Indian Railways Implements Major Ticketing Changes for Passengers

Indian Railways has announced new guidelines for emergency quota requests, requiring passengers to submit applications a day before travel to streamline services and avoid delays in train operations. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

According to the circular, EQ requests for trains departing between midnight and 2:00 PM must reach the EQ cell by noon on the previous day. For departures after 2:01 PM, the deadline is 4:00 PM the prior day.

Requests submitted on the day of travel will not be accepted. For journeys on Sundays or public holidays, requests must be filed on the previous working day to ensure timely processing and allocation.

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Indian Railways Updates Chart Preparation

The ministry stated these reforms align with its goal to improve efficiency. Forwarding authorities will verify the authenticity of EQ requests and follow current guidelines strictly. Officials emphasized avoiding delays that inconvenience passengers and disrupt train schedules.

Recently, Indian Railways advanced chart preparation timing to eight hours before departure. For trains leaving before 2:00 PM, charts are now finalized at 9:00 PM on the previous day, giving waitlisted passengers time to plan alternatives.

Indian Railways Modernizes Reservation System

Additional reforms include mandatory user verification for Tatkal bookings from July 1 through the IRCTC website and app. OTP-based authentication will follow later this month, enhancing security for online ticketing.

By December 2025, the ministry will launch an upgraded reservation system capable of handling 150,000 bookings per minute, five times the current rate. Inquiry capacity will increase to 4 million per minute, supporting multilingual options and personalized features.

Indian Railways also considers removing or reducing clerkage charges, which are currently deducted from refunds for canceled tickets. Eliminating these charges would benefit passengers with waitlisted or unconfirmed tickets.

These measures aim to modernize rail travel, provide transparency, and ensure smoother journeys for millions of daily commuters across India.

Source, photo: infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com

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