Indian Railways ticket reservation rules to change, All you need to know
Indian Railways Ticket Booking: The railway reservation rules are set to change from October 10. The railway seats can be available even just 5 minutes before the train leaves, as Indian Railways has decided to restore the pre-COVID system of preparing a second reservation chart half an hour before the departure, a report said.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that the Indian Railways passenger train services remained suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the national transporter has been running special trains.
Also Read | Indian Railways to add more special trains for stranded passengers, says Centre
As per the railway reservation rules, the second reservation chart will be prepared 30 minutes before the train's scheduled departure. This was normal before the COVID-10 outbreak, but when the Indian Railways started special passenger trains amid the pandemic, the second reservation chart was being prepared 2 hours before the scheduled departure.
From Saturday onwards, as per the Indian Railways ticket booking rules, these charts will be prepared between 30 minutes to 5 minutes before the scheduled departure, hence, the tickets can be booked during this time.
Also Read | Ministry of Railways announces 39 new special trains [Check List]
Initially, the first reservation chart is prepared at least 4 hours before the scheduled departure. Therefore, if seats become vacant owing to cancellation, they can be booked through PRS counters and online until the second chart is prepared.
The tickets can also be cancelled during this time, according to the provisions of the refund rules.
The timings were also changed during the pandemic as the tickets were only available online. The Indian Railways was avoiding crowds at the railway stations.
The national transporter has been running special trains and ahead of the festive season, Indian Railways announced 39 more special trains across the country.
Among the 39 special trains, most of them belong to the category of AC Express, Duronto, Rajdhani, and Shatabdi. As per the Ministry of Railways, the date of operation of these additional trains is yet to be declared.
-PTC News
