India rail to consider selling tickets on cellphones

The Indian Railways will consider issuing tickets through mobile phones, the railways minister told parliament on Tuesday.

The Indian Railways will consider issuing tickets through mobile phones, the railways minister told parliament on Tuesday.

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"There is a phenomenal growth of mobile phones in our country," Lalu Prasad Yadav said. "We are therefore exploring the option of issuing reserved and unreserved rail tickets through mobile phones."

India, the world's fastest growing mobile market, is set to have 500 million cellphone users by 2010, with an increasing number in rural areas, where ticketing offices are few and far between.