CHENNAI: In a major relief for passengers, the Railway Board has announced new norms under which reservation charts will be prepared on an average 10 hours before a train’s scheduled departure, enabling travellers to know their seat status well in advance.

Currently, reservation charts are released only a few hours before a train departs, leaving waitlisted passengers anxious about whether their tickets will get confirmed. If tickets remain unconfirmed, passengers are often forced to look for alternative travel options at the last minute, causing significant inconvenience.

To address this issue, the Railways has decided to advance the chart preparation timeline.

Under the new system, reservation charts for trains departing between 5.01 am and 2 pm will be prepared by 8 pm on the previous day. For trains scheduled to depart between 2.01 pm and 11.59 pm, as well as those leaving between midnight and 5 am, charts will be prepared at least 10 hours before departure, said a Daily Thanthi report.

The Railway Board has instructed the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), which handles ticketing-related operations, to implement the revised process. The new norms are expected to be rolled out soon.

Once implemented, passengers will be able to check in advance whether their tickets are confirmed, reducing last-minute uncertainty. The move has been welcomed by travellers, who say it will make journey planning easier.