Railways extends free SMS service to 1,373 trains

The service was started for 102 premium trains on November 3 last year and was extended to 157 more trains later. It was restricted to people boarding at the departure station only.

The Indian Railways has extended their toll-free SMS service to at least 1,373 trains to address concerns regarding delayed train status. This free SMS service is available to all the booked passengers who can enquire about trains running late by more than an hour. Passengers travelling by Garib Rath, Duronto, Jan Shatabdi, Suvidha, Humsafar, Superfast and Premium trains will get the alerts.

The service was started for 102 premium trains on November 3 last year and was extended to 157 more trains later. It was restricted to people boarding at the departure station only. Travellers boarding at halt stations all along the route will also receive alerts.

The free service will be available only to those passengers who have provided their mobile phone numbers through either e-ticket or counter ticket (PRS) bookings. Through this service, the Railway hopes that passengers will be able to plan their journey and minimise some of the inconvenience caused due to trains running late. The passengers can text their PNR (Passenger Name Record) to 139 and know the status of the respective train.

(With agency inputs)