100 year Chennai railway press to stop operations

Railway’s 100 year old printing press in Chennai’s Royapuram district which was used to print the classic square tickets is expected to be eased out in the near future as the institution takes another step into the digitisation era

15 Nov 2017 | By Sriraam Selvam

Royapuram is one of only five-odd railway presses across the country. It catered to railway zones in the southern region. Currently, it is spread over a few acres of land beside the station and has a staff of 150. The press was used for the organisation's in-house needs for printing tickets, books, stationery, etc.

According to a daily, the advent of e-ticketing, less than 30% of railway passengers’ book paper tickets (at reservation counters) and the number is dwindling further.

According to the report, the Railway Board, in its communication dated October 25, stated that the relocation of the Royapuram press is under and the existing printing machines would be relocated to some other location, while the tickets would be printed at the nearby government printing presses.

The press is currently in the control of Railway Stores department