NEW DELHI: Passengers can book train tickets by sending a text message to 139 from their mobile phones and money will be deducted from their bank accounts linked to the phone number. The SMS booking service has been started by the Railways for passengers who don’t have access to the Internet and who still seek to do cashless transactions by using their cellphones.
Passengers will be required to send a simple text message containing travel information like number of passengers travelling, date of journey, class and train number.
They can make payments for the tickets using a transaction ID. The process involves registering with the IRCTC website and after sending the text message for ticket registration, passengers will get details of the cost of the ticket and other charges to be paid.
Another SMS needs to be sent confirming the payment.
The amount will be deducted from the account linked to the mobile number after generating a code needed for the payment process. Those making the booking will get the details related to the ticket.
The Railways has already announced initiatives for booking online tickets and cashless transactions. It has decided to give Rs 10 lakh free insurance cover to passengers booking tickets online to encourage
more people to shift to digital transactions.