Too few trains for the people who need them
More than 3.39 crore passengers could not travel in 2025-26 because their waitlisted train tickets were never confirmed, double the number four years earlier.
Open for ideas, evidence and questions.
What we know
RTI replies show the number of passengers left on unconfirmed waitlisted tickets rose from 1.65 crore in 2021-22 to 2.72 crore in 2022-23, 2.96 crore in 2023-24, 3.27 crore in 2024-25 and 3.39 crore in 2025-26, about 64 people a minute. Sleeper class was hit hardest, followed by 3AC.
The railways keep a fee on each cancelled waitlisted ticket. An RTI reply in 2024 showed they earned about ₹1,230 crore from cancelled waitlisted tickets between 2021 and 2024. The ministry says it blocked more than 60 billion suspicious bot requests on its booking system between July and December 2025, and has moved to cap waitlists at 25% of berths in many classes.
Open questions
- Which trains from your city are waitlisted most of the year, and how long has that lasted?
- How many new general and sleeper coaches were added last year, compared with new premium trains?
- Why does a waitlisted ticket that never confirms still cost a fee?
- How many people travel in general coaches beyond their capacity on your route?
- What would it cost to double the trains on the five most waitlisted routes?
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