Representative image showing trains.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: More than 85 per cent of reserved tickets in the South Western Railway (SWR) are now booked online, according to the latest data.
In May 2025, 85.25 per cent of the reserved tickets in the SWR jurisdiction were booked through the e-ticketing system, while only 14.75 per cent were booked at railway counters.
For unreserved ticket bookings, 68.44 per cent of passengers still used the traditional ticket counters, whereas 26.36 per cent used Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs).
In addition, 5.2% of the unreserved tickets were booked via the UTS mobile app.
The SWR said it had implemented a range of digital initiatives to streamline services for both passengers and railway staff.
Fast and free Wi-Fi with high-speed internet connectivity is now available at all stations. To promote cashless transactions, facilities for BHIM, RuPay debit cards and e-wallet payments have been enabled at ticket counters, complemented by the installation of 145 Point of Sale (POS) machines. QR code-based smart ID cards have been introduced for vendors at all major and minor stations, it added.
The SWR has also installed smart, IoT-based luggage lockers — Digital Luggage (cloakroom) Lockers or Digilockers — at all stations. Further, 1,108 TTEs are have been equipped with Hand Held Terminals (HHTs) for real-time ticket checking and data access.
The SWR said it had also fully implemented the e-office system in all its administrative offices and introduced e-TRR for freight loading to support paperless transactions.
The SWR has launched e-auctions, e-tenders platform to simplify and speed up contractual processes. The SWR was the first railway zone in South India to implement the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) mobile app in a regional language (Kannada) on January 18, 2023.
The SWR was also the first railway zone to introduce mobile ticketing across its entire network. Five new Yatri Ticketing Suvidha Kendras (YTSKs) were commissioned in 2024-25, increasing the total to 24 by March 2025. Likewise, 20 new Station Ticket Booking Agents (STBAs) were added during the same period, bringing the total to 131, it said.
A total of 107 Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs), first introduced in October 2015 at Bengaluru, Hubballi and Mysuru stations, are currently functional across the zone.
A 100 per cent online Coaching E-Balance Sheet system, along with integrated UTS and PRS e-Balance Sheet and E-CR Note systems, has been implemented at all UTS and PRS locations. QR codes with approved menus and tariffs have been introduced in static units and pantry cars, the zone said.
The SWR has also achieved full digitisation of freight revenue collection through e-payment and Online Payment Systems. The Rail Bijli Samadhan app has been launched across the zone to streamline energy billing and grievance redress.
Railway passengers can now conveniently lodge complaints and grievances through the Rail Madad mobile app.
The SWR's Hubballi division has introduced 'Margadarshak', a digital map and navigation system at the Hubballi railway station.