The Indian Railways have reduced the advanced ticket booking period by half, the Ministry of Railways announced on Thursday. Passengers will now be able to book train tickets up to 60 days in advance, instead of the previous 120 days.
This change will come into effect from November 1. Until October 31, passengers can continue to book tickets 120 days ahead of their journey.
“With effect from November 1, the ARP (Advance Reservation Period) will be of 60 days (excluding the day of journey) and bookings will be done accordingly. However, all the bookings done upto October 31 under the ARP of 120 days will remain intact (sic),” the Railways said in a statement.
However, cancellations of bookings made beyond the revised 60-day Advance Reservation Period will still be permitted.
The Railways added that there will be no change in the case of certain daytime express trains, such as the Taj Express and Gomti Express, which already have shorter advance reservation periods in place.
For foreign tourists, however, the time limit for advance bookings will remain unchanged at 365 days.
While the railways have not explained the rationale behind this move, data suggests that tickets booked 120 days in advance are often cancelled, whereas those booked within 60 days tend to remain confirmed. Officials also hope this change will reduce unnecessary bulk reservations.
