Source: TH
Context: The Indian Railways has decided to shorten the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for booking train tickets from 120 days to 60 days.
About Advance Booking System:
- New ARP rule: From November 1, 2024, passengers can book railway tickets 60 days in advance, down from the previous 120-day window.
- Historical changes: The ARP has been adjusted several times:
- Between 1981-1985, the ARP was 90 days.
- Between 1988-1993, it was reduced to 45 days.
- Since 1995, the ARP was 60 days before being extended to 120 days in 2008.
- Reasons for shortening ARP:
- High cancellation rates (21%) and seat wastage.
- Fraudulent practices like impersonation and touts exploiting longer booking windows.
- 88-90% of reservations occur within 60 days, making the longer ARP redundant.
- Fraud prevention: A shorter booking window limits the ability of touts to block large numbers of tickets and reduces opportunities for impersonation and illegal seat allotment.
- Special exemptions:
- Foreign tourists: They can still book tickets up to 365 days in advance as part of a dedicated quota for planning long journeys.
- Certain trains like the Taj Express: These are exempt from ARP rules since tickets are typically booked just days in advance.
- General class tickets: Not affected by ARP since they are bought just before travel.
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