Railways working on releasing passengers charts with confirmed seats 24 hours before departure of train | India News
NEW DELHI: Moving to address a major cause of anxiety among train travellers, railways is working on a mechanism to release passenger charts with confirmed seats 24 hours instead of the current norm of releasing it just four hours before the departure of a train. At present, wait-listed passengers, particularly those coming from far-off places to catch trains, remain uncertain and clueless about their ticket status till the final list is put out by the railways.A senior railway official said that a pilot run started in the Bikaner division in Rajasthan from June 6, and so far, there have been no issues. “We will carry out this pilot for some more weeks to identify any issues and how to fix them. There have been several instances of passengers facing problems as they come to know that their wait-listed ticket has not been confirmed, barely hours before reaching the station. An advanced chart will help people plan better and reduce stress,” he added.Officials said the new system aims to help passengers plan their journeys more effectively. For instance, travellers coming from locations 100 km or more away will have better clarity and time to reach the boarding station without last-minute uncertainty.Sources said the proposed norms won’t have any impact on people who plan to travel at the last minute and book Tatkal tickets. “Since Tatkal tickets are booked 48 hours before the scheduled departure of trains, bringing out the full chart a day before won’t be an issue,” another official said.As of now, there is no clarity if railways will release the second and third lists of passengers with confirmed reservations, as there is a possibility of many passengers with confirmed tickets cancelling their booking within the last 24 hours. “Let the pilot run be over and then decisions will be taken keeping in mind the best interest of passengers,” a source said.Earlier, the railway reservation charts were usually prepared twice. The first chart was prepared four hours before the scheduled departure time of the train and the second, or final, chart was prepared between 30 minutes before the train’s departure.
