CHENNAI: In two major steps to help ease passengers’ travel anxiety, the Railways has decided to release the first reservation chart 10 hours before the scheduled departure of trains, and also extended Aadhar-authenticated bookings till 12 midnight of the opening day of the advance reservation period for general booking. The new regulations would come into effect from December 20.
In a circular dated December 16, the Railway Board informed the Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCMs) of all zones that the first reservation charts should be prepared early so as to remove the anxiety of passengers, especially those who travel from remote locations to catch long-distance trains.
For trains departing from 5.01 am to 2. pm, the first reservation charts should be prepared preferably by 8 pm the previous day. For trains departing from 2.01 pm to 11.59 pm and from 12 am to 5 am, the first reservation charts should be prepared preferably at least 10 hours in advance, the board said in the circular.
The communication does not mention the second reservation chart, which is prepared between 30 minutes and 5 minutes before departure.
Till July, the first reservation chart used to be announced four hours before departure. After that, it was increased to eight hours.
“It is a welcome move to release the chart early, as passengers will be able to find alternative arrangements if their tickets are not confirmed,” said B Sundararajan, president of the Federation of Tiruvallur District Railway Passengers Association.
Meanwhile, to ensure that the benefits of the reservation system reach the common man and are not misused by unscrupulous elements, the Railway Board has expanded the scope of the Aadhar-authenticated booking for general reservations through online on the opening day of reservation up to 12 am of the day, in a phased manner.
In a letter dated December 18, it said that from January 12 onwards, only Aadhar-authenticated users will be allowed to book online reserved tickets on the opening day. However, there would be no change in the procedure of passengers physically booking reserved tickets at computerised PRS counters.