Railways to Prepare Reservation Charts Eight Hours in Advance for Better Planning

The Ministry of Railways has announced a new initiative to prepare reservation charts for long-distance trains eight hours before departure, instead of the current four hours. This change aims to give passengers, especially those travelling from remote locations, more time to plan their journeys effectively.

The decision was made during a recent review meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Under his guidance, officials will now prepare the reservation charts at 8 am for trains departing later in the day, and for trains leaving before 2 pm, the charts will be ready by 9 pm the night before. The move will be implemented gradually to ensure smooth operations.

The Ministry expressed, "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."

This update will reduce uncertainty for passengers with waitlisted tickets, providing earlier notifications about ticket confirmation status. It will especially benefit travellers from distant areas or suburbs of major cities by offering more time to make alternative arrangements if needed.

Additionally, the upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will now accommodate over 150,000 bookings per minute - approximately five times the current capacity of 32,000 - and will feature a user-friendly, multilingual interface.

The new system enables passengers to select seats, view fare calendars, and access facilities specifically designed for Individuals with Disabilities, students, and patients. From July 1, 2025, only authenticated users will be able to book Tatkal tickets via the IRCTC website and mobile app, with OTP-based authentication introduced from the end of July. 

"The authentication should be done using Aadhaar or any other verifiable government ID available in the user's DigiLocker account," the statement said.

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