<p>The Indian Railways on Monday announced that it is preparing to revamp its Passenger Reservation System (PRS) in a bid to make the ticket booking process convenient. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of these reforms and emphasised that the ticketing system should be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient, with a strong focus on passenger convenience.</p> <p>The ministry has announced major changes as part of the modern PRS, which will be introduced by December 2025. Moreover, the Railways has also increased the fares of the all air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned classes from July 1.</p> <h3>Reservation Charts To Be Prepared 8 Hours In Advance</h3> <p>One of these proposed major changes proposed involves the preparation of reservation chart. As of now, the chart is prepared four hours before the train departs, which leaves the passengers in uncertainty and causes serious problems.</p> <p>However, the railway board proposed that these charts be prepared eight hours before the departure, to which the Railways ministry has agreed. For trains departing before 1400 hours, the chart will be prepared the previous day at 2100 hours.</p> <p>This move will reduce the uncertainties for passengers travelling from remote locations or suburbs of major cities, as they will get the first update on waitlist status well in advance. This will enable them to make alternative arrangements for their journey if their ticket is not confirmed.</p> <h3>New PRS To Enhance Ticket Booking Capacity</h3> <p>According to the Railways ministry, the new PRS design is agile, scanable, and flexible, and will be able to handle ten times the current load, thereby enhacning the ticket booking capacity.</p> <p>The upgraded reservation system will handle roughly five times the current load, allowing more than 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, up from the current 32,000. The ticket enquiry capacity will also jump ten times from four lakh to 40 lakh queries per minute.</p> <p>The new PRS is expected to feature a user-friendly, multilingual interface with options to submit their preferred seats and see a fare calendar. It will also integrate special facilities for Divyangjan, students, and patients.</p> <h3>Authentication Mandatory For Tatkal Booking</h3> <p>The Railways will also mandate user authentication for all Tatkal bookings made through the IRCTC website and mobile app, starting July 1, 2025.</p> <p>Additionally, an OTP-based authentication will be done for Tatkal tickets from the end of July. </p> <p>Railway Minister Vaishnaw has instructed officials to broaden the authentication process by using Aadhaar or any other verifiable government ID available through DigiLocker.</p> <h3>Fares Hiked From July 1</h3> <p>Railway ministry on Monday increased the fares of the non-air-conditioned class in mail and express trains by 1 paisa and all air-conditioned classes by 2 paise per kilometre from July 1.</p> <p>The fares of suburban trains and monthly season tickets have not been changed in the interest of daily commuters. Additionally, the ordinary second-class fare has not been increased for up to 500 km, However, for distances beyond that, there is an increase in the ticket prices by half a paisa per km.</p> <p>The passengers of first class and ordinary sleeper class will also have to pay half a paisa more per km more from tomorrow.</p> <p>According to the ministry, there is no change in reservation fees, superfast surcharges and other charges.</p>
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