CRIS celebrates its 41st Foundation Day, highlights AI push in Railways

The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the technology arm of the Ministry of Railways, celebrated its 41st Foundation Day on Wednesday, reaffirming its commitment to driving the digital transformation of Indian Railways through advanced information technology and artificial intelligence.

The Foundation Day celebrations were held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi and attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Railways, railway executives, industry experts, academicians, and CRIS employees.

Over the past four decades, CRIS has developed and maintained several mission-critical digital platforms that have transformed railway operations and passenger services. These include the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), Freight Operations Information System, Unreserved Ticketing System, National Train Enquiry System, Control Office Application, and the Indian Railways e-Procurement System. The organization said these applications have improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer service, and increased transparency across the railway ecosystem.

As part of its ongoing modernization efforts, CRIS is upgrading several legacy applications using the latest technologies to improve scalability, reliability, and overall system performance.

One of the major milestones highlighted during the event was the success of the RailOne SuperApp, launched on CRIS’s 40th Foundation Day last year. Designed as an integrated digital platform for railway passengers, the app has recorded more than 4.35 crore downloads since its launch and currently processes an average of 10 lakh transactions daily.

CRIS also showcased progress in modernizing the Passenger Reservation System, one of Indian Railways’ most critical digital infrastructure projects.

The upgraded system will feature a modern technology stack designed to improve resilience and scalability. Once fully operational, the new PRS will be capable of processing up to 1.25 lakh ticket bookings per minute-five times the current capacity of 25,000 bookings per minute-allowing Indian Railways to handle growing passenger demand more efficiently.

Artificial Intelligence emerged as a key focus area during the celebrations. CRIS said it is integrating AI-driven solutions across multiple operational domains to improve efficiency, safety, and reliability.

The technology is being deployed for applications such as train path planning, freight flow management, predictive and preventive maintenance, and enhanced passenger services.

The theme of this year’s Foundation Day seminar, “Governance in the Age of AI — Transformation from Digital Enterprise to Intelligent Network,” reflected the organisation’s emphasis on leveraging AI for data-driven governance and informed decision-making.

According to CRIS, these initiatives are being developed in collaboration with industry, academic institutions, and technology partners to support Indian Railways’ vision of building a safer, smarter, and more efficient railway network.

Established under the Ministry of Railways, CRIS is responsible for designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining information technology solutions for Indian Railways. Its portfolio of digital platforms supports passenger services, freight operations, logistics, infrastructure management, financial systems, and enterprise operations, making it a key driver of the railways’ digital transformation.