IRCTC: On the Right Platform

Crazy that I am...in all the election hoo-haa, I felt for poor souls trying to defend Rahul Gandhi. I wondered what it would feel like to be batting for something so miraculously incompetent. So here's my attempt at finding out. And the proxy I think fits the bill: IRCTC. Even Rahul Gandhi would rather get another round of electoral colonoscopy from a 12th pass (or graduate? can't really tell these days...) TV actress, then come up against IRCTC in a popularity war (or try and book a ticket on it, for that matter). The blue website tells the real men from chaff. The website that made "Tatkal" results the new sexy. Oh well.

But if you are a maniac for trains. If you spend your spare time randomly searching trains between destinations and still religiously buy a copy of "Trains at a Glance". If you know there are 16 Railway Zones and 4 Mountain Trains. If you can tell the difference between the Palace on Wheels and the Deccan Odyssey, you kinda sorta end up looking beneath the surface. And if you do...you'll notice that while the world has been busy chanting "Death to IRCTC", the poor guys at Indian Railways and IRCTC have been slowly and surely chipping away at significant reforms. Baby steps which would build a platform for unlocking this ancient giant's true potential, whether it be removing barriers like lack of cleanliness / transparency in ticketing or mobilizing dormant assets (Railway Stations / booking offices) or increasing availability of seats or optimizing sales / increasing profits. Here are a few things that make you wonder:



1. IRCTC itself. Try booking a train at the Malaysian Railway website (KTM Antarabandar) or Thai Railway or Vietnam Railways. The first 2 allow bookings to be made online but are far less impressive than IRCTC either in detail or in convenience. The third.....doesn't even allow for it. Ranked amongst the top 500 sites in the world by traffic, IRCTC receives a staggering 2.6 million hits a day (freewebsitereport) with an average time spent on site of 12.4 minutes (alexa). Within the first 10 minutes of it opening (8AM) as many as 800,000 login attempts are made. The 70 servers, serving these 800,000 have roughly 50,000 tickets to issue (at an average of 2 passengers per ticket), which means irrespective of however much they try...about 700,000 passengers (or more) will HAVE to go dissatisfied. Even at its "inefficient" best, IRCTC issues about 100 Million tickets every year to its 25 million registered users, having witnessed a 11-fold increase in tickets booked per day in 2011-12 over 2009-2010. Those are insane numbers for any organization to manage perfectly smoothly, particularly when they don't really have enough of products to sell!

And now to the little innovations which I absolutely love...

2. Food: What once used to a delightful dip into the flavors of India has recently become a nightmare. Gone are the days of the fabled Ambala Cant Chicken Curry, Chittaurgarh Canteen Thali, Delhi Station's Puri Bhaji or Shoranur's Apam-Egg Curry. Modern day pantry operators have been accused of using every means possible for profiteering. In comes IRCTC with a food pre-order service piloted in Vadodara railway station for select trains. The food is sourced from a certified railway canteen, prepared in hygienic conditions and above all....served hot. While the idea may not have been a success with IRCTC, here's what it sparked off: http://www.travelkhana.com/travelkhana/jsp/order.jsp

Unlocking IRCTC's and Railway's potential:

3. Traffic: The IRCTC's net-worth basis mobile and internet traffic is over five and half million USD. Which is why the modern day IRCTC offers everything from airline ticketing to shopping on their website. It is a significant step in what a future IRCTC would look like and it could become an amazingly integrated travel solution for everyone.

4. Railway's Real-Estate: Perhaps what is my most favorite move, IRCTC now offers Railway Retiring Rooms bookings online. For those who don't know, all mid-sized Railway Station ACROSS THE COUNTRY have a retiring room, or overnight accommodation for travelers at extremely competitive rates. Ranging from anywhere between Rs. 100/ Bed in the dorm to Rs. 2000/ ac Room, these rooms were the fiefdoms of babus or even peons who had complete control over whether you would get one or not. Which meant, they were either issued to the connected or the bribing. And only the strong willed (yours truly) would fight it out. Lack of patronage meant that most of these places were rotting unused. Opening them to public like this would mean a complete revival of this dead real-estate for the railways and a steady revenue stream. It would also mean a supremely convenient and pocket-friendly stay option for students, day travelers, families alike.

There are many more little things about safety, cleanliness etc that Railways has been chipping away at. Or the dynamic fare trains that IRCTC and Railways have recently thought up to boost both availability and profits. It is a window into the future of what IRCTC is on its way to becoming.

Imagine a day where all your travel problems were solved on one site. Tickets-check. Need an air-pillow for Sleeper-check. A cab to and fro station - check. Food delivered to your train - Check. Imagine a day where you reach a railway station, in the CENTER of a city and did not have to carry your baggage beyond the main platform. You walk into a very well maintained hotelish reception, greeted by a smartly dressed receptionist and are promptly guided into a perfectly appointed room. Maybe even managed by Ginger (Indian Hotels Company Ltd.) or Ibis (Accor). Imagine not having to rush to the Railway station from your hotel...simply walking across the platform. Where fresh food would be delivered right into your room at the station. Too much to imagine? Check this out... http://www.nagpurtoday.in/central-railways-maharaja-move-starts-online-booking-for-retiring-rooms-at-various-stations/

IRCTC is on the right platform. The train's just a tad late.

UPDATE: Another lovely innovation by IRCTC. Now you can request for a specific coach while booking your ticket. Which means, not only do you reduce the risk of splitting a group to different parts of the train but also reduced the hassle of trying to exchange seats while on the train. In the process, reducing discomfort to fellow passengers and saving the poor TT another nightmare.