Indian Railways said it will close the 6-hour reservation system every night before November 21 to restore normalization of passenger services and to restore the time before Covid in phases.

The Ministry of Railways said on Sunday: “The event will start on the evening of November 14th and 15th, and will start on the evening of November 20th and 21st, starting at 23:30 and ending at 0530.” The ministry believes that this move will promote system data upgrades and new train numbers.

“As all mail/express trains will be updated with a large amount of past (old train number) and current passenger reservation data, it is being planned through a series of carefully calibrated steps and implemented at night to minimize the impact on ticketing services,” it Say. Passenger Reservation System (PRS) services, such as ticket reservations, current reservations, cancellations, and inquiry services, will not be available during these six hours.

All other inquiry services, including 139 services, will continue uninterrupted, the ministry pointed out. The railway will ensure that the train map is prepared in advance within the affected time period.

The Indian Railways said it would remove the “special” label for mail and express trains and immediately restore the fares before the pandemic. Restrictive measures taken in view of the pandemic, such as temporary restrictions on discounts, bed sheets and meal services, will continue to be effective.

News Source : Hindustan Times