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New Delhi: The Indian Railways is undergoing changes in its Passenger Reservation System (PRS), which currently runs on the capacity to book 25,000 passenger tickets per minute, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Railway Minister, in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The minister was replying to a question regarding the PRS upgrade in the lower house. In a written reply, Vaishnaw said, “Capacity enhancement and technological upgradation are ongoing processes of Indian Railways.”

Major PRS ticketing overhaul

Currently, the capacity to book the maximum tickets on the PRS is 25,000 tickets per minute. The railway is overhauling the ticketing system to increase its capacity to four times that of the current capacity.

“The comprehensive upgrade includes the replacement and enhancement of hardware, software, network equipment, security infrastructure, and functionalities, all built on new technology capable of supporting additional features.” Vaishnaw said.

The minister further said, “The new system is designed for more than four times the present capacity,” adding that current sanctioned project cost the railways around Rs 182 crore.

The minister also briefed the house on the initiatives taken by the Railways Ministry to ease the ticketing and traveling experience of railway passengers. Vaishnaw said the Railways recently launched the Rail One App, which enables passengers to book both reserved and unreserved tickets on their smartphones at their convenience, thereby getting away from the queue lines and ticketing rush at the platforms. He said, “This, in effect, brings the PRS facility to the passengers’ palms.”