Indian Railways is on the verge of unveiling a ‘super app’ aimed at revolutionizing the commuting experience for railway passengers. This all-in-one application will offer a wide array of services, including ticket booking, train tracking, and various other railway-related tasks, all designed to enhance customer satisfaction.
As the Lok Sabha Elections approach in 2024, Indian Railways is gearing up with several technological advancements, and the ‘super app’ is poised to be a flagship offering among these updates. Among the notable upgrades is the introduction of a 24-hour ticket refund scheme, intended to simplify the process of ticket cancellations and provide passengers with a hassle-free refund experience.
At the forefront of the Railways’ digital landscape is the immensely popular IRCTC Rail Connect app, boasting over 100 million downloads. The upcoming ‘super app’ aims to consolidate various existing railway apps under one platform, including Rail Madad, UTS, Satark, TMS-Nirikshan, IRCTC Air, and PortRead, among others.
In a similar vein, the Kolkata Metro has seen significant uptake in its mobile app, ‘Metro Ride Kolkata.’ Developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), this app enables commuters to recharge their smart cards or book QR code-based tickets conveniently from their smartphones. Launched on March 5, 2022, for Android users and March 22, 2024, for iOS users, the app has garnered over 4.46 lakh downloads on the Android platform and 1400 downloads on iOS, underscoring its popularity among Metro users.
To further promote awareness and usage of the app, special promotional films are being aired on platform televisions at both old North-South and new East-West Metro stations. Additionally, construction work for the underground Victoria station has commenced in the Joka-Esplanade Metro Corridor, marking another milestone in Kolkata’s metro infrastructure development.
With the imminent launch of the Indian Railways’ ‘super app’ and the growing adoption of digital solutions in public transportation, commuters can look forward to a more seamless and convenient travel experience in the days ahead.
