MUMBAI:

an outstation

is much easier now. All it requires is a few keystrokes on your cellphone. The ticket comes in the form of an

, which can be shown to the

instead of a

.

Railway officials said there was good response to the

, which has been introduced by the

. Tickets can be booked on the mobile website:

.

The IRCTC mobile website is convenient and easy to use, and can be accessed from any browser enabled mobile having basic GPRS activated on the phone.

After initial registration and downloading the genuine IRCTC software on the mobile handset with internet facility, passengers can book a ticket through the mobile.

After booking, the passenger will receive a reservation message with complete details of the ticket including PNR, Train No, date of journey, class, etc. This virtual message will be treated at par with the print-out of the e-ticket

The simple authorised SMS will have all the vital details, and when displayed through laptops/palmtops/mobile phones combined with valid photo-id in original shall be treated as a valid ticket, an official said. This will take paperless ticketing to the next level, he stated.

Apart from booking a ticket, users can also make an inquiry through a mobilephone about a reservation, check the booked ticket's history (tickets whose date of Journey is due will be visible) or just cancel a ticket.