Indian Railways starts checking tickets by scanning QR codes

Railway ticket examiners have started checking tickets by scanning QR codes printed on tickets under the Moradabad division of Northern Railways. With this move, the railway officials aim to reduce human-to-human contact amid coronavirus pandemic.

Informing about the new initiative, launched on 22 July, Moradabad Divisional Railway Manager Tarun Prakash said, as quoted by News Agency ANI, “We have made a modification in our ticket reservation system, enabling it to issue a unique QR code to every ticket which can be scanned by the examiners through hand-held terminals or other devices that can scan QR codes.”

Last year, the North Western Railway had come up with the introduction of QR Codes for 12 stations to get unreserved tickets easily on mobile.

How to book tickets through QR codes

To book a ticket through QR codes, the user is required to download the UTS application from Google Play Store and complete the ‘registration’ and ‘login’ process. Following the login, the user is required to select QR booking in the ‘book ticket’ menu and scan the QR code provided at the station premises. Selection of the destination and other required fields would result in the completion of the booking process.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Centre is planning to auction railway stations to private players after modernizing the facilities. Addressing a webinar organized by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) here, the Union railway minister said the bids for privatizing the trains were “all out and well responded”.