The Railways will soon move towards Aadhaar-based online ticketing system to prevent touts from blocking a bulk of tickets, end fraudulent bookings and curb cases of impersonation.
As per the new business plan 2017-18 unveiled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday, Railways also announced to move towards cashless ticketing system by installing 6,000 point-of-sale machines and 1,000 automatic ticket vending machines across the country. An integrated ticketing
app will also be launched by May to promote cashless transaction.
Though there are various mobile applications available for booking tickets, taxis, e-catering and other such services, the integrated app will cover almost the entire gamut of travelling, a senior railway ministry official involved with the project said.
Prabhu said Railways is “fast moving towards a virtual cycle from a vicious one which will have a cascading effect benefitting all - the Railways, consumers, the economy, the environment and the nation as a whole.”
Prabhu said the mobile app aims at becoming a one-stop solution for various travel related services, like booking tickets, retiring rooms, booking tour packages, ordering food from a restaurant and finding hotel rooms.
The Railways also launched Roll-on Roll-off (RO-RO) service from Gurugram to carry loaded trucks on wagons to decongest roads in the national capital region. “The RO-RO is a boon for Delhi as it would have a direct impact on its air ambient quality and the capital would breathe clean air,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said after launching the service.
It also offered discounts to customers to gain lost ground in freight share, which has been witnessing a decline over the years. Dubbed as mini-rail budget, the action plan for freight sector was launched to increase loadings by gaining the lost ground in freight sector.
The new business plan also envisages launching of new tourist trains connecting hill stations and enhancing passenger comfort and providing pleasurable journey experience through improving amenities and catering service.