3.27 Crore Passengers Couldn't Travel Due To Unconfirmed Railway Tickets

In a revelation that underscores the deepening crisis in India's rail travel infrastructure, more than 3.27 crore passengers were unable to undertake their journeys in the financial year 2024-25, despite booking train tickets. Their tickets remained unconfirmed even at the time of final chart preparation. 

The startling figure has come to light through a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by activist Chandrashekhar Gaur from Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh. It reflects a worrying trend the number of such passengers has been consistently rising over the last five years, highlighting the growing mismatch between the demand for train travel and the availability of confirmed seats.

The data shows that in 2023-24, around 2.96 crore passengers couldn't travel for the same reason. In 2022-23, this number stood at 2.72 crore, and in 2021-22, at 1.65 crore. 

The steady year-on-year increase suggests that despite efforts at modernization and expansion, Indian Railways is struggling to keep up with the country's soaring demand for rail travel. 

In an attempt to curb irregularities in the ticket booking process, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has reportedly deactivated over 2.5 crore user IDs that were found to be suspicious or fake. These steps are aimed at ensuring transparency and preventing misuse of the ticketing system. Furthermore, the Railways has introduced a new rule that allows passengers to know the status of their waitlisted tickets 24 hours before the train's departure, replacing the earlier practice of preparing reservation charts just four hours before departure. 

While these measures offer some relief, the overarching issue of confirmed ticket availability remains unresolved for millions of hopeful travellers across the country.