Indian Railways Shortens Advance Booking Period to 60 Days

Effective November 1, 2024, Indian Railways will shorten its Advance Reservation Period from 120 to 60 days. The change aims to reduce cancellations, no-show incidents, and ticket hoarding. This policy update seeks to enhance genuine passenger access and improve travel planning efficiency.

In a significant move, Indian Railways announced that it will shorten the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) from 120 days to 60 days, beginning November 1, 2024. The Ministry of Railways clarified that this adjustment is designed to better meet actual travel demand and reduce reservation cancellations.

This policy change is targeted at improving ticket availability for genuine passengers and minimizing the cancellations and 'no-shows' that waste reserved berths. The Ministry emphasized its ongoing commitment to adjusting policies in response to passenger patterns and reservation trends.

Exceptions to the new ARP include certain daytime express trains, which will maintain shorter reservation periods, and the 365-day ARP limit for foreign tourists will remain unaffected. All bookings made under the previous 120-day ARP will remain valid until October 31, 2024.

Officials expect this change to lower the 21% cancellation rate significantly, providing passengers with clearer travel planning. The ARP was last increased to 120 days on January 1, 2015, to address different logistical needs at the time.

Historically, the ARP has fluctuated, once being as short as 30 days between 1995 and 1998. Indian Railways aims to combat issues such as non-cancelled no-shows, which can lead to ticket fraud.

Railway authorities urge all passengers to adhere to the new guidelines, encouraging early bookings within the revised ARP framework to ensure seamless travel arrangements, effectively reducing ticket hoarding and making travel smoother for genuine passengers.

(With inputs from agencies.)