Book rail tickets through SMS, calls from July 1

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is all set to start booking tickets through SMS and calls from July 1. The IRCTC will announce a dedicated contact number just before launching the facility.

For availing of this facility, it is required to register mobile numbers with banks. The bank will provide a mobile money Identifier (MMId) and one-time password (OTP). The second step is to SMS travel details to the number announced by the IRCTC.
 It should include train number, date of journey, boarding station and destination and class of travel, besides name, age and gender of the passenger. 

On receiving the SMS, the IRCTC will send a transaction ID. The passenger has to return the SMS with the transaction ID, MMId and the OTP, following which the ticket fare will be deducted from the bank account.

The passenger will then get an SMS, which can be used as the ticket.
Each SMS will be charged Rs 3. Besides, the IRCTC will charge Rs 5 for bookings of up to Rs 5,000 and Rs 10 for bookings over Rs 5,000.

In order to book tickets by calling from the mobile phone, one has to dial an un-structured service data number (USSD). This will be a menu-based call in which the passenger will be asked for various options.  One option will be, “Book ticket.” On selecting this option, the next step of the passenger is, “Reservation.” On choosing this option, one will be asked details like train number, date of journey, boarding point and destination, class of travel, name, age and gender of the passenger.

The next step is to feed mPIN of the passenger’s mobile wallet, which is a software that links the mobile numbers with debit or credit cards.

“The IRCTC has done the preparations. We will launch it according to the schedule,” IRCTC spokesperson Pradip Kundu told Deccan Herald.