The eleventh passenger reservation system (PRS) service counter of Palakkad division of Southern Railway was inaugurated at the deputy commissioner's office premises here on Thursday. With this, Mangalore becomes the first city to have a PRS service counter of the Palghat division in the state.
The division has already opened 10 PRS counters in its jurisdiction in Kerala. The PRS counters, which are being set up as per the Railway Budget allocation of 2009, serve as centers for railway passengers to reserve train tickets outside the railway station thereby avoid peak hour rush.
Palakkad railway division additional divisional railway manager Mohan A Menon said that the Mangalore Central station has earned revenue of INR 2.40 crore by selling 5.10 lakh tickets during 2013-14. "The PRS counters will help in selling more tickets thereby increasing revenue of the division. All PRS counters are passenger friendly and help in earning additional revenue.
After inaugurating the centre that the counter will be a boon for passengers as it is located in the middle of the city, said Dakshina Kannada MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel .
"The new PRS counter will not only reduce peak hour rush at the railway stations, but also would help railways to earn more revenue through more tickets," he said adding that the new counter will be able to sell at least one lakh tickets in a year.
Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim said the PRS counter will be manned by state government employees for the time being.
He added, very soon, the counter will be handed over to organizations that work for visually or physically challenged.