Latest news with #Railways
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Uneconomical, impractical: Experts on Railway's decision to cap passenger waiting list at 25%
The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25% of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for travellers. The Ministry of Railways, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25% cap has been placed in view of that. "The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern," said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. "It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation." Refuting the charge, Mr. Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger comfort than monetary benefits. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) implemented the 25% cap decision on June 16 for trains with reservation facilities. This come around two months after the Ministry, through a circular, conveyed its decision on the matter to all principal chief commercial managers and the CRIS managing director. The April 17 circular stated, "The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limit will be revised to 25% of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations." It added, "This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme. This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc." The circular directed CRIS to "make necessary modifications in the software and inform the date of effect to all zonal Railways." Railway officials said such a cap was in place earlier as well but more and more people were allowed to reserve seats/berths in the waiting category. For more stories on India Railways According to a 2013 circular, the waiting list cap on AC/EC and 2 AC classes was 30 and 100 respectively. Similarly, the first class, 3AC/Chair Car and sleeper class had 30, 300 and 400 waiting limits, respectively. Over a week after the implementation of new waiting norms, a section of experts as well as reservation officials termed the decision "impractical." "Waiting lists give a demand trend based on which we make decisions to run special trains. How will we do it now when the waiting lists of all trains will be capped at 25%?" said a retired senior railway commercial officer who termed waiting lists valuable data to make future decisions. Reservation supervisors said there have been cases in which owing to bulk cancellations, trains departed with some available seats and despite giving confirmed berths to all waiting list passengers, some remained vacant causing a loss to the Railways. "On one hand seats/berths remain vacant and on the other needy people are unable to travel," a supervisor said. "Agents often do bulk booking on routes high on demand. They go for cancellations before 48 hours of a train's departure so that they have to pay just the nominal cancellation charges. In such cases, there is a high possibility that availability of seats/berths will be created before the train's departure," another reservation supervisor said. He added, "This will create opportunities for brokers and touts operating at the current booking window at stations to mint money for passengers as they have prior information of berth positions due to their nexus with lower-level ticket booking staff." Some experts wondered how the Railways arrived at the 25% cap for roadside stations where the berth quota is two or three seats and supposed that it was decided randomly. "It is an ill-conceived decision to minimise the perception of crowding in trains by capping the waiting limits. Even if the aim of it is to minimise crowd in AC classes, it will not help as a prospective passenger can buy a general counter ticket and travel in AC classes. Normally, e-ticket waiting list passengers do the same," a senior commercial officer said. He added, "The Railways should introduce more trains on busy routes rather than bringing all these measures to hide actual demand of travellers."
The Print
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Uneconomical, impractical: Experts on Railway decision to cap passenger waiting list at 25 pc
'The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern,' said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. The ministry, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25 per cent cap has been placed in view of that. New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25 per cent of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for travellers. He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. 'It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation.' Refuting the charge, Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger comfort than monetary benefits. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) implemented the 25 per cent cap decision on June 16 for trains with reservation facilities. This come around two months after the ministry, through a circular, conveyed its decision on the matter to all principal chief commercial managers and the CRIS managing director. The April 17 circular stated, 'The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limit will be revised to 25 per cent of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations.' It added, 'This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme. This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc.' The circular directed CRIS to 'make necessary modifications in the software and inform the date of effect to all zonal Railways'. Railway officials said such a cap was in place earlier as well but more and more people were allowed to reserve seats/berths in the waiting category. According to a 2013 circular, the waiting list cap on AC/EC and 2 AC classes was 30 and 100 respectively. Similarly, the first class, 3AC/Chair Car and sleeper class had 30, 300 and 400 waiting limits, respectively. Over a week after the implementation of new waiting norms, a section of experts as well as reservation officials termed the decision 'impractical'. 'Waiting lists give a demand trend based on which we make decisions to run special trains. How will we do it now when the waiting lists of all trains will be capped at 25 per cent?' said a retired senior railway commercial officer who termed waiting lists valuable data to make future decisions. Reservation supervisors said there have been cases in which due to bulk cancellations, trains departed with some available seats and despite giving confirmed berths to all waiting list passengers, some remained vacant causing a loss to the Railways. 