The railways will prepare seat reservation charts at 9 pm for trains starting journeys between 5 am and 2 pm the next day, while for the rest, the list will be prepared eight hours in advance.
Since 2015, the first reservation charts have been prepared at least four hours before the scheduled departure of the train after the railway ministry, for the first time, framed norms in this matter.
According to the ministry, the latest change has been made for passenger convenience.
"For the trains with departure between 0500 hours and 1400 hours, the first reservation chart will be prepared preferably by 21:00 of the previous day," the Railway Board directed all zones in a July 2 circular.
For the trains with departure between 14:00 and 23:59 and 00:00 and 5:00, the first reservation chart will be prepared preferably eight hours in advance.
The circular instructed the zones to issue necessary instructions to all concerned accordingly, but did not mention any definite date of its implementation, nor did it mention any change in the preparation of the second reservation chart.
"Once the chart is ready eight hours before the train's departure, if seats/berths still remain vacant, passengers can book these under current booking facilities. The second chart is prepared 30 minutes to five minutes before the train's departure, and this is mainly for passengers opting for tickets under the current booking," a railway official said.
"Prior to 2015, there was no fixed time schedule for chart preparation, and zones were following varying norms. The Railway Board decided to standardise it to facilitate passengers to plan their journey well in time," an official said. -- PTI