Indian Railways is making big changes to improve the travel experience for its passengers. Starting from July 1, 2025, the reservation charts will be prepared eight hours before a train’s departure. This is a significant shift from the current practice of preparing charts only four hours before. The change aims to reduce uncertainty for passengers, especially those with waitlisted tickets. For trains leaving before 2 PM, the charts will be ready by 9 PM the previous night. This will give passengers more time to make alternative travel plans if their tickets are not confirmed.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved this proposal. He has instructed the Railway Board to implement these changes in phases. This way, there will be no disruptions to the service. The goal is to create a smoother and more predictable travel experience.
The new policy will benefit passengers traveling from remote areas or suburbs of major cities. They will now receive updates about their waitlist status much earlier. This allows them to make better plans and avoid last-minute rushes to catch trains.
In addition to the reservation chart changes, Indian Railways is also upgrading its Passenger Reservation System (PRS). This new system is expected to be ready by December 2025. The upgraded PRS will be more efficient and able to handle ten times the current load. Currently, the system allows for 32,000 ticket bookings per minute. With the new PRS, this number will increase to over 1.5 lakh bookings per minute. The inquiry capacity will also rise from 4 lakh to over 40 lakh inquiries per minute.
The new PRS will feature a user-friendly interface. It will support multiple languages and allow passengers to select their preferred seats. There will also be a fare calendar to help passengers plan their journeys.
Moreover, Tatkal ticket bookings will see new rules for enhanced security. Starting from July 1, only verified users will be able to book Tatkal tickets on the IRCTC website and mobile app. An OTP-based verification system will be introduced by the end of July 2025. Users will need to authenticate their identities using Aadhaar or other government-issued IDs stored in their DigiLocker accounts.
These initiatives reflect Indian Railways’ commitment to modernising its services. The aim is to make ticket booking more transparent and accessible for all passengers. With these changes, traveling by train in India is set to become more efficient and less stressful.
In summary, the changes in reservation chart preparation and the upgrade of the PRS are significant steps towards improving the overall travel experience. Passengers can look forward to better service, faster bookings, and a more reliable system in the near future. These changes will not only benefit individual travelers but also enhance the overall efficiency of the Indian Railways network.
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