HYDERABAD: In its effort to reduce the use of paper, Indian railways now allows soft copies of travel ticket as a valid one booked through either of the services- Short messaging service, virtual reservation message, or mobile reservation services- facilitated by its online ticket booking website irctc.
The SMS received by a passenger while booking an e-ticket on irctc would be considered a valid authority for travel.
Accordingly, the virtual reservation message (VRM) and mobile reservation message (MRM) which include the screen-shot taken of an e-ticket, and displayed it on laptops and mobile phones respectively would also serve as an authorised ticket on par with electronic reservation slip (ERS).
Such soft copies of ticket will contain all the important details such as pnr no, train number, date of journey, wagon class, names of Passengers, coach number, berth number, fare, etc.
SMSes, VRMs, and MRMs tickets would be valid only if they are produced along with a proof of identity in original which will include any of the documents such as voter photo identity card, passport, PAN card, driving license, photo identity card issued by Central /state governments, student identity card with photograph issued by a recognized school / college, nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph, credit card with laminated photograph, and unique identification card “Aadhaar”.
The soft copy of the ticket should be displayed during the course of on-board and off-board checking. If the passenger fails to produce or display the SMS due to any eventuality such as loss, discharged mobile or laptop etc., but has the prescribed proof of identity, a penalty of Rs 50 per ticket will be levied by the ticket checking staff.