Railway reservation rules are all set to change from October 10 that is tomorrow. As per reports, now people can book railway tickets just 5 minutes before train leaves the station, as the Indian Railways has decided to restore the second reservation chart half an hour before the departure time.
However, the passenger train services will remain suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, in a bid to restore services, the national transporter has been running special trains. Many special trains have been running ahead of the festive season.
Railway ticket reservation rules changes by Indian Railways:
1. The second reservation charts will be prepared 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of trains from stations. It should be noted that during COVID the second reservation chart was being prepared two hours before the scheduled departure.
2. Railway seats will be available even five minutes before the train leaves the station, these charts will be prepared between 30 minutes to 5 minutes before the scheduled departure, tickets can be booked during this time.
3. The first chart is prepared at least four hours before the scheduled departure of the train. If seats become vacant owing to cancellation, they can be booked through PRS counters and online till the preparation of the second chart.
4. Tickets can also be cancelled during this time, as per the provisions of the refund rules.
5. The timings were changed during the pandemic as initially, tickets were only available online. The Railways was avoiding crowding at the stations and the aim was to discourage people from travelling unless absolutely necessary.
Railways is planning to start more special trains across the country. The Railway Board recently gave approval to zones for 39 new special trains. These services will be introduced as special services from an early convenient date, said the Ministry of Railways.
Among the 39 trains approved by the board, most belong to the category of AC Express, Duronto, Rajdhani, and Shatabdi. As per the Ministry, the operations will begin soon but the date of operation of these additional trains is yet to be declared.
