Recently, Indian Railways has been making certain changes to its rules and regulations, which are taking the internet by storm. They made a major move that could impact thousands of train passengers nationwide. Indian Railways has implemented a new rule, effective May 1, 2025, that states Passengers holding waiting list tickets will no longer be permitted to board sleeper or AC coaches.
It has become a topic of discussion on social media, with many passengers raising concerns over travel uncertainty and a lack of alternatives
According to the new directive, only passengers with confirmed tickets will be permitted to board sleeper and AC coaches. The passengers with waiting list status at the time of chart preparation will be denied entry into reserved compartments, even if they have valid tickets.
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The move aims to ease travel experiences, prevent overcrowding, and provide greater comfort and safety for confirmed passengers. However, this decision has also raised questions about the availability of trains and the need for better ticketing infrastructure.
An X user, Kapil, took to the social media platform to express his concerns, tagging Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, questioning the implementation and timing of the rule
Tagging AshwiniVaishnaw, the user wrote,
As per new Railways rule, effective May 1, 2025, Passengers with waiting list tickets are now restricted from traveling in sleeper or AC coaches.
This is how you are implementing this rule
@AshwiniVaishnaw
ji??
As per new Railways rule, effective May 1, 2025, Passengers with waiting list tickets are now restricted from traveling in sleeper or AC coaches.
This is how you are implementing this rule @AshwiniVaishnaw ji??pic.twitter.com/JVcPvl0gwv
— Kapil (@kapsology) May 30, 2025
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Netizens have flooded the comment section questioning the decision of the Railway Minister about crowded Indian trains after the New Rule Implementation
He is busy making reels
— @Ram_Mohd_Singh_Azad (@Arun_Kaku05) May 30, 2025
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Metro ki tarah entry restrictions jab tak apply nhi krenge tab tak kuch nhi hoga.
— Garuda (@highonwheat) May 30, 2025
Poor country men have no option but to bribe the TTs and somehow travel to their destination.
— Indranil Mukherjee (@INMUKH1981) May 30, 2025
This rule was already and always there, can anybody show any previous rule where people with waiting tickets were permitted in reserved coaches … ?
They are fooling everyone, because public has lost senses …— Alok Johri (@alok1505) May 30, 2025
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Everyone wants to go home during summer vacations. UP & Bihar have the largest share of migrant labour who return home during this period, this is also marriage season. Criticising is one thing, shooting darts in the dark without the light of knowledge is waste of effort.
— Kirti Azad (@kirtiazad) May 30, 2025
Railway authorities have stated that they implemented the rules to address the long-standing passenger complaints about overcrowding in reserved coaches, especially during peak seasons and holidays.
However, passengers argue that the Railways must also increase the number of trains, add more coaches, and enhance real-time ticket availability if such strict enforcement is to be fair to the public. The impact of this policy will likely unfold in the coming weeks.
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Railways have also mentioned that Ticket Checking Staff (TTEs) are not permitted to check tickets between 10 PM and 6 AM, except for passengers whose journey commences during this period. This has also led to a series of discussion online.
What are your views about the new rule implementations by Indian Railways? Let us know in the comments.
