Get ready for 'anywhere' ticketing in India

Jousting for space in serpentine queues might well be a thing of the past with rail travel set to become a more relaxed affair. That elusive reserved train ticket can now be purchased from the local post office, petrol pumps and even ATMs. The new budget also envisions setting up passenger reservation system (PRS) facilities at all non-suburban stations under group D and E. As far as unreserved tickets go, about 6,000 automatic ticket vending machines will be installed in all major cities. PRS-cum-UTS (unreserved ticketing system) counters will be provided at post offices as well as defence organisations.In another welcome measure, central railways will also start a pilot project for issuing tickets through multi-purpose smart cards from Mumbai, followed by Chennai and Kolkata. The smart cards can be both bought and recharged at various designated points and they will be readable on touch by hand-held terminals provided to TTEs.To prevent reserved berths from remaining unoccupied due to passengers not turning up, the hand-held terminals provided to TTEs will note current vacancies and transmit them to the PRS for allotting the berths to waitlisted passengers at ensuing stations. These terminals will be made available on a pilot basis on select Shatabdis.Train enquiry call centres will start operating in the four major railway hubs between June and September this year, providing information on departures, arrivals and seat availability. They will also provide value-added services like SMS, railway ticketing and taxi booking in the near future.Physically challenged people too might finally get an easier ride. More than 1,200 special coaches with wider doors and greater aisle passage for handicapped passengers will also be introduced in mail and express trains over the next two years.There’s more: To make travel more easy for vendors, custom-designed vendor coaches will be built for milk, vegetable and fruit sellers. In addition to all that, a certain number of lower berths will be reserved for senior citizens and women aged above 45.
courtesy:economictimes
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