Now buy train tickets while filling petrol

New Delhi, Jan 8: If you dread being a part of serpentine queues moving at a snail's pace at rail ticket counters, things are now going to be a lot more easier, as easy as filling petrol in your car.

In a major e-ticketing initiative, the Railways today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) for setting up e-ticketing facility at all the petrol pumps and LPG outlets across the country.

The MoU was signed between Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation LTD (IRCTC) Managing Director P K Goel and BPCL Executive Director Sanjay Krishnamurti (retail).

Dr Goel said initially the services would start at 38 petrol pumps in seven important cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Pune. ''It will grdually be extended to more outlets in other cities and towns after BPCL provides infrastructure facilities at petrol pumps and cooking gas distribution outlets,'' he added.

Under the arrangement, customers will have to pay in cash the ticket fare and some nominal amount for getting computer printouts of tickets.

For sleeper class, a passenger will have to pay additional Rs 35 while for AC classes, the amount will be Rs 55. This will be applicable to six passengers booked on a single reservation.

''This amount is applicable if a person buys tickets through agents recognised by the Railways. But if a passenger books tickets directly, the extra amount he or she will have to pay is Rs 25 for sleeper class and Rs 40 for AC classes,'' he pointed out.

The BPCL will have to provide infrastructure facilities like kiosks as well as booking staff at petrol pumps and LPG outlets, which will operate on a commission-sharing basis with IRCTC.

Entrusted with the online booking of train tickets, the IRCTC has already made a similar arrangement with Sify for sale of tickets through its network of over 3000 cyber cafes in more than 150 cities.

For booking tickets, the passengers will have to furnish some identity proof like ration card, passport copy or Voter I-card and he will have to carry out the same proof while travelling.

If the passenger fails to furnish exactly the same identity proof while in train, he will be declared a ticketless traveller and will be penalised.

Employees of the IT-enabled petrol pumpsbunk will be assigned a code and their signature registered with IRCTC. Only these employees would operate the computer installed at the outlet for bookings.

''This will go a long way in bringing rail services to the doorsteps of passengers and countering the challenges from low cost air carriers.Our strategy in selling up the tickets is to reach to the customers not the customer should come to us. We are hoping for increased patronage,'' Dr Goel said.

UNI