Train Waiting List- Indian Railways has taken an important decision for the convenience of passengers and to control overcrowding in trains. The Railway Ministry has announced that now the number of waiting tickets in any train will be limited to 25 percent of the total capacity of the train. The aim of this new rule is to provide better travel experience to the passengers and reduce the problem of overbooking.
According to a Times of India report, now the railways will issue waiting tickets for a maximum of 25 per cent of the total berths/seats in AC First Class, AC Second, AC Third, Sleeper and Chair Car of every train. This change has been made keeping in mind different quotas like seats reserved for Divyangjans, senior citizens and women. As per the new rules, which came into effect from June 16, the quota for each class of coach – Sleeper, 3AC, 2AC and 1AC – has been limited to 25 per cent.
Unnecessary crowd in trains will also be reduced
According to railway officials, data shows that about 20% to 25% of waiting tickets get confirmed by the time the chart is prepared. On this basis, a new limit has been set so that passengers can get more clarity about the status of their tickets. After the circular issued by the Railway Board, different zonal railways across the country have started implementing this new system.
According to the Railways, this rule will apply to all categories of trains, such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Mail/Express and Superfast trains. For example, if 1,000 seats are available in a train, then a maximum of 250 waiting tickets will be issued. This step will not only increase the chances of passengers getting their journey confirmed, but will also reduce unnecessary crowding in trains.
What was the waiting limit till now?
According to the circular of January 2013, earlier a maximum of 30 waiting tickets could be issued in AC First Class, 100 in AC Second, 300 in AC Third and 400 in Sleeper Class. Due to this, passengers were often worried about getting their tickets confirmed till the last moment. A senior railway official said that due to the large number of waiting tickets, passengers without confirmed tickets also boarded the reserved coaches, which caused heavy crowd and chaos in the coaches. The new policy will help in preventing this chaos.