Indian Railways to open up API
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Since the time I first used it, I have always maintained, that the Indian railways website is one of the most informative one. Leaving a few design issues aside, the website serves its purpose pretty well. In the recent times, the Indian Railways has emerged as an efficient organization. It has reduced its expenses successfully, and without increasing the fares too much, has managed to clock a profit. The profit for the year 2006 was Rs.7000 crore. The Indian Railways is also the biggest e-commerce player in India with over 64% of all the electronic commerce transactions happening in India are through Railways www.irctc.co.in website.
In another wonderful step, the Indian Railways has decided to open up its API for the other Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) for use. This means, the online travel agencies will be able to view and provide data and services to the users of the Railways website.
Once started, the website will also start offering airlines tickets. The airlines inventory will be available either through the GDS (Global Distribution System), which is a worldwide airline ticketing platform or through the connections made to individual airlines via APIs.
Even hotel bookings can be made through the same window.
Most of the online travel players have already started approaching the railways for possible tie-ups.
Agreed, Facebook and Orkut opening up APIs made news. But nothing matches the news of Indian Railways doing it !
I am hooked. Can’t wait to see the execution. And going by what I saw in IRCTC.co.in and Indianrail.gov.in, I am pretty sure of a descent work.
Just one point, upgrade your severs, folks.
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Still Indian Railway is doing well growth day by day, managing world’s largest Railway organization is not a easy stuff.
Indian Railway now introduced metro train as well as Planning to have bullet train in next coming years also.