Daily commuters no more need to stand in long queues to purchase tickets for local trains as Northern Railway has decided to introduce smart card-based ticketing system in 30 stations in the NCR region from next week.

The system, which has entailed an investment of Rs 3.21 crore will ensure that suburban passengers need not stand in long queues and instead use smart cards to buy ticket to their destinations, sources said.

"In all, 75 vending machines have been installed in stations falling between Delhi and Palwal and they will start functioning from next week onwards," they said.

The smart card will be available in ticket booking counters and will come in denomination ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 1000.

Official figures indicate that at present, 70,000 to 80,000 tickets are sold in the Delhi region per day.

The implementation of the project comes as Northern Railway is expecting increased use of suburban trains by commuters in view of the hike in bus fares.

Keeping the growing usage of local trains in mind, it is also planning to introduce 15 coach EMU trains between Delhi and adjoining towns to ease pressure during rush hours.

Sources said CRIS, a Railway PSU, has prepared the details of the project to ensure it lives up the expectation of the commuters.