‘Go India smart card’ to be launched for easy travel

Indian Railways Smart Card
Indian Railways Smart Card
Go India Smart Card
Indian Railways Smart Card

What is Go India Smart Card ?

Standing in the heat and long, waiting lines amongst the cacophony and noise at railway station for tickets, will become a thing of past as government is introducing a smart way of traveling. In the Railway Budget 2011-12 the government proposed “Go-India smart card”. This card is a happy alternative to standing in long queues at railway station as tickets can be purchased by using the pan-India multi-purpose smart card. Now the pilot project is going to be launched from July 1.

For what purposes the Go India smart card can be used?

As a pilot project, ticket booking for long distance and sub-urban trains on Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes can be done with the help of Go India smart card.

Payments of retiring room, internet and vending machines can also be made by using this card.

But it cannot be used for any concessional ticket.

How can you use the smart card?

You can use smart card at booking counters, automatic ticketing vending machines (ATVM) at railway station. Also it can be used through Internet.

What is the cost of the card?

Total cost of the Go India smart card will be Rs 70 out of which Rs 50 will be the cost of the card and Rs 20 the balance. Go India smartcard can then be recharged in the multiples of Rs 50 up to Rs 10,000.

If you want to return the card, Rs 15 will be deducted for clerical charges and Rs 50 will be returned as security charges.

The card will be automatically deactivated if not used for the period of six months. To reactivate it, pay Rs 15 at the counter and get it recharged.

To implement smart card on pilot basis Delhi-Mumbai and the Delhi-Howrah sectors have been identified. This will also cover the Allahabad and Kanpur railway stations. These stations will have a separate card purchasing counter (smart card counter). Apart from this Dhanbad, Baroda and Surat stations will also have all this facility.

Implementation of smart card will take place in two phases. The Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS), the IT department of railways is working on the software development of the card. Chief commercial manager Vijai Ram will look after the launch of the smart card.

Smart card will indeed be very beneficial for regular commuters.