Railways are developing a system to provide passenger charts with confirmed seats 24 hours in advance, rather than the customary four hours prior to a train’s departure, in an effort to alleviate a key concern among train passengers. Currently, waitlisted passengers are unaware of their ticket status until the railways release the final list, especially those traveling long distances to catch trains.
According to a senior railway official, a pilot run in Rajasthan’s Bikaner division began on 6th June and is proceeding smoothly thus far. “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 stated, reported The Times of India.
According to officials, the primary objective of the new system is to assist travelers in making better travel plans. For example, passengers arriving from 100 kilometers or more away will have more time and clarity to get to the boarding station without any last-minute confusion.
Those who purchase Tatkal tickets and travel at the last minute would not be impacted by the planned regulations, according to sources. “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,” conveyed another official.
There is ambiguity as to whether the railways will make public the second and third lists of passengers with confirmed bookings because many of them could have canceled their reservations in the last 24 hours. A source mentioned, “Let the pilot run be over and then decisions will be taken keeping in mind the best interest of passengers.”
Railway reservation charts are usually produced twice in the past. The first chart is created four hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure and the second and final, chart is generated between thirty minutes and the train’s departure time.
Beneficial for passengers
This action seeks to improve the ticketing system since many customers are left in the dark until the last minute because tickets are currently confirmed just two to four hours before to departure. Passengers had to wait until the day of departure to receive confirmation of their tickets which has been a problem for many years.
Passengers on waitlists, especially those who travel long distances to board trains, are oblivious of their ticket status until the final list is released. Now, one chart will be created by the new system 24 hours in advance and any cancellations or new reservations will be updated in real time thereafter.
However, maintaining synchronization between passenger data across several stations and ticketing systems is a challenge because any discrepancy could seriously interfere with boarding, ticket validation and seat assignment.
Currently, charts are prepared around four hours prior to departure, giving travelers little time to make changes if their seats are not confirmed. According to officials, travelers with waitlisted tickets will have enough time to look into other travel options, cancel reservations or choose other forms of transportation if the passenger chart is made public 24 hours before to the train’s departure. Those boarding from intermediate stations, who frequently don’t know their ticket status until the last minute, will particularly benefit from this adjustment.
The concept was born on 21st May when Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was in Bikaner. The chart should be developed sooner, according to local railway officials, to avoid confusion at the last minute. The concept was approved by him right away and it was put into trial use.
A top railway board official revealed that Indian Railways is now testing the viability of this 24-hour charting system on a few chosen routes. These tests will assess the system’s ability to manage dynamic reservations and cancellations as well as the feasibility of real-time synchronization amongst railway servers.
Travelers on popular routes like Delhi-Bihar, Uttar Pradesh-Mumbai, or Bengal-Gujarat, whose waiting lines sometimes reach the hundreds and tickets are regularly tagged as “regret,” will particularly benefit from the improvement. According to sources, this trial’s preliminary findings are extremely encouraging. In the first four days alone, passengers had more time to arrange their trip and experienced greater clarity.
The move is a part of a broader initiative to modernize railway operations, streamline services and lessen last-minute rush and confusion at stations, based on railway sources. The project is a component of a larger railway technology update that aims to improve service delivery, passenger happiness, and digital transformation.
When properly implemented, it might also allow for earlier seat allocation notifications by email or SMS, which would lessen the anxiety brought on by uncertain travel. Officials believe that because they would have more precise information available well in advance, the system will also help ease traffic and assist railway employees in better managing berths and waiting lists.
84% of all train ticket reservations are made through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), according to sources. Physical reservations are made for the remaining 16% of tickets (window tickets).
Aadhaar authentication must for Tatkal ticket
The Railway Ministry took a significant step to stop agents and brokers from defrauding people when they book Tatkal tickets. Verification of an Aadhaar card will now be required on IRCTC in order to purchase Tatkal tickets. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Railway Minister announced this decision. “Bharatiya Railways will soon start using e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets. This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need,” he wrote on social media.
“With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under Tatkal scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/ its app only by Aadhaar authenticated users,” the official circular stated.
“Tatkal tickets shall be available for booking through computerized PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters of Indian Railways/authorized agents only after authentication of a system-generated OTP, which shall be sent through the system on the mobile number furnished by the users at the time of booking. This shall also be implemented by 15/07/2025,” it added.
The circular also stated that during the first half hour of the Tatkal booking window, authorized Indian Railways ticketing agencies will not be allowed to purchase opening day Tatkal tickets. In particular, they will not be able to grab Tatkal tickets for sessions with air conditioning between 10:00 and 10:30 am and other classes between 11:00 and 11:30 am.
The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been instructed by the Railways Ministry to update the system as needed and notify the zonal railways of the changes. The circular also promised that these changes would receive extensive dissemination through all available channels to educate the public.
