kolkata: Passengers will soon be able to book tickets sitting in trains as Eastern Railway authorities are going to introduce Hand Held Terminal (HHT) equipment for all long-distance trains, which will help in identification of vacant seats. The allotment of devices is yet to be made.
The equipment will be used by the ticketing inspectors/examiners to check reserved seats in a running train. It will also determine the number and location of vacant seats, which will be uploaded online and open to booking by passengers.
Earlier, it was being used by the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) only for Sealdah and Howrah Rajdhani Express. But, according to a recent order, it will now be used across trains. "This will help eradicate the instances where TTE takes money to allocate vacant seats to waiting lists or RAC people. They will have to punch in the present and absent on the equipment," said a senior Railway official.
For instance, if four passengers do not come for a reserved train journey, then their tickets will reflect online. Passengers who have RAC, waiting lists or are looking to board from an upcoming station will be able to book a ticket.
The booking can be done on a running train as well, wherein the passengers can punch their card on an available Point of Sales (POS) machine to reserve a seat. According to the senior Railway official, the tendering process of the machines is underway, after which a decision will be reached on the number of HHT machines that will be allocated.