New Delhi: Indian Railways has reduced the Advance Reservation Period from the current 120 days to 60 days, excluding the journey date, effective November 1, 2024. The Ministry of Railways has announced this change in the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for train bookings by Indian travellers to promote genuine passengers.
The decision will help the Railway Board to improve the visibility of genuine demand for rail travel in India. It was noticed that about 21 per cent of reservations done for 61 to 120-day periods were getting cancelled. Further, 5 per cent of passengers were neither cancelling their tickets nor were they undertaking the journey. This no-show trend was also one of the factors behind the decision, which will help Indian Railways in better planning of special trains during peak seasons.
This decision aims to improve ticket availability for genuine passengers and reduce instances of cancellations and no-shows, which result in wastage of reserved berths. Based on the emerging reservation trends and passengers’ uncertainty of travel, Indian Railways keeps changing their ARP policy. Certain daytime express trains like the Taj Express and Gomti Express will continue to follow the lower time limits for advance reservations. The 365-day ARP limit for foreign tourists remains unchanged. All existing Bookings made under the 120-day ARP before October 31, 2024, will remain valid. Reservations made beyond the new ARP of 60 days will still be eligible for cancellation.
With a shorter ARP, passengers will now once again have better clarity in their travel plans, reducing the current 21% cancellation rate. This important policy decision of the advance reservation period was last time revised to 120 days from 60 days with effect from 1/1/2015.
The new policy aims to tackle the issue of passengers not showing up without cancelling tickets, which often leads to impersonation and fraud. The Indian Railways urges all passengers to be informed of this change and encourages early bookings within the revised ARP to ensure smooth travel planning. A 60-day booking window is likely to help reduce the chances of ticket hoarding, making more tickets available for genuine passengers.