66% increase in digital booking of reserved train tickets: Rajen Gohain

This year (till June), approximately 68% of total reserved tickets were booked through digital means, the government was told

The share of railway tickets booked using digital modes of payment increased to 66 per cent of the total reserved tickets in 2017-18 from 60 per cent in 2016-17, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

This year (till June), approximately 68 per cent of total reserved tickets were booked through digital means, the government was told.

"Apart from passenger ticket booking, which is the key operational area for enhancing digital transactions, Railways has also introduced digital payment modes like POS machines at goods/parcel locations and also catering," Gohain said.

The payment for tickets booked on the IRCTC website is made through various cashless modes such as net banking, credit/debit cards, cash cards, e-wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI)/Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM).

"To incentivise digital payments, the service charge on online bookings was withdrawn for tickets booked after November 23, 2016. The facility has been extended up to August 31, 2018," he said.