Mobile app to book unreserved train tickets to be launched on April 14

The travelling public of Salem Railway Division can hereafter collect their unreserved train tickets, season tickets and platform tickets by using their mobile phones.

The Salem Division will launch a mobile app for this purpose on April 14.

This new facility is being introduced as part of the ‘operation five minutes’ plan announced by the Minister for Railways recently.

The commuters can collect the tickets using their mobile phones for which the Salem division will launch a mobile application ‘UTS’ (also called UTSONMOBILE app). This mobile application will be available both in Google Play Store and Apple Store.

An official press release of the Salem Railway Division issued here on Thursday said that the transactions in this GPS-based application could be made using ‘R-Wallet’ – Railway’s own exclusive e-payment wallet that can be used without any additional charges.

This R-Wallet could be topped up in any booking office counter or online through IRCTC website www.irctc.co.in.

This ambitious project of promoting paperless unreserved ticketing through mobile phone was earlier available only for Chennai suburban passengers and now it was being expanded to all over the Southern Railway.

Tickets could be booked from places up to five km from a particular railway station and the tickets could be downloaded in the passengers’ mobiles.

No printout would be needed.

This ticket could not be transferred from one mobile to another in any mode including SMS.

This app-based tickets could not be booked inside railway premises including platforms and trains, as a facility called ‘geo-fencing’ had been used to prevent ticketless travellers booking tickets at the sight of ticket checking staff.

A 24x7 help desk would be available in major stations of Salem Division for queries in this regard. Help could also be solicited online through utsonmobile. indianrail.gov.in, the release said.