Bad News For Indian Railways Passengers With Waitlisted Ticket: You Cant Board Train From These Stations

Indian Railways runs over 12,000 trains per day carrying millions of passengers. There are hundreds of routes which are overcrowded and passengers often find it hard to get confirmed tickets. Sleeper and general classes on these routes often remain overcrowded leaving those with confirmed tickets struggling to get their seats. The situation became worse during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh 2025. 

While the Indian Railways has failed to end the waitlists and accommodate passengers as per demands, the public transporter has now come out with a pilot project to ban waitlisted passengers from entering the station or boarding the train. 

Indian Railways has announced that only passengers with confirmed tickets will be permitted to enter 60 major railway stations across the country. This measure is aimed at preventing overcrowding and enhancing passenger safety. The policy has already been implemented at key stations like New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Patna stations. 

The restriction will apply to 60 of the busiest railway stations, including New Delhi Railway Station (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai), Howrah Junction (Kolkata), Chennai Central (Chennai), and Bengaluru City Railway Station (Bengaluru).

Therefore, passengers heading to these stations with waitlisted tickets might have to return home. By implementing this rule, authorities aim to reduce unnecessary congestion and ensure smoother movement for travellers.

Although the policy may cause some inconvenience initially, officials believe it will ultimately enhance the overall travel experience. Passengers are encouraged to book their tickets in advance and ensure they have a confirmed reservation before heading to the station.

The decision was made following a high-level meeting led by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, where senior railway officials stressed the importance of implementing effective crowd management measures at high-traffic stations.