HYDERABAD: Your phone can now carry your train ticket, doing away with the need to carry paper tickets or printouts and queuing up before reservation counters. With the Indian Railways starting the 'm-ticket' (mobile phone-based ticket booking), travellers can now get a ticket through SMS in 20 minutes. The m-ticket service is part of the new website www.indianrailways.gov.in launched recently, which will provide all enquiries like train alert, PNR status, train status, seat availability, train schedule, time table and fare on a single website. One can use the mobile Internet (GPRS) service on the mobile phone and visit the website to register for the service. An SMS will then bring the link of the mobile ticket application on the phone. Once it is installed, one can get tickets on the phone. On completion of booking and payment formalities, an SMS containing ticket details will be sent to the user, which is referred to as the Mobile Reservation Message (MRM).B Lakshman, a lecturer in a private college was seen busy downloading the application on his iPhone and a few minutes later, he received a soft copy of the ticket to travel from Secunderabad to Vijayawada. “I feel it is the easiest way to get a train ticket, without spending time in queues or running to travel agents who charge extra. It took me between 20 to 30 minutes to get a ticket and it was sent directly to my mobile. There is no need to carry paper tickets anymore,”said Lakshman.A passenger has just to show the SMS to the ticket collector, backed up by a photo ID to travel on train. The facility of booking tickets through the web portal will be available between 12.30 a.m and 11.30 p.m daily. Railway officials said the newly launched e-ticketing facility bars travel agents and such bulk customers from using the service.
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