Each day, nearly 93,000 people in India miss the train due to non-confirmation of tickets
over 3.39 crore (33.9 million) people in India could not travel by train during the last financial yeare 2025-26 because their waitlisted tickets did not get confirmed.
By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, May 12: In startling statistics, over 3.39 crore (33.9 million) people in India could not travel by train during the last financial yeare 2025-26 because their waitlisted tickets did not get confirmed.
The number of affected passengers has risen steadily from 1.65 crore in 2021-22, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Railways in response to an RTI (Right to Information) query, showing a major mismatch between demand and supply of seats in trains.
According to the Ministry, each day nearly 92,877 are unable to travel by trains because their tickets do not get confirmed and get cancelled automatically.
The data, given in response to RTI application filed by activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur, reveals an average of nearly 92,877 passengers daily faced automatic cancellation of tickets upon chart preparation, affecting over one person every second.
The ministry’s class-wise data showed that the highest number of automatic cancellations involved passengers travelling in Sleeper Class and AC 3-tier (3AC).
According to the data, nearly 74.55 lakh passengers booked under the 3AC category were unable to travel because their tickets remained unconfirmed, while the highest number of cancellations occurred in Sleeper Class, where more than 1.05 crore PNRs were automatically cancelled.
The ministry also stated that 2.78 lakh PNRs were cancelled in First AC (1AC), affecting around 3.85 lakh passengers, while 16.41 lakh PNRs under Second AC (2AC) were cancelled, impacting nearly 24.21 lakh passengers.
Activists and experts point to a severe shortage of trains and confirmed berths on busy routes, suggesting that, despite the introduction of special trains, the infrastructure is failing even after 75 years of Independence.
The figures point to mounting pressure on the country’s rail network and continuing shortages of confirmed berths on high-demand routes.
According to the Railway Ministry’s reply, around 2.19 crore PNRs (Passenger Name Records) were automatically cancelled during 2025–26 after tickets failed to get confirmed before reservation charts were prepared. These cancellations affected more than 3.39 crore passengers, especially those holding online waitlisted tickets.
The figures indicate a steady rise in the number of passengers unable to travel because of unconfirmed waitlisted tickets over the past five years to keep pace with soaring demand.1.65 crore passengers in 2021–22, 72 crore in 2022–23, 2.96 crore in 2023–24, 3.27 crore in 2024–25, 3.39 crore in 2025–26.
The rising cancellations highlighted the urgent need to expand train capacity and increase services on heavily used routes across the country.