'On one hand seats/berths remain vacant and on the other needy people are unable to travel,' a supervisor said. 'Agents often do bulk booking on routes high on demand. They go for cancellations before 48 hours of a train's departure so that they have to pay just the nominal cancellation charges. In such cases, there is a high possibility that availability of seats/berths will be created before the train's departure,' another reservation supervisor said. He added, 'This will create opportunities for brokers and touts operating at the current booking window at stations to mint money for passengers as they have prior information of berth positions due to their nexus with lower-level ticket booking staff.' Some experts wondered how the Railways arrived at the 25 per cent cap for roadside stations where the berth quota is two or three seats and supposed that it was decided randomly. 'It is an ill-conceived decision to minimise the perception of crowding in trains by capping the waiting limits. Even if the aim of it is to minimise crowd in AC classes, it will not help as a prospective passenger can buy a general counter ticket and travel in AC classes. Normally, E-ticket waiting list passengers do the same,' a senior commercial officer said. He added, 'The Railways should introduce more trains on busy routes rather than bringing all these measures to hide actual demand of travellers.' PTI JP JP NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Experts call 25% cap on railway waiting list 'uneconomical, impractical'
The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25 per cent of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for travellers. The ministry, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25 per cent cap has been placed in view of that. "The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern," said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. "It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation." Refuting the charge, Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger comfort than monetary benefits. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) implemented the 25 per cent cap decision on June 16 for trains with reservation facilities. This come around two months after the ministry, through a circular, conveyed its decision on the matter to all principal chief commercial managers and the CRIS managing director. The April 17 circular stated, "The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limit will be revised to 25 per cent of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations." It added, "This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme. This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc." The circular directed CRIS to "make necessary modifications in the software and inform the date of effect to all zonal Railways". Railway officials said such a cap was in place earlier as well but more and more people were allowed to reserve seats/berths in the waiting category. According to a 2013 circular, the waiting list cap on AC/EC and 2 AC classes was 30 and 100 respectively. Similarly, the first class, 3AC/Chair Car and sleeper class had 30, 300 and 400 waiting limits, respectively. Over a week after the implementation of new waiting norms, a section of experts as well as reservation officials termed the decision "impractical". "Waiting lists give a demand trend based on which we make decisions to run special trains. How will we do it now when the waiting lists of all trains will be capped at 25 per cent?" said a retired senior railway commercial officer who termed waiting lists valuable data to make future decisions. Reservation supervisors said there have been cases in which due to bulk cancellations, trains departed with some available seats and despite giving confirmed berths to all waiting list passengers, some remained vacant causing a loss to the Railways. "On one hand seats/berths remain vacant and on the other needy people are unable to travel," a supervisor said. "Agents often do bulk booking on routes high on demand. They go for cancellations before 48 hours of a train's departure so that they have to pay just the nominal cancellation charges. In such cases, there is a high possibility that availability of seats/berths will be created before the train's departure," another reservation supervisor said. He added, "This will create opportunities for brokers and touts operating at the current booking window at stations to mint money for passengers as they have prior information of berth positions due to their nexus with lower-level ticket booking staff." Some experts wondered how the Railways arrived at the 25 per cent cap for roadside stations where the berth quota is two or three seats and supposed that it was decided randomly. "It is an ill-conceived decision to minimise the perception of crowding in trains by capping the waiting limits. Even if the aim of it is to minimise crowd in AC classes, it will not help as a prospective passenger can buy a general counter ticket and travel in AC classes. Normally, E-ticket waiting list passengers do the same," a senior commercial officer said. He added, "The Railways should introduce more trains on busy routes rather than bringing all these measures to hide actual demand of travellers. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Uneconomical, impractical: Experts on Railway decision to cap passenger waiting list at 25%
