NEW DELHI: Indian Railways
is all set to roll out its own e-ticketing service, which will have no room for
travel agents and will be reserved for individual users. "Unlike the
e-ticketing service of IRCTC, the new service by Indian Railway will have no
role of travel agents and commercial organisations. Only individual users will
be allowed to book on the portal," said a Railway official.
Travel agents in the
IRCTC service have been accused of blocking tickets to sell them at a premium. Public
resentment has also led the railways to bar travel agents from booking tatkal
tickets during peak hours on the IRCTC portal.
Under the new railway
e-ticketing service, individual customers would need to register themselves for
the first time for availing the services. The registration will be free of
charge. A maximum of eight transaction per user ID per month will be allowed in
the beginning, the official said, adding, the service charges levied will be Rs
five per ticket for sleeper class and Rs 10 per ticket for all other classes.
IRCTS charges Rs 10 per ticket for sleeper class and Rs 20 per
ticket for all other classes.
The new service will be
available on its web portal www.indianrailways.gov.in
. Its launch will be announced after necessary clearance for payment gateway
transaction, the official said.
The service will be
available from 12.30 am to 11.30 pm. "The project was sanctioned with a
view to consolidate all the services and information on a single window
interface for public," the official said.
He said the service will
provide passengers another avenue to book tickets, while easing the pressure
from the IRCTC website considerably.
On offer is also a
service for booking tickets on the mobile platform.
Customers desirous of
utilising the facility and having Internet facilities will have to download
mobile ticketing application on mobile phones from Indian Railway's website,
the official said.
Tracking facility for
freight trains running and parcel status by customers would be among a host of
other features that the portal is expected to introduce shortly.
Source:
Economic Times 05th July 2011
