Soon a railway app to book tickets, track trains! Indian Rail There are plans to introduce a comprehensive ‘super app’, merging the various services currently scattered across its many mobile apps. A senior government official has revealed that the initiative aims to streamline user experiences by consolidating ticketing, train tracking and other railway services, thereby eliminating the need for railway users to download multiple apps. This integrated app will be developed by CRIS. IT branch of the Railway Ministry.

According to an ET report, the super app intends to combine the functionality of existing apps like Rail Madad, UTS and National Train Inquiry System. It also aims to incorporate services and well-known standalone apps like PortRead, Satark, TMS-Inspection for operations. IRCTC Rail Connect, IRCTC e-Catering Food on Track, and IRCTC Air for flight booking. Rail Help caters to complaints and suggestions, while the National Train Inquiry System helps track train status for passengers.

Among the existing apps, IRCTC Rail Connect is the most popular, with over 100 million downloads and is the only platform for reserved ticket booking. Meanwhile, the UTS platform, with over 10 million downloads, focuses on offering tickets and season passes.
Executives stress the importance of leveraging this integrated platform for monetization while considering user feedback for app enhancements. “When designing a super app, the ability to monetize the audience should be kept at the forefront. Bringing existing successful standalone apps onto a common platform should create value,” an official was quoted as saying.
The estimated cost of development and operation of this new super app over a period of three years is approximately Rs 90 crore.
In FY 2023, Rail Connect accounted for almost half of IRCTC’s total ticket bookings (560,000 train ticket bookings), indicating its significant user base and influence. The rest were from IRCTC website.