Railways allows booking, cancellation of train tickets till 5 minutes before departure

In a major relief to passengers, the Indian Railways has allowed booking and cancellation of tickets till five minutes before departure of the train. The new rule will apply to all special trains running from October 10.

The system of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the train departs, which was not being followed during the lockdown period, has also been restored by the railways. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the time for preparing a second reservation chart was shifted to two hours before the scheduled departure. The first reservation chart is prepared at least four hours before the departure of the train.

“As per the request of Zonal Railways for ensuring convenience of rail passengers, the matter has been examined and it has been decided that the second reservation chart shall be prepared at least 30 minutes before scheduled/rescheduled time of departure of the train,” a statement issued by the Indian Railways said.

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“Accordingly, the ticket booking facility, both online and on PRS ticket counters, shall be available, before preparation of the second chart. CRIS will make necessary modifications in the software accordingly so as to restore this provision with effect from October 10,” it added.

Railways allows 39 new special trains

All passenger trains services were suspended following a nationwide Coronavirus-induced lockdown from March 25. The railways resumed services in a staggered manner from May 1. Recently, the zones got approval to run 39 new special trains. These services will be introduced as special services from an early convenient date, the Ministry of Railways said.

This announcement comes after railway board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said that Indian Railways plans to run over 200 trains during the festive season between October 15 and November 30. Presently, employees of the state and Central governments, nationalised and private banks, government PSUs, pharma companies, dabbawalas, the staff of foreign consulates and high commissions have been permitted to travel on special suburban trains. 

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(with inputs from agencies)