New Delhi, June 25 (IANS): Indian Railways have begun sending SMS alerts to passengers if the train they have booked tickets for is cancelled.

The Ministry of Railways in a statement on Thursday said it had started another passenger-friendly measure on a pilot-basis, under which SMS messages would be sent to passengers if the train in which they have booked their tickets is cancelled.

"We commenced the SMS-based service from June 21 on all India basis. Under this pilot project, the SMS messages are sent to those passengers who are boarding at originating station. At a later stage, this will be extended to cover en-route stations also,a Railway Ministry spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena told IANS.

"The SMS will be sent to the mobile number entered by the passenger in ticket reservation slips. The cancellation information would be sent in advance to the passengers to help them plan alternative arrangement," he said.

"To avail this facility, passengers have to mention their mobile numbers on the ticket reservation slip," he said.