As the country’s most important transportation network, Indian Railways carries roughly 80% of the total goods traffic and 70% of the total passenger traffic. It is a statutory agency that operates India’s national railway system and is owned by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
On April 16, 1853, Indian Railways began it’s operations, with its first 22-mile section (34 km). The Indian Railway System, on the other hand, has grown into such a vast organization that it is now Asia’s largest and the world’s second-largest in terms of route length.
It has now a total route length of 67,956 km (42,226 miles) as of March 31 2022. Surely, one question comes to your mind: How do railroads sell tickets? So, let’s find out about it.
Buy a ticket through IRCTC.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a government-owned company in India that offers ticketing, catering, and tourism services to Indian Railways.
As of 2019, it has been listed on the National Stock Exchange, with the Government maintaining a majority stake. It was formerly owned entirely by the Government of India and operated under the Ministry of Railways.
It has led to offering internet-based rail ticket booking on its website, as well as via WiFi, GPRS, or SMS from mobile phones. It also offers an SMS service for checking PNR status and Live Train Status.
The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation also offers I-tickets, which are similar to ordinary tickets but are ordered online and mailed. The PNR status of the tickets is also visible. Season tickets for the suburban rail can also be purchased through the website.
It has also introduced Shubh Yatra, a loyalty program for frequent passengers. Passengers can get savings on all tickets booked during the year by paying an annual fee up ahead. But one thing that always irritates some travellers is that unlike movie tickets or even bus bookings, you can’t choose whatever seats on the train you want. So, let’s take a look at why we don’t have that option.
Why IRCTC doesn’t let us choose a seat?
According to a Moneycontrol study, the process of selecting a seat in the halls and trains differs. Science holds the key to understanding why the two approaches are so different. Trains, on the other hand, must constantly move whereas the movie theatre is in a state of rest. As a result, the IRCTC algorithm assigns a seat to each passenger to evenly distribute the load on the moving train.
Indian railway ticket booking algorithm
Assume the train has sleeping coaches named T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, etc. As a result, each train coach will have 72-72 seats. For the first time a person purchases a ticket, the program assigns him a seat in the middle coach. The IRCTC assigns the bottom berth first to reduce the centre of gravity.
Throughout the journey, all carriages on the train are filled with the same number of passengers. Railway seats are assigned starting in the middle and progressing toward the carriage doors. The IRCTC ticket booking algorithm software, assists in maintaining the train’s balance in this way.
Due to the maximal centrifugal force, the train’s possibility of derailment may increase. As a result, the Indian Railways reserves this obligation, guaranteeing that passengers are distributed evenly.