The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has reassured that Adani’s recent acquisition of online train booking and information platform Trainman will not pose a challenge to its operations. This statement comes as a response to comments made by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who suggested that the acquisition was a direct competition and potential takeover of IRCTC.
In a tweet, IRCTC countered Ramesh’s statement, calling it misleading. According to IRCTC, Trainman, which is now owned by Adani, is one of the 32 authorized business-to-customer partners of the railway body. IRCTC stated that the acquisition would only complement its services and would not pose a threat or challenge to its operations.
Adani Digital Labs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, announced the acquisition through an exchange filing, marking the Adani group’s first step into the railways sector. This move follows Adani Enterprises’ previous investment in the travel and booking space, with the acquisition of a minority stake in Cleartrip, Flipkart India’s online travel aggregator, in October 2021.
Trainman, founded in 2011 by IIT-Roorkee graduates Vineet Chirania and Karan Kumar, is an authorized train ticket booking agent for IRCTC. The platform provides real-time information on seat availability, live train status, and passenger name records, catering to customers’ train ticket-related needs.
The IRCTC’s clarification aims to address any concerns or misconceptions surrounding the acquisition, emphasizing that it will not impact its operations or the services it provides to train passengers across India.
