Rail passengers can now book tickets to any destination across India through post offices in Kerala. The service was launched on December 15 at Munnar post office, which hence became the first in the state to install the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) of Railways and issue tickets to passengers. “All facilities, including Tatkal, available to the public at the computerised reservation centres of Railways will be available from the PRS installed at the Munnar post office”, said Mr. Rajesh Agrawal, Divisional Railway Manager, Thiruvananthapuram. The PRS centres of Railways work on Sundays also from 8 am to 2 pm. “The response is encouraging and it is a breakthrough. The facility will come in handy for tourists and local residents alike”, added Mr. Agrawal.
The facility had been introduced under the ‘Project Arrow’ of the Department of Posts to transform the existing India Post infrastructure, and a scheme by Railways to provide train tickets at the doorstep to everyone. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed between Indian Railways and India Post for implementing this system. Railways had provided equipment and training to the employees in the post offices to operate the PRS. The Postal Department had to make available adequate space in post offices and manpower to man the counters. The MoU, signed in 2007 and valid for five years, was extended for another five years.
“It is for the Postal Department to fix the timings. If it is extended to 8 pm in a tourist place like Munnar, it will be of great help to the visitors coming from across the country and abroad”, said Mr. Agrawal.
