Mangaluru (The Hindu): Passenger reservation counters and current booking counters function from 12.30 a.m. to 11.45 p.m
To offer more time to those booking railway tickets online, the Ministry of Railways extended booking time by 15 minutes with effect from Sunday.
Instead of the existing time period — 12.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. — passengers can book tickets online till 11.45 p.m. A circular in this regard issued by the Railway Board on Friday said that since passenger reservation (PRS) counters too work between 12.30 a.m. and 11.45 p.m., current booking counters at train originating stations will also be able to function during these hours.
The Ministry has issued necessary instructions to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) that offers internet ticket booking facility; the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) that manages the ticket booking activities of the Indian Railways, and all the zonal railways to implement the new timing without hiccups.
A senior official of the South Western Railway told The Hindu that initially, passengers were able to book tickets round the clock. However, the CRIS found it difficult to manage and maintain the system without any break and hence a one-hour break was introduced. However, the Ministry increased the booking time by 15 minutes so that passengers were not inconvenienced much, the official said.
Welcoming the decision, K.N. Krishnaprasad, a retired government officer, said the timing should be extended further. He said when airlines could offer ticket bookings round the clock, it should not be an issue for the Indian Railways.
Railways Ministry issues circular extending
online booking time
by 15 minutes
Existing booking time: 12.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m.
Passenger reservation counters and current booking counters
function from 12.30 a.m.
to 11.45 p.m.
