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Soon, Aadhaar will be must to book train tickets online
The move will help prevent touts from bulk-blocking, end fraudulent bookings and curb cases of impersonation.
The Railways will soon move towards an Aadhaar-based online ticketing system to prevent touts from bulk-blocking, end fraudulent bookings and curb cases of impersonation.
The Aadhaar number has been made mandatory for senior citizens to avail concessions on train tickets from April 1. A three-month trial run for this is on.
As per the new business plan 2017-18, unveiled by railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday, the Railways will also move towards a cashless ticketing system by installing 6,000 point-of-sale machines and 1,000 automatic ticket vending machines across the country.
An integrated ticketing app will also be launched by May to promote cashless transaction.
“The Aadhaar number will be required for one-time registration at the IRCTC ticketing site. The step is aimed at eliminating touts from registering with fake identities,” a senior railway ministry official said, adding the Railways is preparing a software for the purpose.
Despite taking several steps, touts corner a bulk of tickets and sell them at much higher prices and this is becoming a serious problem for the Railways.
The new business plan also envisages launching of new tourist trains connecting hill stations and enhancing passenger comfort and providing pleasurable journey experience through improving amenities and catering service.
