New Delhi: In a significant passenger-centric move, the Ministry of Railways has announced key reforms in its ticketing system aimed at increasing transparency, convenience, and efficiency. These include early preparation of reservation charts, a major upgrade to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), and enhanced authentication for Tatkal bookings.
🕒 Reservation Charts to be Prepared 8 Hours in Advance
Currently, Indian Railways prepares reservation charts four hours before a train’s departure, which often creates anxiety for waitlisted passengers. In a proposed change approved by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new system will prepare charts eight hours ahead of departure.
- For trains departing before 2 PM, charts will now be prepared by 9 PM on the previous day.
- This will help passengers plan better, especially those travelling from remote or suburban areas.
“This move will give passengers more time to make alternate arrangements if their tickets remain unconfirmed,” the Railway Ministry said in an official statement.
🚄 New PRS to Handle 1.5 Lakh Ticket Bookings per Minute
A major Passenger Reservation System (PRS) upgrade is underway, led by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).
Key features of the new PRS include:
- Capacity to handle 1.5 lakh ticket bookings/minute (up from 32,000/min).
- Ticket enquiry capacity increased from 4 lakh to 40 lakh queries/minute.
- A multilingual, user-friendly interface.
- Enhanced features like fare calendar, seat preference options, and support for Divyangjan, students, and patients.
The new PRS is “agile, flexible, and scalable” to meet ten times the current demand, the Ministry said.
🔐 Stronger Tatkal Booking Authentication from July
Starting July 1, 2025, Tatkal ticket booking will require authenticated user accounts on the IRCTC website or app.
From the end of July, OTP-based verification will be mandatory.
- Authentication can be done using Aadhaar or any DigiLocker-linked government ID.
- The aim is to curb misuse of Tatkal quota and streamline the booking experience.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised the need for a smart, transparent, and accessible ticketing system that ensures a comfortable end-to-end journey for passengers.
“These reforms will modernise the system and provide real, tangible relief to millions of railway passengers,” he stated during a high-level review meeting.
The Ministry confirmed that implementation will happen in phases to avoid disruptions and ensure smooth integration with existing systems.