Mobile app for paperless unreserved rail tickets

Chennai: Railway on Wednesday made unreserved suburban train ticket booking simpler than ever by launching the second phase of ‘UTS on mobile’ (unreserved ticket system).The new service allows travellers to produce e-tickets or carry the ticket image on mobile for suburban train services. A smart phone with Internet connectivity is all you require to avoid the serpentine queue outside the suburban train stations.

Unlike in phase-I of the UTS on mobile, passengers do not have the necessity to go to an ATVM (automatic ticket vending machine) to print the ticket, which has been done away with between Egmore and Tambaram stations since this morning. Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the service using a smart phone from New Delhi via video conferencing mode.

Passengers can now book tickets using the same mobile app (UTS on mobile), which can be downloaded using Google playstore and carry the ticket on their phone. To begin with the service will only be available between Egmore and Tambaram stations.

Travellers cannot book tickets using the application inside a station or aboard a train on the said route (Egmore-Tambaram) as the GPS based application uses geo fencing to demarcate physical territory.

The applications will work only 15 metres away from either side of the tracks and within a radius of 5km from the stations on the sector, a SR release said. A booked ticket cannot be forwarded or edited or a screen shot taken. SR officials hope to extend the second phase of the mobile-based UTS ticketing to other suburban sections, Chennai-Tiruvallur and Chennai-Gummidipoondi which have first phase working now, based on the patronage received on Egmore-Tambaram section.