If you also often travel by Indian Railways and the tension of waiting ticket bothers you, then there is some very relieving news for you. Indian Railways is working on giving great relief to its passengers. Soon, passengers will start getting seat confirmation updates 24 hours in advance before the journey. Currently, this information is available just 4 hours before the departure of the train, due to which passengers have to face a lot of trouble at the last moment.
According to media reports, the Railways is working on a system under which the passenger chart will be issued with confirmed seats 24 hours in advance, instead of the current standard of issuing the passenger chart just four hours before the departure of the train. This step will prove to be a boon, especially for waiting ticket passengers coming from far-flung areas to catch the train, as they will no longer have to live in uncertainty.
Pilot run started
A senior railway official confirmed this important change and said that a pilot project was started in the Bikaner Division of Rajasthan on June 6 to give seat confirmation updates 24 hours in advance. The official said that no problem has been faced in this pilot run so far and it has been successful.
He further said, “We will run this pilot for a few more weeks so that any possible problems can be identified and fixed.” A direct benefit of this will be that passengers who are going to reach the railway station from a distance of 100 km or more will be able to reach the railway station without any hassle of getting information 24 hours in advance. This facility will save both the time and stress of the passengers.
No problem in issuing chart 24 hours in advance
Another official said, “Since Tatkal tickets are booked 48 hours before the scheduled departure of trains, there will be no problem in issuing the entire chart a day in advance.” This makes it clear that it is technically possible to issue a chart 24 hours in advance and this will not cause any hindrance in the ticket booking process.
However, it is not yet clear whether the Railways will release a second and third list of passengers with confirmed reservations, as many passengers with confirmed tickets may cancel their bookings within the last 24 hours. In this case, if no list is released, those seats may remain vacant. A source said, “Let the pilot run be completed and then decisions will be taken keeping in mind the interest of the passengers.” This shows that the railways are considering all aspects so that this change is smooth and effective.
How were railway charts prepared earlier
Earlier, railway reservation charts were usually prepared twice:
First Chart: – It was prepared four hours before the scheduled departure time of the train.
Second or Final Chart: – It was prepared 30 minutes before the departure of the train. Only after this last chart, passengers on the waiting list got final confirmation.