Much to the joy of suburban rail users in Karnataka, the South Western Railways division has now launched an unreserved ticketing system on its UTS (unreserved ticketing) mobile app.
The app is available for Windows and Android smartphone users as of now.
With this, the trouble of standing in long queues to book local tickets, platform tickets or renew monthly passes will become a thing of the past.
The ‘show ticket’ feature allows users to show the TTE the tickets on their phone, instead of producing a physical copy of it, as is the norm for unreserved tickets within the South Western Railway limits.
Platform tickets booked via the app will be valid for two hours from the time of booking and tickets can also be cancelled through the app with some a fee.
Tickets can also be booked up to one hour ahead of the journey.
For journeys outside the South Western Railway limits, commuters can take a print out of their tickets from the railway Automatic Ticket Vending Machines.
This is likely to be a boon for many users as several stations – Whitefield for instance – have only one ticket counter. As of now, commuters had to cross an overbridge and walk a long distance to stand in the queue for buying a ticket.
Sandeep Anirudhan, who travels regularly from Whitefield to Bengaluru city, said, “This is a welcome step. Previously, this facility was only available in Mumbai. People who do not have a pass and are in a hurry to board a train can certainly benefit from this.”
Payment for this app can be only done through electronic wallets like Paytm and the Railways’ own R-wallet.
Meanwhile, the proposed expansion of the suburban railway project is on course. Speaking to reporters, Divisional Railway Manager RS Saxena said that the Detailed Project Report is set to be ready within four months, as opposed to a usual period of 10 months.
The proposed routes are
- Bengaluru-Kengeri
- Yelahanka-Rajankunti
-
Yeshwantpur-Chikkabanavara-
Nelamangala -
Byappannahalli-Whitefield - Yelahanka-Devanahalli
-
KSR Bengaluru-Yeshwantpur-
Yelahanka-Chennasandra- Byappannahalli-KSR Bengaluru (Circular) -
Lottegolahalli-Hebbal-
Banaswadi-Byappannahalli