New York, NY - August 30th 2013 -MTA Long Island Rail Road’s ticket vending machines are getting smarter.
For the first time, the LIRR in introducing TVMs that can read your smart card and complete your ticket transaction without requiring you to swipe or insert your bank card into the machine.
Seven “smart card” friendly TVMs have been rolled out – three at Penn Station and one each at Jamaica Station, Mineola, Hicksville and Bayside as the Railroad continues to upgrade its TVMnetwork. The TVMs being replaced are being moved to other stations, including three East End stations on the Montauk Branch that until now have had no machines.
“These new machines give Long Island Rail Road customers another convenient payment option,” said LIRR President Helena Williams. “We will be monitoring performance and listening closely to the feedback from our customers regarding smart card payment systems.”
The MTA is also introducing the new TVMs on Metro-North Railroad. The new TVMs introduce smart card technology, a no-contact payment option using a credit card which has an imbedded chip. Customers merely have to tap the card on the TVMs smart card reader or target which is conveniently located just under the touchscreen. No need to insert or swipe the card, so it’s an easier and more secure way to make electronic transactions.
Carrying an older bank card or even cash? Don’t worry. The new TVMs can handle those transactions too and station ticket windows will continue to serve customers as well.
When the LIRR’s relocation efforts are complete, every station on the Montauk Branch with the exception of Bellport will be able to provide tickets 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will also mean that customers at the newly equipped stations will no longer be exempt from the higher fare when they purchase their ticket on board the train.
The Montauk Branch stations getting TVMs for the first time are Bridgehampton, Amagansett and Montauk. Other relocations will supplement ticket sales by adding or upgrading machines at East New York Station and Nostrand Avenue Station in Brooklyn, Little Neck Station in Queens and Inwood Station and Malverne Station in Nassau County.
In 2012, 76% of the 31 million tickets sold by the Long Island Rail Road were purchased at TVM machines.
The seven new TVMs bring the total number of LIRR automated ticket machines to 279 system wide.