New Delhi: Indian Railways has announced a set of reforms aimed at making ticket booking more streamlined and passenger-friendly. The initiatives were reviewed by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who stressed the importance of creating a system that is smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient.

Reservation charts to be prepared earlier for better clarity

A key proposal involves revising the timing of reservation chart preparation. Currently, charts are finalised four hours before departure, often creating uncertainty for passengers, particularly those travelling from smaller stations or remote areas. To address this, the Railway Board has suggested that reservation charts be readied eight hours ahead of train departure.

For trains scheduled to leave before 2:00 pm, the new plan is to prepare charts by 9:00 pm the night before. The minister has approved this change and directed that it be implemented in small phases so that there is no disruption.

This adjustment is expected to assist passengers with waitlisted tickets by providing them with earlier updates on ticket confirmation status. It will also allow them to make alternative plans in case their tickets do not get confirmed.

PRS upgrade to handle 10 times more bookings and enquiries

The minister also assessed the status of the ongoing enhancement of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), a major project being undertaken by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). The upgraded Passenger Reservation System is being built to be adaptable, efficient, and expandable, with the ability to manage ten times more traffic than its present capacity.

Once the new system is introduced, it will be able to support up to 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, compared to the current capacity of 32,000. The number of ticket enquiries it can handle is also set to increase from 4 lakh to more than 40 lakh per minute.

Designed with a user-friendly, multilingual interface, the upgraded PRS will include features such as seat selection and fare calendars. It will also cater to the specific needs of persons with disabilities (divyangjan), students, and patients, ensuring broader inclusivity.

Aadhaar-based authentication to be mandatory for tatkal tickets

Further updates include enhanced verification measures for Tatkal bookings. From July 1, 2025, only authenticated users will be permitted to book Tatkal tickets via the IRCTC website or mobile application.

By the end of July 2025, Aadhaar or another valid government-issued identity proof stored in a user’s DigiLocker account will be required for OTP-based verification. This new authentication step is being introduced to make the booking process more secure and trustworthy.