Ministry of Railways is preparing to shift train operations to an upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) starting August 2026.

The transition aims to modernise the existing four-decade-old reservation network while improving passenger convenience and ticketing efficiency.

During a review meeting at Rail Bhavan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw instructed officials to ensure a smooth migration without causing inconvenience to travellers.

Union Ministers of State for Railways, V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu, also attended the meeting.

Introduced in 1986, Indian Railways’ Passenger Reservation System has continuously evolved to manage growing ticket demand across the country.

Over the years, the railway network expanded its digital infrastructure and adopted new technologies to improve reservation services.

Online ticket booking services began in 2002. Today, nearly 88 per cent of railway ticket bookings happen through online platforms.

This major digital shift has significantly reduced dependence on physical reservation counters.

A major addition to this transformation is the RailOne mobile application, launched in 2025. The app uses Artificial Intelligence to predict the chances of waitlisted tickets getting confirmed.

According to Railway officials, the prediction accuracy has improved sharply from 53 per cent to 94 per cent.

Apart from reservation services, RailOne combines several railway facilities within one platform. Users can book or cancel reserved, unreserved, and platform tickets.

Additionally, the app provides live train tracking, platform details, coach positions, train schedules, and refund services.

The app also integrates Rail Madad services, helping passengers raise complaints and seek assistance quickly.

Because of these features, RailOne has gained strong popularity among travellers across India.

Railways stated that nearly 9.29 lakh tickets are booked daily through the app. This includes approximately 7.2 lakh unreserved tickets and 2.09 lakh reserved tickets.

Platform ticket bookings are also included in the unreserved category.

So far, RailOne has recorded over 3.16 crore downloads on Android devices and more than 33 lakh downloads on Apple platforms, reflecting its growing acceptance among railway passengers.

Image by Chathurya from Pixahive (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Published on February 08, 2021

Image Reference: https://pixahive.com/photo/train-on-railway-station/