Mumbai Local Train: Fully vaccinated passengers can now book tickets using their mobile phone. (File)
Fully vaccinated passengers of the Central Railway's suburban trains can now book their single journey and season tickets on their mobile phones through the Railways' Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) app, which has been linked to the state government's Universal Pass, an official said on Tuesday.
The linking of UTS application and Universal Pass will enable passengers to book their tickets seamlessly without any hassle, said Anil Kumar Lahoti, general manager of Central Railway.
"Anyone who has taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and has completed 14 days since the administration of the last dose has to take state government's Universal Pass, which was issued after due verification of the vaccination status," Mr Lahoti said.
The linking of the two systems will provide significant relief to passengers and reduce queues at railway ticket counters.
An updated Android version of the UTS app was already available on Google Play Store, while the IOS version is likely to be updated in Apple Store by Tuesday night, he said, adding that with this, passengers can buy single journey and season tickets through UTS app.
The Central Railway, Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and state government were working together to link the UTS app with the UPS, the official said.
From October 30, the state government allowed citizens to travel on suburban trains by obtaining single journey tickets, but passengers had to produce a universal pass for this.
At present, passengers have to produce their universal passes at ticket counters to buy tickets.
During the pandemic, UTS app was suspended, as there was no system to verify the vaccination status of passengers.
Now, the UTS app will be opened for public with proper vaccination verification made possible by linking it with the state government portal, it was stated.