• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Indian Railways replacing 40-year-old reservation system.
  2. New high-capacity platform launching from August 2026.
  3. RailOne app uses AI for ticket confirmation predictions.

Railway News: Indian Railways is set to undertake one of its most significant infrastructure upgrades in decades as it gears up to retire its 40-year-old Passenger Reservation System (PRS). Starting in August 2026, the decades-long system will be replaced by a new, high-capacity platform.

This modernisation drive aims to make ticket booking faster, smoother and more reliable for the millions of passengers who rely on the network daily.

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Indian Railways To Upgrade Decades-Old Reservation System

Introduced in 1986, the passenger reservation system has served as the backbone of railway ticketing for nearly four decades. However, with the surge in passenger demand, railway officials believe this ageing infrastructure has finally reached its operational limits.

To address this, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a review meeting at Rail Bhavan and directed the officials to ensure that passengers do not face any inconvenience during the transition from the 40-year-old reservation system to the upgraded system.

"Today at Rail Bhawan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a review meeting with officials and issued directions to ensure that passengers do not face any inconvenience during the transition of trains from the 40-year-old reservation system to the upgraded system. Union Ministers of State for Railways, V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu, were also present in the meeting," the Ministry of Railways said.

The new reservation system will make ticket booking faster, smoother and more reliable for the millions of passengers who rely on the network daily.

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Internet Train Ticket Booking Services Launched In 2002

According to a report by The Indian Express, Indian Railways introduced the facility of booking tickets through the Internet in 2002. Currently, 88 per cent of the total train ticket booking demand in the country is being met through online platforms.

RailOne App Gains Popularity

Since its launch in 2025, Indian Railways' super app Rail One has leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide more accurate predictions on ticket confirmations. The accuracy of the waiting-list confirmation prediction on the RailOne mobile application has risen from 53 per cent to 94 per cent.

The app also offers several integrated features, including:

- A single interface for booking, cancellations, and refunds across reserved, unreserved, and platform tickets.

- Updates on train schedules, live running status, platform information, and coach positions.

- Integration with Rail Madad for passenger assistance.

"Every day, 9.29 lakh tickets are booked through this app across the country, including 7.2 lakh unreserved tickets and 2.09 lakh reserved tickets. Unreserved tickets also include platform tickets. The RailOne app is widely appreciated on both Android and iOS platforms. It has been downloaded 3.16 crore times from the Google Play Store and 33.17 lakh times on Apple devices," the statement added.


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