Railways begins trial to confirm tickets for waiting passengers 24 hours before departure  

A trial was launched in which the confirmed status of waiting list passengers was announced 24 hours before a train's departure, instead of the current practice of notifying passengers just four hours before, the Railway Ministry said on Wednesday.

Ministry officials said the pilot project would become part of the policy only after receiving a positive response from the passengers.

"We have started the pilot project in the Bikaner Division, where charts are being prepared 24 hours before the train departure. The current practice is doing so before four hours," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said.

He noted that this trial was being done keeping in mind the concerns of passengers who remain uncertain about their journey due to a waiting ticket. "Now, if they know 24 hours before that their tickets are confirmed, they can plan their travel better," he added.

However, once a ticket is confirmed, passengers will lose a substantial chunk of the ticket amount as penalty in case of cancellation.

"Seats or berths falling vacant due to cancellation will be filled up through the current booking system," officials said.