Token system, 1.5 lakh bookings per minute; Train ticket booking to get a lot easier

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From August 1, the railways will implement a new format of train ticket booking in the country. The change is intended to control bots and to end the sway of the ticket booking mafia.

A token system will be introduced for Tatkal ticket booking through the counter. The booking time will not change. However, 10 tokens will be given for AC tickets from 8.30 to 9 am, and 15 tokens will be given for non-AC tickets from 9 to 9.30 am. Tokens need to be purchased by showing a photo ID.

In online tatkal booking, fake automated bookings will be blocked in the first five minutes. Currently, 50 per cent of login attempts in the first five minutes are bot traffic. The online ticket booking system will also change. For this, a new online platform on par with international standards will be introduced. On the new platform, more than 1.5 lakh tickets can be booked per minute. Currently, it is 32,000. With the advent of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), more than 40 lakh searches can be conducted per minute. Currently, it is only four lakhs.

No more trouble choosing favourite seats

With the new system, passengers can choose their favourite seat in the train. You can book lower, middle, and upper seats according to seat availability. Seat availability in all classes, including sleeper, AC 3 tier, and AC 2 tier, can be seen on a single screen. Repeated captcha verification will also be reduced.