New Passenger Reservation System Can Generate Over 150,000 Rail Reservations
Indian Railways is taking significant steps to enhance the passenger experience by making the ticket booking process more user-friendly and efficient. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed ongoing reforms aimed at creating a smarter and more transparent ticketing system. Key changes include advanced charting for reservations and the introduction of a modern Passenger Reservation System (PRS) expected to be operational by December 2025, which will greatly improve booking capacities and user accessibility.
Enhanced Charting for Better Travel Certainty
Currently, the reservation chart for trains is prepared just four hours before departure, leading to uncertainty for passengers, especially those traveling from nearby areas. This last-minute preparation can create significant issues for travelers. To address this, the Railway Board has proposed to prepare the reservation chart eight hours prior to departure. For trains leaving before 2 PM, the chart will be generated the previous evening at 9 PM. Minister Vaishnaw has endorsed this proposal and instructed the board to implement it in phases to ensure a smooth transition. This change aims to alleviate concerns for passengers on waitlists by providing timely updates on their ticket status. It will particularly benefit those traveling from remote locations, allowing them more time to make alternative arrangements if their waitlist status does not confirm.
Modern Passenger Reservation System Set for 2025
The Railway Minister has also reviewed the upgrade of the Passenger Reservation System, a project currently being executed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). The new PRS is designed to be agile, flexible, and scalable, capable of handling ten times the current load. This upgrade will significantly boost ticket booking capacity, allowing for over 150,000 ticket bookings per minute, a substantial increase from the current rate of 32,000. Additionally, the system’s ticket inquiry capacity will rise dramatically, enabling over 4 million inquiries per minute. The new PRS will feature a multilingual interface, making it more user-friendly. Passengers will also have the ability to select their preferred seats and view fare calendars, with integrated facilities catering to various needs, including those of Divyangjan, students, and patients.
Streamlined Authentication for Tatkal Bookings
In a bid to enhance security and streamline the booking process, Indian Railways will implement a new authentication system for Tatkal ticket bookings starting July 1, 2025. Only authenticated users will be able to book Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website and mobile app. Additionally, an OTP-based authentication process will be introduced by the end of July 2025. The Railway Minister has directed officials to broaden the authentication methods for Tatkal bookings, allowing verification through Aadhaar or any other government-issued ID stored in the user’s DigiLocker account. These initiatives reflect Indian Railways’ ongoing commitment to modernizing its systems and making them more accessible and user-friendly for passengers.
Observer Voice is the one stop site for National, International news, Sports, Editor’s Choice, Art/culture contents, Quotes and much more. We also cover historical contents. Historical contents includes World History, Indian History, and what happened today. The website also covers Entertainment across the India and World.
