New Delhi:
From Sunday, waitlisted train passengers can get confirmed accommodation in next alternative train if they opt for the option while booking their tickets online.
The new scheme 'Vikalp' will take off in trains running on Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu sectors on pilot basis.
Initially, the scheme will be available only for the tickets booked through internet for six months and option will be limited to Mail and Express trains on the two selected routes, said a senior Railway Ministry official.
It will then be extended to other routes as also to the reservation booking counters after getting the feedback.
As per the scheme, waitlisted passengers would be given option of getting confirmed accommodation in the next train running on the route. No extra charges will be levied on the passenger or any refund provided for the difference of fare.
Railway aims to achieve the twin objectives of providing confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation by this scheme.
While there is a huge demand for train berths in certain sector round the year, some routes witness increased rush during festive season.
If a passenger opts for the Vikalp scheme while booking tickets online, he/she will get SMS alert on mobile phone about getting confirmed accommodation in alternative train.
The name of the passenger who has been provided accommodation in the alternative train will not figure in the waitlisted charts of their original train, the official said, adding a separate list of passengers transferred in alternative train will be pasted along with the confirmed and waitlist charts.