To make the finding stations and booking tickets easier, Indian Railways have introduced a new feature for passengers. As per report, travelers can now effortlessly book tickets even if they are don’t know the exact names of their journey railway stations. This feature involves linking well-known areas with corresponding station names. The new name station finding feature has been rolled out today.
For instance, if a passenger enters popular locations like Vaishno Devi, Badrinath, Khatu Shyam, or Noida, the ticket booking platform will automatically display the nearest railway station, making it easier to find the exact booking station.
Moreover, the new functionality will be especially beneficial for those wishing to book tickets from stations that have been recently renamed, catching them unaware of the updated names. To address this issue, the railways have mapped 175 popular cities and areas with 725 corresponding stations. These changes have been seamlessly integrated into the journey planner station search of the e-ticket booking website, and travelers will see this functionality displayed on the journey planner and electronic reservation slip of their ticket.
The convenience of this feature will be accessible through both the IRCTC website and the mobile app.
An official involved in the development of this feature told ToI that passengers have often faced difficulties when booking tickets due to a lack of awareness regarding station name changes.
For instance, Rani Kamlapati station in Bhopal, previously known as Habibganj station, and Mughalsarai station in Bihar, now known as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction, have caused confusion among passengers. Similarly Jhansi station has been renamed as Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi Junction.
However, with the new system in place, a passenger typing in a major city name such as Bhopal, Delhi, or Mumbai will receive a list of important stations near that location, simplifying the booking process significantly.