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Key Points

Indian Railways is set to revamp its reservation system by preparing charts eight hours before departure, reducing passenger uncertainty. The upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will handle 1.5 lakh bookings per minute, a five-fold increase. New features include multilingual interfaces, seat preferences, and streamlined Tatkal authentication. These changes aim to enhance efficiency and passenger convenience.

Key Points: Indian Railways to Speed Up Reservation Charts and Boost PRS Capacity

  • Reservation charts to be prepared 8 hours before departure
  • PRS upgrade allows 1.5 lakh bookings per minute
  • Tatkal bookings to require OTP authentication
  • Multilingual interface and seat preference feature introduced
3 min read

Indian Railways to revamp passenger reservation system, speed up chart preparation

Indian Railways advances chart preparation to 8 hours before departure and upgrades PRS for faster bookings, enhancing passenger convenience.

"The ticketing system should be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient. – Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw"

New Delhi, June 29

Indian Railways is preparing to revamp its ticketing and reservation process by advancing the preparation of the chart eight hours before the train's departure.

The railway is also set to enhance the ticket booking capacity by upgrading the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), allowing over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute.

This comes as Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of these reforms. He emphasised that the ticketing system should be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient. Planning should focus on passenger convenience. The system must ensure a smooth and comfortable travel experience for our passengers, according to a release from the Ministry of Railways

Currently, the reservation chart is prepared four hours before the departure of the train. This creates uncertainty in the minds of passengers. Wherever passengers are coming from a nearby area to catch the train, this uncertainty can cause serious problems.

To remove this uncertainty, the railway board has proposed preparing the reservation chart eight hours before the departure. For trains departing before 1400 hours, the chart will be prepared the previous day at 2100 hrs itself. The Railway Minister agreed with this proposal and directed the board to start implementing this in phases so that there is no disruption, the release added.

This move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlist tickets. The passengers will get the first update on waitlist status well in advance. It will benefit passengers travelling from remote locations or suburbs of major cities for catching long distance trains. It will also provide more time to make alternative arrangements in case the wait list is not confirmed.

The Railway Minister also reviewed the upgradation of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS).The project is being executed for the last few months by CRIS, the release added.

The new upgraded PRS design is agile, flexible, and scalable to handle ten times the current load. It will significantly enhance the ticket booking capacity. The new PRS will allow over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute. This will be an increase of roughly five times from 32,000 tickets per minute in the current PRS.

The ticket enquiry capacity will jump ten times i.e. from 4 lakh to over 40 lakh per enquiry will be possible in a minute time, the release added.

The new PRS also has a multilingual and user-friendly booking and enquiry interface.

In the new PRS, users will be able to submit their choice of seat and see the fare calendar. It also has integrated facilities for Divyangjan, students, patients, etc.

Streamlined authentication for Tatkal bookings Indian Railways will allow only authenticated users to book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC website and mobile app beginning 1st July, 2025.

Further, OTP-based authentication will be done for Tatkal bookings from the end of July, 2025.

The Railways Minister instructed officials to broadbase the authentication mechanism for Tatkal bookings.The authentication should be done using Aadhaar or any other verifiable Government ID available in the user's DigiLocker account.

These measures reflect the continuous efforts of Indian Railways to modernise its systems and make them more citizen friendly, the release added

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
The multilingual interface is much needed! My parents struggle with English-only systems. Also hope the new system reduces website crashes during Tatkal bookings. Last time I tried, the site froze at 10am sharp 😤
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Aman W
Good initiative but execution is key. Railways has promised many upgrades before but ground reality remains same. The Aadhaar authentication for Tatkal is smart though - should reduce touts hoarding tickets 👍
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Priya S
As someone who travels weekly for work, I welcome these changes! The fare calendar feature will help plan budgets better. But please improve train cleanliness too - no point in easy booking if journey experience is poor 🚆
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Vikram M
1.5 lakh bookings per minute sounds impressive! But will the rural areas get proper internet connectivity to benefit from this? Many villages still struggle with basic 4G. Digital divide needs addressing along with tech upgrades.
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Kavya N
The Divyangjan facilities integration is heartwarming! My wheelchair-bound uncle always faces issues. Hope the new system makes travel truly accessible for all. Small steps towards inclusive India 🇮🇳
D
David E
As a foreigner traveling India by train, I appreciate these upgrades! The current system can be confusing. Multilingual interface and seat

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