Booking, cancellation of rail tickets allowed till 5 minutes before departure from today

The pre-Covid system of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the departure of the train, which was not being followed for the last few months, has been restored by the railways.

Indian Railways will now allow booking and cancellation of tickets till five minutes before the train leaves the station. The new rule, which will apply to all special trains being run, comes into effect from October 10.

The first chart is prepared at least four hours before the scheduled departure of the train. (PTI)

The pre-Covid system of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the departure of the train, which was not being followed for the last few months, has been restored by the railways. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, time of preparation of the second reservation chart was shifted to two hours before the scheduled time of train departure.

The first chart is prepared at least four hours before the scheduled departure of the train.

“As per request of Zonal Railways for ensuring convenience of rail passengers, the matter has been examined and it has been decided that the second reservation chart shall be prepared at least 30 minutes before scheduled/rescheduled time of departure of train,” a statement issued by the Indian Railways said.

All passenger trains services were suspended due to the imposition of the nationwide lockdown from March 25, but the railways has resumed services in a staggered manner from May 1.

Recently, zones got approval for 39 new special trains. “These services will be introduced as special services from an early convenient date,” said the Ministry of Railways. This announcement was made a week after railway board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said that Indian Railways plans to run more than 200 trains during the festive season between October 15 and November 30.