Indian Railways has introduced a new "current booking" feature, enabling passengers to reserve seats up to 15 minutes before their train arrives at intermediate stations - even after it departs from its originating station. This facility is currently active on eight Vande Bharat Express trains under the Southern Railway (SR) zone.

The upgrade to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) ensures that real-time seat availability is visible and tickets can be booked right up until 15 minutes before departure at en-route stops - making spontaneous travel much more flexible.

The trains included are:

• 20631/20632 Mangaluru Central ↔ Thiruvananthapuram Central

• 20627/20628 Chennai Egmore ↔ Nagercoil

• 20642 Coimbatore ↔ Bengaluru Cantt.

• 20646 Mangaluru Central ↔ Madgaon

• 20671 Madurai ↔ Bengaluru Cantt.

• 20677 Chennai Central ↔ Vijayawada.

This initiative not only empowers last-minute and emergency travellers but also maximises seat utilisation on high-demand routes, where occupancy often exceeds 100%. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported occupancy rates of 102.01% in FY 2024‑25 and 105.03% through June 2025, underscoring the urgent need for such flexibility .

To use this scheme, passengers can book via the IRCTC website or Rail Connect app, or through station reservation counters—subject to seat availability. This marks a significant step toward making train travel more responsive to modern-day needs.