While commissioning Dena Bank ATMs at seven railway stations at Gandhigram, Vastrapur, Viramgam, Vadodara, Ankleshwar, Anand and Kalol, Rathwa said the concept would be a revolutionary step and help people get e-tickets without using computers.

He said that to synergise this, kiosks would be installed at railway stations that will enable people to take out e-tickets in case they do not feel like standing in long queues at the ticket counters. Railtel Corporation of India, a company owned by the Indian Railways, is conducting research on the new technology, he said.

Rathwa further said that the ATMs would not only help the people, but also the railway staff posted in rural areas. More ATMs would be installed on railway stations as per the MoU signed last year with nationalised banks. “This will not only do away with the need to carry extra cash by lower rung railway staff but also give banks more business in the form of new accounts, even debit accounts,” he said.

Railtel assistant general manager Ashutosh Vasant said the network for these ATMs was supplied by the railways and this made the service more reliable in view of almost zero chance of optical fibre damage. He said once the ATMs would be started on running trains, this would revolutionise the nature of financial transactions by people on the move, besides reducing the risk involved in carrying cash on person.

Dena Bank chairman and managing director P L Gairola said on the occasion that with the opening of seven ATMs on Saturday, the number of Dena Bank ATMs in Gujarat had reached 110. The total number of ATMs in the country now stood at 300, he said.

He said cardholders would be able to deposit cheques, transfer funds, and get mini statements besides withdrawing cash on these ATMs. He said the service would be of extreme use in view of the RBI’s directive of making free access to multiple bank ATMs from April 1, 2008.