Railways to introduce multilingual, user-friendly ticket booking system by year-end

The Ministry of Railways has said that the upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) that will allow over 1.5 lakh rail ticket bookings per minute, an increase of roughly five times the current capacity of 32,000 tickets per minute, will be ready by the end of this year.

Multilingual, user-friendly

The ministry said the new PRS also has a multilingual and user-friendly booking and enquiry interface that will enhance passenger convenience and smart ticketing.

Also Read: Vaishnaw reviews railway reservation reforms, seeks smart solutions

In the new PRS, users will be able to submit their choice of seat and see the fare calendar. It also has integrated facilities for Divyangjan, students, and patients, officials said.

Reservation charts 8 hours in advance

The ministry has decided to prepare reservation charts for long-distance trains eight hours in advance, instead of the current four hours, to help passengers travelling from remote locations plan their journeys better.

The decision was taken during a recent review meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a statement issued by the ministry said.

Also Read: 3 Big Railways upgrade: Faster charting, reservation upgrade, Aadhaar for Tatkal

"It will benefit passengers travelling from remote locations or suburbs of major cities for catching long-distance trains. It will also provide more time to make alternative arrangements in case the wait list is not confirmed," the ministry said.

"Indian Railways will allow only authenticated users to book Tatkal tickets on the IRCTC website and its mobile app beginning 1st July, 2025," the ministry said.

OTP-based authentication for Tatkal bookings

The ministry emphasised that OTP-based authentication will be done for Tatkal bookings from the end of July.

The minister instructed officials to broaden the authentication mechanism for Tatkal bookings.

Also Read: Tatkal tickets can only be booked by Aadhaar-authenticated users from July 1: Centre

"The authentication should be done using Aadhaar or any other verifiable government ID available in the user's DigiLocker account," the statement said.

According to the ministry, these measures reflect the Railways' continuous efforts to modernise its systems and make them more citizen-friendly.

Ticket inquiry capacity to rise tenfold

The ministry also said that the ticket-enquiry capacity will jump tenfold from the current 4 lakh to over 40 lakh enquiries per minute.

Railway Minister Vaishnaw, while reviewing the progress of these reforms, emphasised that the ticketing system should be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient.

Also Read: Railways begin trial to confirm wait-list tickets 24 hours before departure

He said that planning should focus on passenger convenience, and that the system must ensure a smooth and comfortable travel experience to passengers.

(With agency inputs)