The state-owned Vietnam Railways Corporation (VRC) on Thursday kicked off a US$9.28mn project to build an online e-ticket selling system to facilitate passengers in both buying and paying for railway tickets.

>> Vietnam railway to offer 50% discount for early booking>> Vietnam removes head of state-owned railway firm for poor performance An agreement to develop the three-phase project was signed between the VRC and a three-side contractor partnership including local tech giant FPT, FPT Information System and TeleHouse, said deputy general director of the VRC Doi Sy Hung. Through the system, passengers can buy tickets via a specific website or smartphones, book tickets by sending text messages from their cellphones, or obtain tickets through automatic ticket-selling systems at terminals or through the corporation’s agents, he said. In addition, passengers can use payment cards, both local and international, to pay for their tickets, the official added. The project is estimated to cost VND197 billion ($9.28 million), the VRC said. The first phase of the project is for construction of the infrastructure for the system, while the second phase is planned for applying the system for passengers of the north-south Thong Nhat railway line in November 2014 to serve the increasing demand for travel during Tet (Lunar New Year) that falls on February 19, 2015. After that, the last phase of the project will begin in November 2015, to provide e-ticket services for passengers at terminals of all railway routes across the country, according to the VRC.

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