Railways: Passengers will now get tickets in just a few seconds; the Railways' new PRS system is set to make waves..

Indian Railways Reservation System: Indian Railways is set to launch a new Passenger Reservation System (PRS) to modernize train ticket booking and make the reservation process faster and more convenient for passengers. The PRS, developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), has been the backbone of railway reservations for nearly four decades; it replaced the old manual reservation system upon its introduction in 1986.

Since then, it has evolved to support online and mobile ticket booking. In May, the national transporter announced that the 40-year-old PRS would be upgraded in phases, starting in August.

**Major Relief for Passengers**

The implementation of the new system could bring about historic changes in services related to ticket booking, seat availability, waiting lists, RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation), and passenger inquiries. Most notably, the new PRS will be capable of handling a ticket booking volume many times greater than the current system. According to the Railways, the new system will be able to handle over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute.

In contrast, the current system's capacity is reported to be around 32,000 tickets per minute. This system facilitates several critical services, including ticket booking, cancellation, seat allotment, waiting lists, RAC, reservation charts, and passenger inquiries. The Railways is now preparing to replace this aging system with a new-technology PRS in a phased manner.

**Capacity to Handle Heavy Traffic**

The new system is expected to be far more capable than the previous one of handling the sudden surge in traffic on the IRCTC website during Tatkal ticket booking hours. Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Dharmendra Tiwari, Additional Director General (Public Relations) of the Railway Board, stated that the phased transition to the new system has already begun. He noted that the recently launched IRCTC beta website is part of this transformation.

The official added that the transition would be gradual. Before completely replacing the old PRS, the new system will undergo phased testing at various user load levels. An official told *The Indian Express*, "The phased rollout of the new user-friendly look and feel will involve load-based testing as we transition from the old PRS to the new PRS."

What is the current Passenger Reservation System (PRS) in Indian Railways?

PRS is a computerized system used by Indian Railways to manage reserved tickets. It enables passengers to book, modify, and cancel tickets, while also handling seat allocation, waitlists, RAC status, reservation charts, and passenger inquiries. The system connects railway reservation centers with online booking platforms, making the ticket reservation process easier and more efficient.

How did PRS transform railway ticket booking?

PRS replaced manual reservation registers and counter-based booking with an electronic system. As the railway network expanded, it evolved into a nationwide reservation platform. This allows passengers to book train tickets from various locations across the country through the Country-wide Network for Computerized Enhanced Reservation and Ticketing (CONCERT).

Currently, passengers can make reservations via railway reservation counters, websites, and mobile apps. Online booking is available through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and mobile app, as well as the RailOne app, enabling passengers to book tickets from anywhere.

Transition began in August; migration to be completed gradually.

In May, the Railways announced a phased upgrade of the PRS, which has been in use for nearly four decades. Work on this initiative began in August. According to Dharmendra Tiwari, the migration to the new system is already underway. Instead of a complete, simultaneous overhaul, the Railways is implementing the change gradually and in distinct phases.

Initially, the new system will undergo testing at various levels of user load. Subsequently, as the system proves to be stable and capable, the migration from the old PRS to the new PRS will be scaled up. According to the Railways, the user interface and features of the new system are also being gradually improved.

Those booking Tatkal tickets stand to gain the most.

For train passengers, the biggest concern often revolves around booking Tatkal tickets. As soon as the booking window opens, lakhs of people attempt to book simultaneously. This heavy traffic places significant strain on the website and app. According to IRCTC, an improvement in ticket booking speed was observed following the launch of the beta website on July 15.

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