- 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.
