Mumbai: Indian Railways is upgrading its decades-old Passenger Reservation System (PRS) with a modern “NextGen PRS” platform to improve ticket booking speed, increase system capacity and strengthen online passenger services across the country. The upgraded system is being introduced at a time when nearly 80 per cent of railway tickets are booked online through IRCTC.
History of PRS from 1985 to present network
The PRS system was first launched in 1985 in Delhi to make train reservation easier for passengers. Earlier, reserved tickets could be booked only from limited counters. After nationwide networking of the system was completed in 1999, passengers could reserve seats, check PNR status, enquire about trains and cancel tickets from any connected railway reservation counter across India. At present, the PRS network operates through major data centres in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, while Secunderabad serves as the disaster recovery backup centre.
Railways has now shifted from the old Character User Interface (CUI)-based software to a faster Graphical User Interface (GUI)-based system. Officials said the NextGen PRS platform can process nearly 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute compared to around 32,000 tickets earlier. Train enquiry handling capacity has also increased almost ten times. The upgraded system supports better mobile and app integration, improved Tatkal booking security through OTP and Aadhaar verification, and cloud-compatible technology for smoother functioning.
Mumbai-specific implementation on Western Railway
From Mumbai’s perspective, Western Railway has already shifted a large number of PRS terminals to the NextGen platform. Mumbai Central division alone has around 205 PRS terminals, making it one of the biggest reservation networks under Western Railway. Several passenger information display systems and enquiry devices across Mumbai and nearby divisions are also being upgraded under the modernisation programme.
However, passengers and railway staff are still facing problems during Tatkal booking hours and advance reservation opening timings. According to information shared by railway sources, the system sometimes becomes slow or hangs during peak traffic hours. Ticket booking forms reportedly stop responding, QR-code payment processing takes longer time, and some terminals automatically log out after buffering for several minutes, causing inconvenience to passengers.
To improve the system further, Railways is upgrading internet bandwidth, replacing old routers, strengthening communication networks and installing more than 1,100 new thin-client systems compatible with the NextGen PRS platform. The move is aimed at making ticket booking faster, smoother and more reliable for passengers in Mumbai and across the country.
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