CHENNAI: Even as the railway reservation policy prioritises berth allocation for end-to-end and tatkal ticket passengers, the current reservation system has further weakened the pooled quota (PQ) and remote location (RL) station passengers’ chances in getting confirmed berths in trans.
According to the revised ticket booking policy that came into effect in November 2015, after the first reservation chart is prepared four hours before the departure of the train, passengers are allowed, if tickets are available, to book for 30 minutes before the departure of the train. The policy was introduced aiming at the optimum utilisation of berths which go unfilled after the first chart preparation. However, the move has left the RL and PQ passengers’ chances of getting confirmed berths at the mercy of the current reservation system, said passengers.
“About 45 days ago, I booked three tickets from Madurai to Arakkonam in Nagercoil-Chennai Central weekly express and got RL wait-listed ticket. The waiting list moved from 18 to 7 but did not get confirmed. However, after the first chart was prepared, four berths are shown vacant in current booking subsequently got booked. Despite booking ticket 45 days in advance, we could not get the tickets while a few passengers who book the tickets hours before the travel are able to get berths, “ rued S Shanmugarajan of Madurai, a regular commuter.
The displeasure of passengers, who get the RL and PQ berths, is no different across India. Before introducing the current reservation system after first chart preparation, the vacant berths from train-originating stations are transferred to pooled quota followed by remote location stations.
“The PQ and RL wait-listed ticket-holders get confirmed berths only if no one avails the berths at current reservation. Earlier, all passengers had fair chances of getting confirmed berths. But now, the railways’ priority is only to mint money from ticket booking,” said KS Kumararajan of Tiruchy. He added that since current booking would not also allow people to change boarding point, PQ and RL wait-listed passengers had to wait for chart preparation.
When contacted, a senior railway official said if vacant berths were transferred to remote location stations at the originating point itself, the berths will go vacant during the train journey. “The vacant berths which are thrown open for current reservation are earmarked for general quota passengers,” added the official.
Fact file
The first chart prepared four hours and ticket booking allowed 30 minutes before the train departure
Vacant berths get transferred from originating station to pooled quota, followed by remote location stations.
RL and PQ passengers are at the mercy of current reservation
Before November 2015, after the first chart preparation, vacant berths were transferred to next available stations.
Railway officials justified the decision as general quota berths are thrown open for current reservation.