The computerised train enquiry system, started on an experimental basis in Patna this year, will be extended throughout the country by the end of 2005-06, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said on Saturday.
The facility of booking tickets through Internet which was started for cell phone subscribers in the current fiscal will soon be available for land line subscribers also, he said while presenting the Rail Budget in Lok Sabha.
Presently, booking of rail tickets on the Internet is restricted from 0800 to 2200 hrs. This facility would be available from 0400 to 2330 hrs without a break from March 15 this year, he said.
The Railway Budget 2005-06: Complete Coverage
There would also be continuous updation of waiting list hereafter by suitably modifying the passenger reservation system.
To facilitate the passengers, Prasad proposed to display vacancy position charts in all reserved coaches and on platforms along with reservation charts.
He also proposed to launch a pilot scheme for Mumbai suburban passengers to renew their season tickets on Internet and have it home delivered on the lines of Internet ticketing for passenger reservation system.
He said that all district headquarters would be covered with computer passenger reservation system in the next two years. There are 100 such district headquarters of which 45 would be taken up in 2005-06. Now the computerised passenger reservation system is available in 1163 locations. An additional 152 locations are in various stages of completion.