New Delhi: The Indian Railways’ Vikalp Yojana has turned out to be popular with train passengers, especially those who have been waitlisted. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in his answer to a question in the Rajya Sabha said that 57,209 passengers received seats in alternative trains under this scheme during financial year 2023-24, Indian Railways Vikalp Yojana was introduced in 2016 to offer confirmed reservations to waitlisted passengers.
Indian Railways Vikalp Yojana
Railway Minister Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha in response to questions posed by Nationalist Congress Party member Fauzia Khan who asked about the success rate of Vikalp Yojana. She also asked whether the railways was planning to expand the scheme to high-demand routes. Vaishnaw informed the Upper House that Vikalp Yojana was applicable on an all-India level. To avail of its benefits, the passengers must opt for this scheme during train ticket booking.
Vikalp Yojana is an IRCTC initiative to provide seats to passengers in alternate trains running on the same route if they do not receive a confirmed seat in their original train of choice. IRCTC does not guarantee seats under Vikalp Yojana.
Reason behind waiting list tickets
Railway Minister Vaishnav said that the Indian Railways issues waiting list tickets to ensure maximum utilisation of capacity. Waiting list helps to assess the demand pattern. The Indian Railways regularly monitors these lists to ensure maximum passenger convenience. Special trains are operated during the festive season to meet the added passenger demand.
How passengers benefit from Indian Railways Vikalp Yojana?
Indian Railways Vikalp scheme has benefited over 57,000 passengers so far. It is aimed at easing the Railways’ burden while also ensuring that a maximum number of passengers receive confirmed tickets. Vikalp Scheme is applicable on all trains Pan-India and is an effective tool for capacity utilisation devised by IRCTC, Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared te the rationale behind issuing waiting list tickets explaining that it is aimed at the maximum utilisation of railway capacity in the event that confirmed train reservations are cancelled. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
