Irctc Ministry Of Railways Railway 

Withdrawal of Distance Restrictions in mail/express trains for issue of tickets over Indian Railways

irctcportal , , , ,

Withdrawal of Distance Restrictions in mail/express trains for issue of tickets over Indian Railways

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

COMMERCIAL CIRCULAR NO. 6 OF 2025

No. TCII/2037/2025/DR Policy

New Delhi dt 05.01.2025

The Chief Commercial Managers,
All Zonal Railways.

Sub: Withdrawal of distance restrictions in mail/express trains for issue of tickets over Indian Railways
Ref: Commercial Circular Nos.14 and 36 of 2001 dated 23.02.2001 and 11.05.2001

Ministry of Railways have decided to withdraw distance restriction in mail/express trains for issue of tickets over Indian Railways.The details are as under:

(i) In case of reserved class,the distance restriction shall be withdrawn and booking shall be made as per defined pooled quota/ remote Location quota etc.

(ii) The distance restriction as decided by Zonal Railways in Second class(unreserved) shall continue since in many long distance trains only two GS coaches is available and is overcrowded end to end.

These issues with the concurrence of Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

Necessary instructions may be issued to all concerned immediate.

Sd/-
(Vikram Singh)
Director Passenger Marketing
Railway Board.

Click here To Download the Original Order

Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

The Railway Board has issued revised guidelines regarding distance restrictions for booking reserved tickets in Mail/Express trains, as follows:

New Policy Overview

As per Commercial Circular No. 6 of 2025 (dated January 5, 2017), the Ministry of Railways has withdrawn distance-based restrictions for issuing reserved-class tickets on Mail and Express trains. This means passengers are no longer limited by travel distance when booking such tickets—reservations can be made anywhere across the Indian Railways network, subject to availability and applicable quotas (e.g., pooled quota or remote location quota).

However, this change does not affect unreserved (Second Class) tickets. Distance restrictions—imposed by respective Zonal Railways—continue to remain in place for these categories, especially since these coaches (GS) are often overcrowded on long-distance trains.

Key Takeaways

  • Reserved Tickets (Sleeper, AC, etc.)
    • Distance restrictions have been fully removed.
    • Booking can be done for any origin and destination across the network, based on class/quota availability.
  • Unreserved Tickets (Second Class)
    • Restrictions still apply, as Zonal authorities may impose distance limitations to manage coach occupancy and local demand.

This policy ensures greater flexibility for passengers traveling by reserved classes on long-distance trains, while retaining operational control over unreserved ticketing to maintain capacity and order. Let me know if you’d like help understanding booking procedures under these new norms or want to check specific quota rules!

error: