The Eastern Railway on Thursday opened 41 unreserved ticketing system (UTS) counters at Howrah and Sealdah stations. The day also witnessed the flag-off of the country?s first public address system-enabled suburban train.

Eastern Railway general manager Shyam Kumar inaugurated 14 computerised UTS counters in Sealdah and 27 in Howrah. With this, the total number of UTS counters in Sealdah and Howrah touched 36 and 58, respectively.

?From these counters, people can buy unreserved tickets to anywhere in the country. These will cater to at least 12,000 commuters an hour and are expected to increase our revenues,? Kumar said.

The process of converting the conventional self-printing ticketing system into UTS was started in February 2004, with the opening of five unreserved ticketing counters in Howrah and Sealdah each.

?The total project cost is about Rs 40 lakh,? Kumar said. ?This is not an old wine in a new bottle; the bottle was partially empty, today we filled it to the brim. The day?s programme is more of a closing ceremony.?

He also flagged off a train equipped with public address system on the South section of the Sealdah division. ?Initially, one such train will run. Judging the feedback, the system will be installed on other suburban trains in phases,? explained Eastern Railway?s chief public relations officer Soumitra Majumdar.

Through the system, the passengers will get to know the name of the station ahead and the direction of the platform. During an emergency, the driver/guard will be able to communicate with the passengers. The system will also play music and commercials.

As for the Chitpur terminal, Kumar said it is likely to be operational by the Pujas. ?The legal hassles are over. You can expect the terminal by the Pujas.?

Initially, five Delhi and North Bengal-bound trains will operate from there. The terminal will start with three platforms, and by 2006, three more will be added.

The Eastern Railway is also planning to introduce South Eastern Railway?s full-day ticketing service on Sundays.