A multicultural and secular country like India is a sight to behold at times; places like the railway stations
exist, where people of all caste and creed intersect and then carry on about their work like nothing really happened. Such a harmonious union is hard to find, and it is possible because of a very affordable public transport system like the Indian Railways.
This is the reason why a flawless concord of people from drastically different lives, come together in places like
trains and railway stations. The ticket pricing on such a public transport is meager; in fact, the IR is one of the cheapest public transport systems in the whole world. The government understands that the per-capita income of people in India is very little,
so they make sure that prices stay grounded. This results in a considerable part of the populous utilizing the system, the IR ferries over hundreds of millions of passengers each year, and the number keeps on growing.
Technology and the leap to an online presence
A two-step process began in the late 80s, first was to convert all manual ticketing to a computerized one. And
then in 1995 after the invention of the World Wide Web, and the rapid growth of the internet, the IR decided to move its ticketing sector online. This was a game-changing step, as its usage and outreach skyrocketed. The once falling stock of the IR was now
up and climbing, more and more people found it easy to use and book tickets.
It can be said that in today’s world, online ticketing has reached every nook and cranny in India. Even if one
does not have access to computerized ticketing, one can still use the UMANG mobile application for bookings and other inquiries.
What is printed on a ticket?
An Indian Railways ticket has the name, age and the discount (if any) printed on it, along with its price.
Some miscellaneous features of the IR which are still significant are:
• Season tickets, which allow travelers to make unlimited trips, can be made available on inquiry. Foreign tourists
have can purchase an Indrail pass, similar to a Eurail pass for Europe. This pass allows the tourist to travel to unlimited parts of the country for a limited time period
• The railways offer specific discounts to people like Senior citizens (over the age of 60), the disabled, students,
athletes.
• Some berths in second class, sleeper, and certain other accommodations are reserved only for women.
The humongous population of India means that it hard to get access to tickets in times of emergency. Sometimes
this creates an unwanted problem, so a particular type of ticket called the ‘reservation against cancellation’ gives the passenger a passage to board the train and obtain a seat chosen by the ticket collector.
PNR status
check
and bookings can be done on the IR website and various other ticketing websites. Cheap rates, excellent service, and unique features are the hallmarks of a great
public sector service company like the Indian Railways. It is these features that make it the most used transportation system in the country.