Railways takes ISRO's help for a revamped website and app!
Booking train tickets online will soon be easier and smoother. With a new website and IRCTC app for Android, the Railways will launch an array of new features. One of the most impressive facilities is real-time tracking of trains through SMS. ISRO will help in this service by using satellites. The Railways expects the new tools to boost business from other travel portals.
What new services will passengers get?
According to officials, the new website will be user-friendly and clutter-free for faster and easier ticket-booking. Unlike now, there will be no timeout during booking. It will also help plan travel better by displaying dates and confirmed tickets, for which it will use data analytics.
ISRO satellite will help in providing passengers real-time updates
Railways is planning to start a real-time train tracking mechanism. It will send SMSs to passengers about arrival and departure of trains, delays in journey, time left to a particular station etc, all in real-time. For this, ISRO will be roped in. At present, local officials enter arrival/departure status of trains into a database, but often manipulate actual timings to avoid punishment for delays.
The 2017-18 business plan targeted an Aadhaar-based, cashless ticketing system
In its business plan for 2017-18, Railways had announced it will install 6,000 point-of-sale machines and 1,000 automatic ticket vending machines across the country, and launch a new integrated app. These were in line with its attempts to move towards an Aadhaar-based, cashless ticketing system.
