Indian Railways has introduced significant changes to the reservation chart preparation process to make the system more transparent and time-bound. In a directive issued to all Zonal Railways on November 18, Praveen Kumar, Director (Passenger Marketing) of the Railway Board, outlined the new automated procedures.

Key Changes To Chart Preparation

Automatic Finalisation: To enforce strict timelines, if a Zonal Railway fails to prepare the first reservation chart at least eight hours before a train's scheduled departure, the system will automatically finalise it.

Remote Stations: Reservation charts for distant stations will also be generated automatically.

Exceptions And Existing Timings

While the automation applies to most schedules, specific time slots remain unchanged to accommodate overnight processing:

Morning Departures: For trains departing between 5:00 am and 2:00 pm, the deadline for issuing the reservation chart remains 9:00 pm the previous day.

Second Chart: There is no change to the second (updated) reservation chart. It will continue to be issued automatically 15 minutes before the train's departure.

Rationale Behind The Move

The system of issuing charts eight hours in advance was initially implemented on July 8 on a manual basis. However, the transition to automation was necessitated by several factors:

Operational Issues: Complaints regarding non-compliance with the scheduled preparation time had increased.

Staff Welfare: The manual system placed a heavy burden on the Commercial Department and reservation office employees, requiring additional duties and 24-hour cycles to manage charts.

Transparency: The new system aims to maintain transparency and ensure that the maximum number of vacant berths can be booked via current counters or the IRCTC website.

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Implementation And Special Authority

Software Updates: The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has been directed to modify the software to support these changes and inform all Zonal Railways.

PCCM Authority: The Deputy Director of the Railway Board has issued guidelines to the Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCMs) of all regional railways. Notably, PCCMs have been granted the special authority to prepare reservation charts in less than eight hours under special circumstances.

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