Now, buy platform tickets via railway app Utsonmobile

NEW DELHI: If you are visiting New Delhi and Nizamuddin railway stations or travelling in EMUs on the Delhi-Palwal section, you will no longer need to stand in queues at the ticket booking counters.

The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has developed a mobile app “Utsonmobile“ (Unreserved Ticketing System on Mobile) through which one can purchase a platform e-ticket and second seating class tickets.

The app will also result in saving paper as passengers will not be required to carry a printed ticket. Launched by the railways minister Suresh Prabhu on October 9, the app is available on Windows, Android and iOS platforms. Currently available at only New Delhi and Nizamuddin, the facility will soon be extended to other stations.

The user can charge his “railway wallet“ with amounts between Rs 100 and Rs 5,000 either at the ticket counters or through the Internet using the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) payment gateway . Once the ticket is booked, it will appear on the screen containing all required information related to the journey . This will be stored in the app database in encrypted form and cannot be tampered with.

“According to existing norms, the platform e-ticket will be valid for only two hours. The app will also enable passengers to renew monthly passes on their mobiles,“ said Neeraj Sharma, CPRO, Northern Railways.

The Delhi-Palwal stretch sees heavy traffic during morning and evening peak hours as most office goers use EMU trains. As a result, ticket counters remain crowded. “This app will do away with waiting in the queue. The application also provides onscreen alerts to make it easy for a first timer during the booking process,“ Sharma said.

Delhi division railway manager Arun Arora said that this is just one of the eco-friendly initiatives taken by them. “Other eco-friendly initiatives include water recycling and bio-gas plants. The e-ticket app has already been launched between Churchgate in Mumbai to Dahanu in Western Railways,“ he said.