Mumbai, March 19 -- Suburban rail commuters in the city will now have access to a formal grievance redressal system for failed digital ticket transactions, addressing a long-standing issue faced by users of the RailOne and UTS mobile apps. Western Railway (WR) on Wednesday introduced a QR code-based mechanism called SARAL (Smart Assistance & Refund Access Link), enabling commuters to register complaints and seek refunds when money is deducted but tickets or passes are not issued. Railway officials said that on average, 8-10 commuters report failed digital transactions at ticket counters across stations each day. Currently, nearly 48 per cent of the city's 30-32 lakh daily suburban commuters rely on digital ticketing. "Commuters frequently approach ticket counters reporting that money has been debited via UPI or net banking, but tickets are not generated. SARAL will help track such complaints and reduce uncertainty around refunds," said a WR official. Tarun Jain, WR's principal chief commercial manager, said the system was rolled out specifically for Mumbai to streamline the refund process and provide transparency. "The QR Code will take aggrieved commuters to the complaint form that needs to be filled," he added. Under the new system, affected passengers can scan a QR code displayed at stations to access a 'Passenger Ticket Refund' form. The form requires details such as name, contact information, transaction date, station, UTS number and mode of booking, along with supporting documents. Once submitted, the complaint is processed in coordination with the State Bank of India, which manages the payment gateway, and the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), which operates the RailOne platform. After verification, refunds are initiated, typically within 5-7 working days. However, officials noted that the complaint form can be accessed only after seven days of the failed transaction....