Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai.Indian Railways has decided to prepone the reservation chart preparation to 8 hours before the train's departure, instead of the current 4-hour window. This move, aimed at giving passengers more time to plan alternate travel options or book backup tickets in case their ticket remains unconfirmed, comes after a recent review meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. The new system will be rolled out in phases starting July 1, 2025, initially covering select trains like Humsafar Express, before extending to Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Mail, Express, and Superfast services.

Special provision for early morning trains

For trains departing before 2 PM, the reservation chart will now be generated the previous night by 9 PM. For instance, if a train departs at 8 AM, the chart will be finalized the night before, giving early-morning travelers enough time to make informed decisions regarding their travel.

Two recent changes already in effect

Earlier, Indian Railways introduced two major changes effective from May 1. First, passengers with waitlisted tickets are no longer allowed to board sleeper or AC coaches. They must travel only in general coaches. Violators face fines — ₹440 for AC and ₹250 for sleeper — along with fare payment from the originating station to the point where they’re caught traveling without a valid berth.

Mandatory Aadhaar for Tatkal tickets

From July 1, 2025, Aadhaar authentication will become compulsory for booking Tatkal tickets online via the IRCTC website or app. Starting July 15, an OTP linked to the Aadhaar-registered mobile number will also be required. This rule aims to curb black-marketing and fraudulent bookings. For the first 30 minutes after Tatkal bookings open, only individual passengers will be allowed to book tickets; agents will be blocked from access during this period.

Nationwide implementation and PRS upgrade

These rules will be enforced across all railway zones where Tatkal booking is applicable. Those booking tickets at counters will also need to complete Aadhaar-based verification via OTP from July 15. To handle increased demand and improve user experience, the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) is also being upgraded.

By December 2025, the new system will support up to 1.5 lakh bookings per minute—five times more than the current capacity—and offer multilingual support and enhanced features for differently-abled passengers, students, and medical travelers.

7 Key Takeaways

1. Reservation charts to be prepared 8 hours before train departure

2. Early morning train charts will be ready by 9 PM the previous night

3. Waitlisted passengers barred from sleeper and AC travel

4. Fines imposed for traveling in unauthorized coaches

5. Aadhaar authentication mandatory for online Tatkal booking from July 1

6. OTP verification needed for booking from July 15

7. PRS to be upgraded to handle 1.5 lakh bookings per minute by December 2025