With the railways planning to begin its own online ticketing services next year, ticketing agents may have to run for their money.
With the railways planning to begin its own online ticketing services next year, ticketing agents may have to run for their money. The plan is already in the trial stages, according to senior railway officials.
Now, tickets are booked at the railway reservation counters in stations or online via the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website, which provides both e-ticketing as well as I-ticketing services. In Bangalore, 20,000 tickets are booked through IRCTC website.
The third option is to book tickets through agents registered with IRCTC. The railways own ticketing service will provide yet another option to the passengers. “Once the system is ready for use, passengers will be able to avail e-ticketing services through the website,” said a senior official at South Western Railways.
“All reserved tickets can be booked from the site directly. At present, ticketing is done through the IRCTC and agents registered with the IRCTC can book tickets the same way.” The objective behind the service, according to officials, is to shift the revenue that goes to the IRCTC to the Railways itself.
Although the railways may have an added advantage of increased revenue through commission, the website may not be beneficial to passengers, considering that at present there is no plan to offer tickets at reduced rates or to reduce the commission.
Moreover, the response to the railways own website remains to be seen, considering that IRCTC not only provides ticket booking facility but offers hotel booking and other facilities. “Those who require other facilities can go through the IRCTC and others can use the railways website to book tickets if that’s all they need,” said the official.
“The project is still in the initial stages,” said the official. “There are a number of things that need to be decided, such as the tariff issues and so on. The aim of the website is to make it more convenient to the people and we are hoping this will do that.” Although there is no fixed date as to when the services will begin to be operational, according to the official, it will not happen in the next two to three months at least. Not many seem enthusiastic about the website. “I don’t see the need for it,” said another railway official. “IRCTC works fine and the railway does not really require the marginal income that comes from commissions through ticketing.”
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