ATTENTION! Indian Railways Brings New Rules For Reservation, Advance Booking - Check Details

Indian Railways, on Thursday, revised the advance booking rule to 60 days ahead of the date of travel. The new rules will be implemented from November 1, 2024, and they have also announced the use of AI for better seat allocation, with a 30% rise in confirmed tickets. The AI-enabled cameras will also be used to ensure better food quality and linen quality.

The New IRCTC RulesIn the new rules, the Indian Railways reduced the booking window from 120 days to 60 days ahead of travel. This new rule, as reported by TOI, will come into effect on 1 November 2024. However, passengers who have already secured tickets under the current 120-day booking period will not be affected.The decision to shorten the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) was reportedly made to offer greater flexibility for passengers. The changes are aimed at enabling more spontaneous travel plans, reducing last-minute cancellations, and improving the flow of passengers.Additionally, by cutting down the ARP, Indian Railways hopes to tackle issues related to touts exploiting the longer booking period.Despite the new policy, certain trains, such as the Taj Express and Gomti Express, which already have shorter booking windows, will not be affected by the change. Furthermore, foreign tourists will still be able to book tickets up to 365 days in advance. Indian Railways Introduces AI

Indian Railways is also incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations. It has implemented AI-enabled cameras to monitor cleanliness and food quality and has now deployed an AI model to optimise train occupancy. According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this AI model has increased the rate of confirmed tickets by more than 30%.The AI system analyses data and predicts seat availability after the reservation chart is prepared four hours before a train’s departure, allowing for better allocation of seats to passengers on the waiting list.

Moreover, AI-based cameras are being used in kitchens to ensure cleanliness and to detect any unusual activity. In Pune, a pilot project has resulted in 100% verification of washed bed sheets using these AI-trained cameras, a major improvement from the previous 2% sample checks.