Wait List Ticket New Rule: Big Change for Rail Travellers, Indian Railways Caps Waiting List Tickets, Check

Indian Railways has introduced a new rule that will have a direct impact on millions of train commuters in a major policy change. According to a report published by The Lallantop, the Railway Board has attempted to place a limit on waitlist tickets to a maximum of up to 25% of the total capacity of berths in all classes. The switch occurs to minimize overbooking, make operations more visible, and subsequently offer an even better travel experience to passengers.

This rule will be crucial to individuals who travel a lot, most of the time in the peak seasons or holidays, when the trains are normally fully packed.

What Do the New Wait List Rules Say?

Waiting list tickets. More specifically, the new guidelines will limit the number of waiting list tickets that can be issued in any coach to not more than 25% of the berths available in that coach in each of the Sleeper, AC 3-tier, AC 2-tier, and First AC categories. Take an example: A sleeper coach with 72 berths will now be capped at 18 waiting list tickets.

In the past, more tickets were allowed to be waitlisted, resulting in overcrowding of charts, confusion among passengers, and delays in ticket cancellations. It is hoped that this will reduce the burden on the system, reduce passenger confusion, and make booking patterns more predictable.

Benefits for Passengers and Railways

This is in line with Indian Railways' initiative to improve the way it works by making the booking process even simpler and more customer-friendly. Passengers will now be able to plan their journey in a better way and will not have to panic at the last minute when their travel on a waitlisted ticket is not confirmed.

According to the railways, the move is likely to reduce refund claims, provide better information about the number of passengers in trains, and avoid overcrowding in passenger trains.

Still, experts say that while the regulation will increase clarity, it could also mean that getting booked seats will become more difficult, especially on routes with high travel. This could result in a demand for Tatkal or premium bookings.

Final Implementation and Monitoring

Railways are going to keep an eye on how the rule change will affect them. For this, physical work will be done in the first phase, and then it will be implemented on a full scale. Operational data and passenger feedback will help revise additional adjustments.