficient or meddlesome – even as it continues to underwrite the very innovations that fuel the economy. Further, while the risks of developing these innovations are mitigated by public funding, the profits they create are almost entirely privatized. If American taxpayers had taken equity in Tesla for their $465m investment, it is estimated such a stake would be worth over $300bn today. Instead, it is Musk alone who has enjoyed such wealth. To deny that is to erase the role of taxpayers, government scientists, and policy architects who built the foundation upon which Tesla, SpaceX and many innovative industries rest. But Musk's recent efforts – whether gutting climate policy, leading anti-regulatory initiatives, or supporting anti-democratic actors – represent not just a betrayal of that legacy, but a systemic effort to pull up the ladder and rewrite the rules to benefit only himself. Ultimately Musk's story is a warning: those who climb the ladder with public help are inclined to later destroy the mechanisms that led to their success. For Musk to admit that he had substantial help to become the world's richest man would undermine the lone genius narrative that has granted him astonishing power with impunity. By pulling up the ladder, 'lone geniuses' don't just block others from the same opportunities, but also undermine the very idea of collective progress and investment in the public good. The outcome will be the erosion of future innovation, and ultimately, a well-functioning society. Christopher Marquis is the Sinyi professor of management at the University of Cambridge and author of The Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs.
