Indian Railways has introduced a new policy that caps the issuance of waitlisted tickets to 25% of the redefined capacity of each class, in an effort to control overcrowding in reserved coaches.
Effective from mid-June, this cap will be applicable across all types of bookings, including those from originating stations, roadside stations, remote locations, and under the Tatkal scheme. According to railway officials, the new limit would mean approximately 20 waitlisted passengers per non-AC Sleeper Class and Third AC coach, depending on the coach design.
Earlier, in trains having just one Third AC or Chair Car coach, the waitlist cap used to be as high as 75, which could further be extended by zonal railways under special circumstances. Before this reform, the power to extend waitlist limits rested with zonal railways and reservation supervisors, a system introduced after a 2013 Commercial Circular that liberalized earlier restrictions. Until then, fixed waitlist caps were in place: 30 for First AC/Executive Class, 100 for Second AC, 300 for Third AC and AC Chair Car (or 75 in single-coach scenarios), and 400 for Sleeper Class.
According to an official, following the 2013 circular, not only were zonal railways allowed to extend the waitlist in emergency or high-demand situations, but even reservation supervisors at the divisional level were also authorized to extend the waitlist by up to 10 additional passengers after the system displayed "Regret."
In addition, senior officers of the rank equivalent to Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) were also permitted to authorize further waitlist extensions in special cases.
"As a result of these discretionary powers, especially during festive seasons or summer rush, few trains were carried more waitlisted passengers than confirmed ones on the busiest routes. Confirmed passengers frequently had to share their reserved space or struggle for basic access, as general-class-like overcrowding spilled into reserved coaches" he said.
Passengers were seen sitting in coach passages, on the floor, and near toilets, making travel extremely uncomfortable. Bonafide passengers with reserved tickets were unable to access toilets or move freely, turning the journey into a distressing experience.
"To address these challenges and restore order, Indian Railways has now decided to standardize the limit on waitlisted ticket issuance and restrict it to a maximum of 25% of a coach’s capacity. However, certain ticket categories such as concessional tickets, tickets issued on government or military warrants, and other special fare classes will remain exempt from this cap" said an official.
