Indian Railways announces three big steps for train ticketing! New charting, Tatkal ticket booking, reservation system - what they mean for passengers

Indian Railways train ticket operations set for a major revamp: In a move aimed at enhancing comfort for passengers, Indian Railways is planning to gradually roll out three key changes to its passenger reservation system. The steps will involve a new procedure for booking tatkal train tickets, advance chart preparation for waitlisted passengers and the overall upgradation of the passenger reservation system.

During a recent assessment of these improvements, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stressed the importance of developing an intelligent, clear, user-friendly and productive ticketing system. The primary focus of planning should be passenger comfort, ensuring that travellers experience seamless and pleasant journeys throughout their rail travel, he has said.

Indian Railways is planning to either remove or reduce the clerical charges, commonly referred to as "clerkage", which is currently deducted during the refund process for cancelled or unconfirmed waitlisted tickets. At present, a clerkage charge of Rs 60 is levied on both AC and non-AC reserved tickets, while Rs 30 is charged for unreserved second class tickets. This fee is applicable to all cancellations of waitlisted tickets, including those made via the IRCTC website.

Officials told TOI that preliminary discussions have started regarding this matter. Should the Railways implement this change, it would benefit passengers holding waitlisted tickets who currently face two challenges: their tickets remaining unconfirmed and the subsequent deduction of clerkage charges during fare refunds.

We take a look at the top three upcoming changes in train ticketing and what they mean for passengers:

Train Chart Preparation 8 Hours in Advance

• Currently, Indian Railways prepares reservation charts four hours prior to train departure. This uncertainty particularly affects those travelling from nearby locations to board their trains.
• To address this concern, a new proposal suggests preparing reservation charts eight hours before departure time.
• For trains scheduled before 1400 hours on a day, charts will be finalised at 2100 hrs on the preceding day.
• The Railway Minister has endorsed this suggestion and instructed phased implementation to ensure smooth transition.
• This revised system will provide clarity to passengers holding waitlisted tickets. They will receive updates about their waitlist status earlier than before.
• The change will particularly assist travellers from distant areas or city outskirts who plan to board long-distance trains. Additionally, passengers will have sufficient time to plan alternative travel arrangements if their waitlisted tickets remain unconfirmed.
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Only Verified Users for Tatkal Ticket Booking

• Indian Railways has announced that starting July 1, 2025, only verified users will be permitted to book Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website and mobile application.
• Additionally, the implementation of OTP-based authentication for Tatkal bookings will commence from end of July.
• The Railways Minister has directed the officials to expand the authentication process for Tatkal reservations.
• Users will need to verify their identity using either Aadhaar or other valid government identification documents stored in their DigiLocker accounts.
• Earlier, it had been announced that only Aadhaar-authenticated users will be able to book tatkal tickets from July 1, 2025. The scope of that is now being expanded to include documents in DigiLocker.

New Passenger Reservation System by December 2025

• The Railways Minister conducted an assessment of passenger reservation system improvements. CRIS has been implementing this enhancement project over recent months.
• The enhanced PRS infrastructure demonstrates adaptability, flexibility and expanded capacity, capable of managing ten times the existing volume. This substantial upgrade will boost ticket booking capabilities significantly.
• The modernised system will facilitate over 150,000 ticket reservations per minute, representing a fivefold increase from the current capacity of 32,000 tickets per minute.
• The system's enquiry processing ability will see a tenfold enhancement, expanding from 400,000 to more than 4 million enquiries per minute.
• The upgraded PRS features a user-friendly interface supporting multiple languages for bookings and enquiries.
• The enhanced system enables users to specify seating preferences and view fare calendars. Additionally, it incorporates dedicated facilities for Divyangjan, students, patients and other specific categories.

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