COIMBATORE: With mixed response from passengers, the new feature enabling booking of railway tickets four months prior to the date of journey is set to commence on April 1.
Passengers are reportedly of the opinion that this new feature has been introduced with the objective of increasing revenue for the department and will not lead to any effective benefit for them.
Balaji, a regular rail passenger, said, “In Tamil Nadu, the increased time for advance booking would be helpful for passengers only during festivals such as Pongal and Diwali when they have to plan their travels in advance. There is no need to book tickets four months in advance during the rest of the year. This new feature might help the railways generate more revenue if some passengers decide to book their tickets in advance.”
Another passenger said, “Usually nearly 25 per cent of passengers who book advance tickets tend to cancel them. The railways charge `40 for cancellation. Maybe such cancellations will enable them to make profits.”
The new four-month advance booking window could also be misused by travel agencies to book tickets in bulk in order to sell them at an increased price later.
Commenting on this, an official from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) said, “Such practices are common here. The four-month period will just make it easier for the travel agencies.”