The Railway Board has announced a revision in the timing for the preparation of the first reservation chart for trains across the Indian Railways network. The new schedule aims to inform passengers of their reservation status well in advance, addressing concerns of long-distance travellers from remote locations.

The New Chart Preparation Schedule 

According to the new guidelines, the first reservation chart will be prepared based on the train's scheduled departure time:

Trains departing between 05:00 am and 02:00 pm: The first chart will be prepared by 8:00 PM on the previous day (up to 18 hours in advance).

Trains departing between 02:00 PM and 05:00 AM (next morning): The first chart will be prepared at least 10 hours in advance on a priority basis.

There has been no change in the timing for the preparation of the second reservation chart.

Official Directives

In a letter dated December 16, Sanjay Manocha, Director (Passenger Marketing-II) of the Railway Board, issued these directives to all Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCM) and the Managing Director of the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).

Objective: The Director stated that the shift is intended to provide passengers with timely information regarding their confirmed status.

Implementation: All concerned officials have been instructed to implement the new system immediately.

Also Read: Uttarakhand: Bus Carrying Tamil Nadu Students Catches Fire On Shimla Bypass; All Evacuated Safely

Background And Recent Changes

The Railway Board has been continuously updating the reservation process to make it more efficient and time-bound.

November 18 Directive: Previously, Praveen Kumar, Director (Passenger Marketing), had instructed Zonal Railways to ensure the first chart was prepared automatically at least 8 hours in advance. If a zone failed to do so manually, the system would finalise it automatically. Under that directive, the chart for morning trains (5 am – 2 pm) was prepared by 9:00 PM the previous day.

Also Read: Aligarh News: 7-Story Modern Bus Stand To Come Up At Sootmil Square On PPP Model

July Directive: Prior to that, guidelines issued on July 2 (effective July 8) also stipulated an 8-hour window for afternoon or night trains and a 9:00 pm cut-off for morning trains.

The new December 16 directive shifts the 9:00 pm deadline to 8:00 pm and extends the 8-hour window to 10 hours for the respective categories.