Railway tickets to be delivered to mobile phones

The government is examining a proposal to allow virtual tickets sent to mobile phones to act as valid Electronic Reservation Slips (ERS).
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways E Ahamed in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
Currently, a passenger is required to take a printout of an e-ticket from a computer on the basis of a confirmation message sent to his mobile phone before starting the journey or he has to pay a fine of Rs 50.
This move will simplify the ticketing procedure as people who have Broadband connections do not necessarily have a printer.
The Railway is also planning to start a system of mobile ticketing for unreserved tickets. It will soon start a pilot project for the Mumbai sub-urban rail system.
The company is working to allow ticket booking through mobiles. However, the project announced during the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav as Railway Minister has not seen the light of day so far.