Railways to revamp reservation system with early charting, more bookings
The Indian Railways is revamping its Passenger Reservation System (PRS) in a bid to make the ticket booking process convenient. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of these reforms and emphasised that the ticketing system must be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient, with a strong focus on passenger convenience.One of the major changes proposed is the advancement of reservation chart preparation. The Railway Minister has approved this proposal and directed phased implementation to ensure a smooth transition.advertisementAt present, charts are prepared four hours before the train's departure, often creating uncertainty for passengers, especially those travelling from nearby areas. To address this, the Railway Board has proposed preparing the charts eight hours in advance.
The Railways are also working on upgrading the PRS to a modern, agile, and scalable system. The project, being carried out by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), is set to be completed by December 2025.The upgraded system will be capable of handling 5 times the current load, allowing over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, up from the current 32,000. The ticket enquiry capacity will also rise sharply from 4 lakh to 40 lakh queries per minute.The new PRS is expected to feature a user-friendly, multilingual interface with options to select preferred seats and view a fare calendar. It will also integrate special facilities for Divyangjan, students, and patients.advertisementStarting July 1, 2025, Indian Railways will mandate user authentication for all Tatkal bookings made through the IRCTC website and mobile app.Railway Minister Vaishnaw has instructed officials to broaden the authentication process by incorporating Aadhaar or any other verifiable government ID available through DigiLocker. Additionally, from the end of July 2025, an OTP-based verification system will be introduced for Tatkal tickets. This move aims to streamline the booking process and curb misuse.- EndsMust Watch
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