New Delhi: Railway passengers with reserved tickets will now have to board trains at their designated boarding stations, Indian Railways (IR) has announced.
If a passenger does not board from the designated boarding station, the reserved seat may be lost within minutes, IR has warned. Train Ticket Examiners (TTEs) will no longer wait until the next station for reserved passengers, as reported by mathrubhumi.com.
Earlier, if a passenger failed to board at the boarding station, the TTE would keep the seat vacant for up to the next two stations without allotting it to anyone else.
This has now changed with the introduction of new HHT (Hand Held Terminals) tablets for T
TEs. If a reserved passenger does not board the train, it will be immediately recorded in the tablet. The HHT system will then immediately allot the seat to passengers on the waiting list or those with RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) status, the report says.
Once a passenger’s seat is allotted to someone else, s/he will receive an SMS notification on the phone. However, those who do not provide their own mobile number while booking the ticket will not receive this alert.
Many passengers do not provide their personal phone numbers; instead, the number of the person booking the ticket is often given. SMS notifications are sent only to the mobile number entered at the time of reservation. Tickets booked through travel agencies also do not have telephone numbers of passengers.
According to the new rules, passengers must arrive on time and board their trains at the boarding station mentioned on the ticket. If they plan to board from a different station, they must change the boarding point at least 24 hours before departure through the IRCTC website or mobile app.