Indian Railways capped waiting lists at 25 per cent. Reservation staff find this uneconomical and inconvenient. The Railway Board defends the decision, citing low confirmation rates. They aim to reduce crowding and cancellation revenue. Critics say it hinders demand assessment for special trains. Vacant berths and potential broker exploitation are concerns. Experts suggest more trains instead of caps. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25 per cent of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for ministry, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25 per cent cap has been placed in view of that."The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern," said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. "It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation."Refuting the charge, Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger comfort than monetary Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) implemented the 25 per cent cap decision on June 16 for trains with reservation facilities. This come around two months after the ministry, through a circular, conveyed its decision on the matter to all principal chief commercial managers and the CRIS managing April 17 circular stated, "The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limit will be revised to 25 per cent of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations."It added, "This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme. This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc."The circular directed CRIS to "make necessary modifications in the software and inform the date of effect to all zonal Railways".Railway officials said such a cap was in place earlier as well but more and more people were allowed to reserve seats/berths in the waiting to a 2013 circular, the waiting list cap on AC/EC and 2 AC classes was 30 and 100 respectively. Similarly, the first class, 3AC/Chair Car and sleeper class had 30, 300 and 400 waiting limits, a week after the implementation of new waiting norms, a section of experts as well as reservation officials termed the decision "impractical"."Waiting lists give a demand trend based on which we make decisions to run special trains. How will we do it now when the waiting lists of all trains will be capped at 25 per cent?" said a retired senior railway commercial officer who termed waiting lists valuable data to make future supervisors said there have been cases in which due to bulk cancellations, trains departed with some available seats and despite giving confirmed berths to all waiting list passengers, some remained vacant causing a loss to the Railways."On one hand seats/berths remain vacant and on the other needy people are unable to travel," a supervisor said."Agents often do bulk booking on routes high on demand. They go for cancellations before 48 hours of a train's departure so that they have to pay just the nominal cancellation charges. In such cases, there is a high possibility that availability of seats/berths will be created before the train's departure," another reservation supervisor added, "This will create opportunities for brokers and touts operating at the current booking window at stations to mint money for passengers as they have prior information of berth positions due to their nexus with lower-level ticket booking staff."Some experts wondered how the Railways arrived at the 25 per cent cap for roadside stations where the berth quota is two or three seats and supposed that it was decided randomly."It is an ill-conceived decision to minimise the perception of crowding in trains by capping the waiting limits. Even if the aim of it is to minimise crowd in AC classes, it will not help as a prospective passenger can buy a general counter ticket and travel in AC classes. Normally, E-ticket waiting list passengers do the same," a senior commercial officer added, "The Railways should introduce more trains on busy routes rather than bringing all these measures to hide actual demand of travellers."
Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Minister concerned over rising number of derailments
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, Friday, expressed concern over the rising number of derailments and called for a detailed analysis and proactive measures to prevent future occurrences. Abbasi said this here on Friday, while chairing a high-level meeting on the occasion of his first 100 days in office which he celebrated with releasing of a special documentary on Pakistan Railways, highlighting key achievements and progress during his tenure. The meeting attended by senior PR officials focused on train safety, administrative performance and ongoing corruption investigations within Pakistan Railways. On the occasion a comprehensive briefings on recent train accidents and operational issues, with particular attention to incidents reported in Sukkur, Multan, and Peshawar during June 2025 was presented. The documentary showcases various initiatives and improvements undertaken by the ministry under Hanif Abbasi's leadership, reflecting efforts aimed at reforming and revitalising the railway sector. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said, 'This is just the beginning of the journey.' He reaffirmed his commitment to transforming Pakistan Railways into a modern, efficient, and developed institution. 'We are determined to make Railways a progressive and modern organisation,' he stated, adding that in the remaining three and a half years of the government's tenure, 'We will work with full energy and dedication to ensure the growth and development of the railway network.' Hanif Abbasi directed that clear recommendations and an action plan be formulated and submitted to the relevant authorities. He also sought a report on the delay of the Awam Express departing from Karachi and ordered an immediate inquiry into the recent foot over bridge incident in Khanewal. Regarding the closure of the Shahinabad Quarry, the minister instructed officials to identify those responsible and take appropriate action. The meeting also reviewed the Railway Constructions Pakistan Limited investigation, where the Inspector General of Pakistan Railways Police reported that the fact-finding inquiry was nearing completion. The inquiry recommends criminal proceedings against implicated officials and proposes the case be handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further investigation. Reaffirming the ministry's zero-tolerance stance on corruption, Minister Abbasi said that financial, administrative and structural reforms remain a top priority. He also said that strict disciplinary action against non-performing staff, while assuring that employees who demonstrate exceptional performance will be recognised through rewards and commendation certificates. Hanif Abbasi called on all officers and personnel to perform their duties with sincerity, transparency and accountability, emphasising the government's commitment to restoring public confidence in the national rail system. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
