HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway (SCR) will soon be extending the time limit of ticket reservation centres across the State, ranging from one to two hours.
The SCR has decided to extend the time limit from 8 am to 10 pm in some counters at the main reservation centres of Secunderabad, Nampally and Kachiguda and 8 am to 9 pm at passenger reservation system centres located in MMTS and other places.
The proposed extended hours will be applicable to as many as 40 railway reservation centres that have 54 counters across the State. In SCR there are as many as 249 centres and 317 counters. This facility is available in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
Presently, the reservation centres function between 8 am and 8 pm only.
The extension of timings would benefit a large section of citizens particularly office-goers and businesspersons who work odd hours.
Instead of 8 pm, which is the scheduled time for these counters to close down, these reservation centres would remain open till 10 pm.
Speaking to Expresso, SCR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Chandrima Roy said that the proposed extension of timing is being planned on an experimental basis.
If it works out well, it would be extended to other reservation centres in the Twin Cities and the State.
Since it is difficult for busy officegoers to get reservations done within the scheduled hours because of the summer rush, these counters would be kept open for extra hours, Roy said.
Of the 54 counters in the State, 32 counters will function from 8 am to 10 pm and remaining 22 counters from 8 am to 9 pm.
In Hyderabad, there are 32 centres and 83 counters. Ten counters will function from 8 am to 10 pm at the main reservation centres of Secunderabad, Nampally and Kachiguda, PRS centres at Begumpet and Dabeerpura.
Seven counters in Ameerpet, Mehidipatnam, Saroornagar, A S Rao Nagar, Lingampally, Kachiguda and Kukatpally and some other Passenger Reservation System centres will function from 8 am to 9 pm. This move will not increase workload on the staff, Roy said. “Railway employees are supposed to work 48 hours in a week and we will restrict their working time to 48 hours only. No additional burden will be put on them,” she said.
She further said that the SCR is doing its best to simplify the ticket reservation process and curtail the rush at counters.