One just loves to travel by train – despite the fact that
getting a ticket is not easy; many a times it is not clean…. … it could run
late – yet ~ the largest employer in India – Indian Railways continues to
fascinate. It transports millions across
the Nation and has come a long way since 1853 when the first train ran from Bombay
The most perceptible one is the way people buy tickets for
travel. You need to go back in history to appreciate this. Earlier days there was no connectivity and
each station had its quota ~ booking a return ticket was so cumbersome. Then in
1980s came the computerization – a great facility, you could stand in that big
ticket booking complex in Central [later in 6 places in city] ~ ‘any counter –
any place – any class of ticket’ was a great hit – though one had to stand for
hours in serpentine queues. It functioned from 8 am to 8 pm, if I remember aright.
The most often asked Q in those days to any travellers [by
concerned parents and others] was ‘have you taken the ticket with you ?’ – some
would forget and rush back to take the ticket and travel………… those days of
physical tickets…. E-ticketing through
IRCTC website, www.irctc.co.in, revolutionized the way the common man deals
with the railways and has been the biggest success story of e-governance in India
‘Change is only constant’………….. and in keeping tune with
the modern technology where mobile market is exploding exponentially, IRCTC has
now launched two other modes of ticket booking : SMS and USSD... and you don`t
need an Internet connection in your mobile for this. The pre-requisite for
using the IRCTCmobile is :
The pre-requisites for using the IRCTCmobile are:
• You need to
be a IRCTC user
• Have a Java
enabled mobile phone or a smart phone
• Have GPRS
service activated on your mobile phone
• Have a
credit card/cash card.
~ and this service will not work for CDMA mobile users
In case you are wondering what USSD is : Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
(USSD) is a protocol used by GSM cellular telephones to communicate with the
service provider's computers. USSD can be used for WAP browsing, prepaid
callback service, mobile-money services, location-based content services,
menu-based information services, and as part of configuring the phone on the
network. USSD messages are up to 182 alphanumeric characters in length. Unlike
Short Message Service (SMS) messages, USSD messages create a real-time
connection during a USSD session. The connection remains open, allowing a
two-way exchange of a sequence of data. This makes USSD more responsive than
services that use SMS. Typically, the user composes a message on the phone
keyboard. The phone sends it to the phone company network, where it is received
by a computer dedicated to USSD. The answer from this computer is sent back to
the phone. The answer could be seen on the phone screen, but it is usually with
a very basic presentation. The messages sent over USSD are not defined by any
standardization body, so each network operator can implement whatever it finds
suitable for its customers.
Now here is how it is going to work for you : The one introduced by IRCTC is a non-internet based ticketing system. One can use
their mobile phones to book tickets in a simple, convenient and secured manner.
It uses simple SMS or menu-based USSD technology which works on all mobile
phones and involves no internet and costs very little.
Railway e-ticket on
mobile :
1. USSD based
booking through Airtel*
• Register for
Airtel money by dialing USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Services Data) number
*400#.
• Load cash on
this or recharge from any Airtel money outlet.
Booking Flow
• Dial *400#
and select book tickets option.
• Select
Reservation.
• Enter your
IRCTC User ID.
• Enter the
details of ticket (station, train no. date of journey, class etc.).
• Enter mPIN
for authorizing payment through Airtel money.
• Booking
confirmation SMS is sent by IRCTC and same can be used during journey along
with valid ID proof..
• Fare &
service charges are debited from your Airtel money account.
• PG Charges:
Currently NIL
• Agent
Service Charges: Currently NIL
• Helpline
No.: 121
• Helpline
Email : 121@airtelmoney.in
2. SMS based
booking through 139*
• Register
your mobile number with IRCTC as well as with your bank.
• Bank
provides MMID (Mobile Money Identifier) & OTP (One Time Password) through
IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) option.
• More than 25
banks are providing IMPS facility. For generating MMID & OTP, visit website:
http://www.npci.org.in/impsmerpay10.aspx.)
Booking Flow
• Generate OTP
through your Bank for authorization of payment.
• Send SMS, in
the following syntax, to 139 BOOK
<TrainNo><FromStn.Code><ToStn.Code> <TravelDate
(DDMM)><Class><Passenger-Name><Age><M/F>
• You will
receive Transaction ID alongwith other details.
• Make payment
through sending an SMS, in the following syntax, to 139 PAY <Transaction ID
as received><IMPS><Your MMID as received from the bank><OTP,
your one time password as received from the bank for this
transaction><IRCTCUserID> and your ticket is booked; confirmation SMS
is received on your mobile and same can be used during journey along with valid
ID proof.
• Service is
available to all mobile subscribers.
• SMSes @ Rs
3/- per SMS (2 SMSes are required for each booking).
• PG charges
Rs 5/- for ticket amount < Rs 5000/ and Rs 10/- for ticket amount >= Rs
5000/- (as applicable by bank).
• Agent
Service Charges: NIL
• Helpline
No.: 139
• Helpline
Email : smsticket139@bharatbpo.inhttp://smsticket139@bharatbpo.in/
3. SMS based
booking through 5676714*
• Register
your mobile number with IRCTC as well as with m-wallet
(http://www.zipcash.in/user/nlogin.aspx)
• Send SMS, to
5676714, in the following syntax START < irctc user Id > for user
authentication (first time only)
Booking Flow
• Send an SMS
to 5676714 to book a ticket in the following syntax: BOOK <From
stn.code>,<to stn.code>, <DDMMYY>,
<Trainno>,<Class>,<passenger name>,<age>,<M/F>
• 1. "PAY
, MPAY, < m-PIN >" for authorizing payment through MPAY
OR
• 2.
"Send <mobileno>,<mmid>,<amount>, <transaction
Id>,<OTP>" to your Bank IMPS number.
• After
payment is made booking confirmation is sent to your mobile.
• SMSes @ Rs
3/- per SMS (2 SMSes are required for each booking).
• PG Charges:
Currently NIL
• Agent
Service Charges: As applicable.
• Helpline No.
: 8882001001
• Helpline
Email : support@saarthii.com
4. SMS based
booking through BSNL*
User should have the following:
1. BSNL SIM card installed.
2. Java enabled mobile phone.
3. Andhra Bank Prepaid card.
• This is a
menu driven application where user has to enter the details asked for in simple
step-by-step process to get the ticket.
Registration
• Install the
application.
• Select the
Register option to get the mPIN.
Booking
• Click the
icon BSNL Prepaid Card
• Select
Ticketing > Train (IRCTC)
• Fill up the
journey details such as From stn, To Stn, Train No, DOJ, Class, Quota,
passenger details.
• Enter the
mPIN to get the ticket information.
• SMSes:
without charges.
• PG Charges:
Currently NIL
• Agent
Service Charges: As applicable.
Helpline No. : 040-39849644
So, next time you book a rail ticket, take out your
mobile.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
PS : largely
reproduced from www.irctc.co.in.
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