New Delhi: Indian Railways has introduced strict rules for passengers traveling on reserved tickets. If a passenger does not board from the designated boarding station, the reserved seat may be lost within minutes, as per the new rule. Ticket examiners will no longer wait until the next station for reserved passengers.

The TTEs weres keeping the seat vacant for up to the next two stations without allotting it to anyone else if a passenger failed to board at the boarding station earlier.

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The new rule has brought about change to the existing rules, stipulating that the ticket will be immediately recorded on the tablet when a reserved passenger does not board the train. Then the seat will be immediately allotted to passengers on the waiting list or those with RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) status.

The passenger will receive an SMS notification on their phone if their reserved seat has been reassigned. The passengers would be mandatorily required to board the train at the boarding station mentioned on the ticket and arrive on time to avoid the reassignments.

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However, the passenger will have the opportunity to change station if they plan to board from a different station by changing the boarding point at least 24 hours before departure through the IRCTC website or mobile app.