Indian Railways to Overhaul Ticketing, Prepare Reservation Charts 8 Hours in Advance

The reservation chart preparation time is being doubled to eight hours before departure to help passengers, especially those from remote areas, plan their journeys better. This change ensures passengers receive confirmed ticket information earlier, making travel arrangements and last-minute decisions easier for those who may have limited access to booking facilities.

The upgraded PRS will handle over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute—five times the current capacity—and allow up to 40 lakh ticket enquiries per minute. It will have a more user-friendly, multilingual interface, options for seat choice, a fare calendar, and integrated features for Divyangjan (persons with disabilities), students, and patients, making booking more accessible and efficient.

OTP-based authentication for Tatkal bookings means that users must verify their identity using a one-time password sent to their registered contact, typically linked to Aadhaar or another government ID. This measure is being introduced to curb misuse of Tatkal quotas by touts and ensure only genuine users can book these last-minute tickets.

Indian Railways has struggled with the inflexibility and maintenance difficulties of its older, time-tested PRS, which cannot adapt quickly to new business requirements and rising customer expectations. Upgrading to a more agile and scalable system is complex, as any failures could seriously disrupt services, but modernization is necessary to remain competitive and meet growing demand.