Lifestyle Trend: Will Indian Railways give your seat away? New boarding rules tighten travel norms You Should Know

New Delhi: Indian Railways is set to implement a major rule change under which passengers must report on time at their boarding station, or risk losing their reserved seats. Under the new system, if a traveller does not register their presence, the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) will mark the seat as a ‘no-show’ and reallocate it to another passenger, according to various reports.

Previously, TTEs waited across multiple stations before declaring a seat vacant. Under the revised policy, the seat will be treated as vacant immediately and reassigned through the Electronic Field Ticketing (EFT) system. Passengers will receive real-time SMS alerts regarding seat reallocation.

The Railway Ministry is upgrading its software and has issued instructions to the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to implement the change. The move is aimed at ensuring that no seat remains vacant during a journey, especially when passengers with RAC and waiting list tickets are in need of confirmed berths.

Key benefits

• RAC and waiting list passengers will receive faster seat allotment.
• Emergency travellers will benefit from immediate availability.
• Improved digital efficiency and passenger experience.

Railways say the reform will reduce wasted capacity, streamline seat management, and improve overall service delivery, marking another step towards digitisation and smarter rail operations.

Published: 07 Feb 2026, 01:44 pm IST

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