Indian Railways Struggle with Unconfirmed Tickets
In a shocking revelation, more than 3.27 crore passengers in India were unable to undertake their train journeys in the financial year 2024-25. Despite booking tickets, their seats remained unconfirmed even after the final chart preparation.
Growing Trend of Unconfirmed Tickets
The data, brought to light through a Right to Information query, shows a worrying trend. The number of passengers facing unconfirmed tickets has been steadily rising over the past five years. This reflects the increasing gap between the demand for train travel and the availability of confirmed seats.
In the preceding years, the figures were equally alarming. In 2023-24, around 2.96 crore passengers faced a similar situation. The numbers stood at 2.72 crore in 2022-23 and 1.65 crore in 2021-22.
Efforts to Address the Issue
Indian Railways has been attempting to address the irregularities in the ticket booking process. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has deactivated over 2.5 crore suspicious or fake user IDs. These measures aim to ensure transparency and prevent the misuse of the ticketing system.
Additionally, a new rule introduced by the Railways allows passengers to check the status of their waitlisted tickets 24 hours before the train’s departure. This replaces the previous practice of preparing reservation charts just four hours before the train leaves.
Ongoing Challenges
While these steps provide some relief, the fundamental issue of unconfirmed ticket availability persists for millions of hopeful passengers across the country. The struggle between demand and supply in the Indian Railways system continues to pose challenges for both authorities and passengers.
