New IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Rules: Indian Railways Reduces Advance Reservation Period to 60 Days - Read Now
New IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Rules: Indian Railways, from November 1, 2024, has significantly altered the advance train ticket booking process. IRCTC train tickets can now be booked 60 days before the journey, which is against the previous Advance Reservation Period (ARP) of 120 days. This adjustment in the booking window is expected to make a more efficient system for travelers, thereby reducing the chances of cancellations and also handling issues that were raised on ticket touting activities, which were taking advantage of the longer reservation period.
All passengers must adhere to the new advance booking requirement of 60 days; however, all reservations booked before October 31, 2024, will be under the previous ARP of 120 days. Travelers booking their journeys can now enjoy more flexibility concerning more precise and longer-term planning for their trips as there is less likelihood of last-minute cancellations. Those passengers who had already booked after the limit of 60 days would still be allowed to cancel when necessary and would be treated with the respective cancellation under standard procedure.
New IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Rules: Key Changes in IRCTC Advance Reservation Policies
The Indian Railways reduced 60-day ARP to resolve the problems passengers face at the time of booking long before. A short duration of booking helps people prepare for their travels and provide space for spontaneous travel. It also reduces the damage caused by the sudden cancellations of trains for passengers who had booked their seat months ago.
Some reservation rules are not going to be affected by this. Day Express services, for example, "Taj Express" and "Gomti Express," will still be accessible with the prevailing restrictions over reservations. Another special rule that has remained unchanged is that foreign tourists can reserve tickets up to 365 days in advance, and thus international tourists can also plan long-haul travel easily.
New IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Rules: Evolution of Advance Reservation Period with Time
The Indian Railways has modified the ARP over the years since 1981. It was for the first time set to 30 days and later changed to 120 days in April 2015 to incorporate advance booking for travel. It has reduced the ARP again to 60 days to suit the changing needs of the passengers and the trends in the industry.
New IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Rules: AI-based seat reservation to boost bookings in IRCTC
Indian Railways has started its AI-powered technology for optimized train seat allocation in the wake of these changes. Based on passenger data, the available seats are predicted after reservation charts are prepared four hours before departure. This is done to better the seat distribution for the waitlisted travelers so that the booking process becomes seamless and reliable.
As Indian Railways adopts these new reservation rules and includes AI in seat allocation, it will encourage passengers to be updated with such changes for smooth traveling. This new reservation period shows the efforts of Indian Railways to understand the needs of customers, travel flexibility, and enhance the IRCTC ticketing system.