The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, is planning to extend its e-ticket booking facility to 23 hours a day, taking into account the increasing number of foreign tourists and NRIs visiting the country. Currently e-ticketing facilities are unavailable between 11.30 pm and 5 am. Though the final date is yet to be decided upon, the Ministry of Railways plans to put the extension plan into operation this month itself.

A senior official from the Ministry of Railways said, “The fact that e-ticketing is a hit among travellers is a matter that cannot be overlooked since a major chunk of the reserved ticketing is done online. NRIs and tourists from abroad have been complaining about the difficulty in booking tickets due to the service not being available between 11.30 pm and 5am. Once we extend the time, the service will be available for 23 hours. The only time it will be inaccessible will be between 11.30 pm and 12.30 am for the date change.”