In a move aimed at enhancing passenger convenience, Indian Railways has introduced the ‘RailOne’ mobile application, enabling users to book both reserved and unreserved tickets directly from their smartphones. The app complements existing booking options such as railway reservation counters, offering a more flexible and digital alternative for travellers.
Turning out to be a major success, Indian Railways’ integrated ticketing platform witnessed a strong response from passengers, recording 2.57 crore downloads as of March 15, 2026.
As per the official statement, the app is facilitating an average of 7.64 lakh ticket bookings, covering both reserved and unreserved categories. The surge highlights the growing shift towards digital platforms for railway services across the country.
Online reserved tickets account for 88 per cent
Officials further noted that digital adoption in railway ticketing continues to rise, with approximately 88 per cent of reserved tickets now being booked online, significantly reducing dependence on physical counters.
Apart from direct booking platforms, Indian Railways also engages various categories of authorised agents to facilitate ticketing services, ensuring wider accessibility for passengers across regions.
Indian Railways offer multiple online ticketing systems
As part of its outreach, Indian Railways has engaged multiple categories of agents to facilitate ticket booking services, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. For unreserved tickets, the categories include Halt Agents, Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sevaks (JTBS), Station Ticket Booking Agents (STBA), and M-UTS Sahayaks. Meanwhile, Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra Licensees (YTSKL) are authorised to issue both reserved and unreserved tickets.
Yatri Tickets Suvidha Kendra Licensee (YTSKL)
Additionally, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) appoints e-ticketing agents for booking reserved tickets online under Yatri Tickets Suvidha Kendra Licensee (YTSKL).
The statement further said that there is no prior experience required for individuals seeking to become Halt Agents, JTBS, STBA, or M-UTS Sahayaks. These schemes are designed to encourage participation from eligible individuals, including educated unemployed youth, thereby promoting self-employment and improving accessibility to railway ticketing services.
Since, in addition to unreserved tickets, YTSKLs also issue reserved tickets, which require a basic understanding of railway ticketing, for YTSKLs, a minimum of 02 years’ experience in railway ticketing is required.