INVC NEWS
New Delhi : According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the Congress party’s claim that Adani Company has taken over the Railways is misleading. IRCTC clarified that Adani’s acquisition of Trainman, an online train booking and information platform, will not pose any threat or challenge to IRCTC.
IRCTC responded to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s tweet, stating that his statement was misleading. IRCTC emphasized that Trainman, now owned by Adani Enterprises, is one of IRCTC’s 32 authorized business-to-customer partners. The acquisition will not change the existing relationship between IRCTC and Trainman.
Adani Digital Labs, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, recently announced the acquisition of Trainman by signing a share purchase agreement to acquire a 100% stake in the company. This marks Adani Group’s first venture into the railway sector. However, it should be noted that this is Adani Enterprises’ second investment in the travel and booking space, as they had previously acquired a minority stake in Cleartrip, Flipkart India’s online travel aggregator, in October 2021.
Trainman, founded in 2011 by Vineet Chirania and Karan Kumar, both graduates of IIT-Roorkee, is an authorized train ticket booking agent authorized by IRCTC. The company provides real-time information on seat availability, live train status, and passenger name records.
Trainman has been serving as a reliable platform for passengers to access information related to train ticket bookings since its establishment. As an authorized agent of IRCTC, Trainman provides users with real-time updates on seat availability, live train status, and passenger name records.
With Adani Enterprises acquiring Trainman, it signifies their entry into the railway sector. This move showcases Adani’s interest in expanding their presence in the travel and booking space, following their earlier investment in Cleartrip, an online travel aggregator.
However, IRCTC, the official online ticket booking platform of Indian Railways, has made it clear that Adani’s acquisition of Trainman will not have any adverse impact on its operations. IRCTC assured that Trainman will continue to function as one of its authorized business-to-customer partners.
The response from IRCTC came in the wake of Jairam Ramesh’s tweet, where he expressed concern about the alleged takeover by Adani and its implications for the Railways. IRCTC’s clarification aimed to dispel any misunderstandings or apprehensions arising from these claims.
As of now, it appears that Adani’s acquisition of Trainman is a strategic move to strengthen their presence in the railway and travel industry. IRCTC remains the primary platform for online train ticket bookings, and Trainman will continue to operate as a complementary partner, offering additional services to passengers.
It is worth noting that the Indian Railways has not been taken over by Adani, and the claims made by Jairam Ramesh were addressed and clarified by IRCTC. The situation reflects a development within the travel and booking sector, where Adani Enterprises seeks to diversify its investments while IRCTC maintains its position as the official online ticketing platform for Indian Railways.
