Mussoorie's 1942 'Railway Out Agency' to be shut down

Established in 1942, the 'out agency' has been the go-to place for people to book railway tickets.

Mussoorie: The lone railway reservation and ticketing centre, also known as the 'railway out agency', in Mussoorie is being shut down. Established in 1942, the 'out agency' has been the go-to place for people to book railway tickets.

BJP Divisional President Mohan Petwal said that the decision of the Railway Board to close the agency is "not in the public interest". The tourists visiting Mussoorie had the facility of railway reservation and the local people also got the benefit of it. By closing the agency, the residents of Mussoorie will have to go to Dehradun for reservations, which is an inconvenience for them.

Mussoorie Municipality President Anuj Gupta termed the decision to close the agency as "unfortunate". He said that there are several central institutions and dozens of residential schools in Mussoorie, including LBS Academy, ITM, and Survey of India, which use the services of the agency. He said that the state government should not shut it down.

Railway Out Agency in-charge Pankaj Verma said, "At present, two employees are working in the agency. However, ticket booking has decreased over time. Online ticket booking facility is also the reason behind this. Right now, tickets worth about eight to 12 lakh rupees are being booked from here in a month. Whereas earlier, the income was much higher. At the same time, if railway sources are to be believed, those agencies are being closed across the country, which is running in losses."

In this regard, a letter has been issued to Northern Railway General Manager on behalf of Railway Board Deputy Director BB Manjera. Railway Out Agency in-charge Pankaj Verma said that an order has come from the Railway Board to close the agency, on which action will be started in a day or two.