The current IRCTC e-ticketing service has been so systematically misused by travel agents selling the pre-booked tickets at a premium in turn that travel agents have been barred from booking tatkal tickets through the IRCTC portal during peak hours. The new service is expected to further improve the lot of the general travelling public.
The new e-ticket service will be available through its website www.indianrailways.gov.in. The service will be available between 12.30 AM and 11.30 PM everyday.
Individuals have to register themselves free of charge to avail themselves of the service. To start with, a user will be allowed no more than eight transaction per month. Service charges of Rs 5/- per ticket for sleeper class and Rs 10/- per ticket for all other classes will be levied under the proposed service.
The service is expected to be launched once the necessary clearances for payment gateway transactions are received.
A similar facility for booking tickets through mobile phones is also going to be launched. It would require a software application for mobile phones to be downloaded from the website of Indian Railways.