Tamil Nadu: Train tickets for Diwali sold out within minutes
Though Deepavali is two months away (October 20, Monday), when the advance reservation period (ARP) was open for tickets a week prior to the holiday, they were sold in minutes.
CHENNAI: The advance booking for Deepavali began on Sunday, and tickets for October 16 were sold out within minutes, particularly for the trains for southern Tamil Nadu.
Though Deepavali is two months away (October 20, Monday), when the advance reservation period (ARP) was open for tickets a week prior to the holiday, they were sold in minutes.
For instance, major trains like Pandian Express (Train 12637) operated between Chennai Egmore and Madurai, tickets in sleeper class were showing ‘regret’ (when waiting list is reached). In other classes, the waiting list was high within hours after the portal was open. In Nellai superfast express (Train 12631) between Egmore and Tirunelveli, all coaches were on the waiting list by noon. And the same situation with many other trains like the Trivandrum Mail (Train 12623) from Chennai Central to Trivandrum.
“Booking railway tickets has become like a chess game. I never get a ticket in the general quota reservation and have to depend on Tatkal tickets. And while booking tatkal tickets, I have to use a computer with a minimum 100 MBPS internet speed. Always use the wallet facility available on the website, as it’s faster than card payments; so the ticket is not lost. If tickets are unavailable, flights are the only option though they’re expensive. You can always drive to your destination but that comes with a different set of challenges,” said Jaivin Joy Eapen, a Chennai resident who travels to Kottayam frequently by train.
The ARP for trains is 60 days, excluding the date of travel and opens at 8 am. “Tickets for special trains will be announced a week prior to Deepavali,” said a SR official.
Advance reservation dates:
August 18: Open for October 17 (Friday)
August 19: Open for October 18 (Saturday)
August 20: Open for October 19 (Sunday)
August 21: Open for October 20 (Monday)
August 22: Open for October 21 (Tuesday)
August 23: Open for October 22 (Wednesday)
August 24: Open for October 23 (Thursday)
August 25: Open for October 24 (Friday)
August 26: Open for October 25 (Saturday)
August 27: Open for October 26 (Sunday)
