Passengers who throng major railway stations like Central and Egmore may have to undergo hardships before boarding long distance trains. Moreover, with festivals round the corner, the passengers’ woes are sure to be doubled.

Four of the six touch screens at Egmore and Central railway stations, meant to provide easy real-time access to reservation information to passengers, are out-of-order.

“People have to wait and spend more time at the enquiry desk for manual assistance as the user-friendly kiosks are becoming useless. Touch screens do not function properly most of the time and they are of very little use at Egmore station”, says Ravi, a frequent train traveler. “Several of my attempts to check PNR status of train tickets have gone in vain”, he added.

Apart from giving the status of train tickets, the touch screen facility offers several other services for people. Information on train names and their respective numbers, availability of seats, ticket fare, time table, details on special trains and even tourism related data can be browsed by just a touch.

Two touch screens at Central railway station, one at the entrance and the other near the passenger care centre, are non functional.