Indian Railways to upgrade ticket booking system by August 2026, booking speed to increase fivefold
Indian Railways will replace its 40-year-old Passenger Reservation System (PRS) starting in August 2026. The current system, which has been in use since 1986, will be upgraded to a modern platform to make ticket booking faster. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of this project at Rail Bhawan to ensure passengers face no trouble during the change.
How will the new ticketing system change booking speed
The new system is being developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) under the PRS Modernisation Phase-II project. It aims to stop system crashes and slow processing that often happen during peak hours. The booking capacity will see a massive jump as shown below:
| Feature | Current System | New System (August 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings per minute | 25,000 | 1,25,000 |
| Processing Speed | Standard | 5 times faster |
What is the role of RailOne app and AI in this update
As part of this digital push, Indian Railways launched the RailOne app in July 2025, which already has over 3.5 crore downloads. The app uses an AI-based tool to predict waitlist confirmation. The accuracy of this prediction has improved from 53% to 94%, helping passengers plan better. Currently, 88% of all railway tickets are booked through digital platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When will the new ticket booking system start
The Ministry of Railways announced that the transition to the upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will begin in August 2026.
How much faster will the new system be compared to the old one
The new system will process about 1,25,000 bookings per minute, which is a fivefold increase over the current capacity of 25,000 bookings per minute.