eGovWatch: Now, book unreserved and platform tickets from home using app

By Rashi Varshney On Oct 12, 2015

Rail Display Network: The Indian Railways is working on installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations, known as Rail Display Network. The objective is to enable real time flow of information to passengers and also unlock the huge advertising potential. Globally, railway organizations earn 10-20% of their revenues from non-tariff sources. In India, the Indian Railways earns less than 5% of its revenues from non-tariff sources. Highlighting this anomaly, the Railway Minister said, “Although we enjoy the highest captive eyeballs in a railway system internationally, we earn less than 5% of our revenues through non-tariff sources. Many of the world railway systems generate 10% to 20% of their revenues from non-tariff sources. Over a period of the next five years, we will strive to reach this world average by monetizing assets and undertaking other revenue yielding activities.”

The paperless platform ticket programme would cover the major sections in the Mumbai suburban sections, as well as New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations in New Delhi.

Making the most of mobile platform and its increased penetration, Railways has launched facilities for booking of paperless unreserved tickets as well as platform tickets to cut queues at the reservation counters.

The initiatives are mostly targetted at the Mumbai suburban sections to begin with where 75 lakh passengers use the local train services to commute between places.

Launching the IT-enabled passenger services in New Delhi, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said they are in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ mission and seeks to help passengers save time by booking tickets right at their home before travelling.

The paperless platform ticket programme would cover the major sections in the Mumbai suburban sections, as well as New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations in New Delhi.

Prabhu also launched paperless season tickets on suburban sections of the Western Railway, Central Railway and between New Delhi and Palwal section of the Northern Railway.

A currency coin-cum-card-operated automatic ticket-vending machines at various suburban stations on the Central Railway and Western Railway, was also launched on the occasion.

Most of these initiatives were announced by the Railway Minister during his budget speech this year. He said a campaign will also be run shortly to reduce the occurrence of ticketless travelling.

The train enquiry mobile application for the iOS platform was launched too, with which more than 90 per cent of the mobile users can check the train movement live using the app.

eGovWatch: Now, book unreserved and platform tickets from home using app

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