Railway Ministry has revised its policy on waiting list limits, raising the cap for air-conditioned (AC) classes to 60% and for non-AC classes to 30%. The new directive, issued on June 28, 2025, replaces the earlier order dated April 17, which had capped the waiting list across all travel classes at 25% of available berths. According to the latest circular, the revised limits will apply to tickets issued from both originating and intermediate stations and will extend to Tatkal bookings and remote location quotas. The order also clarifies that these revised caps will not be applicable to tickets issued under concessional fares, government warrants, or other special categories.
The Ministry’s move comes just 12 days after its April policy had come into force on June 16 via updates implemented by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). The earlier restriction of a 25% waiting list across classes had raised widespread concerns among railway officials and booking staff over potential revenue loss and customer dissatisfaction. “Just 12 days after implementing the order to cap all waiting list at 25% of the total seats/berths of travelling classes, the Ministry realised its mistake and almost reversed its decision,” said a senior Ministry official requesting anonymity. Officials said that the 25% cap had proven impractical for long-distance and high-demand routes where demand often surpasses confirmed ticket availability by significant margins. The waiting list acts as a buffer, allowing the Railways to fill cancelled seats and optimise occupancy. By curtailing this list too severely, the system risked inefficiencies and stranded passengers.
“The matter has been reviewed and in super cession of the earlier instruction dated 17.04.2025 it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limits will be revised to 60% and 30% of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations for air-conditioned and non air-conditioned classes respectively,” said the circular issued by the Railway Ministry on Saturday. “This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme,” the circular added. Officials clarified that while the system will allow greater flexibility in waitlisted bookings, it will remain aligned to demand forecasts and regional passenger behaviour. For stations with no defined berth allocations, a waiting list quota will be determined in advance using historical booking data and demand patterns. “To enable issuing of waiting list tickets from the remote locations having zero defined berths, some waiting list limit shall be pre-defined based on demand pattern,” the circular noted.
This change has been well received within the Railways’ internal ecosystem. Commercial officers and ticketing staff had reportedly flagged the April 17 cap as impractical from the outset, warning it could restrict access for general passengers and reduce operating margins on high-traffic trains. PTI had earlier reported that the Ministry’s decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25% of the capacity of each class was flagged by the reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for passengers. The impact of the revised order is expected to be immediate, as CRIS has been directed to once again update the reservation system to reflect the enhanced caps. All principal chief commercial managers across zones have also been asked to implement the changes with urgency. In operational terms, this means the earlier class-wise limits—30 for First AC, 300 for 3AC/Chair Car, and 400 for Sleeper Class—may be restructured depending on train capacity and demand projections. This could offer greater clarity to passengers who often book in waitlist mode with the hope of confirmation.
“It is good that the ministry has reviewed the April 17 circular as it was a wrong move and was hurting the interest of Railways as well as passengers. There is a need to enhance the cap on non-AC class as well,” a senior railway official said. The re-evaluation underscores the Railway Ministry’s adaptive approach to policy, particularly when decisions impact millions of passengers and frontline operations. While the original intent behind the April directive was to reduce over-dependence on waitlisted bookings and promote higher confirmed ticket usage, the execution did not align with real-world travel dynamics. The waiting list system has long served as a pressure valve in Indian Railways’ massive booking apparatus. It allows the organisation to maximise seat utilisation and maintain high load factors even on overbooked routes. For many travellers, especially those in smaller towns or planning long-distance journeys, waitlist tickets often provide the only available option at short notice.
As passenger numbers continue to grow and Indian Railways embarks on multiple modernisation and digitisation efforts, the new waitlist policy balances efficiency with public service. In a country where rail remains the most affordable long-distance transport mode for the majority, such course corrections are vital to ensure access and equity.
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