Railways to Release Train Reservation Charts 8 Hours Before Departure from July 1
Railway Reservation Chart: New Delhi: In a move that will bring big relief to passengers, Indian Railways has decided to release reservation charts 8 hours before train departure—instead of the current 4-hour window. This new rule will come into effect from July 1, 2025.
The decision aims to make travel planning easier, especially for passengers with waitlisted tickets, giving them more time to know their status and make alternative arrangements if needed.
A senior railway official confirmed, “The new system is meant to reduce uncertainty for travellers and improve the overall experience. Technical changes are being made, and the new charting time should roll out by July 1 or soon after.”
What Will Change for Passengers?
Right now, reservation charts are prepared just 4 hours before the train leaves, which creates last-minute stress—especially for those traveling from smaller towns or far-off places.
With the new 8-hour timeline:
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Passengers will get to know their final ticket status earlier
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Those with waitlisted tickets will have more time to make other travel plans
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It’s a big help for people coming from remote or suburban areas
This change is expected to reduce confusion and long waits at railway stations.
New Cap on Waitlisted Tickets
To improve berth availability, Railways has also decided to limit the number of waitlisted tickets to 25% of total berths in each class. This will help ensure better ticket confirmation rates and less overcrowding on trains.
Better Technology Coming Soon
Indian Railways is also working on a major upgrade to its Passenger Reservation System (PRS), which will be fully ready by December 2025. Here’s what’s changing:
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Ticket booking capacity will rise to 1.5 lakh tickets per minute (currently 32,000)
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Enquiry capacity will increase from 4 lakh to 40 lakh per minute
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A new, user-friendly interface will support multiple languages
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Passengers can choose preferred seats, check fare calendars, and more
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Special options for Divyangjan (disabled), students, and patients will also be included
Tatkal Bookings to Get More Secure
Railway Reservation Chart From July 1, 2025, all Tatkal bookings on the IRCTC website and app will require OTP-based authentication. Later in the month, passengers will also be able to verify their ID using Aadhaar or other government IDs stored in DigiLocker.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked officials to make the system more secure and transparent, so passengers can trust the process.
In Summary
From July 1:
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Reservation charts will be released 8 hours before train departure
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Waitlisted passengers will know their status earlier
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Waitlist cap set at 25% to improve confirmation chances
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Tatkal bookings to include OTP-based authentication
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A major PRS system upgrade is underway for faster, smoother bookings
These changes are part of Indian Railways’ plan to make train travel smarter, simpler, and more passenger-friendly.
