Panchavati Express Becomes India’s First Train With an ATM

In a first-of-its-kind move, Indian Railways has installed an ATM on board the Panchavati Express, a train that runs daily between Manmad (near Nashik) and Mumbai.

At first glance, it might sound like a quirky novelty-but it actually fills a real gap for passengers who find themselves short on cash mid-journey.

Cash on Rails

The ATM is located in the air-conditioned coach, replacing a space that was previously used for luggage. Since all 22 coaches of the Panchavati Express are interconnected, passengers can walk over and use it regardless of where they're seated.

Officials say the setup is running smoothly, though there were some minor signal issues early on. Still, the reception from passengers has been mostly positive-especially from those who didn't realize they'd need cash until they were already en route.

It's not uncommon for travellers to get caught in places where mobile payments don't work or local vendors insist on cash. Having access to an ATM while onboard could be a small but useful fix to that issue.

Ticket Cancellations Get (Slightly) Easier

Alongside the ATM experiment, Indian Railways has also rolled out a new system for cancelling tickets purchased at railway counters. Passengers can now cancel these offline tickets by either logging into the IRCTC website or calling 139-a noticeable shift from the previous system that required a physical visit to the ticket counter just to cancel.

There's a catch, though: you still need to go to the station to collect your refund. So, while the cancellation process starts online, the closure still requires a manual step. Still, it's a step forward.

Also worth noting-if your ticket is on the waiting list, and doesn't get confirmed, you'll need to cancel it at the counter before the train departs to be eligible for a refund.

A Glimpse of Rail Travel 2.0?

These may seem like small tweaks, but they suggest Indian Railways is testing the waters with new forms of convenience. If the ATM pilot works out, we could see more of them on other routes in the future. For now, it's one more option that makes rail travel a little less rigid-and a little more practical.