The Railway Board has reduced the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for train journeys from 120 days to 60 days, effective November 1, citing high cancellation rates and wastage of berths as key reasons. In 2015, the ARP had been extended from 60 to 120 days, but the Board has reversed this decision, deeming 60 days to be a more optimal period for passengers.
In a press statement, the Board noted that ARP has fluctuated over the years, with changes implemented 12 times between 1981 and 2015.
“Railway advance reservation period has undergone changes from time to time. Advance Reservation Period has varied from 30 days to 120 days. Based on the experience of various periods, 60 days Advance Reservation Period has been observed as the optimal period from passenger point of view,” a press statement from the board said.
Why was ARP reverted to 60 days?
The decision to revert to 60 days follows observations that longer reservation windows led to higher cancellations and no-shows, with about 21% of bookings currently being canceled, and 4-5% of passengers not turning up for their journeys. This often resulted in fraud and wastage of seats, the statement said.
“In many cases, it is seen that passengers do not cancel their tickets and do not turn up for journeys. And this leads to frauds such as impersonation, railway officials taking money illegally etc. Now, this can be prevented,” the press note said.
By reducing the ARP, the Railway Board aims to prevent issues such as impersonation and unauthorised ticket sales, ensuring more availability for genuine passengers.
The statement emphasised that this change will not impact general class tickets, which are typically bought just before travel. Moreover, with fewer cancellations, the railways will be better equipped to plan special trains in advance, improving overall operational efficiency.