The number of computerised Unreserved Ticketing System terminals will be raised to 8000 in the next two years from the current 2200 terminals, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said on Monday.

Presenting the Rail Budget for 2007-08, Lalu said it is also proposed to install an additional 6000 automatic ticket vending machines in major cities that will be connected with the UTS terminals over the next two years.

"Tickets would be made available at a press of a button by using smart cards or currency coins," he said adding the coupon ticketing system introduced for suburban passengers in

Mumbai is also proposed to be extended to Chennai and Kolkata.

He said in the next year, Central Railways will undertake a pilot project of issuing tickets through multi-purpose smart cards.

Under this scheme, customers will have the facility to obtain Monthly Season Ticket as well as daily ticket on the same smart card.

Stating that this card could be bought and recharged from different places in the city, Lalu said the cards would be readable on touch by the hand-held terminals of TTEs.

The scheme will be expanded after the success of the pilot projects, the minister said adding these measures undertaken over the next two years would alleviate to a large extent the problem of long queues at ticket counters.

Railway Budget 2007-08: Complete Coverage