Advance railway reservation period reduced from 120 to 60 days

The new time limit for advance booking of trains would take effect from November 1

The Railway Board has reduced the time limit for advance booking of trains from 120 days to 60 days wit the new time limit set to take effect from November 1.

A senior official of the Southern Railway, confirming the reduction of the advance reservation period (ARP) for long-distance trains to 60 days, said a circular has been issued by the Railway Board to all the Principal Chief Commercial Managers of all the Zonal Railways in this regard.

Cancellations made beyond the ARP of 60 days would be permitted, the circular further stated.

The railway official also said the new time limit would not be applicable for a few express trains, including Taj Express and Gomti Express, which have a shorter time limit for advance reservations.

The circular states that this decision will come into force from November 1, 2024 and that all bookings done up to October 31 (under the 120 day period) will remain intact.

By shortening the reservation period to two months, the Railways has reversed its nine-year old policy of reserving tickets four months in advance.

Railway officials said that 120 days was too long a period for planning, resulting in high cancellations and wastage of seats/berths because of passengers not turning up for journeys. “Currently, there are about 21% cancellations and 4% to 5% passengers don’t turn up (which is considered as no show),” a senior official stated.

In many cases, officials said that it is seen that passengers do not cancel their tickets and do not turn up for journeys. “This leads to frauds – such as impersonation, railway officials taking money illegally, etc. With shortening reservation period, this can be prevented,” the official said.

Also with a longer period for reservation, there was a greater chance of some people blocking the tickets. “Shorter periods will encourage more tickets by genuine passengers,” the official added. “With better visibility of demand due to lesser cancellations and no-show, the Railways can plan more special trains well in advance,” the official said.

The Railway Ministry has also stated that there is no impact on General class tickets as they are purchased just before the journey.

(With inputs from Delhi Bureau)

Published - October 17, 2024 02:53 pm IST