Latest news with #PassengerReservation
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
No more last-minute surprises: Indian Railways to release reservation charts 8 hours in advance
Starting July 1, Indian Railways is rolling out major changes to its ticketing system aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, and passenger convenience. Among the key updates is a new rule: reservation charts will now be prepared eight hours before a train's departure, rather than the previous four-hour window. This move is expected to help waitlisted passengers by giving them more time to arrange alternate travel if their ticket doesn't get confirmed. For early-morning trains, charts will be prepared the previous night, offering greater clarity and reducing last-minute uncertainty. The Railway Board proposed the changes last week and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed their implementation "in a phased manner so that there is no disruption". The Railway Board is expected to announce the rollout plan shortly. In an official statement, the Ministry noted that the current system of preparing reservation charts just four hours before departure often leaves passengers uncertain about their travel status. By shifting the charting timeline to eight hours before departure, waitlisted passengers will receive updates much earlier. Read more: 10 favourite Indian destinations for backpacking under INR 800 a day This change is particularly beneficial for those traveling from remote areas or the outskirts of major cities to board long-distance trains. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The extended window will also give passengers more time to make alternate travel arrangements if their tickets remain unconfirmed. In addition to charting changes, the Ministry of Railways is also modernizing the Passenger Reservation System (PRS). A new high-capacity PRS is being developed by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) and is expected to be fully operational by December 2025. This upgraded system will be capable of processing 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute and handling 4 million enquiries per minute, a significant leap from current capacity. Read more: O-1 Visa vs H-1B Visa: What's the difference between the two The revamped PRS will also offer features like multilingual support, fare calendar view, seat preferences, and dedicated booking windows for students, Divyangjan (persons with disabilities), and medical patients. Another big change comes to the Tatkal ticketing system. From July 1, Tatkal bookings will require Aadhaar verification and OTP-based login, at least for the first 30 minutes of the booking window. This move is aimed at curbing misuse by agents and bots and ensuring fairer access for general passengers. The Railways has also indicated that more strict authentication protocols, like mandatory DigiLocker linkage, will be introduced later in July. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has stated that these changes are part of a broader effort to make the PRS 'intelligent, transparent, accessible and efficient.' Early pilot runs of these reforms in select zones have been successful, and the national rollout begins now.
Hindustan Times
29-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Railway Minister reviews reservation system, emphasises reforms for passenger convenience
New Delhi, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of ongoing reforms in the passengers reservation system and emphasized the need for smart, transparent, accessible and efficient ticketing system with a focus on passenger convenience, the ministry on Sunday said. Railway Minister reviews reservation system, emphasises reforms for passenger convenience Under Vaishnaw's guidance, officials are working to prepare the reservation chart eight hours before the train's departure instead of the current system of four hours. "It will benefit passengers travelling from remote locations or suburbs of major cities for catching long distance trains. It will also provide more time to make alternative arrangements in case the wait list is not confirmed," the ministry said in a press note. "The new upgraded Passenger Reservation System will allow over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute. This will be an increase of roughly five times from 32,000 tickets per minute in the current PRS," it added. The ministry stated the new Passenger Reservation System also has a multilingual and user-friendly booking and enquiry interface. In the new PRS, users will be able to submit their choice of seat and see the fare calendar. It also has integrated facilities for Divyangjan, students and patients etc., officials said. "Streamlined authentication for Tatkal bookings Indian Railways will allow only authenticated users to book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC website and mobile app beginning 1st July, 2025," the ministry added. It emphasised that OTP-based authentication will be done for Tatkal bookings from the end of July. The minister instructed officials to broadbase the authentication mechanism for Tatkal bookings. "The authentication should be done using Aadhaar or any other verifiable Government ID available in the user's DigiLocker account," the press note said. According to the ministry, these measures reflect the Indian Railways' continuous efforts to modernise its systems and make them more citizen friendly. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
News18
29-06-2025
- Business
- News18
Indian Railways To Introduce Advanced Waitlist Charting, Mandate Aadhaar For Tatkal Bookings
Last Updated: The move is expected to benefit waitlisted passengers by giving them additional time to make alternate plans in case their tickets remain unconfirmed Indian Railways will now prepare the final reservation chart eight hours prior to a train's departure, replacing the earlier norm of four hours, in a significant shift aimed at enhancing transparency and passenger convenience. The move, currently under pilot testing, is expected to benefit waitlisted passengers by giving them additional time to make alternate plans in case their tickets remain unconfirmed. 'This move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlist tickets. The passengers will get the first update on waitlist status well in advance," read the official statement. Alongside the early charting initiative, Indian Railways is set to launch a modernised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) by December 2025. The upgrade is being developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to streamline ticketing operations and enhance user experience. Once implemented, the upgraded PRS will be able to process over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, marking a nearly fivefold jump from the current capacity of 32,000 bookings per minute. Alongside this change, the Railways will make Aadhaar authentication mandatory for online Tatkal bookings through the IRCTC website starting July 1, 2025. For offline bookings at PRS counters and through agents, Aadhaar-based OTP verification will be required from July 15, according to an official statement. Officials said these changes are part of a broader initiative to modernise the ticketing system, reduce touting, and improve berth allocation efficiency. First Published: June 29, 2025, 19:00 IST
