The Railway Board has proposed to extend its computerised passenger reservation system (PRS)-cum-unreserved ticketing system (UTS) facility to authorised ticketing agents.
Named Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK), the facility has been restricted to railway ticket service agents (RTSA) and rail travel agents who have a clean track record for the past five years.
In an August 8, 2014 circular, the Board has asked zonal railways to select the licensees who will have to put up an office with all required infrastructure on par with railway PRS centres.
The Railways will provide the licensee with computer terminals, ticket printers, modems among other things, while the licensee will have to hire two data/communication channels between his location and the nearest computerised PRS centre.
While the access to each terminal will be charged at the rate of Rs. 1.6 lakh a year, the Railways will give the PRS ticket rolls, of distinct colour, free of cost.
In order to prevent malpractice, the timings of operations of the terminals have been fixed one hour behind the opening timing of PRS counters.
While the booking of normal tickets opens at 8 a.m. and tatkal booking at 10 a.m. in the PRS centres, the same will be allowed only at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively. However, the YTSKs will be allowed to work till 10 p.m. on week days (as against 8 p.m. at PRS) and 8 p.m. on Sundays (as against 2 p.m. at PRS).
Revenue sharing The licensee will have to share 25 per cent of the service charges levied on the customer for booking and cancellation of reserved tickets. The revenue sharing model will be revised after one year.
However, the levy of rupee one per passenger as service charge on booking of unreserved tickets need not be shared with the Railways.
Each YSTK could be identified with a code number which will appear in the tickets. The fare value and service charges realised from passengers will appear on the ticket to avoid overcharging by the licensee.
The indirect move to privatise railway operations will only add to the fare burden on passengers, a railway employee in the Commercial Department said.
However, an RTSA, C. Baskaran, said private players could give better service to passengers.
