How late can you change your boarding station before the train departs? Learn the rules.

Indian Railways is one of the world's largest rail networks. After Russia, the US, and China, India's railway network ranks fourth. Every day, more than 25 million passengers travel by train. Most of them prefer to travel with reserved tickets, as reserved coaches offer seats, berths, and other amenities. Usually, passengers board the train from the station where the ticket was booked. However, sometimes circumstances arise where changing the boarding station becomes necessary. Often, travel plans change before the journey, or for some reason, the passenger cannot reach their designated boarding station on time. In such cases, another nearby station might be more convenient. Keeping this need in mind, Indian Railways provides passengers with the facility to change their boarding station. So, let's tell you how late you can change your boarding station before the train departs and what the rules are.

How late can you change your boarding station?

According to railway rules, passengers can change their boarding station up to 24 hours before the train's departure from the station. This facility is available online and can be accessed through the IRCTC website. For example, if your train is booked from New Delhi Railway Station, but you want to board the train from Hazrat Nizamuddin Station, you can change the boarding station within the stipulated time limit.

How to change your boarding station?

To change your boarding station, first, the passenger needs to visit the official IRCTC website, irctc.co.in.
Log in by entering your user ID, password, and captcha code.
After logging in, click on the Booking Ticket History.
Then select the relevant ticket, which will display the train number and departure time. Then, the option to change the boarding point will appear at the bottom.
After clicking on it, select the new station from the drop-down list and submit.
Once this process is complete, the boarding station will be changed, and you will receive a confirmation.

Also keep these points in mind:

Once the boarding station is changed, your seat at the old boarding station may be allotted to another passenger. This facility is only available online. The boarding station cannot be changed at the ticket counter. The railways are now making boarding rules stricter and more technologically advanced. According to these rules, if a passenger does not board the train at their designated boarding station, the TTE (Ticket Examiner) will no longer wait until the next station. As soon as the train departs from the boarding station, if the passenger is not found in their seat, the TTE will immediately mark "Not Turned Up" in the system. After this, the seat will be given to another passenger. Therefore, if you need to change your boarding station, it is essential to do so within the stipulated time frame; otherwise, your seat may be given to someone else.