• Source:JND
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IRCTC Update: Railway passengers have a reason to cheer, ticket booking is about to get a major speed boost. The Indian Railways is preparing for a ‘maha-upgrade’ of its Passenger Reservation System (PRS), which will make booking up to four times faster. This means no more endless waiting for confirmed seats, especially during the festive rush.

Currently, the PRS handles a limited number of bookings per minute, often causing delays during peak travel periods. With the upgrade, this capacity will increase significantly, ensuring smoother and quicker bookings.

According to Jagran.com, the biggest benefit of this move will be felt during festivals, long weekends, and holiday seasons times when getting a ticket can feel nearly impossible. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Kuldeep Tiri explained that the Railways is working with the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to completely revamp the PRS. The overhaul will replace outdated hardware, software, network, and security systems with a modern, high-performance setup.

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What's Changing?

The existing PRS, launched back in 2010, still runs on Itanium servers and OpenVMS technology that’s now outdated. The new system will run on cloud technology, making it faster, safer, and more convenient for passengers. With India’s growing population and rising demand for online services, this upgrade was long overdue.

Alongside the PRS upgrade, the Railways has reduced the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) from 120 days to 60 days starting November 1, 2024, to curb unnecessary ticket cancellations. It has also launched a new mobile app called RailOne, allowing passengers to book both reserved and unreserved tickets right from their smartphones.

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For general passengers, the Railways is adding more general coaches to several long-distance trains in the 2024–25 period, ensuring that travel becomes more accessible for everyone.