New Delhi, May 7: Indian Railways will begin shifting trains to its upgraded Passenger Reservation System from August, replacing the existing 40-year-old system with a modern, technology-driven platform aimed at improving passenger convenience and handling higher ticketing demand.
The decision was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhawan on Wednesday. Union Ministers of State for Railways V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu also attended the meeting.
According to an official statement, the Railway Minister directed officials to ensure that passengers do not face inconvenience during the transition from the legacy reservation system, which was introduced in 1986 and has undergone only incremental modifications over the decades.
Officials said the revamped reservation platform has been completely overhauled using advanced technology and significantly enhanced capacity to cater to rising passenger demand.
Indian Railways introduced internet-based ticket booking in 2002, fundamentally changing the ticketing ecosystem. At present, around 88 per cent of railway ticket bookings are made online, reducing dependence on physical reservation counters.
The RailOne mobile application, launched in July last year, has emerged as a major component of the digital railway ecosystem. Railway officials said the app has crossed 3.5 crore downloads within a year, including over 3.16 crore downloads on Android devices and more than 33 lakh downloads on Apple platforms.
The app integrates a range of railway services, including reserved and unreserved ticket booking, cancellations, refunds, platform ticket purchases, live train tracking, platform and coach information, and grievance redressal through Rail Madad.
Officials said one of the key features drawing passenger attention is the AI-based waitlist confirmation prediction system introduced earlier this year. According to the Railways, the prediction accuracy has improved from 53 per cent to 94 per cent.
Passengers can also order food through the app for delivery to their seats during travel.
Railway data showed that nearly 9.29 lakh tickets are booked daily through RailOne, including 7.2 lakh unreserved tickets and 2.09 lakh reserved tickets.
The Railways also highlighted the scale of passenger subsidies provided during 2024–25. According to official figures, Indian Railways extended a subsidy of ₹60,239 crore on passenger fares during the year, translating into an average subsidy of 43 per cent per passenger. Officials said that while the average cost of providing railway services stands at ₹100, passengers pay only around ₹57 as fare.
