Come November 1 2024, rail travellers need not plan their journeys 120 days in advance. Indian Railways (IR) on Thursday, announced that the advance reservation period (ARP) for train bookings will be reduced from 120 to 60 days, starting November 1,2024.
ARP excludes the date of journey. However, all bookings made until October 31, 2024 with an ARP of 120 days will remain valid, IR said in a statement. IR will allow cancellations of tickets booked beyond the new Advance Reservation Period (ARP) of 60 days as per the current rules.
The new ARP of 60 days will not apply to foreign tourists. Their current reservation limit of 365 days for foreign tourists will remain unchanged.
IR zeroed in on the 60-day ARP as an optimal solution based on a thorough assay of reservation and cancellation trends across trains, classes, seasons and pair of stations using past data.
This will reduce instances of cancellations and absent passengers, helping IR manage seat utilization better and plan services accordingly.
Benefits of the New 60-Day ARP:
- Reduced Wastage of Seats: The previous 120-day period was too long, resulting in high cancellations and wastage of berths due to passengers not turning up.
- Improved Seat Utilization: Currently, about 21 per centof tickets are cancelled, with 4-5 per cent passengers not travelling. A shorter booking window will reduce such instances, providing better seat availability for genuine travellers.
- Minimizing Fraud: The shorter ARP reduces the chance of fraudulent practices such as impersonation or misuse of the system by blocking tickets.
- Flexibility for Passengers: Shorter reservation periods encourage more genuine bookings, as passengers are more likely to have confirmed travel plans.
- Efficient Rail Operations: With a clearer picture of demand, the Railways will be able to schedule special trains in advance to meet passenger needs during peak seasons.
