To address a major issue among train passengers, railways are creating a system that would distribute passenger charts with confirmed seats 24 hours before a train departs, instead of the usual four hours beforehand.

At the moment, waitlisted passengers—especially those who are going great distances to catch trains—do not know their ticket status until the railways publish the final list.

A top railway official claims that a trial run in Rajasthan’s Bikaner division started on June 6 and is going well thus far. “We will continue this pilot for a few more weeks in order to find any problems and figure out how to resolve them. Passengers have encountered issues on multiple occasions when they discover, just hours before arriving at the station, that their wait-listed ticket has not been confirmed. People may plan more effectively and feel less stressed with the aid of an advanced chart,” he said.

Officials said the new system’s main goal is to help travelers plan their trips more effectively. In order to avoid last-minute chaos, passengers arriving from a distance of 100 kilometers or more will have more time and clarity to reach the boarding point.

According to reports, the proposed limitations would not affect those who buy Tatkal tickets and travel at the last minute. Another official explained, “Bringing out the full chart a day before won’t be an issue because Tatkal tickets are booked 48 hours before the scheduled departure of trains.”

At the moment, charts are created about four hours before departure, which leaves passengers with little time to adjust their plans if their seats are not confirmed. Officials claim that if the passenger chart is made available to the public 24 hours before to the train’s departure, passengers with waitlisted tickets will have ample opportunity to research other routes, cancel reservations, or select alternative modes of transportation. This change will be especially helpful for passengers boarding from intermediate stations, who often don’t know their ticket status until the last minute.

When Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was in Bikaner on May 21, the idea was conceived. Local railway officials believe that in order to prevent last-minute uncertainty, the chart should be created sooner rather than later.

Indian Railways is currently testing the feasibility of this 24-hour charting system on a few selected routes, according to a top railway board official. The system’s capacity to handle dynamic reservations and cancellations as well as the viability of real-time synchronization amongst railway servers will be evaluated by these tests.