When Is the Railway Reservation Chart Prepared?
By Lokesh Rathore · Last reviewed 26 August 2026
If you learnt the “chart is prepared four hours before departure” rule, it is out of date by two revisions. Indian Railways moved it to eight hours in July 2025 and to ten hours in December 2025. Almost every article still online repeats the old figure, which is why so many people check too late.
The Current Timings
| Train departs | First chart prepared |
|---|---|
| Between 5:00 am and 2:00 pm | By about 8:00 pm the previous night |
| After 2:00 pm, or before 5:00 am | About 10 hours before departure |
| All trains — second chart | About 30 minutes before departure |
The word “preferably” appears in the railway circular, and it matters: these are targets, not guarantees. On a delayed or rescheduled train the chart follows the revised departure, not the original one.
How the Rule Changed
- Until mid-2025 — first chart about four hours before departure.
- 2 July 2025 — Railway Board Commercial Circular 10/2025 moved it to eight hours, with morning trains charted by 9 pm the previous night. Second-chart rules were explicitly left unchanged.
- December 2025 — moved again to ten hours, with morning trains brought forward to 8 pm.
The stated reason was to give waitlisted passengers enough warning to make other arrangements instead of finding out at the station.
What Actually Happens at Chart Preparation
Charting is not a printout. It is the moment the Passenger Reservation System settles who is travelling and where:
- Unsold quota berths are released. Ladies, Senior Citizen, Divyangjan, Duty Pass and Remote Location berths that nobody claimed return to the general pool.
- The waiting list is resolved. Confirmations move up. Waitlisted e-tickets that have not cleared are cancelled automatically and refunded — you do not travel on them.
- RAC passengers are upgraded into any berths that freed up, in numerical order.
- Auto-upgradation runs. Passengers who ticked “Consider for Auto Upgradation” may be moved free of charge into a higher class that still has space.
- Coach and berth numbers are fixed and appear against your PNR status.
- Everything left over becomes current booking stock — the chart vacancy that gives this site its name.
Why the Second Chart Still Matters
Between the two charts there is a window of several hours in which people continue to cancel. Those berths are re-released at the second chart, roughly half an hour before departure. It is a smaller pool than the first chart but far less contested, because most people have stopped looking by then.
What This Means for You
- Waitlisted? You now know your fate ten hours ahead instead of four. Use the extra time — that is what the change was for.
- Looking for a last-minute berth? Check when the first chart lands, not four hours before departure. For a 7 am train that means around 8 pm the night before.
- Holding RAC? Charting is when most RAC confirmations happen. See the RAC confirmation guide.
- Planning to cancel? Do it before charting. Cancellation terms after the chart is out are far less favourable.
Where to Check
The official berth-by-berth chart is published free by Indian Railways at IRCTC Online Charts, no login required. For whether your own ticket cleared, check your PNR status. For what is still bookable across dates and classes, use the seat availability checker.
Frequently Asked Questions
For trains departing between 5 am and 2 pm, the first chart is prepared by about 8 pm the previous night. For trains departing after 2 pm or before 5 am, it is prepared about 10 hours before departure. A second chart follows around 30 minutes before the train leaves.
Yes, twice. It was about four hours before departure until mid-2025. Railway Board Commercial Circular 10/2025 moved it to eight hours from 2 July 2025, and a further revision in December 2025 moved it to ten hours. Most articles online still quote the old four-hour figure.
Unclaimed quota berths return to the general pool, the waiting list is resolved, RAC passengers are upgraded into freed berths, auto-upgradation runs for those who opted in, and coach and berth numbers are fixed. Anything still empty becomes available for current booking.
Yes. Berths left vacant after charting are released for current booking, online through IRCTC and at the station's current booking counter, right up until the train departs. A second chart around 30 minutes before departure releases any further cancellations.
A waitlisted e-ticket that has not cleared by chart preparation is cancelled automatically and refunded, and you cannot travel on it. A counter ticket bought at a railway window behaves differently and remains valid for travel in the unreserved coach.
Only if the train is formally rescheduled. A reschedule shifts the chart with the new departure time. A train simply running late, without a reschedule being issued, is still charted against its original scheduled departure.