In a historic move, the Indian Railways has introduced India’s first ATM onboard a moving train. This unique facility has been installed as a pilot project on the Panchavati Express, which runs daily between Manmad and Mumbai in Maharashtra.
The onboard ATM, currently installed in one air-conditioned coach, allows passengers to withdraw money while the train is in motion. According to railway officials, the ATM was successfully tested on Tuesday. Although there were brief signal dropouts due to tunnels and network blind spots, the overall operation was smooth.
India’s First Onboard ATM Installed on Train – Now Withdraw Cash While Travelling
🚆 Collaboration Behind the Innovation:
The initiative is a joint venture between Bank of Maharashtra and the Bhusawal division of Indian Railways. The idea stemmed from discussions on exploring non-fare revenue opportunities for the railways.
Speaking to the press, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Bhusawal, Iti Pandey, stated, “The trial run gave us encouraging results. Now passengers can withdraw money even while on the move. We will continue to monitor the ATM’s performance in the coming days.”
😃 Passenger Response: Positive and Encouraging
The onboard ATM has already received a positive response from passengers. Though installed in one AC coach, the machine is accessible from all 21 coaches of the train. Passengers were pleased with the convenience of not having to wait until reaching a station to access cash.
Rail officials confirmed that if the service becomes popular and proves efficient, more trains may soon be equipped with similar ATM facilities, making train journeys even more convenient.