Indian Railways to shift trains to upgraded reservation system from August

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed officials to ensure that passengers faced no inconvenience during the shift to the upgraded reservation system, which will begin in August.

Vaishnaw reviewed the transition plan during a meeting at Rail Bhawan on Wednesday. Union Ministers of State for Railways V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu also attended the meeting.

The upgraded reservation system replaced the 40-year-old platform introduced in 1986. Indian Railways expanded the system’s capacity and added modern technology after several minor upgrades over the years.

Indian Railways introduced internet-based ticket booking in 2002. At present, nearly 88% of the country’s ticketing demand is fulfilled through online platforms.

The RailOne mobile app has also gained strong traction since its launch in July last year. The app crossed 3.5 crore downloads within a year and now offers integrated railway services for passengers.

RailOne app boosts upgraded reservation system features

The RailOne app provides AI-based predictions for waitlist confirmation under the upgraded reservation system. Railway officials said the prediction accuracy improved from 53% to 94%.

Passengers can use the app to book, cancel and refund reserved, unreserved and platform tickets. The app also provides train schedules, live train status, platform details, coach position and Rail Madad support services.

Moreover, passengers can order food through the app and receive delivery directly at their seats during travel.

Every day, passengers book 9.29 lakh tickets through the app across the country. This includes 7.2 lakh unreserved tickets and 2.09 lakh reserved tickets.

Indian Railways also stated that it provided a passenger subsidy of ₹60,239 crore during 2024-25. The subsidy translated into an average fare discount of 43% for railway passengers.