Book Train Tickets Just Minutes Before Departure: Follow These Steps

Indian Railways has now opened up the 15-minute booking feature for passengers to book tickets right up until the departure of the train from their boarding station on the Vande Bharat Express.

Southern Railway launched this feature as a pilot program, and it currently applies to eight specific train routes.

Why this Decision?

Indian Railways has also updated the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) to display live seat availability. In the past, if a train was underway, it was not possible to book any tickets any longer until arrival at the final destination, even with empty seats. Now, passengers can book tickets from en-route stations until all seats are filled on certain trains. You now be able to utilize the last minute ticket option along the route if there are seats available.

Trains that are subject to the 15-minute option are listed below.

– Mangaluru Central – Thiruvananthapuram Central
– Thiruvananthapuram Central – Mangaluru Central
– Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil
– Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore
– Coimbatore – Bengaluru Cantt
– Mangaluru Central – Madgaon
– Madurai – Bengaluru Cantt
– Chennai Central – Vijayawada

This applies to stations en-route, not just the originating station.

Here’s how to book a last-minute ticket on a Vande Bharat train:

– Open the IRCTC site or Rail Connect mobile app.
– Log into your IRCTC account.
– Enter the source, destination and the date of travel.
– Choose the Vande Bharat Express train.
– Choose the class: Chair Car or Executive.
– Specify your boarding point.
– Pay using your card, UPI or net banking.
– Your e-ticket will be sent by SMS and/or email and/or WhatsApp.
– Any seats available through this scheme will be displayed under the “CURR_AVBL” (Current Availability).

How does this Help?

This change is useful because it gives a lot of flexibility to passengers who may want to travel on short notice. It also helps Indian Railways to improve utilisation of vacant seats.

The best part is that passengers pay no extra cost for late booking. The fare is the same. More people can now travel easily without having to pre-plan.

Is this going to be available nation-wide?

Currently this is a pilot project in the Southern Railway zone. Based on feedback from this region, Indian Railways may expand the feature to more zones and trains across India.