Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said while 85% train tickets are currently being booked online, a QR code will also be available for those buying tickets from counters
The QR code is scanned and the thermal screening of passengers initiated at these counters, an official said
In a one-of-its-kind transformation towards ticketing system in the Indian Railways, the national transporter is now moving towards contactless ticketing like at airports with QR code-enabled tickets, which will be scanned on handheld devices and mobile phones at the stations and on the trains, a senior official said today.
Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said while 85% train tickets are currently being booked online, a QR code will also be available for those buying tickets from counters.
Here is how the new ticketing system will work in 10 points:
1) The QR-enabled system will be given on tickets. If one buys online, the code will be provided on the ticket.
2) Even on window tickets, where one gets a physical ticket, a text message will be sent to the
3) As a passenger enters the station premises, the QR code of his ticket is scanned through a mobile application and this gets updated in the software's database. The time of scanning the QR code also gets updated in the application.
4) The station has check-in counters to minimise the exposure of the checking staff to the passengers. The QR code is scanned and the thermal screening of passengers initiated at these counters, an official said.
5) The onboard ticket-checking staff also gets information on passengers simultaneously -- all information is provided to their handheld machines, including a coach-wise display with the number of berths, unbooked berths and number of boarding passes.
6) Moreover, the TTE at the stations or on the trains, either with their hand-held equipment or through their mobile phones, which will have a QR application, will be able to scan the code and immediately capture the details of the passengers.
passenger's mobile phone, which will have a link, and the QR code will be displayed when the link is touched, said Railway Board Chairman.
7) The Railways Board Chairman said the IRCTC website will be completely revamped and the processes simplified, personalised and even integrated with hotel and meal bookings.
8) He said the railways has digitised all its assets for better monitoring. It has also established a geo-portal and developed applications for all its fixed assets such as tracks, signalling, OHE and other electrical assets, which have been mapped, the Railway Board chairman added.
9) A pilot project of contactless ticket-checking with an airport-like check-in for all passengers entering the station has been introduced at Prayagraj Junction of North Central Railway.
10) Apart from that, Yadav said the railways has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for satellite-tracking of trains. This captures real-time data relating to the speed and location of the trains, provides real-time communication to passengers about arrival and departures and analytics for improved operation, he added.
