The Indian Railways has introduced a new change in the advance train ticket booking rules, i.e., reducing the advance reservation period from 120 to 60 days.
The fresh rules came into effect from November 1, 2024. Notably, the Indian Railway's Advance Reservation Period (ARP) has undergone its 12th revision since 1981.
“With effect from November 1, the ARP (Advance Reservation Period) will be of 60 days (excluding the day of journey) and bookings will be done accordingly. However, all the bookings done upto October 31 under the ARP of 120 days will remain intact (sic),” the Railways said in a statement.
What are the reasons behind this change?
According to the Indian Railways, the 120-day reservation period for train tickets was excessively long, which often led to a high number of cancellations and wasted seats or berths. The ticket cacellation rate stands at around 12%, while approximately 4-5% fail to show up for the journey, leading to wasted berths or seats.
This behavior by passengers caused various fradulent activities, such as impersonation and illegal money collection by railway officials. By reducing the advanced reservation period, the Indian Railways aims to cater to the issue.
About the new rules
Passengers are now permitted to book their train tickets 60 days in advance, against 120 days previously.
However, there will be no change in rules for certain daytime express trains, such as the Taj Express and Gomti Express, and special trains which already have shorter advance reservation periods in place. Moreover, rules for foreign tourists remain unchaged, i.e., the advance booking period is 365 days.
Notably, there is no change in the rules for immediate ticket booking. Passengers can still book immediate train tickets 24 hours in advance.
