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The move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlisted tickets. It will benefit passengers travelling from remote locations for catching long-distance trains
A ministry official told News18 that this will be a major relief for waitlisted passengers. (PTI File)
To ease last-minute anxiety for passengers, the Indian Railways (IR) will soon begin preparing reservation charts by 9 pm the previous evening for trains scheduled to depart before 2 pm. The Ministry of Railways announced on Sunday that the change, which will benefit waitlisted passengers in particular, will be rolled out in phases across the network.
Currently, charts are prepared four hours before the train departure time.
A ministry official told News18 that this will be a major relief for waitlisted passengers.
“This four-hour window gives commuters very little time to plan alternative modes in case the travel is an emergency. Now, they will know at least eight hours in advance. For morning trains departing before 2 pm, the charts will be ready by 9 pm,” the official said.
Earlier this month, the Ministry held a trial run of finalising the chart 24 hours before the departure time. The trial on one train was held on June 6 in the Bikaner division.
The official added that the trials received a positive response from commuters.
In a statement, the Ministry said that Indian Railways is committed to make the end-to-end travel experience passenger-centric.
“A passenger’s journey with the railways begins at the stage of ticket reservation. Railways is undertaking a series of steps to make ticket booking easier,” the statement added.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in June reviewed the progress of the reforms, proposed in May.
ADVANCE CHARTING TO REDUCE TRAVEL UNCERTAINTY
The Ministry said the improved advanced charting aims to bring more certainty to passengers’ travel plans. “Currently, the reservation chart is prepared four hours before the departure of the train. This creates uncertainty in the minds of passengers. Wherever passengers are coming from a nearby area to catch the train, this uncertainty can cause serious problems,” the Ministry stated.
To remove this uncertainty, the Railway Board proposed preparing the reservation chart eight hours before the departure.
“The Railway Minister agreed with this proposal and directed the Board to start implementing this in phases so that there is no disruption,” it added.
This move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlisted tickets. It will benefit passengers travelling from remote locations or suburbs of major cities for catching long-distance trains.
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived…Read More
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived… Read More
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