DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC TICKETING SYSTEM

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The current system that the railway corporation make use of is an internal system (counter system). The counter system can only service all customer need from one point. Passengers will have to go to the counter in order to make enquiry, check train schedule and purchase their travel pass. The passengers will have to stay on the queue for long hour before been attended to. This counter system of attending to customers gave rise to a number of problems, some of which are;

i. Inefficient customer service which leads to long queue during peak period (productive time is wasted on the queue).

ii. Business manager lacks the capacity to provide specialized service because they don't have real time information.

iii. Poor financial management.

iv. No customer database.

1.3Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the project work is to develop a system that will handle railway ticketing process electronically. This is achieved by the following objectives;

i. To analyze the existing system and determine its weaknesses.

ii. To design a system that allows railway passengers to check train service availability and obtain ticket electronically.

iii. To design a system that will reduce the cost of management associated with railway ticketing.

1.4 Scope of the Study

The scope of this project is to design a system that provides railway passenger with adequate information, register the personal data of the intending passenger, allow passenger to check train service availability and also make payment electronically.

1.5 Limitation of the Study

The system is limited to checking railway service availability, electronic payment and e-ticket generation. The system will not handle reservation without payment.

1.6 Significance of the Study

It is expected that the design and implementation of a system to automate railway ticketing will unveil the potentials of IT in rail transportation. The benefit of the system will be looked at from two perspectives;

1.6.1Significance of the system for the Railway Service Operator

i. Better control of revenues

ii. Gain new customers with modern approach

iii. Reduce operation and maintenance costs

iv. Increased speed at boarding once the delay in transaction (ticketing process) has been removed.

v. Valuable opportunities to add "new services".

1.6.2Significance of the system for the Passengers

i. Easy way to purchase their travel pass

ii. Convenient as it can be done by anyone and anywhere with an internet connection

1.7Operational Definition of Terms

The following are the definitions of some of the basic terms used in the study:

i. Railway: A track made of steel rails along which trains run. A railway is also a network of tracks with the trains, organization, and the personnel required for its working (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary).

ii. Passenger: A person who is travelling in a car, bus, train, plane or ship and who is not driving it or working on it (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary).

iii. Ticketing: The process of producing and selling tickets/slot for an event, service or sport game (Macmillan Dictionary).

iv. Ticket: A paper slip or card indicating that its holder has paid for or is entitled to a specified service, right or consideration (www.thefreedictionary.com).

v. Availability Checking: Availability checking is the process of checking if train service will be available for a particular day.

vi. Railway Electronic Ticketing System [RETS]:This is the system that handles railway ticketing process using computer and the web.

vii. Train: A train is a railway/railroad engine pulling a number of carriages or trucks, taking people and goods from one place to another (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary).

viii. Train Schedule: A well define plan that defines the time and date a train will depart a station and thedate and time the train will arrival at the destination station.

ix. Route: A fixed way along which a train travels or goods are regularly sent (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary).

x. Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC): Nigeria Railway Corporation is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria