The Indian Railways is set to roll out a series of reforms aimed at improving operations, ticketing transparency and freight movement, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday while outlining the government’s upcoming plans.

During a press conference earlier in the day, the Railway Minister noted that around five key reforms will soon be announced as part of a broader effort to modernise the railway network and improve passenger services.

While announcing upcoming reforms, Vaishnaw said that confirmed train tickets cancelled less than eight hours before departure will no longer be eligible for refunds. The move is part of a broader set of changes aimed at tightening ticket cancellation norms, improving transparency in the reservation system, and reducing last-minute cancellations that affect seat availability for passengers.

Among the proposed changes are reforms in the transportation of salt and automobiles, along with measures to enhance the quality of railway construction projects. The government is also focusing on allowing greater flexibility for passengers to change their train boarding points.

Under the new ticketing measures, passengers will be able to change their boarding station up to 30 minutes before the train’s departure. In addition, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication has been introduced for Tatkal bookings to improve verification and prevent misuse. Authorities have also implemented anti-bot systems on the ticketing platform, leading to the deactivation of nearly three crore suspicious or inactive user IDs.

Officials say these reforms are designed to improve efficiency, strengthen passenger convenience and curb irregularities in the railway booking process.

Source: News18