The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has commenced the re-verification of passenger profiles on its electronic ticketing platform as part of measures to improve access to tickets and tighten security around the Abuja–Kaduna Train Service (AKTS).

The exercise comes amid continuing complaints from passengers over difficulties accessing the booking platform, tickets selling out shortly after they are released and concerns about the activities of ticket racketeers.

The pressure on train service has increased significantly since the Abuja–Kaduna corridor began operating with only one train daily in each direction.

According to the NRC, more than 4,000 intending passengers are now competing for the about 800 available seats on a service. The imbalance between demand and capacity means that thousands of passengers are inevitably unable to secure tickets, even when the booking system is functioning optimally.

The corporation has, however, been upgrading its electronic ticketing platform while introducing additional verification measures intended to ensure that available seats are accessed by genuine passengers.

The latest measure is a compulsory, one-time re-verification of existing passenger profiles on the platform.

Under the arrangement, passengers with existing accounts are required to log into the official booking portal and follow the prompt that appears requesting profile re-verification.

An OTP will then be sent to the mobile telephone number registered with the passenger’s National Identification Number (NIN). The passenger is required to enter the OTP on the platform to authenticate ownership of the profile.

Once successfully completed, the passenger will not be required to repeat the process.

The re-verification is intended, among other things, to identify and eliminate profiles being controlled or manipulated by third parties, particularly individuals suspected of using passenger accounts to obtain tickets for resale.

The development is significant because the NRC’s identity-based ticketing system is designed to ensure that a ticket purchased in a passenger’s name is actually used by that passenger.

Passengers who surrender their booking profiles or personal details to third parties in the hope of securing tickets risk losing control of their accounts and may subsequently encounter problems during boarding verification.

The Corporation has therefore warned passengers against giving their passwords, OTPs or other authentication details to touts or persons claiming to assist with ticket purchases.

The NRC’s warned passengers that Transport Payment Solution Ltd. (TPS), the e-ticketing service provider, will never request the disclosure of an OTP, password or bank details through telephone calls, SMS, email or social media.

Passengers are also advised to enter their OTPs only on the official booking platform.

The re-verification exercise is taking place against the backdrop of a broader capacity challenge on the Abuja–Kaduna corridor.

When three trains were operating on the route, the larger number of daily trips provided significantly more seats and reduced pressure on the booking system. With only one train currently operating daily in each direction, demand now substantially exceeds supply.

The NRC has recently increased the number of coaches on the operating rake as part of efforts to provide additional seats while working towards restoring greater operational capacity.

For passengers, however, the immediate concern remains access to tickets.

The Corporation’s challenge is therefore twofold: ensuring that the limited seats available are distributed through a secure and transparent system, while working to increase the number of seats available to meet the growing demand for rail transportation.

The profile re-verification exercise is expected to form part of that wider effort.

For passengers with existing accounts, the immediate requirement is straightforward: log into the official e-ticketing platform, complete the one-time verification and keep control of the telephone number linked to their NIN.

As the NRC continues to work on the ticketing platform, passengers will be watching to see whether the combination of improved technology, tighter identity verification and increased train capacity can ease the daily struggle for Abuja–Kaduna train tickets. (Daily Trust)