Instead of standing in serpentine queues or hunting for an Internet connection, tickets can now be booked within minutes from any basic mobile phone through SMS.
Passengers will be able to book rail tickets from the comfort of their mobile phones, and no, you don’t need to print them out either.
Here are four easy Steps–by –step guide that will help you book a ticket by using your ordinary mobile phone. there is even a slide share slide which explains the whole process very simply.
You can make use of two dedicated numbers for this booking tickets they are — 139 and 5676714. (Remember each of numbers use different methods, I find 5676714 more easer and convenient as I was already resisted with IRCTC, although I will be sharing two of the methods)
Step 1:
Using 136 : Register your mobile number with your bank. The bank will provide a mobile money Identifier (MMId) Which is a seven digit random number issued by the bank upon registration for mobile banking , and one-time password (OTP) for authorization of payment.
(Click here to see if your bank have this option)
Using 5676714 : Users can also book their tickets by sending an SMS to 5676714.
They will have to first register their mobile number with IRCTC and m-wallet, and send an SMS to 5676714 in the following format -
START [irctc user Id]
Step 2:
Using 136 : After getting the MMid and OTP, now you can book your ticket. For this an SMS will have to be sent in the following format -
BOOK [TrainNo][FromStn.Code][ToStn.Code] [TravelDate (DDMM)][Class][Passenger-Name][Age][M/F]
And sent to 139
Using 5676714 : After sending the start message the system will automatically forward format of booking to your phone , edit the details and send reply.
The service is available to all mobile subscribers and Rs 3 is being charged per SMS and payment gateway charges are Rs 5 for ticket amount up to Rs 5,000 and Rs 10 for more than Rs 5,000.
Step3:
Using 136 : On receiving the SMS, the IRCTC will send a transaction ID. The passenger has to reply to the SMS to make the payment, they will have to send an SMS to 139 in the following format -
PAY [Transaction ID as received][IMPS][Your MMID as received from the bank][OTP ][IRCTCUserID]
Using 5676714 :Once they have sent that SMS, users will receive the transaction number on their phones. A second SMS will have to be sent to make the payment. The format is as below -
PAY [transaction no], MPAY, [m-PIN]" for authorizing payment through MPAY
Or
PAY [mobileno],[mmid],[amount],[transaction Id],[OTP]" for authorizing payment through IMPS.
Step4:
This confirms booking and the ticket amount will be deducted from your bank account.
On successful booking of ticket, a message will be sent to the user by IRCTC which will be sufficient as the valid travel document along with photo ID card in original.
There will be no requirement of a printout because the ticketing message will be considered as valid during the journey."
Please check the IRCTC link for further queries like seat availability, Schedule, time table, PNR status
NOTE:
The SMS scheme will not be available during 8 am-12 pm for booking ARP/tatkal/general tickets. 
There will be no need for internet at any stage - booking, payment, cancellation etc.adding that the scheme would reduce the heavy rush at stations, do away with touts, and allow even illiterate people to book the ticket without going all the way to a distant station.
Hope this helps you , do give your comments in the comments section below. Cheers :)
