IRCTC Introduces New Rules in Railway Ticket Booking: All You Need to Know

The India Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced a new ticketing rule. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some rule changes have been made to follow the protocol.

The IRCTC has now decided that the second reservation chart will be prepared 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time for the trains. During the last months, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the second chart was prepared two hours in advance to notify passengers that they have reserved the berth on the train.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, the IRCTC used to publish the first chart four hours before the train left. To reserve the remaining seats, passengers can approach the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters up to 30 minutes before the train's departure. They can also reserve seats online before preparing the second reservation chart. Seats are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The decision to prepare the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the trains left was made after the district railways requested it. This was done for the comfort of the passengers.

Indian Railways said in a statement that plans for the second reservation charts were prepared 30 to 5 minutes before the train's departure. In accordance with the refund provisions, tickets booked during this period may be canceled. Offer this convenience to train travelers because they can cancel tickets and get a refund even if the plan changes at the last minute.

The changes needed for the Center for the Railways Information System (CRIS) to reestablish the new provisions in the program have been published, effective October 10, the Railways Ministry said.

The IRCTC online booking rules remain the same. According to a railway official, passengers are supposed to arrive at the station an hour or two before the train departs.

If you want to book an IRCTC ticket, you need to follow these steps:

• Visit irctc.co.in/nget/train-search
• Fill in the source and destination stations
• Select the date of the trip and the instructor's class
• Click on the option "Search for trains"