Now you will no longer have to dial 139 or visit the rail website to check the status of your waitlisted ticket as the railways will now send booking status messages to passengers on mobile phones, if the tickets get confirmed before the journey.

"For the last 10 days the trial was going on and today we formally launched the SMS alert service for all passengers whose waitlisted tickets get confirmed," Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said here.

He said everyday about four lakh passengers will get SMS alert on their mobiles about the status of their waitlisted tickets.

The software for the SMS-based service has been developed by CRIS, the technological arm of railways.

"The status of the waitlisted tickets will be communciated through SMS on the passenger mobile phone number given at the time of booking ticket. So now you will get status alert on your mobile once the waitlisted ticket becomes reservation against cancellation (RAC) and also when it gets finally confirmed," Chowdhury said.

This was a Rail Budget proposal and the government was a committed to providing it to passengers free of cost, he said after launching the SMS Gateway service.

"Passengers want to know about the status of the ticket and the new service is certainly going to benefit passengers and also help reduce load on the railway website," Railway Member (Traffic) DP Pandey said.

Pandey said not only the status of the ticket, passengers will also get the exact position of the coach and berth number. "Passengers will get the status alert three hours before with their coach number and berth number."

He, however, clarified that if the waitlisted ticket becomes RAC or confirmed then only a passenger will be informed through SMS and not otherwise.

The facility is expected to reduce the last minute enquiry rush on the rail websites and call centre as well as reduce the crowding near the notice board of pasted chart locations on platforms.