New Railway Ticket Reservation Rules: Indian Railways has reduced the advance reservation period for train tickets from 120 days to 60 days, changing how early passengers can plan and confirm their journeys.
Under the revised system, travellers can book reserved train tickets only up to 60 days before the date of travel. Tickets purchased before the new rule took effect will remain valid, including advance bookings already made up to October 31.
The change is aimed at making reserved seats more accessible to genuine passengers while reducing the scope for tickets to be blocked months before a journey.
Why has the booking period been reduced?
One of the key reasons behind the move is the cancellation pattern seen in bookings made several months in advance. NewsOnAir reported that around 21 per cent of reservations made between 61 and 120 days before travel were eventually cancelled.
Railway authorities believe that a shorter reservation window could discourage speculative bookings and ticket hoarding. It may also allow passengers with firmer travel plans to find seats closer to their intended journey dates.
The earlier 120-day window often required travellers to make decisions nearly four months ahead. With the new 60-day limit, the booking cycle will be more closely aligned with near-term travel planning.
What happens to tickets already booked?
Passengers who purchased tickets before the revised reservation period came into force do not need to make any changes.
Existing bookings will continue to remain valid. The reduction in the advance reservation period applies to new reservations and does not cancel or alter tickets confirmed under the previous 120-day system.
Will the 60-day rule apply to every train?
The revised advance reservation period will cover most train services, but some exceptions will continue.
Certain trains that already follow shorter advance booking limits, including the Taj Express and Gomtin Express, will continue to operate under their existing reservation rules.
Passengers planning to travel on such services should check the applicable booking period before selecting their journey date.
New Railway Ticket Reservation Rules: No change for foreign tourists
The special advance booking facility available to foreign tourists remains unchanged.
Foreign tourists will continue to be allowed to reserve train tickets up to 365 days before the date of travel. The reduction from 120 days to 60 days applies to the regular advance reservation system and does not affect this separate facility.
Other reservation conditions remain in place
The revised rule changes the advance booking period, but other general railway reservation conditions continue to apply.
Passengers should purchase tickets only through railway reservation offices or authorised travel agencies. A maximum of six passengers can be included in a single reservation request for the same train and destination.
Rules governing the use of reserved berths also remain unchanged. Reserved sleeping berths are meant for sleeping between 9 pm and 6 am. During the day, passengers are expected to share the seating space with other travellers in the compartment.
What the change means for passengers?
The shorter booking period means passengers will no longer be able to reserve regular train tickets four months before their journey. They will instead need to wait until the travel date falls within the 60-day reservation window.
For travellers planning holidays, family visits or long-distance journeys, keeping track of the booking opening date will become more important. Existing reservations remain protected, while future bookings will follow the revised timeline.
The change is expected to bring booking decisions closer to actual travel dates and reduce the number of seats held for journeys that are later cancelled.
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