Booking train tickets this festive season will be a bit easier with the railways providing the option to shift wait-listed tickets from one train to the next on which seats / berths are available.
The 'Alternate Trains Accommodation Scheme' (Vikalp), will be launched on November 1. Under the present system, passengers are allowed to book on one train at a time and wait-listed tickets do not guarantee a seat. It often has to be cancelled. The new system allows a passenger to select alternative trains they wish to travel while booking tickets. The option will be available also for passengers travelling from stations which are not origins or destinations.
Some of the premier trains operated from Chennai such as Chennai-Madurai Pandian Express and Tamil Nadu Express to New Delhi have more than 300 passengers on the wait list during holiday seasons. Beyond a limit, the railways doesn't allow reservation and allots only open tickets. Thus long-distance travellers are forced to reserve on multiple trains and wait for confirmation.
The new system works well for the passenger and the railways: It gives the passenger a hassle-free experience of booking just once; the railways gets to fill seats of special trains in a more streamlined manner. A circular sent out by Railway Board to zonal railways said that the scheme as suggested by Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) "will be implemented across mail / express trains of the same category, and no extra charges shall be taken from passengers, and no refund shall be provided for the difference of fares". Separate seats will not be earmarked for the scheme.
A senior official said the railways is preparing a list of trains and stations to be covered under the scheme. "On most occasions, passengers do not prefer to travel by special trains. Though new trains are introduced, several passengers continue to prefer a few popular trains. We will now be able to shift wait-listed passengers from a scheduled train to a special one."
Passengers welcomed the move as it promises confirmed berths or seats. Arun Pandian, a frequent traveller, said, "Some of the long-distance now run with empty coaches. An example is Dehra Dun-Madurai Express via Chennai that often runs with several of its compartments vacant. People prefer Pandian Express which has a long wait list. The new scheme will help seats in such trains get filled, reducing the holiday rush."
(Originally published in The Times of India)
