Indian Railways Announces New Rule for Waiting Ticket Passengers—Check Details

Indian Railways Updates: Indian Railways has introduced a new rule for passengers with waiting list tickets, effective from March 1, 2025. This rule aims to address the issue of overcrowding in reserved coaches and ensure a more comfortable travel experience for all passengers. 

New Rule for Waiting List Passengers   

Previously, passengers who booked tickets offline and ended up on the waiting list often travelled with their waiting tickets, as these tickets could not be cancelled. However, under the new rule, travelling in sleeper and AC coaches with waiting tickets is now completely invalid. Passengers with waiting tickets will only be allowed to travel in general coaches. 

Strict Penalties 

To enforce this rule, Indian Railways has implemented strict penalties for those who violate it. Passengers found travelling in AC coaches with waiting tickets will be fined up to Rs 440 and will also have to pay the fare from the station where the train started to the next station. Similarly, those travelling in sleeper coaches with waiting tickets will face a fine of up to Rs 250 and the fare till the next station.

AI to Allocate Seats

In addition to these changes, Indian Railways will now use artificial intelligence (AI) to allocate seats, making the booking process faster and more efficient. This new system is expected to minimise issues related to the waiting list and improve the overall travel experience for passengers.

Nuclear Power Plant for Railways

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw encouraged investors to explore opportunities in establishing nuclear power plants, assuring that Indian Railways would purchase electricity generated from nuclear sources.

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Speaking at the Madhya Pradesh Global Investor Summit 2025 (GIS-2025), the Union Minister said, "I would like to request that if a nuclear power plant can be set up in Madhya Pradesh, Indian Railways would be very happy to enter into an agreement to purchase electricity from it. Wind power is also very interesting to us." 

Several leading industrialists from the country are also participating in the summit. Notable business leaders attending include Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group; Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group; Nadir Godrej, Chairman and MD of Godrej Industries Limited; Piruz Khambatta, Group Chairman of Rasna Private Limited; Baba N Kalyani, Chairman and MD of Bharat Forge Limited; Rahul Awasthi, Global Head of Operations at Sun Pharmaceuticals Limited; and Neeraj Akhoury, CEO of ACC Limited.