The ticket facility centers in Jodhpur and Pali are now connected to the Next Generation Passenger Reservation System (PRS). This move is part of a larger plan by Indian Railways to modernize ticket booking and make the process smoother for passengers. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) is handling the technical execution of this upgrade.
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What is the Next Generation PRS and its benefits?
The Next Generation PRS is a modernized ticketing system that aims to improve efficiency and transparency. The upgraded system will be fully implemented by December 2025. It is designed to handle a much higher load of bookings and inquiries compared to the old system.
- Booking capacity will increase from 32,000 to over 1.5 lakh tickets per minute.
- Inquiry capacity will rise from 4 lakh to 40 lakh queries per minute.
- The system will feature a multilingual interface and a fare calendar.
- Special facilities will be integrated for students, patients, and Divyangjan.
New rules for Tatkal and Chart preparation
Along with the system upgrade, Indian Railways is introducing new rules to make the process fair. From July 1, 2025, user authentication will be mandatory for all Tatkal bookings on the IRCTC website and app. This will involve an OTP-based verification using Aadhaar or government IDs via DigiLocker by the end of July 2025.
The timing for reservation charts is also changing. Charts will now be prepared eight hours before the train departs. For trains leaving before 2:00 PM, the chart will be ready by 9:00 PM the previous night. This gives waitlisted passengers more time to plan their travel.
Digital booking via RailOne App
To bring the ticket counter to the passenger’s phone, the RailOne app has been introduced. This app allows users to book both reserved and unreserved tickets directly. It combines the features of PRS and UTS (Unreserved Ticketing System) into one platform for easier access.